NLTN Library closure announcement

Dear NLTN Library patrons: We regret to inform you that the NLTN is no longer offering a free lending library service. For those who have borrowed material, please return any outstanding library items as instructed in the information that came with your library material. If you have questions email library [at] nltn [dot] org or call (510)412-1409 or (303)617-8827. Thank you for your interest.

Online links can still be accessed through the Library Search function. Select “On-line learning” or “Website” from the pull-down menu labeled “Material type.” (You do not need to login or create an account to search the listings.) These links will be placed here on the NLTN Library blog over the next few weeks, but in the meantime they can still be found through the library website.

Library contact information:

NLTN Library
850 Marina Bay Pkwy Rm C131
Richmond CA 94804
(510)412-1409
email: library [at] nltn [dot] org

New items in the NLTN Lending Library – Sept/Oct 2007

‘Immunology and Evolution of Infectious Disease’ by Steven Frank, an online book from the NCBI Bookshelf, is among the items recently added to the NLTN Library Index.

From the book description:

From HIV to influenza, the battle between infectious agents and the immune system is at the heart of disease. Knowledge of how and why parasites vary to escape recognition by the immune system is central to vaccine design, the control of epidemics, and our fundamental understanding of parasite ecology and evolution. As the first comprehensive synthesis of parasite variation at the molecular, population, and evolutionary levels, this book is essential reading for students and researchers throughout biology and biomedicine. The author uses an evolutionary perspective to meld the terms and findings of molecular biology, immunology, pathogen biology, and population dynamics.

We have also added some “hard copy” books:

• Germs: Biological Weapons and America’s Secret War by Judith Miller, Stephen Engelberg, and William Broad
• The Biology of Doom: The History of America’s Secret Germ Warfare Project by Ed Regis
• Plague: A Story of Science, Rivalry, and the Scourge That Won’t Go Away by Edward Marriott
• Anthrax: The Investigation of a Deadly Outbreak by Jeanne Guillemin
• Greek Fire, Poison Arrows & Scorpion Bombs: Biological and Chemical Warfare in the Ancient World by Adrienne Mayor

NLTN Library user profile – Dr. Paul Park, California Food and Drug Laboratory Branch

Paul Park has been top of the charts as our most frequent NLTN Library user for the past two years. Dr Park is Research Scientist IV, Food and Drug Laboratory Branch (FDLB), California Department of Public Health (where the NLTN Library is housed, so he has a “home field advantage.”) His group recently received an award from the International Association for Food Protection “in recognition of their innovative work in the development and optimization of the recirculating immunomagnetic separation (RIMS) technique in successfully identifying E. coli outbreak strains from food and environmental samples,” stemming from last year’s outbreak of E. coli in spinach.

This is ‘outbreak season,’ a busy time for the FDLB,  recently involved in investigating possible Listeria monocytogenes in tofu and E. coli in bagged salad mix.

Here are Park’s comments on the library and NLTN: “NLTN is a very important source for me in getting information in microbiology. The books are generally up to date and provide valuable background information on subjects that I am looking for. Of particular interest to me are 1) microarrays (there are 4 books on it) – as it provides background info on the subject; 2) bioterror – organisms and “effects” and 3) training materials – such as microscopy and DNA techniques.

I particularly value the audio/video portion of NLTN – especially the training videos. Of course, the frequent NLTN training seminars via the web are invaluable – and I like the fact that the speaker’s slides are available for download before and after the session.”

TB Training resources

Search for mycobacteriology at NLTN Library:

Here are the results:

Some additional web resources:

• TB Education and Training Resources – a service of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Division of Tuberculosis Elimination (DTBE), includes a comprehensive links page
• Francis J. Curry National TB Center – offers free training resources, including some online courses with CEUs

Animal cell culture resources

Recently a patron asked for information on animal cell culture. In the NLTN Library we have Mammalian Cell Culture Hazards, a 1997 video from Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and Basic Laboratory Techniques in Cell Culture, a 1981 CDC manual.

Here are some additional online resources:

•   Introduction to Animal Cell Culture
•   Fundamental Techniques in Cell Culture
•   Human cell culture methods
•   Google directory – Cell culture
•   Understanding and Managing Cell Culture Contamination
•   General Cell Culture Techniques (with a section on mammalian cell culture)

A peek inside the NLTN Library

This is a view of the NLTN Library stacks, housed at the Richmond Campus of the California Department of Public Health (Richmond, CA).

New items in the NLTN Library – Aug 2007

“DNA: Secret of Photo 51“, a DVD from the NOVA series on PBS, is now available for loan from the NLTN Library.  The program tells the story of Rosalind Franklin ’s contribution to the discovery of DNA’s double helix structure by James Watson and Francis Crick.  More information is available at the PBS Website.

We have also received a collection of books on infectious diseases and bioterrorism. New titles include two books on anthrax: The Killer Strain: Anthrax and a Government Exposed by Marilyn W. Thompson (HarperCollins, 2003) and Anthrax: The Investigation of a Deadly Outbreak by Jeanne Guillemin (University of Califonria Press, 1999).

Also available: The Speckled Monster: A Historical Tale of Battling Smallpox by Jennifer Lee Carrell (Dutton, 2003).

Watch this blog for more new NLTN Library items coming soon!

Welcome to the NLTN Library blog!

Visit the NLTN Library Blog for news and resources related to clinical and public laboratory training, continuing education, med tech and laboratory workforce issues, plus NLTN Library updates.

About the NLTN Library 

The National Laboratory Training Network is a training system sponsored by the Association of Public Health Laboratories (APHL) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

The NLTN Lending Library offers over 900 training and educational items on laboratory-related topics, available for loan by mail to interested US residents. The only cost is for return shipping to the library. The library index also contains links to websites and online training material that can be viewed by anyone.  Review the library user’s guide or search for laboratory training materials.