SLA-Wisconsin Chapter

SLANT

newsletter

M E E T I N G O U R M E M B E R S

Cris Marsh, Content Manager, Wildlife Disease Information Node

by Bev Butula, Davis & Kuelthau

One of the most interesting things about being associated with SLA is that you are able to meet such a diverse group of librarians. Cris Marsh, Content Manager for the Wildlife Disease Information Node (WDIN), is a perfect example. Cris graduated from UW's School of Library and Information Studies in 2004. In her previous life, she worked as veterinary technician. Like many of us who change careers, her prior experience was an asset to her current position.

So, what exactly is the Wildlife Information Node (WDIN)? She describes it as a collection of on-line web resources and services versus the typical "brick and mortar" library. Its primary audience is wildlife disease professionals, and it consists of two components. The first is the web site that warehouses the wildlife disease information, such as web sites, maps and images. The second element is the Wildlife Health Monitoring Network, a wildlife disease surveillance database that is currently being developed. A prototype is available called the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Early Detection Data System (HEDDS). This information system is used to monitor for the presence of avian influenza, a disease that can infect not only wildlife but humans and domestic animals as well.

The WDIN staff is led by the Project Manager who is a wildlife veterinarian and the content expert. The staff also includes the Technical Manager and a Programmer who are responsible for the technical infrastructure. A number of students, several of which are in library school, are also members of the staff. Cris states, "Their talents and skills contribute greatly to WDIN." Cris rounds out the group as Content Manager, who joins the elements of content and technology together through information management.

When asked to describe the collection, Cris offers this summary:

Like many traditional libraries, WDIN is tackling the challenges of making effective use of the new social networking tools (e.g. tagging, blogging, RSS feeds) and other Web 2.0 advances. The wildlife health community is made up of a small, but dispersed group of professionals. A long-term goal for WDIN is to develop tools and services that can build an online community, a virtual work place, where colleagues can collaborate on projects and exchange information and ultimately coordinate their efforts to control and prevent the spread of wildlife disease. Understanding that wildlife disease is an important aspect of the interconnecting links between wildlife, human and domestic animal health has become increasingly important in recent years. This new perspective that these three realms are connected is captured in the phrase 'One World, One Health', which indicates that wildlife health is not only important to the stability of wildlife populations and global biodiversity, but that it also contributes to the wellness of humans and domestic animals.

WDIN houses approximately 1695 records in its web resource collection. This includes about 130 images, 110 maps, 750 journal article references, 71 reports, and 37 presentations. In 2005, national sampling efforts for avian influenza began and today the HEDDS information system holds an estimated 225,750 sampling records. Each record contains information about the individual bird sampled, (e.g. age, sex, species). From this data, wildlife disease specialists can create surveillance maps and reports, which become helpful decision-making tools for designing disease monitoring plans and procedures.

Cris usually spends the mornings collaborating with student employees evaluating and cataloging resources for their daily news blog. Afternoons generally find her promoting WDIN services, managing the catalog, and working with IT. She works closely with IT on technical issues, such as the development of standard vocabularies for the wildlife disease surveillance database. Cris may also attend various meetings and conferences to promote the project and keep abreast of issues pertinent to the wildlife health community.

Maps and images appear to be favorites of WDIN patrons. A popular map is the Epizoo Data Viewer, which is an interactive mapping application allowing users to visualize and explore data on wildlife mortality. Cris also explains an upcoming interactive map that will use content from the Wildlife News Digest:

Alone the Digest brings together wildlife disease news from around the world; however, by incorporating GeoRSS specifications, WDIN can add a geographical dimension to the news. The GeoRSS feed adds location information to the Digest news articles which are then consumed by a mapping client (e.g. Google Maps, Acme Maps) which produces a dynamic map that updates as news is added to the Digest. Wildlife biologists can quickly discover what is making the news in their home state or all the way on the other side of the world.

When Cris isn't busy with work related projects, she volunteers at the Meriter Hospital Medical Library. This provides her with exposure to the more "traditional" library, assisting with circulation, cataloging, and literature searches. The last book she read was "Amsterdam" by Ian McEwan. Her favorite movie is a quirky little film about finding happiness in the company of unlikely friends. The movie is entitled "Station Agent" and Cris states that the library contributes a small but important story element.

Downtown Milwaukee photo courtesy of OnMilwaukee.com and MilwaukeeDowntown.com. Others courtesy of the Wisconsin Department of Tourism.

Questions or comments about the website? Contact the Webmaster
Disclaimer Statement | WI-SLA Homepage
© Special Libraries Association - Wisconsin Chapter

Last modified: January 5, 2008

M E E T I N G O U R M E M B E R S

Cris Marsh, Content Manager, Wildlife Disease Information Node

by Bev Butula, Davis & Kuelthau

IN THIS ISSUE