Echinacea PurpureaHow to Find Good* CAM Information on the Web
OverviewAudienceWeb Teacher Web-Based ReadingsTuition & Registration

Register to work -at-your-own-pace anytimeWeb-based (Moodle) workshop - 15 CE from the MLA

Lectures & Discussions:
Web-based Readings
(Readings are linked from Activities and Lecture pages)

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Overview

In this hands-on workshop you will learn how to efficiently search for, identify and evaluate Complementary & Alternative medicine (CAM) information found on the Web. It is a Consumer Health Information Specialization Program Course - http://www.mlanet.org/education/chc/index.html

We will begin by defining "alternative" & "complementary". How do we know what is "Good" information about alternative medical traditions or complementary medicine practices? How will you avoid and teach others to be critical about fraudulent or exploitative information?

You will learn about and use information resources that clarify and explain different CAM Traditions. Web sites that provide warnings of dangerous practices, side effects, or complications are emphasized.

We will concentrate on identifying CAM information published on the Web by credible sources - that is research supported or otherwise critically reviewed by knowledgeable conventional or CAM medicine researchers or practitioners.

This workshop starts where
How to Find Medical Information on the Internet

leaves off. That course – or other similar course - is a recommended prerequisite for those just beginning to provide medical reference but not required.

Audience

Librarians and other information specialists who work with healthcare consumers and/or healthcare professionals who need to find high quality information about alternative and complementary medicine on the Web. Some experience with health and medical information searching on the Web is assumed.

Participants should know how to use e-mail and a current standard Web Browser, e.g.,Mozilla/Firefox, Netscape 7.0 or IE 5.5 or higher is preferred.

I thoroughly enjoyed the CAM course. A classroom based course is limited by time constraints. Ones personal goals and information needs sometimes cannot be met due to other participants' questions and skills. A self-paced web class allows one to fully explore the material and areas of interest. I've never devoted so much time to a MLA course or gotten so much out of one; according to the effort is the reward. Even familiar websites provided gems of information. Thank you for developing the course and providing feedback along the way. I highly recommend your offerings!" Nancy Lynam-Davis, Medical Library, Hillcrest Hospital

"I really enjoyed this class, as I did "How to Find Medical and Health Information on the Internet. Both are fantastic courses, and in both, I felt as if I learned a ton of information."Ann Phillips, Medical Librarian, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center Library and Resource Center

Registration & Tuition

Register anytime to work-at-your-own pace with an instructor through e-mail and Web $125
15 CE from the Medical Library Association.

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About the Web Teacher
Diane K. Kovacs Picture

Diane K. Kovacs is President of Kovacs Consulting - Internet  & Web Training. She has 15 years of experience as a Web Teacher and Consultant. Diane has been designing and teaching Web-based MLA CE courses since 2001. She also designs and teaches Web-based courses for UIUC GSLIS LEEP, the ACRL, and other organizations.

The Virtual Reference Handbook: Interview and Information Delivery Techniques for the Chat and E-Mail Environments
by Kovacs, Diane K. Neal-Schuman Publishers (2007) published concurrently in the United Kingdom by Facet Publishers (2007)
The Kovacs Guide to Electronic Library Collection Development: Essential Core Subject Collections, Selection Criteria, and Guidelines
by Kovacs, Diane K. & Robinson, Kara L. was published in 2004 by Neal-Schuman Publishers.
Genealogical Research on Web was published in 2002 . How to Find Medical Information on the Internet: A Print and Online Tutorial for the Health Care Professional and Consumer (2000) (Library Solutions Press) and Building Electronic Library Collections: The Essential Guide to Selection Criteria and Core Collections (Neal-Schuman) were both published in 2000.

Diane's first book The Internet Trainer's Guide , was published in 1995. The Internet Trainer's Total Solution Guide was published in 1997. She has also co-authored with her husband Michael Kovacs, Cybrarians Guide to Successful Internet Programs and Services  which was published by Neal-Schuman in 1997.

Diane Kovacs is the 2000 recipient of the "Documents to the People" award from the Government Documents Roundtable of the American Library Association.   She was also the recipient  of the Apple Corporation Library's, Internet Citizen Award for 1992 and was the University of Illinois Graduate School of Library and Information Science Alumni Association's first recipient of the Leadership Award in 1996. Since 1990 she has been the editor-in-chief of the Directory of Scholarly and Professional  Electronic Conferences.

Diane received an M.S. in Library and Information Science   from the University of Illinois in 1989 and an M.Ed. in  Instructional Technology from Kent State University in 1993. She has a B.A. in Anthropology also from the University of Illinois, 1985.