The RAS Corner at the ATRF was created by the ATRF Scientific Library, with help from the ATRF Culture Club. Background: Josip Blonder, senior scientist, Protein Characterization Laboratory, Cancer Research Technology Program (CRTP), in discussion with Robin Meckley, Scientific Library staff. Foreground: Leslie Garvey, research associate III, RAS Biology Unit, CRTP, reviews a RAS article in a recent scientific journal.
By Robin Meckley, Contributing Writer
The new RAS initiative recently undertaken at the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research has prompted the Scientific Library to provide support in a creative way to the laboratories at the Advanced Technology Research Facility (ATRF), where the research is centered.
With the help of the Culture Club, which is a group of employees who organize events at the ATRF, the staff of the Scientific Library has created a RAS Corner at the ATRF Scientific Library.
The RAS Corner comprises four distinct areas, each dedicated to a specific aspect of RAS research. The first area focuses on the most current published research. A bulletin board displays a RAS article of the week as well as other suggested RAS readings. These posted journal articles are suggested by the researchers who work on the RAS initiative.
A bibliography of the displayed articles is available as a takeaway for anyone wishing to read the articles elsewhere or keep them for reference. Everyone is encouraged to post a journal article on the board and attach a brief explanation of the relevance of the selected article.
A second area publicizes current events and programs related to RAS research. Its bulletin board displays RAS-related announcements, including upcoming seminars or programs about RAS. Plans are being made to hold monthly RAS webinars in the RAS Corner, playing recorded lectures followed by in-person discussions.
Third is an area devoted to information about the RAS References Library. The staff of the ATRF Library maintains a database of relevant journal articles related to RAS, found by running bibliographic database searches and housed in an EndNote Web library. The large library of more than 1,000 references can be viewed in smaller, permanent groups of review articles, abstracts to meetings, articles written by the RAS initiative leader, Frank McCormick, Ph.D., and general RAS articles.
Users can also view references added during the current month. Links to PubMed records and full-text documents are also included in the RAS References Library. This collection of journal articles is accessible to anyone working at NCI at Frederick. An EndNote Web account is required to view this resource. Anyone wishing to learn how to access the RAS References Library should e-mail the Scientific Library at NCIFredLibrary@mail.nih.gov.
The fourth area of the RAS Corner is set up for suggestions and feedback. A whiteboard is available for anyone to write a comment or offer a suggestion related to the research.
The RAS Corner of the ATRF Library is on the second floor of the ATRF, near the Wellness Center.
Employees on the main campus of NCI at Frederick may also learn about the RAS initiative by viewing the RAS bulletin board in Building 549, just outside the Scientific Library’s main doors. A smaller version of the RAS Corner at the ATRF, this bulletin board highlights RAS journal articles, the printed bibliography, and information about the RAS References Library.