HSLIC News

A New Chapter for the Native Health Database

At long last, we are happy to announce the launch of a new Native Health Database page! Click the image below to check out the new site.

Thanks to the hard work of many (see below), and with particular thanks to the Network of the National Library of Medicine - South Central Region (NNLM/SCR) for their funding support, we are able to showcase the new site and show you all an NHD that is responsive, inclusive, and engaging for the future collaborative sharing of Indigenous health resources. 

Get acclimated to effective searching and browsing by visiting the Get Started page. Then, start some of your own searches by navigating over to Explore Resources. Curious to learn about some of the history behind the NHD? Check out the History page. And finally, view additional resources and links at the Related Links page. 

Fixes/Anticipated Updates Known Prior to Launch

While preparing for the launch of the new Native Health Database, a few issues arose that you may notice:

• Upon import, a large number of records had their Original Date changed to 2021; this is being addressed in a patch that will be released in early May.
• The import tool itself is not working as we anticipated, thus approximately just over half of the records from the former Native Health Database remain to be imported. This issue is presently being investigated by the programming team for Mukurtu CMS at Washington State University. 

Because of these known issues, we will provide an interim period during which time the former Native Health Database page will also be available. 

What Have we Been Doing?

We have been planning for this transition since Fall 2019. A significant amount of time was spent investigating the history of the NHD; engaging with former NHD Advisory Board members; soliciting for new advisors; reviewing patron searches and email exchanges; and looking for a sustainable model for a new NHD. You can learn more about our plans by reviewing an October 2020 presentation, as well as a follow-up presentation in March 2021. We settled on the need to migrate the records in the former NHD into a new tool, one that enables for much more embedded community engagement and Indigenous control over access and use. Mukurtu CMS was selected as the appropriate database platform to accomplish this.

Mukurtu aims to empower communities to manage, share, and exchange their [resources] in culturally relevant and ethically-minded ways. [Mukurtu is] committed to maintaining an open, community-driven approach to [its] continued development. Our first priority is to help build a platform that fosters relationships of respect and trust.

With a new platform selected, we submitted a funding request to NNLM-SCR in Fall 2020. This funding would secure the services of a UNM graduate student to work as a Project Assistant (PA). This PA would do extensive work cleaning up the over 10,000 original records (metadata) prior to migrating them into Mukurtu-friendly import templates. Upon receipt of the funding, HSLIC hired Maxine Marks, a PhD student at UNM's College of Fine Arts in the Department of Art. Maxine and the project's Primary Investigator (PI), Jonathan Pringle, worked within a dedicated workflow and rigorous guidelines to clean up and import all metadata fields into Mukurtu. 

What Will we do Next?

Beyond addressing any known issues, we will be taking a brief pause from direct work on any of the look/feel of the database; during this time we will solicit feedback from users. We will also look to foster collaborative partnerships with both content creators and Indigenous communities as we formalize a structure for the responsible deposit of new content. There are numerous ideas about what we tackle next:

• Formalize a structure for a new advisory board; developing an associated strategic plan/goals
• Engage in outreach with myriad creators and source communities - those interested in responsible sharing of resources. In particular, find content creators engaged in important research during the periods in which no new content was added to NHD (mid-2019-present)
• Explore digitization funding to digitize as much of the paper-based NHD records as possible and attaching them to their new record in the new NHD
• Present and share out with numerous groups to build support and advocate for the NHD
• Investigate further developments for integrating a map feature, as well as as exploring the exporting of citations

Acknowledgments

We wish to personally acknowledge the following individuals & groups who have thoughtfully contributed to our work on this project

Funders

• Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) South Central Region (SCR)
  • Daniel Burgard, Director
  • Brian Leaf, Executive Director
  • Carla McGuire, Sr. Contract Administrator
  • Rosalba Zamaguey, Budget Coordinator

HSLIC/UNM

• Sarah Arrowsmith, Student Employee, HSLIC
• Wendell Billingsley, Facilities and Unit Services Manager, HSLIC
• Cassandra Bookert, Accountant, UNM Health Sciences Center
• Sally Bowler-Hill, Manager of Administrative Operations, HSLIC
• I-Ching Boman, HSC-CIO
• Kevin Brown, UNM Indigenous Nations Library Program
• Jim Bynum, Interlibrary Loan Library Specialist, HSLIC
• Madison Dow, Contracts Specialist, UNMHSC Sponsored Projects Office
• Dr. Jon Eldredge, Evidence-Based Practice Librarian, HSLIC
• Robyn Gleasner, Resource Management Librarian, HSLIC
• Laura Hall, Division Head, Resources, Archives, and Discovery, HSLIC
• Gale Hannigan, Research Services Librarian, HSLIC
• Ingrid Hendrix, Division Head, Research, Education and Clinical Services, HSLIC
• Dakotah Jim, UNM Comprehensive Cancer Center
• Cynthia Killough, CTSC Community Health Specialist
• David Lucero, Unit Administrator, HSLIC
• Kelleen Maluski, Student Success and Engagement Librarian, HSLIC
• Maxine Marks, PhD Student and Project Assistant, HSLIC
• Zander Pegues, Systems/Network Analyst
• Melissa Rethlefsen, Executive Director, HSLIC
• Lori Sloane, Data Manager, HSLIC
• Amy Weig-Pickering, Library Information Specialist, HSLIC
• Tamara Wheeler, Program Coordinator, HSLIC
• Lewis Worley, HSC-CIO

Former/Ad-hoc Advisors

• Paulita Aguilar, UNM Libraries - Center for Southwest Research
• Kelly Akin, U.S. Indian Health Service Phoenix Area Office
• Naomi Bishop, University of Arizona Health Sciences Librarian
• Sharon Bradley
• Dr. Michelle Dennison-Farris, Health Policy Liaison, Oklahoma City Indian Clinic
• Dr. Bonnie Duran, Professor, University of Washington Schools of Social Work & Public Health
• Kara Lewis, Collections Information System Administrator, Smithsonian
• Dr. Sandy Littletree, Assistant Teaching Professor, University of Washington
• Rachel Menyuk, Processing Archivist, Smithsonian
• Dr. Judy Parker, Secretary, Chickasaw Nation Department of Health
• Pamela Pierce, Digital Scholarship & Repository Librarian, Oregon Health Sciences University
• Carla Sakiestewa, Sr. Operations Manager, UNM Interdisciplinary Science Co-Op
• Dr. Lancer Stephens, Assistant Professor of Research, Hudson College of Public Health

Support Team at Washington State University (home of Mukurtu CMS)

• Dr. Kimberly Christen
• Lotus Norton-Wisla
• Anastasia Tucker
• Michael Wynne

“There is no one way to be autistic. Some autistic people can speak, and some autistic people need to communicate in other ways. Some autistic people also have intellectual disabilities, and some autistic people don’t. Some autistic people need a lot of help in their day-to-day lives, and some autistic people only need a little help. All of these people are autistic, because there is no right or wrong way to be autistic. All of us experience autism differently, but we all contribute to the world in meaningful ways. We all deserve understanding and acceptance.” 

- Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) 

In 2011, the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) declared a shift from Autism Awareness Month to Autism Acceptance Month. This change in language was accompanied by a call to make acceptance of people with autism a year-round priority. In 2021, other organizations nationwide are following suit with this language shift. In order to become more aware of the experiences of individuals with autism it is vital to listen to the perspectives of self-advocates. “Self-advocacy” is a term rooted in the disability rights movement and refers to people with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) expressing their own views and perspectives rather than others speaking for them. The ASAN has many resources on the topic of self-advocacy including materials on language, accessibility, and policy issues. 

At the University of New Mexico and statewide there are many resources to better educate oneself on the experiences of people with autism. The UNM Center for Development and Disability (CDD) has an Autism Portal which includes a library of online trainings. The UNM CDD also offers trainings to community organizations to support them in becoming more accessible spaces for people with autism. The Accessibility Resource Center offers many resources and support services for UNM students with disabilities. For those who are interested in policy issues related to the rights of individuals with autism in our state, Disability Rights New Mexico has detailed reports on topics covered in the most recent legislative session. Finally, the New Mexico Developmental Disabilities Council has several programs for people with IDD including the Center for Self Advocacy Program.

After two incredible Zine workshop we are very excited for the third and last in our series. Next week, April 21st from 12-1, join the Indigenous Honeys - Chantal Jung (she/they), Michelle Bernardino (she/they), Marina Perez (she/they) - an interdisciplinary arts collective dedicated to cultivating space for Indigenous zinesters, artists, writers, and storytellers. Their work centers the voices, experiences, realities, histories, perspectives and talents of Indigenous peoples. They have experience working as a small scale disto, supporting Indigenous artists from diverse geographical spaces. They are dedicated to promoting self-published material because we recognize self-publishing as an accessible and autonomous strategy that interrogates settler colonialism and capitalism. You can find them on Instagram.

In this workshop we will focus on our senses and create zines that will involve collages, writing and more. You are encouraged to bring personal digitized photos of people, places and/or items that are important to you.

Registration for each workshop is capped at 20 participants to allow for increased engagement, so be sure to book your spot as soon as possible!

We also have a virtual exhibit called Zines for Alternative Publishing: Making Your Voice Heard that accompanies these workshops. Be sure to take a look and engage with the materials, history, and creating playlist!

There are just 8 seats left for our Implicit Bias in the Research Process happening Monday, April 19th from 12-pm! So be sure to RSVP to guarantee your spot.

You are invited to attend a Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center seminar on health literacy entitled “Health Literacy Tips: Plain Language, Teach-Back and More…”

This online seminar will explore the benefits of using teach-back and plain language for patient care as well as a discussion regarding the health literacy needs of patients in New Mexico.  The first seminar will be offered on Friday, April 16, 2021, from 12:00 to 1:00 pm, and will be repeated on Wednesday, April 28, 2021, from 12:00 until 1:00 pm.

To register for either seminar, please go here.

If you have questions, contact Deborah Rhue.

It is with great enthusiasm and deep appreciation to many that HSLIC formally announces receipt of funds to support the future and sustainability of the library's Native Health Database (NHD). Funded by the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) South Central Region (SCR), $24,348 has been secured to migrate 10,046 records presently found in the Native Health Database into a new database platform. Once completed, HSLIC seeks to leverage community engagement opportunities to find new content and responsibly build on the strengths of the current NHD. 

HSLIC lost a valuable colleague when Patricia Bradley (Diné), the library's Native and Distance Services Librarian, passed away in Spring 2019. Patricia's passing left a void in her work with outreach and teaching, as well as with her leadership of the NHD. Jonathan Pringle, HSLIC's Scholarly Communication and Digital Librarian, was hired in September 2019; as part of his responsibilities, he was tasked with management of the NHD and determining some next steps. Notably, no new content has been added to NHD since Spring 2019. 

Patricia Bradley (front row, 2nd from right) with the NHD Advisory Board, November 2016

After a significant period of quiet reflection, consideration, and collaborative conversation with former advisors of the NHD--many of whom are Indigenous and work in myriad segments of the health field--in October 2020 Jonathan presented a vision for where the NHD could head. A link to a 20-minute recording of this presentation is available here. An updated NHD would emphasize responsible sharing; introduce community control over content; and most notably provide direct access to the content itself. HSLIC settled on Mukurtu CMS, a platform that "aims to empower communities to manage, share, and exchange their digital heritage in culturally relevant and ethically-minded ways." A new model for submission of content will now come from a community of contributors, and Indigenous communities will have more control over this content. 

The first step was to figure out how best to migrate 10,000+ records from the current NHD into the new NHD. To help facilitate this process, a funding opportunity with NNLM/SCR presented itself, and by December 2020 a formal proposal was submitted. Jonathan would serve as PI. In the new year, word was received that HSLIC was successful in obtaining the funds. In January 2021, HSLIC hired Maxine Marks, a PhD student at UNM, to undertake the task of cleaning up existing metadata and prepare it for import into the new NHD.

In March 2021, Jonathan provided an update with the metadata migration process, and again reinforced the potential of the new NHD post-migration. This 33-minute video/presentation is available here. 

With a few weeks left in this grant-funded project (ending April 30), there remain a few thousand records left to be properly migrated. HSLIC is laser-focused on getting this final grouping completed, then taking a short rest before leveraging the best of what Mukurtu CMS can offer to deliver a new NHD for students, staff/faculty, researchers, and the public. The current NHD will be replaced with the new NHD at some point in May. Stay tuned!

Our thanks to NNLM/SCR, former NHD advisors, Maxine Marks, and the whole team at HSLIC for making this collaborative project possible.

This project is funded under cooperative agreement number UG4LM012345 with the University of North Texas Health Science Center - Gibson D. Lewis Library, and awarded by the DHHS, NIH, National Library of Medicine.

After an amazing first Zine workshop we are very excited for the second in our series. Next week, April 14th from 12-1, join Amanda Meeks (she/they)  to learn about creating zines connected to mental health directives! Amanda is an interdisciplinary maker, artist, and librarian living in Tucson, AZ. Their work takes on various forms including zines, artist books, pins, painting, collage, letterpress, and a participatory social art practice. Their current Tucson-specific project, Outspokin’ & Bookish, is part pop-up feminist zine/art object collection and part playful, mobile (via bicycle) maker space focused on print media, which has evolved into a regional zine collective and exchange open to all during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Outspokin’ & Bookish mission includes cultivating social connectedness, sense of belonging, celebration of difference, and pride of place through sharing DIY publishing and print media-making practices and tools. In her free-time Amanda studies death care work, disability justice/mental health, and does some light gardening. Outspokin’ & Bookish, Tucson, AZ.

In this zine workshop, participants will be introduced and encouraged to explore mental health advance directives as a starting place for developing radical and empowering care plans. Each person will then create a mini zine on wishes and preferences for their own mental health care, which can be shared with anyone they choose. The creative prompts and guidance provided in this workshop will be intentionally designed to help destigmatize the topic of mental illness in our communities, families, and professions. You can register for the workshop here.

You also still have time to register for:

• Engaging Your Senses and Honoring Your Body Through Zine-Making with the Indigenous Honeys on Wednesday April 21stfrom 12-1pm

  • Indigenous Honeys invites you to a virtual zine workshop on self-care! In this workshop we will focus on our senses and create zines that will involve collages, writing and more. You are encouraged to bring personal digitized photos of people, places and/or items that are important to you.

    Indigenous Honeys is Chantal Jung (she/they), Michelle Bernardino (she/they), Marina Perez (she/they) - an interdisciplinary arts collective dedicated to cultivating space for Indigenous zinesters, artists, writers, and storytellers. Our work centers the voices, experiences, realities, histories, perspectives and talents of Indigneous peoples. We have experience working as a small scale disto, supporting Indigenous artists from diverse geographical spaces. We are dedicated to promoting self-published material because we recognize self-publishing as an accessible and autonomous strategy that interrogates settler colonialism and capitalism. You can find them on Instagram.

Registration for each workshop is capped at 20 participants to allow for increased engagement, so be sure to book your spot as soon as possible!

We also have a virtual exhibit called Zines for Alternative Publishing: Making Your Voice Heard that accompanies these workshops. Be sure to take a look and engage with the materials, history, and creating playlist!

It’s National Public Health Week and, especially in the midst of a pandemic, we acknowledge the many efforts and achievements of public health practitioners, educators, students, policy makers, and researchers. Members of the UNM HSC community have been involved in a range of significant COVID-related activities, from genomic epidemiology to statewide leadership in controlling the spread of infection.

This pandemic highlights the important work of modern public health, work that has been going on since the 19^th century with efforts to identify, understand, and control infectious diseases. Education, sanitation, and vaccine development and use are population-level interventions that have controlled or eradicated many devastating diseases worldwide.

Information management is key to public health practice. Research, data collection and analysis, communication, and coordination of community activities all depend on valid, current information. The term “infodemic” became popular last year because of the overwhelming volume of new information that appeared in the published and unpublished literature, in the media, and on social networks. Not all of the information was correct, some of it was the best that was known at the time but subsequently disputed.

It is challenging to sort out facts from speculation and stay abreast of the breakthroughs in knowledge. Members of HSLIC worked with others in the HSC to provide up-to-date information early on by sorting through and evaluating emerging information. We developed several research guides related to pandemic information. These include: Communicating in a Healthcare Setting During COVID-19, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Research, Free Resources During COVID19 Disruptions, Health Statistics and Demographics, and Evaluating Resources.

COVID has upended our individual lives. Members of the public health community have had the extra burden of working tirelessly on behalf of all of us. This week we appreciate the dedication of the public health workforce and the critical importance of public health.

Ever wonder how implicit biases might be impacting your learning experiences, professional development, or research? Attend this two part series, brought to you by the Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center and the UNM Health Sciences Center Office for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, to learn more and discuss. You don't need to attend both sessions to register, but we will be covering different elements of implicit bias in the research process in each one. You can register on our events calendar.

Session 1 is Implicit Bias: Understanding & Addressing It