Book Drive to Benefit Pediatric Cancer Patients at UNC

Children undergoing cancer treatment will find comfort in new books thanks to a book drive on the UNC campus Nov. 9 – Dec. 10.

Several UNC departments and organizations are sponsoring the drive on behalf of the Book Fairy, an organization that donates children’s books to the Pediatric Oncology Clinic at UNC Hospitals.

All new or gently-used books for ages one through mid-teen are welcome. The need is especially great for Spanish-language books at the preschool level and picture books or easy readers in English, said Book Fairy Kathy Humphries.

Campus drop-off locations are:

Davis Library lobby
Undergraduate Library lobby
Wilson Library lobby
Health Sciences Library
Law Library
School of Information and Library Science, Manning Hall lobby
School of Education, Peabody Hall Student Affairs Office lobby 1st floor
School of Social Work, Tate-Turner-Kuralt Building lobby

A list of suggested books is available online. The book drive is sponsored by the University Library Diversity Committee, the Health Sciences Library, the School of Information and Library Science, the School of Education, and the School of Social Work.

Friends of the Library will wrap up the drive by accepting donated books at the annual Winter Stories program on December 10 at 5 p.m. in the lobby of Wilson Library.

For information about the drive, contact Rebecca Vargha, librarian, Information and Library Science Library, (919) 962-8361.

Related Links
The Book Fairy
List of suggested books
Searchable campus map

UNC Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship

The Graduate Certificate in Entrepreneurship and the Introduction to Entrepreneurship course are both designed for UNC graduate students, doctoral candidates, post-docs, faculty and staff to complement their studies in traditional disciplines with an exploration of how entrepreneurship is changing their fields and learn how to conceive, plan and execute new commercial and nonprofit ventures.

Introduction to Entrepreneurship is an open-enrollment course open to any UNC graduate student, doctoral candidate, post-doc or faculty or staff member, regardless of whether they intend to pursue the full certificate. Enrollment is by permission of the instructor. Students may choose an introductory course in one of three areas:

:: Artistic Entrepreneurship — creating for-profit and nonprofit ventures in any industry related to the arts, from music, film, gaming, performing arts, creative writing to graphic design, photography, and arts and crafts.

:: Scientific Entrepreneurship — entrepreneurship, technology transfer and venture creation related to any field of science.

:: Social Entrepreneurship — using social entrepreneurship to address social needs and launching new ventures with a social purpose.

The Graduate Certificate requires nine credit hours for completion, including the introductory course. It is offered in two sequences, Literacy and Enterprise Creation, based on students' interests and whether they intend to create a real business or nonprofit.

For more information, contact: Margaret Swanson, Graduate Certificate Registrar, (919) 962-2753, Margaret_Swanson@unc.edu.

Susan Dimock and the Company She Kept

Dr. Elizabeth Barthold Dreesen, Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at UNC-CH, will be presenting a James A. Hutchins Lecture on "Susan Dimock and the Company She Kept," on Tuesday, November 17, 2009, 4:00pm - 5:30pm in the Royall Room at the George Watts Hill Alumni Center on the UNC Campus. The Hutchins Lecture series is sponsored by the Center for the Study of the American South.

Washington, North Carolina native Susan Dimock became the first woman member of the North Carolina Medical Society in 1872. When she died three years later at age 28, she was already a well-respected surgeon, author and medical educator. She merited a New York Times obituary and pallbearers drawn from the luminaries of Harvard Medical School.

Dimock's life was one of liminality--a Southerner who moved to Massachusetts in the middle of the Civil War, an American student in a Swiss medical school, a woman surgeon in orthodox male medicine. Dreesen's exploration of Dimock's life sheds light on women's education in antebellum North Carolina, the entry of women into medicine, and the rise of nursing education, public health, and anti-sepsis procedures.

Note: Additional information on Dimock, as well as her dissertation on puerperal fever, written in German, is available online as part of the International Theses Collection at the UNC Health Sciences Library.

For further information on the event, contact Lisa Beavers (919-962-0503) at the Center for the Study of the American South.

The Carolina Challenge 2010: Connect, Create, Launch

To foster social and commercial entrepreneurship at the university, UNC sponsors the annual Carolina Challenge, which on November 17, 2009 will begin holding preparatory sessions leading to entry in the 2010 competition (see 2009-10 schedule).

The Carolina Challenge is an innovative venture competition, and last year medically-related projects took the winning and runner-up prizes (large cash awards) in both the social and commercial entrepreneurship tracks. Rules, FAQs, and contact information are provided on the Carolina Challenge web site.

Medieval Help Desk, or The More Things Change . . .

Originally broadcast in 2001 on Norwegian television, "Medieval Help Desk" was a skit from the show "Øystein og jeg" that has subsequently been viewed several million times on YouTube. The piece is credited to Knut Nærum, and features Øystein Backe as the assistant and Rune Gokstad as the monk. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose!

The MacKinney Collection of Medieval Medical Illustrations

Dr. Loren C. MacKinney [1891-1963] was a professor of medieval history who specialized in medieval medical history. He earned his Ph.D. at the University of Chicago in 1925, and joined the UNC-Chapel Hill faculty in 1930. "Recognized internationally as an outstanding authority in the history of medicine, particularly for his studies of pre-Renaissance illuminated medical manuscripts, it has been said Dr. MacKinney has set medical history forward at least 150 years," observed The Bulletin of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in 1957.

MacKinney authored several books, including Early Medieval Medicine (1937), The Medieval World (1938), Bishop Fulbert and Education at the School of Chartres (1957), Medical Illustrations in Medieval Manuscripts (1965), and numerous articles on medical themes. A key part of his research was the photographic documentation of medieval medical illustrations that he studied during research trips to libraries and archives around the world. MacKinney predominantly used Ektachrome slide film, which is significantly more prone to deterioration than Kodachrome, and during his life MacKinney expressed concerns about the preservation of his unique collection.

Professor Michael McVaugh, a medievalist who joined the UNC History Department in 1964, was instrumental in the safekeeping and eventual digitization of MacKinney's collection. A master set of slides was transferred to the National Library of Medicine, and a duplicate set was maintained at UNC. In 2007, the slides at UNC--which number over 1000--were digitized and now form the MacKinney Collection of Medieval Medical Illustrations.

Further information about MacKinney himself and the processing of the collection is also available online. The collection is keyword searchable and can be browsed in its entirety. A finding aid for the collection is also available online, which describes MacKinney's archives of microfilm and photostats; subject files and research notes; and glass negatives.

Note: The image above is from the MacKinney Collection; it depicts a cesarian delivery and dates from the 14th century, with text in Arabic.

Research Fellowships for the History of Women in Medicine at Countway Library

The Foundation for the History of Women in Medicine is pleased to offer two fellowships to support research related to the history of women in medicine at the Countway Library's Center for the History of Medicine and its Archives for Women in Medicine.

The Foundation will provide two $2000 grants to support travel, lodging, and incidental expenses for a flexible period between June 1, 2010 and May 31, 2011. In return, the Foundation requests a one page report and a copy of the final product as well as the ability to post excerpts from the paper/project, as well as a photo and bio of the Fellow on its website.

Foundation Fellowships are offered for research related to the history of women in medicine. Preference will be given to projects that deal specifically with women physicians or other health workers or medical scientists, but proposals dealing with the history of women’s health issues may also be considered.

The fellowship proposal should demonstrate that the Countway Library has resources central to the research topic. Preference will also be given to those who are using collections from the Archives for Women in Medicine, but research on the topic of women in medicine using other material from the Countway Library will be considered. Preference will be given to applicants who live beyond commuting distance of the Countway, but all are encouraged to apply, including graduate students.

Applicants should submit a proposal (no more than two pages) outlining the subject and objectives of the research project, length of residence, historical materials to be used, and a project budget (including travel, lodging, and research expenses), along with a curriculum vitae and two letters of recommendations by March 1st, 2010. The decision should be made by May 1st, 2010.

Applications should be submitted to:

Foundation Research Fellowships
Archives for Women in Medicine
Center for the History of Medicine
Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine
10 Shattuck Street
Boston, MA 02115

Guide to State Legislation on Comprehensive Health Care Coverage

The Law Library of Congress has prepared a guide to state legislation on comprehensive health care coverage for the four states that have attempted to cover all residents or those without insurance. Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont have each taken different approaches, and the guide offers background information as well as citations to relevant statutes for the extent of coverage, employer and individual contributions, benefits assistance, and exemptions. Hawaii was the first state to offer near universal coverage with the passage of the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act in 1974, which was implemented the following year. Hawaii requires most employers to offer insurance, while Massachusetts requires most individuals to obtain some coverage. Maine and Vermont partner with the private sector, and subsidize coverage for low-income individuals.

An important related resource from the Library of Congress is Thomas (named after Jefferson), which is a comprehensive digital collection for federal legislation, including the current health care reform bills in the House of Representatives and Senate. Thomas also offers the Congressional Record as well as the full-text of bills, resolutions, presidential nominations, treaties, committee reports, and other government resources; an online guide describes the various resources available and how to search them effectively.

Health, Harmony, and Balance: American Indian Concepts of Health and Wellness

As part of American Indian Heritage Month, the UNC American Indian Center and Health Sciences Library invite you to join in a discussion featuring Dr. Clara Sue Kidwell, Director of the UNC American Indian Center, regarding traditional and contemporary concepts of American Indian health and wellness practices. Entitled "Health, Harmony, and Balance: American Indian Concepts of Health and Wellness," the event will be held on Wednesday, November 4, 2009 in Room 527 of the Health Sciences Library. An informal discussion and light refreshments will begin at 3:30pm and the presentation will follow at 4:00pm.

A schedule of other events at UNC during American Indian Heritage Month is available on the American Indian Center web site. Governor Beverly Perdue's proclamation is also online.

Public Service Announcement for NC Health Info

Designed to meet the needs and interests of North Carolinians, NC Health Info is an online guide to thousands of web sites of quality health and medical information and local health services throughout North Carolina. It was also the first resource of its kind to link local health information with corresponding information from MedlinePlus, the consumer health site maintained by the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health.

NC Health Info informational flyers in English and Spanish are available in the "Community" section of the UNC Health Science Library's online exhibition on public health.

NC Health Info is created, housed, and maintained by the project staff at the UNC Health Sciences Library, and is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the federal Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA), as administered by the State Library of North Carolina, a division of the North Carolina Department of Cultural Resources.