Library News

In the 2022 federal budget, the Government of Canada (2022, Annex 3) announced that the length of copyright protection—currently life of the author plus 50 years—will be extended to life plus 70 years.

This extension was a condition of the 2018 Canada-United States-Mexico trade agreement. It will bring Canada’s copyright term in line with that of many of its major trading partners, including the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union.

This means that, for the next 20 years, no new works will enter the public domain in Canada because their copyright has expired.

What is public domain?

Works that are in the public domain are not protected by copyright and can be reused, shared, copied, or adapted without permission. They belong to the public.

Public domain is determined by the laws of the country where the resource is used, not where it was published. A work may be in the public domain in one country but not in another. For example, A. A. Milne’s 1926 Winnie the Pooh stories entered the public domain in the United States in January 2022. These stories have been in the public domain in Canada since 2007 (Vermes, 2022).

It is important to understand that new editions or adaptations of works in the public domain may be protected by copyright if they have been changed enough to be considered a separate work (University of British Columbia, n.d.).

In Canada, works can enter the public domain if:

• Copyright has expired. The rule of 50 (soon to be 70) calendar years after the death of the last surviving author applies to most works, but there are some differences depending on the format of a work, who created it, and the date of publication. You can read more on the University of British Columbia’s guide to Public Domain.
• The author has waived their copyright. Authors can choose to place their work in the public domain, allowing the work to be used freely and without permission. One way they can do this is to assign a CC0 dedication through Creative Commons.

Some materials do not qualify for copyright protection. These include materials lacking in originality or creativity such as data or facts. Ideas are not covered by copyright until they are expressed in a tangible format. For example, an idea for a research project is not covered by copyright, but a written research proposal is.

Public domain does not mean:

• Publicly accessible. Just because you are able to copy and paste an image found on the Internet or photocopy a large portion of a textbook you borrowed from a library doesn’t mean that you are permitted to do so. Always assume that works are copyright protected! Look for terms of use for materials found online and be prepared to ask for permission.
• Royalty-free. This type of copyright license means that a user makes a one-time payment to use a resource, such as a stock photo, multiple times, without paying royalties each time the resource is used. It doesn't mean that materials are free to use.

Why is public domain important?

In a response to the proposed copyright term extension, the Canadian Federation of Library Associations and the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (2021) stated that “[a] broad and deep public domain enriches Canadians’ social, political, intellectual, cultural, and artistic lives” (p.3).

Public domain can support:

• Education, opening up opportunities for digitization of older works and making them freely available online for classroom (and other) use (Center for the Study of the Public Domain, 2021).
• Creativity, allowing public domain works to be remixed, reimagined, or performed (Center for the Study of the Public Domain, 2021).
• Preservation, allowing Canadian libraries and archives to digitize and provide access to orphan works (where the copyright owner can’t be located) or works that are no longer commercially viable but are of significance to Canadian heritage and culture (Canadian Federation of Library Association & Canadian Association of Research Libraries, 2021).

Where can I find public domain resources?

For more suggestions, see Wikipedia’s list of public domain resources, including some specific to medicine. Visit our Copyright subject guide for information on finding copyright-free images.

If you have questions about public domain or other copyright topics, get in touch at copyright@nshealth.ca or book a one-on-one consultation. Select Copyright from the list of options.

References

1. Canadian Federation of Library Associations & Canadian Association of Research Libraries. (2021). Joint response to consultation on copyright term extension. https://www.carl-abrc.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/CFLA-CARL_Joint_Response_to_Consultation_on_Copyright_Term_Extension.pdf.

2. Center for the Study of the Public Domain. (2021). Why the public domain matters. Duke University. https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2021/why/.

3. Copyrightlaws.com. (2021) Duration of copyright in Canada. https://www.copyrightlaws.com/duration-of-copyright-in-canada/.

4. Government of Canada. (2022). Budget 2022. https://budget.gc.ca/2022/report-rapport/toc-tdm-en.html.

5. Vermes, J. (2022, January 10). How Winnie-the-Pooh highlights flaws in U.S. copyright law – and what that could mean for Canada. CBC Radio. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/day6/trump-supporters-prep-for-2024-bye-bye-blackberry-don-t-look-up-why-we-procrastinate-joygerm-day-and-more-1.6307339/how-winnie-the-pooh-highlights-flaws-in-u-s-copyright-law-and-what-that-could-mean-for-canada-1.6309960

Roxanne MacMillan

Librarian Educator
Library Services, Central Zone

UPDATED: May 16, 2022. Original Post: February 1, 2017.

CINAHL® Complete is an important database for nurses and allied health professionals. It indexes more than 5,400 journals and provides full text for more than 1,400 journals. Whether you are working or conducting research in these fields, CINAHL® Complete is full of valuable information resources. To get the most out of your CINAHL® Complete experience, try searching this database using subject headings.

CINAHL® Subject Headings are controlled vocabulary used to describe the main topics of each article. Using subject headings in your searches will give you fewer search results, but your results will be more relevant.

Click through the images below and learn how to find the appropriate subject heading(s) for your research topic(s).

For more information about CINAHL® Complete’s Subject Headings, visit:

Using the CINAHL/MeSH Subject Headings Feature in EBSCOhost – Tutorial

CINAHL Subject Headings – Frequently Asked Questions

Using CINAHL/MeSH Subject Headings

For more guidance on searching in CINAHL® Complete, book a one-on-one consultation with a Library Services team member, or reach out to us with your questions: AskLibrary@nshealth.ca.

Laura Mounce

Librarian Educator
Yarmouth Regional Hospital, Western Zone

Writing in plain language matters. In Canada, it’s reported that nine million people have limited literacy skills, with over half of Canadians reading below a high school level. This is just one of the reasons why it is important to offer additional support to patients and families with easy-to-read, straightforward patient pamphlets. For more information about creating or updating patient pamphlets, please visit the Content Creator Toolkit. Please contact pamphlets@nshealth.ca with any questions. You can search for pamphlets by title, keyword, or four-digit pamphlet number in the library catalogue, or view the complete listing of active titles in our Print Code Index.

The following pamphlets were updated or created in April 2022. 

Arabic Translations
AR85-2152 Room Options in the Hospital (Arabic) (English: WX85-1622)
AR85-2281 NEW Questions You May Have About Your Surgery (Arabic) (English: WO85-1667)

Cardiovascular System 
WG85-0698 Dobutamine Stress Echocardiogram
WG85-0707 Coronary Intervention (Balloon or Stent Procedure)

Diagnostic Imaging 
WN85-0001 Angiogram

French Translations (en français)
FF85-1629 Les types de chambres à l’hôpital (English: WX85-1622)
FF85-1682 Frais médicaux pour les visiteurs de l’extérieur du pays : Vallée de l'Annapolis, Rive-Sud, Sud-Ouest (English: WX85-1681)
FF85-1684 Frais médicaux pour les visiteurs de l’extérieur du pays : Cap-Breton, Guysborough, Antigonishe (English: WX85-1683)
FF85-1686 Frais médicaux pour les visiteurs de l’extérieur du pays : Colchester-East Hants, Cumberland, Pictou (English: WX85-1685)
FF85-1688 Frais médicaux pour les visiteurs de l’extérieur du pays : Région d'Halifax et West Hants (English: WX85-1687)
FF85-1739 Vos droits et vos responsabilités (English: WX85-0466)
FF85-1856 Soins aux personnes atteintes de démence : Édifice Camp Hill Veterans’ Memorial (English: WT85-1423)
FF85-1861 Avortement par médicaments (English: WP85-1831)
FF85-1862 Avortement par instruments (English: WP85-1832)
FF85-1886 Directives pour un avortement par médicaments (Mifegymiso) (English: WP85-1878)

Hematology
WH85-0618 Therapeutic Apheresis
WH85-0724 Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (TTP)

Hospitals
WX85-1622 Room Options in the Hospital
WX85-1681 Hospital Fees for Out-of-country Visitors: Annapolis Valley, South Shore, South West
WX85-1683 Hospital Fees for Out-of-country Visitors: Cape Breton, Guysborough, Antigonish
WX85-1685 Hospital Fees for Out-of-country Visitors: Colchester-East Hants, Cumberland, Pictou
WX85-1687 Hospital Fees for Out-of-country Visitors: Halifax Area and West Hants
WX85-2173 Preparing for Home: From Admission to Discharge

Medications
QV85-2262 Benzodiazepines for Alcohol Withdrawal

Mental Health & Addictions
WM85-0761 Bipolar Disorder
WM85-0766 Depression
WM85-2282 NEW Welcome to the Mental Health and Addictions Day Hospital

Musculoskeletal System
WE85-1582 Pressure Injury (Ulcer) Prevention

Nephrology
WQ85-2283 NEW Fistulogram - Cape Breton Regional Hospital
WQ85-2284 NEW Fistuloplasty - Cape Breton Regional Hospital

Nutrition & Food
LC85-0564 High Energy, High Protein Guidelines
LC85-0569 High Energy, High Protein, Low Fat Diet Guidelines
LC85-0657 High Energy, High Protein Diabetic Guidelines
LC85-1440 Esophageal Soft Eating Guidelines

Vinson Li

Librarian Educator, Patient Education Pamphlets Lead
Nova Scotia Hospital, Central Zone

In health care, we frequently create text documents to communicate important information to our colleagues, patients and clients, and the public. But how well do our messages get across, given that our audience may include people with:

• reading disabilities,
• low literacy,
• visual impairments, and
• a first language other than English?

In part one of this two-part blog post, we focused on fonts, text alignment and plain language considerations that help make text documents both readable and accessible. In part two, we’ll tackle using bullets and ordered lists, tables and self-describing links.

Bullets and ordered lists:

Use bullet lists and ordered lists to break text up into smaller bits that are easier to absorb. Avoid listing several items in the form of a sentence, as this can make the sentence long and confusing.

 INSTEAD OF: Your care team may include physicians, nurses, occupational therapists, respiratory therapists, dietitians, and social workers.

 USE:  Your care team may include:

• physicians

• nurses

• occupational therapists

• respiratory therapists

• dietitians

• social workers

Numbered lists work well for describing steps in a process.

 INSTEAD OF: If you discover a fire, first remove any people who are in immediate danger, then activate the fire alarm, then contain the fire by closing doors in your area, and finally evacuate patients/residents if instructed to do so.

 USE:  If you discover a fire, follow these steps:

1. Remove any people who are in immediate danger.

2. Activate the fire alarm. 

3. Contain the fire by closing doors in your area.

4. Evacuate patients/residents if instructed to do so.

Tip: Use the bullet or ordered-list tools in Word to create your bulleted, numbered, or lettered lists. This ensures screen-reader software will recognize it as a list and know how to read and relay the information (City of Peterborough, 2014, p. 21).

Tables

Avoid using tables, if possible. They can be challenging for people using assistive devices. Don’t use tables to display large amounts of text; instead, use paragraphs with headings.

If you must use tables, keep  them simple: 

• Keep the number of columns and rows consistent throughout the table. 
• Avoid split, merged, or blank cells. 
• Include a header row and repeat it if the table extends onto a second page. 

(Microsoft, 2022; YUCSDTL, 2021)

Self-describing Links

Screen readers tell users when they encounter a hyperlink. Screen readers can relay more useful information about the hyperlink if the link is self-describing, that is, if it provides some context. The words that you use to create the hyperlink should convey where the user is being directed to, rather than consisting only of “click here” or “learn more” (Ryerson University, n.d.).

 INSTEAD OF: Learn more about the Cancer Patient Family Network.

 USE:  Learn more about the Cancer Patient Family Network.

The additional resources listed below offer more suggestions for improving the readability and accessibility of your documents.  If you have any questions or would like more resources to help you develop your skills around creating and sharing information that is accessible and easy to understand, please contact us at AskLibrary@nshealth.ca or book a consultation to speak one-on-one with a library team member.

Additional Resources

AbilityNet. (2022). Creating accessible documents. https://abilitynet.org.uk/factsheets/creating-accessible-documents-0 

Microsoft. (2022). Make your Word documents accessible for people with disabilities. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-your-word-documents-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-d9bf3683-87ac-47ea-b91a-78dcacb3c66d?ui=en-us&rs=en-us&ad=us#bkmk_avoid_tables_win  

Ryerson University. (n.d.). How to create accessible documents. https://www.ryerson.ca/accessibility/guides-resources/accessible-documents/ 

York University Centre for Staff Development & Technical Learning [YUCSDTL]. (2021). Designing accessible word documents. https://csdtl.info.yorku.ca/files/2021/04/Designing-Accessible-Documents-Course-Handout-Revised-April-2021.pdf?x31038 

References

City of Peterborough. (2014). Guide to accessible documents.https://www.peterborough.ca/en/city-hall/resources/Documents/Guide-to-Accessible-Documents.pdf

Ryerson University. (n.d.). How to create accessible documents.https://www.ryerson.ca/accessibility/guides-resources/accessible-documents/

Lana MacEachern

Library Technician
Aberdeen Hospital, Northern Zone

In health care, we frequently create text documents to communicate important information to our colleagues, patients and clients, and the public. But how well do our messages get across, given that our audience may include people with:

• reading disabilities,
• low literacy,
• visual impairments, and
• a first language other than English?

In this two-part post, we’ll suggest a few things you can do to make your text documents more readable and accessible. To start, we’ll focus on font choice, text alignment, and general plain language considerations.

Font

Choose a sans serif font with a minimum size of 12 points for body text. To emphasize words or phrases, make the font bold rather than using italics or underlining. 

• Italicized words are more difficult to read.
• Underlining overlaps the bottom parts of some letters, which can also make words more difficult to read.
• Screen-reader software may mistake underlined words for hyperlinks.

Text Alignment

It’s tempting to centre headings on the page and use justified alignment to make a block of text look neat and tidy, but this can decrease readability. Text should always be left-aligned. 

• When text is centred or right-aligned, people with reading difficulties may have a hard time telling where each sentence or line begins.
• Justified text is spaced so that the beginning and end of each line lines up with the left and right margins respectively. This can result in large gaps between words, which can cause problems for people using magnifying devices. 

Plain Language

Plain language is words and sentence structure that are simple, clear, and direct. Break up long, complicated sentences and paragraphs into smaller parts. 

Avoid convoluted words when a simpler word says the same thing. If you can’t avoid using a medical term, explain the term in brackets.

Avoid unnecessary filler words that don’t add to the idea you’re expressing.    

Did you know? “Approximately half of all Canadians experience some challenges understanding the health information and teaching provided to them (Guo, 2012).” Nova Scotia Health’s patient education pamphlets are written at a Grade 6 reading level so more people can read and understand them. Microsoft Word can check the readability (grade level) of your document using the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level test. 

We hope these tips enhance the documents you create for health-care audiences across a range of tools, whether handouts or presentations. You will find more information in the list of additional resources below. In Part 2 of this article, we’ll provide some tips on using bullets and ordered lists, tables, and links.

In the meantime, if you have any questions or would like more resources to help you develop your skills around creating and sharing information that is accessible and easy to understand, don’t hesitate to reach out to us at AskLibrary@nshealth.ca or book a consultation to speak one-on-one with a library team member.

Additional Resources

AbilityNet. (2022). Creating accessible documents. https://abilitynet.org.uk/factsheets/creating-accessible-documents-0 

Microsoft. (2022). Make your Word documents accessible for people with disabilities. https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/make-your-word-documents-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities-d9bf3683-87ac-47ea-b91a-78dcacb3c66d?ui=en-us&rs=en-us&ad=us#bkmk_avoid_tables_win  

Ryerson University. (n.d.). How to create accessible documents. https://www.ryerson.ca/accessibility/guides-resources/accessible-documents/ 

York University Centre for Staff Development & Technical Learning [YUCSDTL]. (2021). Designing accessible word documents. https://csdtl.info.yorku.ca/files/2021/04/Designing-Accessible-Documents-Course-Handout-Revised-April-2021.pdf?x31038 

References

Guo, D. (2012). The impact of low health literacy on Health. UBC Medical Journal, 3(2), 39-41.https://ubcmj.med.ubc.ca/past-issues/ubcmj-volume-3-issue-2/the-impact-of-low-literacy-on-health

Lana MacEachern

Library Technician
Aberdeen Hospital, Northern Zone

We updated our website to highlight our subject guides and key search sources, including a new Discover search. We’re confident that these changes will help you navigate to the content you need for your clinical practice and research!

What is Discover?

Discover is a Google-style search for library content. It searches the library’s print and electronic subscription resources, including article-level full text. Its built-in features help bring relevant content to the top of your results, to quickly get you the content you need.

What other ways can I search for information?

Our website highlights four search sources. Each source focuses on a collection of content. For example, if you want to search for book chapters and journal articles, use Discover.

Other search sources include:

• Databases: Choose a single database to focus on a specific area of health care or health research.
• Patient Education Pamphlets: Search our patient education pamphlet collection for full-text pamphlet PDFs.
• Website & Subject Guides: Search our website and subject guides for:
  • Recommended resources linked on our website
  • Subject guides, including professional and patient guidance created by local health care experts

What else is new?

• Update: If you have saved any links to our previous catalogue and eJournals search page, they will need to be updated. These tools have been replaced by Discover.
• Discover User Accounts: Discover allows you to create a user account where you can request articles, bookmark items, and more. Creating a user account also helps to pre-populate our new Document Delivery form when you land on an item you want and need to request.
• Subject Guides: Our growing collection of guides for either Staff & Physicians or Patient audiences is now organized into four groups:
  • Evidence-based Starting Points
  • Health Care Topics
  • Patient Education
  • Library Help
• Top navigation: The menu at the top of our website has changed to highlight our search sources, services and new subject guide groups.

We know you’ll want to test drive these changes to get comfortable with the new navigation and improved searching. Education sessions are scheduled in May and June, so sign up today for a guided tour! If you would prefer one-on-one support, please book a consultation with a library team member at your convenience.

Library Staff

Nova Scotia Health Library Services