A.R. Dykes Library Blog - Research Guides at University of Kansas Medical Center

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. In observation, KUMC is holding several events throughout the month. After attending one of these events, the library has added two of the local organizations to an online resource guide that includes social and public services. These two organizations that support those affected by domestic violence and/or sexual assault are MOCSA (Metropolitan Organization Countering Sexual Assault) and Rose Brooks. You can find out more of the great work they do by continuing to their websites. On the resource guide, you can find a PDF titled “Community Resources Guide”, curated by library specialists, that contains a broad range of community resources in the Kansas City area.

Doing a simple internet search on domestic violence, sexual assault, or virtually any other topic can result in an overabundance of results, which can be very overwhelming. KUMC’s library guides exist to help users focus on trusted websites, data, and resources that will help them in their research and educational endeavors, and KUMC librarians spend a good deal of time updating an curating reliable information and resources. So, next time you are inundated by a large number of so-so search results or want to save some time by getting directly to quality resources, check the library guides developed by your librarians or reach out to us by text, chat, or email!

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New Literacies Alliance (NLA) free modules for Blackboard

The New Literacies Alliance (NLA) offers free modules embedding into Blackboard (Bb) on evidence-based practice, reading scientific research, information literacy, and more. These are self-paced modules that support the development of critical thinking and research skills (see picture one below).This is a project led by librarians across the nation, including one of KUMC’s own, Prasanna Vaduvathiriyan. The curriculum is “built on the ACRL Information Literacy Framework (and related) standards, that helps all students start at the same level for library and research instruction”. You can review the 13 courses on their website, which will include information about each course.Why use NLA modules? An entire module is embedding into Bb with a couple clicksBB’s gradebooks are updated within minutes for modules/knowledge checks completedStudents learn foundational conceptsCan be used to review concepts such as developing a research question or informational practices like evaluating source authorityAdding modules to Blackboard course sitesDecide which NLA Module you want to use (NLA Modules descriptions and URLs)In the location in your course site where you want to deploy a NLA module, click (+), then Create, then Teaching tools with LTI connection.Edit the link title.In the Configuration URL box, add the correct link from the list below.Click Open in new window (this is always a good practice for linked content.)To add the module as a graded course activity, tick Create grade book entry for this item and assign point value, due date, etc. If you don’t check the box, students will be able to complete the modules as a supplemental activity, but their access and performance are not reported back to Blackboard.Click Save.For assistanceFor technical help with NLA modules, please contact TLT@kumc.edu.Open Educational ResourcesThe NLA modules are a verified example of quality Open Educational Resources (OERs) created for educators and students. OERs aim to provide resources that are free and that remove barriers to students and faculty alike. There are many available OERs for the health sciences. If you are interested in learning more about them, read through the Dykes Library’s OER Resource Guide or contact your librarian liaison.Both TLT and the Dykes Library are here to help with your classroom needs and to assist in finding the resources available to support you. Consider using the NLA modules or other OERs in your next semester....

Resources for overcoming stigma regarding Mental Illness

Mental illness is common in America. In 2022, there were 59,300,000 Americans (23.1% of the adult population) with any type of mental illness. Prevalence rates vary a bit by ethnicity, age and gender, but the total number clearly represents a wide swath of Americans. While the prevalence of serious mental illness is less, at 6% of the population, getting care for any type of mental health condition can improve an individual’s quality of life. However, only about half of people with a mental illness receive treatment.The discrepancy between the number diagnosed and the number getting treatment can, in part, be attributed to the stigma attached to mental illness. The public, self- and structural stigma attached to people with mental illness often results in lack of treatment and a variety of other negative outcomes:It can lessen self-esteem, causing people to believe that they can't succeed or make their life betterIt may make it difficult for family, friends, co-workers or others to understand the conditionIt can be harder for people to find jobs, find housing, go to school or do social activitiesIt can lead to bullying, physical violence or harassmentHealth insurance may not cover treatment for mental health conditions or may only partly cover it (From Mental health: Overcoming the stigma of mental illness)The National Alliance on Mental Illness has an article discussing nine ways to fight mental health stigma. The nine methods mentioned in the article are below, with added links to specific, relevant resources that will further enhance your understanding.Talk Openly About Mental Health – “Supporting a Loved One Dealing with Mental and/of Substance Use Disorders: Starting the Conversation”Educate Yourself and Others – a School of Nursing team has put together a Mental Health Toolkit with a wide array of high quality information sources and tools to help you understand mental health.Be Conscious of Language“Reframing Language: Why Changing Our Thinking, Our Actions and Our Language Matters”“Your Language Matters”Encourage Equality Between Physical and Mental Illness – “Parity of esteem: Addressing the inequalities between mental and physical healthcare” Show Compassion for Those with Mental Illness – “Tips For How to Help a Person with Mental Illness”Choose Empowerment Over Shame – “On the Self-Stigma of Mental Illness: Stages, Disclosure, and Strategies for Change”Be Honest About Treatment – “Never Be Ashamed of Seeking Help”Let the Media Know When They’re Being Stigmatizing – “Is mental health still misconstrued on screen?”Don’t Harbor Self-Stigma – “You are NOT Alone”We hope these resources will ease your approach in talking with someone in your life about your mental health or who may be suffering from mental illness.If you or someone you know is considering suicide, and needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or text 988....

Library Research Updates - What's New in Medical Subject Headings?

Recently, we are observing an exponential growth in the production of scientific literature. While this has benefited us gaining new knowledge in education and healthcare, it also makes it difficult for us to locate the best information on a topic. When conducting literature searches for finding scientific studies, using National Library of Medicine’s (NLM) Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) thesaurus is crucial. Searching with MeSH could add value to your literature searching skills and increase precision to the search results.What is MeSH? MeSH are the official vocabulary that describe the subject content of an article in Medline. It branches out from broader to narrower terms that are arranged in a hierarchical order. There could be typically 5-12 vocabularies assigned to articles that are indexed in PubMed (Medline).Where can you find MeSH?On the Entrez MeSH database; it is also available at the bottom of PubMed homepage that allows to build searches.Ovid Medline database, Clinical Trials.gov, and Cochrane libraryDirectly from NLM’s standalone MeSH Browser to find the vocabularies.What’s new about MeSH?NLM ensures accuracy of MeSH with annual revisions and updates. In 2025, there are interesting expansions, additions, and deletions that might help you to improve the research. Below are some examplesMeSH Tutorials Introduction to MeSHFinding keywords for publications Have a suggestion to improve the subject headings and/or vocabularies? Write to NLM help desk. Want to discuss and learn more? Connect with one of the research librarians ...

IMLS Benefits to Kansas and KUMC

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) is the sole source of federal funding for public and state libraries such as the State of Kansas Library and provides funding for resources, computer/wi-fi accessibility, and interlibrary loan services that all Kansans may access free of charge. For a fact sheet on how the IMLS funding benefits Kansas, click here.Through its IMLS funding the State of Kansas Library provides all KUMC library users access to a number of EBSCO research databases, including:Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new window Alt HealthWatch This link opens in a new window Business Source Premier This link opens in a new window Consumer Health Complete This link opens in a new window GreenFILE This link opens in a new windo Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition The elimination of the IMLS would remove the financial support provided to the State of Kansas that mitigates the cost of research databases, and could result in the removal of continued free access to these databases for all Kansans and KUMC library users. For more information on the IMLS and its positive impacts, click this link to learn more....

Community Resources to Support Survivors of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault

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