NEWS AND NOTES / NOUVELLES ET NOTES

Compiled by Gillian Griffith

<table><tr><td>HTAi Information Resources Vortal</td><td>49</td></tr><tr><td>The HTAi – Information Resources Group 2006 Annual Workshop</td><td>50</td></tr><tr><td>BioMed Central launches Biology Direct</td><td>51</td></tr><tr><td>British Library desktop document delivery now available via Google Scholar</td><td>51</td></tr><tr><td>CIHR policy in development – access to products of research</td><td>51</td></tr><tr><td>CLA releases position paper on copyright</td><td>51</td></tr><tr><td>Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP) journal launched</td><td>52</td></tr><tr><td>Hospital Library Standards</td><td>52</td></tr><tr><td>Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) now free</td><td>52</td></tr><tr><td>National Library of Medicine Classification updated</td><td>53</td></tr><tr><td>PubMed news</td><td>53</td></tr><tr><td>Université du Québec à Montréal becomes first North American university to sign Berlin Declaration</td><td>53</td></tr><tr><td>Canadian Library Association's 61st Annual Conference and Trade Show</td><td>54</td></tr><tr><td>Special Libraries Association (SLA) 2006 Annual Meeting – Where tradition and transformation converge</td><td>54</td></tr><tr><td>Technology Symposium 2006 – Technology & citizenship</td><td>54</td></tr><tr><td>World Congress on Internet in Medicine</td><td>55</td></tr><tr><td>World Library and Information Congress – 72nd IFLA General Conference and Council</td><td>55</td></tr><tr><td>FIS Professional Learning Centre: Web site evaluation for user-centred design</td><td>56</td></tr><tr><td>Dealing assertively with difficult patrons: the essential skills with Goldie Newman</td><td>56</td></tr></table>
NEWS AND NOTES / NOUVELLES ET NOTES

HTAi Information Resources Vortal

The Information Resources Group (IRG) of Health Tech-
nology Assessment International (HTAi) has begun develop-
ment of a comprehensive, accessible vortal of international
health technology assessment (HTA) information resources
(www.htai.org/vortal). The first phase of the vortal includes
the compilation of HTA Web resources in a variety of sub-
ject areas. A preliminary version, largely developed by one
IRG member, was released in spring 2005.

Content and design is now being reviewed, verified, and
expanded by volunteer subject experts recruited from the in-
ternational community via the IRG listserv. These experts
identify relevant resources, write user-friendly descriptions,
and assign keywords. One IRG member edits and coordi-
nates content, updating others regularly via the listserv.
Twenty-one volunteers from seven countries are currently
contributing to the vortal. Additional volunteers will be re-
cruited from the broader HTAi community.

Users access resources in the vortal via a keyword search
facility or an expandable list of categories. Clicking the re-

source reveals its URL and description. The next phase of
development will include focused usability testing, using
HTA end-users as participants, to ensure that content is rele-
vant and that the site is user-friendly. Federated searching
(simultaneous Web/database searching across defined re-
sources) is also being explored. Later phases may incorpo-
rate member-only services, virtual reference, or blogs.

The IRG received seed funding from the National Library of Medicine and Veterans' Affairs Technology Assessment Program for this project. Ongoing Web support is provided by the HTAi Secretariat.

Becky Skidmore

Chair, Information Resources Group, HTAi
Canadian Agency for Drugs and
Technologies in Health (CADTH)
600-865 Carling Avenue
Ottawa, ON K1S 5S8, Canada
E-mail: beckys@cadth.ca
# The HTAi – Information Resources Group 2006 Annual Workshop
## Putting evidence to work: evidence-based HTA librarianship

Make the IRG preconference workshop part of your annual HTAi (www.htai.org) meeting plans! Join us down under in Adelaide, Australia, on Sunday, 2 July 2006, for a great day of training and lively discussions. This full-day workshop includes presentations from a variety of speakers plus interactive sessions highlighting important topics in this field.

Hear these well-known speakers!

* Carol Lefebvre, from the UK Cochrane Centre in Oxford, will speak about the redesign of the Cochrane Highly Sensitive Search Strategy for identifying randomized controlled trials in MEDLINE. Additionally, Carol will speak about the UK InterTASC Specialists' Subgroup's work on developing a Web site of methodological search filters of interest to those involved in conducting health technology assessments.

* Catherine Voutier, from the Centre for Clinical Effectiveness, Monash Institute of Health Services Research, will give an overview of HTA information activities in Australia and New Zealand.

* Malene Fabricius Jensen, from DACEHTA in Denmark, will present work on a checklist developed for evaluating literature search methodologies in HTAs. The presentation will include discussion on the usefulness of such a resource.

* Anne Parkhill, of Aptly Information Design in Australia, will lead an interactive session on evidence-based work

she has done regarding the effectiveness of different training methods for information management skills in the occupational therapy field.

* Andrew Booth, of the School of Health & Related Research (ScHARR) at the University of Sheffield will give a full afternoon session. Andrew is internationally known for his work on evidence-based library and information practice. He is the creator of "Netting the evidence" and author of the chapter "Evidence-based perspectives on information access and retrieval" in the multi-author work, *Evidence-based practice: a handbook for information professionals*. Andrew's session will examine the evidence base of information retrieval methods and is likely to raise some challenges to current approaches.

Join us on Sunday, 2 July 2006, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the lecture theatre of the historic Institute Building in the State Library of South Australia on North Terrace. Registration and coffee begin at 8:30 a.m.

There is no charge for participants attending the full HTAi conference. For those attending the workshop only, there is a charge of AU$150 for workshop. Registration includes any distributed workshop materials, morning and afternoon breaks, and lunch. Full details regarding conference registration are available at http://www.htai.org/australia-2006/.

For more information, contact Becky Skidmore, IRG Chair (beckys@cadth.ca) or Susan Bidwell (susan.bidwell@chmeds.ac.nz).
## BioMed Central launches *Biology Direct*

BioMed Central has launched *Biology Direct*, a new online open access journal with a novel system of peer review. *Biology Direct* will operate completely open peer review, with named peer reviewers' reports published alongside each article. The journal also takes the innovative step of requiring that the author approach *Biology Direct* Editorial Board members directly to review the manuscript. The journal is available online at http://www.biology-direct.com.

## British Library desktop document delivery now available via Google Scholar

http://www.bl.uk/news/2006/pressrelease20060302.html

The Internet's search engine and the world's greatest research library are joining forces to offer researchers, students, and academics desktop delivery of millions of full text scholarly research articles. Starting 2 March 2006, searches on Google Scholar (http://www.scholar.google.com) will include links to the British Library's document delivery service. Search results will be matched against the library's holdings, and where a match is made, users will have the option of obtaining articles held via the British Library's online document ordering interface, British Library Direct (http://direct.bl.uk).

## CIHR policy in development – access to products of research

http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/30818.html

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is initiating a process to develop a research policy that will promote access to the knowledge and resources generated from CIHR-funded research. Currently, CIHR encourages recipients of research support to make the results of all research publicly available. However, CIHR does not have a formal policy governing access to the products of CIHR-funded research.

## CLA releases position paper on copyright

The Canadian Library Association (CLA) has released a paper outlining its positions on current aspects of copyright reform. Prepared by the CLA Copyright Working Group and approved by Executive Council, it presents thumbnail views on 10 copyright issues in an easy-to-digest form. Access the Position Paper at http://www.cla.ca/resources/protecting_the_public_interest.pdf.
**Evidence Based Library and Information Practice (EBLIP) journal launched**

EBLIP (http://ejournals.library.ualberta.ca/index.php/EBLIP) is a peer-reviewed, open access journal published quarterly by the University of Alberta Learning Services, using the Open Journal Systems journal management and publishing system. The purpose of the journal is to provide a forum for librarians and other information professionals to discover research that may contribute to decision making in professional practice. EBLIP publishes original research and commentary on the topic of evidence-based library and information practice, as well as reviews of previously published research (evidence summaries) on a wide number of topics.

**Hospital Library Standards**

A draft of the revised standards was posted on the Canadian Health Libraries Association / Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada (CHLA / ABSC) Web site in late January 2006 to elicit feedback from members. A final version of the standards will be presented at the 2006 CHLA / ABSC conference.

**Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts (LISTA) now free**

LISTA, says EBSCO, "is the oldest continuously produced database covering the field of information science", with coverage dating back to the mid 1960s. The database indexes more than 600 periodicals, as well as books, research reports, and conference proceedings. Topics covered include librarianship, classification, cataloging, bibliometrics, online information retrieval, information management, and more.
## National Library of Medicine Classification updated

The online National Library of Medicine Classification, available at http://wwwcf.nlm.nih.gov/class/, was issued in a newly revised edition on 6 April 2006. Fifteen new class numbers were added to the schedules, and 98 MeSH terms were added to the index, including 57 new to the MeSH vocabulary as of 2006. In addition, 75 schedule records and more than 450 index entries were updated since the 2005 revised edition was published on 26 April 2005.

## PubMed news

*Limits page updated* – The PubMed Limits page has been redesigned to provide an improved interface to limit your search by age group, gender, human or animal studies, languages, publication types, dates, and other parameters. Click the Limits tab to display the Limits page. Enhancements include new limits such as Links to free full text, the ability to choose one or more selections under categories such as Languages, and a search builder for authors and journals.

*New search and display options available in the Journals Database* – The Entrez Journals Database now includes new options for searching, an additional display format, and an expanded Full format. The new search options are Subject Terms and Currently Indexed in MEDLINE. These new options will be searchable from the Limits screen, Preview/Index, or directly in the query box. An XML format will be available as a display option. The Full display format has been given a new look and also expanded to include the Subject Terms and additional information available about the journal displayed in Continuation Notes.

## Université du Québec à Montréal becomes first North American university to sign Berlin Declaration

For more information, see http://www.uqam.ca/nouvelles/2006/06-113.htm [French], American Scientist Open Access Forum, 4 April 2006, 12:53 p.m.
# Meetings, conferences, and workshops

## Canadian Library Association's 61st Annual Conference and Trade Show

Libraries Build Communities will take place in Ottawa, 14–17 June 2006. For more information, visit http://www.cla.ca/conference/2006/index.html.

## Special Libraries Association (SLA) 2006 Annual Meeting – Where tradition and transformation converge

SLA's Annual Conference will take place in Baltimore, Maryland, 11–14 June 2006. Keynote speakers have been announced: Gwen Ifill (The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer and Washington Week) and Walt Mossberg (The Wall Street Journal).

## Technology Symposium 2006 – Technology & citizenship

Sponsored by Common Ground Conferences, the conference is scheduled to take place 9–10 June 2006 at McGill University, Montreal, Que. For more information, see http://www.Technology-Conference.com.
**World Congress on Internet in Medicine**

Organized for the first time in North America, the conference will be held in Toronto, 13–20 October 2006. MEDNET is a scientific conference organized under the auspices of the Society for the Internet in Medicine (SIM). The large trade exhibition will feature e-health technologies and Web applications for health professionals and consumers, an e-health business track, and high-profile keynote speakers. For more information, see http://www.mednetcongress.org.

**World Library and Information Congress – 72nd IFLA General Conference and Council**

Libraries: Dynamic Engines for the Knowledge and Information Society will take place 20–24 August 2006, in Seoul, Korea. The Health and Biosciences Libraries Section invites librarians, health informaticians, knowledge managers, educators, researchers, clinical staff, and others to submit proposals for papers, to be given in a 2 h session as part of the program of the WLIC, which provide insight into and experience of the role of new technologies in supporting access and delivery of health and health information. The theme is What’s new in technology for health information?
# Professional development

## FIS Professional Learning Centre: Web site evaluation for user-centred design

Faculty of Information Studies, University of Toronto

27 June 2006, 1 day (6 h), 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Instructor: Arnie Guha

Fee: $200.00

This course will be oriented towards gaining a strategic understanding of the business implications of usability, as well as a practical understanding of actual usability issues and techniques for identifying and addressing them.

## Dealing assertively with difficult patrons: the essential skills with Goldie Newman

OLA Education Institute – Audio Conference

Monday, 5 June at 3:00 p.m ET, noon PT

OLA member: $66.00 + GST, nonmember: $81.00 + GST

Using assertive language when dealing with difficult people can help staff members feel good about themselves, their difficult patrons, and their library. In this teleconference you'll take away some great tips on how to manage your difficult communication more effectively.

If you would like an upcoming course, conference, or meeting included in an upcoming issue, please send an e-mail to: assistant-editor@chla-absc.ca