Journals and databases

• Overview of My Library
• Logging In
• Registering for an Athens Account
• My Home Library
• Changing your Home Library
• Other Libraries
• Adding to your list
• Re-ordering your list
• Removing libraries from your list
• My Links
• Adding links
• Removing links
• Editing and organising links
• Emailing links to a friend
• My Update
• What is News and RSS?
• Viewing and adding feeds from the NLH News and RSS Directory
• Adding feeds from other websites
• Removing a feed
• Editing and organising your feeds
• Exporting your feeds into another reader
• Importing feeds from another reader
• Receiving your updates by email
• A case study (How News and RSS can benefit staff in their everyday work)
• My Athens Resources
• What are My Athens Resources?
• My Athens Resource list
• Other Resources

Overview of My Library 

My Library allows you to tailor your own library and knowledge services and resources to uniquely reflect your role, interests and location, bringing all of the information you require to a single access point, available 24/7.

Within My Library you can find details of your local library services, your favourite web links, and and save a selection of News and RSS feeds (also known as Current Awareness or CAS feeds). You can also see a list of all the electronic journals, books and databases available to you in the My Athens section.

To get you started we have provided a list of web links and News and RSS feeds which we think you will find useful and informative. These areas can be amended and personalised to include your own particular favourites.

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Logging In

In order to use the My Library features to the full, you need to log in, using your NHS Athens username and password. Logging in allows you to automatically see the details of and access your local NHS library services, manage your list of favourite websites, set up news and RSS feeds to help you keep up to date, and see the full list of resources that you can access.

If you don’t log in, you won’t be able to personalise the page - you will only see the standard lists of web links and news and RSS feeds. You will be able to search for details of library services, but you won’t automatically be shown the ones that you have access to.

Registering for an NHS Athens Account

To sign up for an NHS Athens account, click on the Register for Athens link in the Log in box which can be found at top left of the My Library page. (The Athens Log in box can also be found on the NLH Home and Search Resources pages.)

Follow the instructions to register.

Logging in to My Library Once you have received your NHS Athens username and password, you can log in: Go to the grey LOG IN box on the left hand side of the page. Enter your username and password into the boxes. Click on the blue LOGIN button. Once you have logged into one area of the Health Information Resources with your Athens account you will remain logged in throughout the whole site. So if you logged in to carry out a search, you will automatically be logged in when you go to the My Library page, and vice versa.
The My Library page will now re-load, and you will see the details of your individual account displayed. You will notice three new items appear in the Log in box under your Athens username: Saved search criteria Saved search results Search profiles These items are from the Single Search Environment that can be found under the Search Resources area of NLH. For more details about these features, please refer to the Search Help on the Search Resources page.

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My Home Library 

My Home Library allows you to see details of your local or favourite library service, including any links and RSS feeds they provide.

The first time you log in to My Library, your Home Library will automatically be saved according to your Athens account details. The library details are based on the Health Libraries & Information Services Directory (HLISD).

If you would prefer to see the details for a different library when you log in, you can edit your home library settings.

Changing your Home Library:

1. Click the blue "Edit Libraries" link in the My Home Library box.
2. The top half of the page that displays shows your current home library. The bottom half gives you some options to search and then save the results as either your home library or a link in the other libraries section.
   You can search in 3 different ways:
   • My Trust Libraries
     Make sure this is selected, then click on the Search button.
     This will display all the library services that belong to your organisation.
     From the list given at the bottom of the screen, you can click to select one library in the "Select a Home Library" column.
     Click the "Save Selections" button.
     
     
   • Free Text
     Type your search term into the box (it can be a place, organisation, etc)
     Click on the Search button.
     From the list given at the bottom of the screen, you can click to select one library in the "Select a Home Library" column.
     Click the "Save Selections" button.
     
     
   • Postcode
     Type a postcode or town into the search box.
     You can specify a radius in miles around the given postcode to be included in the search.
     Click on the Search button.
     A map will be displayed showing the details and location of each library found within that radius.
     Click on a blue pin icon to display the details of that library.
     Click the "Set Home Library" link.
     
     
3. The top of the page will then display your new home library. Click on the My Library link at the top of the page to go back to the main My Library page.

If you change your Home Library, any RSS feeds published by that library will automatically be added to your My Update section. The old Home Library will be moved to the "Other Libraries" section, where you can choose to keep it or remove it from your list.

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Other Libraries 

The Other Libraries section allows you to save the details of other useful library services in addition to your Home Library.

If your organisation has more than one library, the first time you log in to My Library, your Other Libraries will automatically be displayed. You can change this list of libraries, remove some libraries, or select a different one to be your Home Library.

You can also add different libraries to your Other Libraries list – for example, you could include the details of your local university library.

To change your list, click on the Edit Libraries link in the Other Libraries box.

To add to your list of Other Libraries, you can use one of three types of search in the bottom half of the page:

• My Trust Libraries
  Make sure this is selected, then click on the Search button.
  This will display all the library services that belong to your organisation.
  From the list given at the bottom of the screen, you can click to select one or more libraries in the "Select other libraries to add" column.
  Click the "Save Selections" button.
  
  
• Free Text
  Type your search term into the box (it can be a place, organisation, etc)
  Click on the Search button.
  From the list given at the bottom of the screen, you can click to select one library in the "Select other libraries to add" column.
  Click the "Save Selections" button.
  
  
• Postcode
  Type a postcode or town into the search box.
  You can specify a radius in miles around the given postcode to be included in the search.
  Click on the Search button.
  A map will be displayed showing the details and location of each library found within that radius.
  Click on a blue pin icon to display the details of that library.
  Click the "Add to other libraries" link.
  
  

The top of the page will then display your new list of home libraries.

To re-order your list of Other Libraries:

• Click on the "Move Up" or "Move Down" link next to the library you want to move in the list at the top of the page.
  This will change the order that your libraries are listed in.

To remove libraries from your list:

• Click on the "Remove" link next to the library you want to delete.
  This will refresh the page and remove the library from your list.

Click on the My Library link at the top of the page to go back to the My Library page.

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My Links

What are My Links?

My Links is an area where you can save your favourite websites within the My Library area. It works in a similar way to browser 'favourites' or 'bookmarks'.

To get you started, Health Information Resources have provided a default list of useful links but you can add your own, or delete some of the links already provided.

Adding links

1. Make sure that you have logged in to My Library (see above). You should see a screen like this:
   
2. Click the 'Add Link' button.
3. You will then see a screen with various fields for you to fill in, like this:
   
4. You can choose a category for your link – this enables you to group different types of links together, but it is optional: just type your category into the box if you want to add a new category.
5. You need to give your link a title, ie the name of the website that you’re linking to.
6. You can add a summary if you want, to help you remember what the site contains, or why it might be useful.
7. You must give the URL for the link: type the web address into the box.
   NB: you must include http:// at the start of the web address, otherwise the link won’t be recognised.
8. Then click the Add Link button below the Link URL box.
9. You will see a page telling you that the link has been added successfully – click on the “Continue to My Library” link to go back to your My Library page.

Removing links

You can do this from the My Library page:

1. Click in the boxes next to any links you want to remove so that a tick appears.
2. Click on the “Remove selected links” link.
3. You will see a pop-up box asking if you are sure you want to remove the selected links: click on OK.
4. The My Library page will re-load, and the links will no longer appear.

Editing and organising your links

Once you have added some links, you may want to edit them, change the titles, re-order them, or put them into categories:

1. Click on the “Edit Links” link - you will be taken to a page that lists all of your links.
2. To amend or add a title, URL or description of a link, or to put into a category, click on the “Edit” link next to an individual item in your list – you can only amend your links one at a time.
This brings a page with the fields as in the Adding a Link section above, where you can make the changes, then click on the “Save link” button.
3. You can also change the order that your categories appear in by clicking on the “Move Up” or “Move Down” links.
   NB: links which don’t have a category will always appear at the top of your list.

Emailing links to a friend

You can share some or all of your links with friends and colleagues:

1. On the My Library page, tick the boxes to the right of the link(s) that you would like to send.
2. Click in the “Email selected links” link at the top or bottom of your list.
3. A new page opens: type in your email address, the address of the person you want to send the links to, and add any message to the box containing the links.
4. Click on the Send Email button.
   You will then get a page saying that the email has been sent successfully.
5. NB: you can send your links to more than 1 person at a time: just separate each person’s email address with a semi-colon (;), eg franwilkie@nhs.net;cardygeek@hotmail.com

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My Update

My Update is a space to enable you to manage your current awareness: it provides an easy way of accessing your search alerts; table of contents alerts, and News & RSS Feeds all in one place.

What is a News or RSS feed?

RSS is a technology that allows online subscription to web-based content.

View RSS Tutorial

RSS, or News Feeds, allow you to view headlines and alerts from your favourite news and content providers without having to visit the website of origin every time. You can combine feeds from many different content and news providers in one place.

Once you have saved your feeds into an area such as My Update, the content will automatically update with no action needed on your behalf! You can also see when your feeds were last updated in My Update. Some feeds update many times through the day; others less frequently, it all depends on the content provider.

You may also hear the term 'Current Awareness Services' used alongside News and RSS Feeds. 'Current Awareness Services' tends to be used to describe a system of receiving alerts and updates, which can include news, and RSS feeds.

The NLH News and RSS Feeds Directory

To help you get started, the NLH have created an RSS directory with feeds covering many aspects of health and social care. The feeds available have been categorised into:

• Clinical Speciality
• Health Management
• Medicines
• Professionals
• Region
• Research
• Sector

This directory is also searchable and has it's own dedicated Help and information sections.

My Update: Viewing and adding feeds from the NLH News and RSS Directory

Make sure you've logged into My Library with your NHS Athens account. Go to the My Update section at the right hand side of the page.

Click on the Feeds Directory link.

Adding a Feed from the NLH News and RSS Feeds Directory

1. Browse the directory by clicking on the headings, until you find a feed that you’re interested in.
   NB: you can preview a feed to check it’s suitability, by clicking on the Preview link.
2. Click on the “Add to My Library” link under your chosen feed.
3. You will get a message saying your feed has been added successfully.
4. Click on the “Continue to My Library” link.
5. You should then see the feed in your My Updates section, with the last 4 items showing.

Adding a Feed from any other website

1. You need to click on the RSS feed link where it’s available from your chosen website, and copy the web address that appears.
2. In the My Updates area of My Library, click on the Add a Feed button.
3. Paste the web address into the Feed URL box, and add a title if you want to.
4. Click on the Add Feed button.

NB: see the case study below for more details on how to add feeds to My Update.

Removing a Feed from My Update

1. Click on the “Remove” link to the right of your chosen feed.
2. You will be asked if you’re sure you want to remove the feed – click on OK.

Editing and organising your feeds

1. Click on the “Edit Feeds” link in the My Update section.
2. This takes you to a page that list all of your feeds.
3. Each feed has several options:
   • You can choose list all to display the text of each item in the newsfeed.
   • You can change the order that your feeds are listed by clicking on the “Move Up” and “Move Down” links.
   • You can Edit the title of your feed, if you need to make it more meaningful.
   • You can remove the feed from your list.

Exporting your feeds

If you want to move your list of feeds and read them in a different RSS reader, you can do this using the RSS or OPML buttons in the My Update section.

1. Click the RSS icon to open your Update in a new window, and copy the web address. You can then go to your alternative RSS reader, and add a new feed, pasting the web address into your reader.
2. Click the OPML icon to view the OPML document.
   Click File>>Save As to save the document to your Desktop or My Documents folder.
   Start your RSS reader application e.g. Google Reader, and import the OPML document you saved previously. Your feeds list will then be the same as in My Update.
   

Importing your feeds from another reader

This facility is not available at the moment, but is in development and will be implemented soon..

Send to my inbox - receiving your feeds by email

If you would prefer to receive My Update by email:

1. Tick the box at the bottom of the My Updates section.
2. Specify how often you want to receive your update by typing a number in the box.
3. Enter your email address.
4. Click on the Save Settings button.

My Update - A Case Study (How News and RSS feeds can benefit NHS staff in their daily work)

William is a Specialist Registrar in oncology, with a particular interest in female breast cancer.

In the course of his research he regularly checks his email for saved search updates from a variety of database searches he has conducted, and journal tables of content alerts that he has subscribed to. Additionally - when his tight schedule allows - he accesses the Internet to visit several cancer websites that he has discovered.

My Update provides William with a single access point to the information content he regularly accesses via the Web. Using RSS William is able to tailor his own current awareness service to reflect his particular area of professional interest.

The key advantage of the service is that once William has subscribed to his desired content e.g. a website or database search, any new content is automatically sent directly to his My Update listing for inclusion. William can also see at a glance when his news feeds were last updated.

This saves William precious time as he now needs only to access his My Library account to retrieve the latest updates, as opposed to trawling through the web and emails to check for updates.

How to add your own feeds and alerts to the My Update area of My Library

Follow our case study, William, to see how he adds a News feed to the My Update section of My Library.

Whilst searching on the Web for additional Breast Cancer resources, William discovers a listing of breast cancer guidance results on the National Institute for Clinical Excellence site.

He decides that it would be useful to 'subscribe' to the NICE site in case any further breast cancer guidance becomes available. He notices on a previous page that the NICE site offers an RSS subscription feed.

Web Sites may provide RSS feeds for certain pages. You can tell which pages can be saved as RSS feeds as they use the RSS logo or 'lozenge'. This looks like:

Following the onscreen instructions, William clicks on the RSS lozenge, then copies the feed address.

You may also copy the feed address by right-clicking on the RSS lozenge and clicking 'Copy Shortcut' or 'Copy Link Location'.

To add this information to his My Library page, William now logs into My Library with his NHS Athens account on the NLH Website and finds the My Update section.

He then clicks on the Add feed link and pastes the NICE feed address into the Feed URL field.

Clicking on the Add button then includes the NICE content in the My Update section.

Each time additional clinical guidelines are added to the NICE site, they will now be automatically added to the My Update section.

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My Athens Resources

What are My Athens Resources?

Athens is an Access Management System, widely used by the NHS and universities as a way of ensuring that only people with the right to view the resources they have paid for can actually view them. In the case of the NHS, Athens is used to control access to bibliographic databases and thousands of electronic journals and books that are bought nationally, regionally and at trust level.

You must register for an NHS Athens account before you can access these resources.

My Athens Resources List

After logging in to My Library with your NHS Athens account, scroll down to the bottom of the page.

A list of the NHS Athens resources that you are eligible to use will appear towards the bottom of the page.

See below for an example.

Click on the title to go directly to that resource.

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Other Resources

There are other resources available to you on the Health Information Resources formerly National Library for Health (HIR) website. These other resources do not use Athens authentication and can be found, alongside your Athens protected resources, in the Resources Directory in the Search Resources section of the NLH site.

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