Karen Gutzman

Librarian. Interested in everything. Views are my own. @kglibrarian.bsky.social --or -- @[email protected].

[Research Training Institute (RTI) @RTIatMLA]

RTI '25 Open House, Thursday, Nov 14, 1:00-2:00 central. Great way to ask questions about the RTI training program from faculty and peer coaches. You can join anytime during the session. Come & learn.
https://t.co/8ivawwXKej
#medlibs

[Rick Steves @RickSteves]

A Letter from a Bishop to You Via Me:

I get emails all the time from a bishop. (My girlfriend, Shelley, is a Lutheran bishop.) As bishop, Shelley oversees a synod of about 100 churches in the northwest corner of Washington state. (A bishop’s responsibilities are similar to those of a superintendent who oversees all the schools in a particular school district). While there are several families of Lutheran churches, Shelley’s a leader in what’s by far the biggest and most progressive branch, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (@ELCA).

In these times of angry politics, hard divisions, and hyper-political churches, I fear that when unchurched Americans think of a Christian, many think of the extremely conservative ones who play such a high-profile role in the right wing of our political landscape. While the term “evangelical” can apply to a broad range of Christians, the most politicalized have come to be known as “Evangelicals” in the US. These groups are generally fundamentalists (who take every word in the Bible literally) and Christian Nationalists (who believe Americans are exceptional in God’s eyes, are sure to fly the Stars and Stripes in their churches…and might even think God would recommend a certain Bible that comes with the US Constitution stitched into it).

On the other hand, the quieter wing of Christianity in our country (“Mainline Protestant” denominations like Lutherans, Methodists, Episcopalians, and many others) tends to be more liberal. In these churches, women and gay pastors are commonplace, sanctity of life includes much more than a fetus, our Jewish and Muslim neighbors are welcome, and we understand that all people are children of God and, therefore, equally beloved. Sadly, while noisy and angry fundamentalists and Christian Nationalists grab the headlines and stoke the cultural wars that divide our country, the rest of us — who take “love thy neighbor” seriously — have been bullied out of the public eye.

Shelley sends a monthly “Letter from the Bishop” to the congregations in her synod — and during this election season, I wish all Americans could receive her November dispatch. It offers what I consider to be a truly Christ-like approach to the issues facing our country. As a Christian, Shelley’s message (which is more “love thy neighbor” than “what’s in it for me”) inspires me, and it will guide me as I vote in this election. And — as an American citizen who cares deeply for his country — I hope that, whether you consider yourself a person of faith or not, Shelley’s message will also bring a new dimension to your thinking as you prepare to vote.

From the Bishop:

Dear Beloveds,
As the election season is here, I have been doing some reflecting on what it means to vote as a Lutheran Christian. Please know that I am not telling you who to vote for in this election. It is not for me to tell you who to vote for. I mean, after all, God is neither Republican or Democrat, or even American.

But in saying that, I am not abdicating the responsibility that we have as Lutheran Christians who live in a country where voting matters. As children of God, we are called to vote beyond our own self-interest or individuality. As people who follow Jesus, we are called towards God’s vision of a just and mercy-filled world. As people who have received grace upon grace, we are called to stand against injustice, and to remind everyone that, in God’s eyes, every single person is loved and beloved.

So, here are a few thoughts and questions:

1. Jesus is all about loving one’s neighbor. Even when it’s hard. When he’s asked, “Who is my neighbor,” Jesus expands his answer. In Jesus’ stories and actions he constantly goes to those who are on the outside, those marginalized, those without status, and shows how they are loved by God – how they are, in fact, his neighbor.

As you vote: Who is your neighbor?

2. Throughout scripture, hospitality to the stranger is embraced. In the Old Testament, the command to welcome strangers is repeated 37 times. In Matthew, Jesus says, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”

As you vote: Who is the stranger?

3. God’s will and God’s calling is towards equity and justice for those who have been silenced, oppressed, or harmed. As we hear in Isaiah, “Learn to do good; seek justice, rescue the oppressed, defend the orphan, and plead for the widow.”

As you vote: Who are the silenced, the oppressed, the harmed?

4. The eighth commandment declares that we are called to not bear false witness against our neighbor. This, of course, means not lying about another but seeking the truth. This means no name-calling or false accusations. But it goes beyond this. As Martin Luther tells us in his Small Catechism, we are to defend our neighbor, speak well of our neighbor, and explain everything in the kindest way.

As you vote: Who is speaking truth?

5. God created this beautiful earth and declared that we are both part of the creation and are also called to be stewards of it. As we read in the ELCA social statement called “Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice,” we affirm that it is God’s intention for us to join in the healing and wholeness of creation.

As you vote: Who is caring for creation?

Dear Beloveds of God, there is so much more that could be written about the state of our country and what voting means. We could make this all complicated and intricate and difficult. But truly, it comes down to this: God’s love is unconditional and unending. Jesus came to this earth to show, to embody, to be God’s love for us and for all people. And so, knowing this, trusting this, believing this, we are called. We are called, as children of God, to show this love to the world. We are called to vote against hate. We are called to vote for God’s love. As we hear in 1 John, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear … We love because God first loved us.”

+Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee

[Jessica Sacher, PhD @JessicaSacher]

🦠 What I wish I'd known in year 1 about keeping track of samples in the lab:

A thread about what has actually worked for me 🧵

(works for phages, bacteria, plasmids, any pesky shape-shifting biological entities!)

[Rafeeque @rafeequemavoor]

Free scientific illustrations for biologists! 😍

@NIH has released a library of 500+ free scientific illustrations to create figures, presentations, and illustrations!

all freely available in the public domain.

Retweet and spread the message!
https://t.co/p1bD1kxO7H

[Karen Gutzman @kglibrarian]

Just attended an insightful webinar, Minds of All Kinds: Neurodiversity 101, with Kayla Atkins at Northwestern University. Loved the discussion on the "Academic Wheel of Privilege." See Supplementary Figure 2 for more: https://t.co/RZZOzQp4wb #Neurodiversity #HigherEd #Inclusion

[Michael Fralick @FralickMike]

Need a power/sample size calculation for a study or upcoming grant? Led by @emil_hs, we built a simple, free, and pain-free (!) shiny app. feedback welcome plz share with interested parties. check it out: https://t.co/VKr06hfFCL 🦾🤓

@sholzberg @kieranrcampbell @JeffsLianne @aaron_drucker @WallisCJD @NEJMEvidence @JonZipursky @ChanaSacks

[Rachel Tobac @RachelTobac]

LinkedIn is now using everyone's content to train their AI tool -- they just auto opted everyone in.
I recommend opting out now (AND that orgs put an end to auto opt-in, it's not cool)
Opt out steps: Settings and Privacy > Data Privacy > Data for Generative AI Improvement (OFF)

[Northwestern Medicine @NorthwesternMed]

Covered in #BugBites? They might be from #mites. @MDJenniferChoi says try not to scratch the itch. Try over-the-counter antihistamines and topical steroids for relief. #MiteBites #cicadas #NMBetter

[Karen Gutzman @kglibrarian]

The FORCE2024 conference is starting now! See the keynote discussion by Dr's Danny Kingsly and Leslie McIntosh #FORCE2024 https://t.co/vwMI1Ck2LE

[Karen Gutzman @kglibrarian]

I earned a badge from PREreview! https://t.co/VKHtGBwJhy

[Karen Gutzman @kglibrarian]

Great to see all the different projects related to open peer review at this PREreview workshop https://t.co/dUGVc7vHf9 #fsci2024 #prereview

[Karen Gutzman @kglibrarian]

Jumping into a great session on PREreview Open Reviewe Workshop with Daniela Saderi and Vanessa Fairhurst #fsci2024 #prereview

[Karen Gutzman @kglibrarian]

Thanks Martin Brennan for reminding us to relax and enjoy the week! #fsci2024 https://t.co/dUGVc7vHf9

[Karen Gutzman @kglibrarian]

Excited to join the kickoff for the Force11 Scholarly Communication Institute in-person event. #fsci2024

[Karen Gutzman @kglibrarian]

@librarianmer I noticed while reading your work, how infused it is w/ kindness and a sense of humanity. Early on I learned being "highly productive" is how to feel safe in a job. But the mental and physical cost it is not sustainable. Now I'm learning nuance, though it is not easy.

[Galter Health Sciences Library & Learning Center @galterlibrary]

Activate your ORCID id and ensure your contributions are accurately attributed and easily discoverable!

Check out our ORCID #GalterGuide 🔎for more information: https://t.co/jegcWjlyqX

[Karen Gutzman @kglibrarian]

@carrieprice78 If I'm ordering a drink, I just say "I'd like an alcoholic beverage" and see what they bring me. Isn't that what everyone does? (j/k)

[Karen Gutzman @kglibrarian]

Check out the Dataset Catalog and DATAMM (the JATS for data) from NLM #MLANet24

[Karen Gutzman @kglibrarian]

At #MLAnet24 for the NLM update and giving kudos to those who guide and lead the library!

[Karen Gutzman @kglibrarian]

@Llipke3 Thank you MLA staff for all that you do!!