Category Archives: Resource Highlights

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Interactive Tools for Exploring Language Use

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As per the U.S. Census (see: What Languages Do We Speak in the United States?):

“The number of people in the United States who spoke a language other than English at home nearly tripled from 23.1 million (about 1 in 10) in 1980 to 67.8 million (almost 1 in 5) in 2019, according to a recent U.S. Census Bureau report.”

Thanks to some interactive tools developed using data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, it has never been easier to explore what languages are being spoken in different geographic areas of the United States. Below are some examples of some user-friendly, freely available tools that you may wish to check out.

  1. U.S Census Data Website

Among the various data profiles, tables and maps, tools and visualization options, is the interactive People That Speak English Less Than “Very Well” in the United States Interactive Map that can be queried using state and county information.

This data is available because the U.S. Census asks “about whether a person speaks a language other than English at home, what language he/she speaks, and how well he/she speaks English to create statistics about language and the ability to speak English”.

For example, searching for New York and Nassau County shows where in that area people with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) may live:

      2. Languages Spoken by People who have Limited English Ability
         (Web Map by Urban Observatory by Esri)

This is another tool that “shows the predominant language(s) spoken by people who have limited English speaking ability” using ArcGIS to again visualize the “American Community Survey data from the US Census Bureau by state, county, and tract”. This map allows you to visualize the data about what languages are being spoken by LEP individuals living around a particular street address or place.

For example, searching for “1101 Hempstead Tpke, Uniondale, NY, 11553, USA” returns:

     3. State Immigration Data Profiles

To get a better understanding of where foreign-born individuals are migrating from, their English proficiency and language spoken at home, the Migration Policy Institute also used U.S. Census data to create an interactive migration data hub tool that allows users to explore state immigration data profiles. You can click on the state of interest to view state-level “facts about immigrants to the U.S.”

Questions?  Ask Us at the MSK Library!

 

Visualdx & UpToDate Integration

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When you search UpToDate, you’ll now have access to VisualDx’s extensive image library, which includes thousands of images depicting diseases across various skin types and tones, covering a wide range of diagnoses and findings. For dermatologic conditions, where visual indicators are essential for accurate diagnosis, this integration is designed to improve diagnostic precision and streamline clinical decision-making.

Updated PubMed Central (PMC) Website

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In October 2024, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) updated the PubMed Central (PMC) website. Apart from the most obvious change – the URL of the PMC homepage is now pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov – most of these important modernization updates are related to the digital accessibility of the PMC website and designed to ensure its reliability and sustainability into the future.

More specifically, from PubMed Central (PMC) Transitions to Updated Website – NCBI Insights:

“The updated website runs on cloud services to ensure the website’s long-term sustainability and reliability. It also incorporates U.S. Web Design System (USWDS) components and design principles to improve PMC’s readability and accessibility, whether you are visiting on a desktop computer, mobile device, or accessing its content using assistive technology.” 

For example, the PMC article display has been tweaked to improve its readability:

See this section of the PMC User Guide to learn more about the key features and functionality available both on the desktop version and mobile version article displays.

To read about the great work NLM is doing to ensure equitable access to its products – see:
The Future of PubMed Central: Publicly Accessible, Digitally Equitable, Universally Valuable – NLM Musings from the Mezzanine

Questions?  Ask Us at the MSK Library!