For the past year, a team of Library employees has worked toward the creation of the Library’s new website. On January 2^nd,  the new website will go live, though you, our Library users, have the opportunity to both preview the site and to offer feedback before that date.

When considering security threats, use statistics, and conversations with users about how they use the Library website, the need for a complete redesign became clear. Over the past year, the members of the Web Steering Committee (Anson Parker, David Moody, Abbey Heflin, Marieke Jones, and Kimberley R. Barker) chose LibGuides as the new hosting platform for the website, and relied on University of Virginia branding guidelines, Health System branding guidelines, Americans with Disabilities guidelines, and use statistics from the current website to inform the new website’s design. The committee has recently completed its work, and is eager to hear what you think.

On December 2^nd  (in advance of the January 2^nd go-live date), users were given the opportunity to preview the new website and to offer feedback via a link on the Library’s homepage: hsl.virginia.edu. We are also offered the opportunity to give us feedback in person on the following dates: 

November 6^th, from 11:00 AM- 2:00 PM, members of the Web Steering Committee were in the Link (in front of the Library). For five minutes of your time, testers were entered into a drawing to win a coffee card.

November 6^th-16^th- during this week, users were encouraged to pick a time convenient for them in order to meet with a member of the Web Steering Committee who received your feedback.

On December 11^th, a banner announcing that the beta was available was posted for a second time on the Library’s current website, with a link to the new website.

December 18^th saw a second announcement of the new website on our social media (and other) platforms.

On January 1^st, the Library will once again promote the new website’s go-live date through social media, a homepage banner, and a hallway sign.

Finally, though the new website will officially replace our old one on January 2^nd, the committee remains genuinely interested in your thoughts and feedback, and would appreciate hearing from you! They will give Library users a face-to-face opportunity January 2^nd - January 4th (11 pm - 2 pm), when members of the Web Steering Committee will be available outside of the Library to answer questions and gather your feedback.

If you have questions or would like to set up a time to meet, please email David Moody (damu8@virginia.edu)

This article was written by Emily Bowden, and edited by Kimberley Barker.

If you haven’t been to see the bicentennial exhibition, “UVA Health System: 200 Years of Learning, Research, and Care,” make time to do so this month! The exhibition closes the first week of January 2019. A joint project of the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library, the Eleanor Crowder Boring Center for Nursing Historical Inquiry, and the Albert and Shirley Small Special Collections Library, this exhibition explores the 200-year development of the UVA Health System and trends in the history of the health sciences that helped shape the institution that UVA is today.

Items featured in the exhibition include an iron lung used in the UVA Hospital, bloodletting instruments from the 19th century, an early ECG machine, a nursing student’s uniform from the 1950s, and many historical photographs. Visitors can also view a digital model of Thomas Jefferson’s Anatomical Theatre and a short film of surgery being performed at the hospital in 1927.

Images from the exhibition (clockwise from upper left): Barbara Dunn, first graduate student in the School of Nursing, 1976; UVA medical student administering anesthesia, 1913; Octavia Stevenson, pharmacology researcher, 1958; James Trice, UVA medical resident, 1993.
 

From the early 19th century to the present, the Health System has grown from a small school with a single professor into a world-class academic medical center and regional health care network. The exhibition also takes a closer look at some specific topics in this 200-year history, including medical and nursing education, patient care, biomedical research, wartime service, and racial inequality.
 

“UVA Health System: 200 Years of Learning, Research, and Care” will be on display in the Main Gallery of the Harrison Institute and Small Special Collections Library (160 McCormick Road) until January 4, 2019. A Curator’s Tour of the exhibition will be offered on Tuesday, December 18, 2018 from 9:00-10:00 AM. Join us on this guided tour for a “behind-the-scenes” look at the history and an opportunity to talk with exhibition curators. For more information about the exhibition and related programs, contact Dan Cavanaugh, Alvin V. and Nancy Baird Curator of Historical Collections, dmc7be@virginia.edu. You can also read more about the exhibition at uvahealth200.lib.virginia.edu

This exhibition was produced with the support of the University of Virginia Bicentennial with funding provided by the Alumni Board of Trustees.

This article was written by Abbey Heflin, and edited by Kimberley Barker.     

Humans have long utilized story as a means of sharing important lessons and information. Though the medium has changed with time and technology, the basic idea of using story to communicate something important hasn’t. And, while this method began within family and tribal units, it quickly spread to the worlds of education and commerce; marketing professionals realized that, in order to capture and keep customers’ loyalty, they had to tell their product’s story. Academics and other non-profit organizations also realized the value of storytelling as a method of communicating the data generated by their work and have increasingly turned to a more modern format- data visualization- as a way to share their work.  

     Are you intrigued, but intimidated by the word “data”? You shouldn’t be! You don’t need any specialized training nor do you need to be a coder in order to become a master storyteller via data visualization. All that you need is an understanding of your data and three simple guidelines.  

#1 Know Your Audience:

     Understanding who you hope to reach is the guiding principle for your visualization’s design. Knowing who you are presenting to will play a huge role in how you create your visualization. If your audience is a group of statisticians, you can bet that they will want to dive more deeply than will a group of middle- managers who just need a basic understanding of a topic in order to make an important decision. Something else to consider is what fuels your audience – what are their needs, desires, and fears? Are they mostly concerned about their budget? Do they want to begin offering a new service? Are they afraid of change? Don't hesitate to ask your target audience questions in order to gain a better understanding of its needs.

#2 Simplify To Enhance:

     Keep your visualizations simple and comprehensive. There are more consumers of data visualizations then there are creators, so understanding readers’ processes can be very beneficial: typically, readers will first ask themselves what your visualization is showing them. Next, they will overlay a personal interpretation on it. Lastly, they will decide what it means to them, personally. Data visualization is all about facilitating understanding, so be sure that your visualizations are clear, accurate, and can be understood quickly.

#3 Don’t Be Tricky!

     Your visualization will provoke thought, emotion, and change! It is vital that you not make your own assumptions, mislead your readers (deliberately or accidentally), or hide important content. You should always tell your readers where your data comes from, and, if possible, how they can gain access to it (for example, post a link to the data on the visualization itself). Encourage your readers to review the data for themselves and offer to discuss it in more detail with them once they’ve studied it.

     The Claude Moore Health Sciences Library has recently begun using infographics to share its impact (sometimes to present a snapshot of events and services in the library, and sometimes to  highlight a specific service). You can see the Library’s infographics (along with its dashboard) on the Health Sciences Library Dashboard and Analytics page.  

     Infographics are a great way to share your data and tell your story. If you would like to try it for yourself, Piktochart or Venngage offer limited subscriptions for free! Need help getting started? Contact Abbey Heflin at aeh6m@virginia.edu.