Recently, when a colleague of mine instructed a student to look something up, she went directly to the computer to search for the information. When my colleague suggested a book, the student informed him that "books are so 1980's." That was news to us, but probably not surprising to those who have become more accustomed to using the Internet for research, education, and keeping in touch with friends. The idea of going to the library to search endless stacks of bound journals for information is completely foreign to today's students. They readily access the library anywhere they are with a few clicks on their computer keyboard.
For those readers who are comfortable with the computer, ease of access to information is an obvious advantage. It is a lot easier to find an article looking at a journal's archive online than combing through old issues of Popular Mechanics stacked up in the garage. Many libraries have put most of their journal collections online. They can house a lot more material in digital form rather than taking up valuable space with stacks of paper journals.
Despite the advantages to digital publication and the ease of finding information, many nurses remain uncomfortable accessing journals and other materials online.1,2 Certainly I don't think printed material will disappear anytime soon. Many of us like the feel of paper, and reading long articles can be difficult on a computer screen. I have yet to master reading the newspaper comfortably on my computer. We can become lost in a search engine while trying to find the answer to a question. One estimate suggested that more than 24 billion pages can be found via an Internet search engine!!1 However, it is to our advantage to learn how to use both printed and online material to find answers to clinical questions. Learning how to access and use online information will increase our knowledge, provide relevant data for patient care and education, and make information readily available no matter what time of day or night.
Because of this, I am excited to announce that Advances in Neonatal Care (ANC) has a new and improved Web site. This site is easy to navigate and will provide NANN members and journal subscribers with a number of features designed to provide the information needed quickly and easily. If you have not accessed ANC online before, I encourage you to do so now. If you have, make sure you check out our new and improved site.
New features include ease of accessing all issues of Advances in Neonatal Care with new options for article delivery, including an enhanced HTML format for easier reading. Links to videos are obvious and editor's picks will highlight particularly noteworthy articles for your clinical practice. Customized options such as saved searches, personal article collections, and e-mail alerts allow you to use the site to your personal advantage. There are networking opportunities to provide reader's comments on articles and other posts about neonatal nursing. Information for authors and reviewers will be easily accessible. Additional features will be added during the coming year, so log onto the site regularly and let us know what you think.
As you develop ideas for topics and videos, let us know. We will be happy to work with you to get your ideas in print and online. Many new authors have published in Advances in Neonatal Care, and our editorial staff is happy to help you refine your manuscripts.
If you are a NANN member, you can access ANC through the NANN Web site (http://www.NANN.org). Go to the Member's Only section and type in your username and password. If you have not visited the Member's Only section, setting up your access is quick and easy. Once you are on the Member's Only section, just click on Advances in Neonatal Care and you will be directed to the ANC Web site. If you are not a NANN member but are a subscriber to ANC, you can access the site directly at http://www.advancesinneonatalcare.org. Please visit and let us know what you think.
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