Bulletin of the Medical Library Association

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Culture not only justifies the existence of libraries but also determines the level of funding libraries receive for development. Cultural appreciation of the importance of libraries encourages their funding; lack of such appreciation discourages it. Medical library development is driven by culture in general and the culture of physicians in particular. Nineteenth-century North American medical library funding reflected the impact of physician culture in three phases: (1) Before the dawn of anesthesia (1840s) and antisepsis (1860s), when the wisdom of elders contained in books was venerated, libraries were well supported...

BACKGROUND: Cochrane-style systematic reviews increasingly require the participation of librarians. Guidelines on the appropriate search strategy to use for systematic reviews have been proposed. However, research evidence supporting these recommendations is limited. OBJECTIVE: This study investigates the effectiveness of various systematic search methods used to uncover randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for systematic reviews. Effectiveness is defined as the proportion of relevant material uncovered for the systematic review using extended systematic review search methods...

The Web Redesign Committee at the Health Sciences and Human Services Library (HS/HSL) of the University of Maryland was formed to evaluate its site and oversee the site's redesign. The committee's goal was to design a site that would be functional, be usable, and provide the library with a more current image. Based on a literature review and discussions with colleagues, a usability study was conducted to gain a better understanding of how the Website was used. Volunteers from across the campus participated in the study...

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No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Selecting resources for physician assistants is challenging and can be overwhelming. Although several core lists exist for nursing, allied health, and medical libraries, judging the scope and level of these resources in relation to the information needs of the physician assistant is difficult. Medical texts can be highly specialized and very expensive, in essence, "overkill" for the needs of the physician assistant. This bibliography is meant to serve as a guide to appropriate medical texts for physician assistants...

The Connecticut State Medical Society (CSMS) reviews and accredits the continuing medical education (CME) programs offered by Connecticut's hospitals. As part of the survey process, the CSMS assesses the quality of the hospitals' libraries. In 1987, the CSMS adopted the Medical Library Association's (MLA's) "Minimum Standards for Health Sciences Libraries in Hospitals." In 1990, professional librarians were added to the survey team and, later, to the CSMS CME Committee. Librarians participating in this effort are recruited from the membership of the Connecticut Association of Health Sciences Librarians (CAHSL)...

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This paper argues that historical works in pharmacy are important tools for the clinician as well as the historian. With this as its operative premise, delineating the tripartite aspects of pharmacy as a business enterprise, a science, and a profession provides a conceptual framework for primary and secondary resource collecting. A brief history and guide to those materials most essential to a historical collection in pharmacy follows. Issues such as availability and cost are discussed and summarized in checklist form...

INTRODUCTION: This study explores the numbers of learning resources physicians use at each stage in self-directed learning episodes addressing general problems. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A survey of a statewide random sample of doctors estimated the number of resources used at each stage in solving various general problems. RESULTS: The 50% response rate for faculty allowed generalization of findings to the population of these physicians; the rate for nonfaculty physicians was too low to allow generalization...

The Patient Informatics Consult Service (PICS) at the Eskind Biomedical Library at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) provides patients with consumer-friendly information by using an information prescription mechanism. Clinicians refer patients to the PICS by completing the prescription and noting the patient's condition and any relevant factors. In response, PICS librarians critically appraise and summarize consumer-friendly materials into a targeted information report. Copies of the report are given to both patient and clinician, thus facilitating doctor-patient communication and closing the clinician-librarian feedback loop...

OBJECTIVES: To examine the types of questions received by Clinical Informatics Consult Service (CICS) librarians from clinicians on rounds and to analyze the number of clearly differentiated viewpoints provided in response. DESIGN: Questions were retrieved from an internal database, the CICS Knowledge Base, and analyzed for redundancy by subject analysis. The unique questions were classified into ten categories by subject. Treatment-related questions were analyzed for the number of viewpoints represented in the librarian's response...

The Internet has created new opportunities for librarians to develop information systems that are readily accessible at the point of care. This paper describes the multiyear process used to justify, fund, design, develop, promote, and evaluate a rehabilitation prototype of a point-of-care, team-based information system (PoinTIS) and train health care providers to use this prototype for their spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury patient care and education activities. PoinTIS is a successful model for librarians in the twenty-first century to serve as publishers of information created or used by their parent organizations and to respond to the opportunities for information dissemination provided by recent technological advances...

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Building on the experiences of librarian representatives to curriculum committees in the colleges of dentistry, medicine, and nursing, the Health Science Center Libraries (HSCL) Strategic Plan recommended the formation of a Library Liaison Work Group to create a formal Library Liaison Program to serve the six Health Science Center (HSC) colleges and several affiliated centers and institutes. The work group's charge was to define the purpose and scope of the program, identify models of best practice, and recommend activities for liaisons...

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