Category Archives: In the News

Did You Know? October is National Medical Librarians Month

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The MSK Library just wanted to let you know that National Medical Librarians Month (NMLM) has arrived.  NMLM was established by the Medical Library Association in 1997 to raise awareness of the important role that medical librarians play in your medical and research activities. This year’s theme, “Are You a Risk Taker?“ is an opportunity for us to remind our user community that we are here to help support their information needs.   Our ongoing goals are to provide relevant and quality resources, as well as services and expertise that will impact and enhance education, patient care, and research excellence.

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New Drugs, New Gene Variants and More….

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While browsing the news, these are some of the stories that caught my attention:

  • Clinical trials of two new drugs suggest they work better for advanced kidney cancer than standard treatments. One study involved the drug nivolumab (sold as Opdivo) and the other study demonstrated the effectiveness of cabozantinib (sold as Cometriq). Both studies were published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
  • Scientists at Stanford University have re-engineered a virus into a safe vehicle for delivering vaccines and therapies directly where they are needed. Read more about this innovation in PNAS.
  • According to a new study conducted by researchers at the Mayo Clinic, the genetic makeup of colon cancer tumors and survival rates differ by race. Researchers analyzed clinical trial data of more than 3000 white, black and Asian patients. Findings were published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute.
  • A study led by scientists at the Institute of Cancer Research in London has revealed five new genetic variants associated with brain cancer. The study analyzed DNA from 5,637 people who had developed glioma, and compared it with 9,158 people without the disease. The results are published in Nature Communications.

Not Dead Yet! Print Books Hang on in the New Landscape

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After years of claims that eBooks would kill the publishing industry, some media sources are reporting a new, more complex picture.  According to reports this week, eBook sales are slipping as more and more readers turn back to print.  This is only a current trend, but it speaks volumes of those who, 5 years ago, were getting rid of print collections in libraries and putting all their eggs in the digital-only basket.

[Image by WikiMediaCommons user Maximilian Schönherr]

I have a Kindle.  It’s great for one-handed reading on my morning commute (especially the 800+ page tomes that are popular these days), bringing multiple books on a trip, or diving right into a sequel the moment a book is finished. Still, I can’t help but be annoyed by some limitations.  Flipping back a few pages can be tricky and cause the machine to crash; maps, family trees and pictures in books are reduced to fuzzy illegible space-holders.  Do the pros outweigh the cons?  The answer is: only sometimes.  I still love the tactile book.  The smell, the feel of pages turning under my hand, that sense of satisfaction when you get to the end of the book.  Kindles can tell you how far you are through the eBook file, but the feeling is different. Continue reading →