MELVYL MEDLINE: a library services perspective

The MELVYL MEDLINE project resulted in the addition of a full five-year subset of MEDLINE to the University of California's (UC) MELVYL online union catalog. As one of the nation's largest MEDLINE end-user searching systems, MELVYL MEDLINE provides online bibliographic access to the biomedical journal literature for all UC personnel at over seventy library sites or by remote access. This paper summarizes the project's accomplishments, reports MELVYL MEDLINE use and its impact on library services, and provides insights for other end-user search systems. The project serves as a model for adding databases to the MELVYL catalog and demonstrates the potential for use by other disciplines of a specialized database when readily accessible. Evaluation results report high user satisfaction and high usage. However, many advanced searching features of the interface are little used by searchers. Effects on library services include marked increases in reference transactions and interlibrary loans, with significant declines in mediated search services. Future MELVYL MEDLINE enhancements include matching search retrievals to journal locations, linkage to an online document delivery system, and consideration of building a superset of databases by combining MELVYL MEDLINE with citations from another database in the MELVYL catalog.     

Lessons learned from single service point implementations

Interest in consolidating service points within health sciences libraries continues. This article proposes a definition of a library single service point and mentions some notable examples in academic health sciences libraries. The experiences of two of these libraries are summarized and compared, and the advice culled from those experiences is shared. The advice is in the form of sharing lessons learned, answering six frequently asked questions about combining services and staff under a single service umbrella. The article offers insights for other library staff considering this type of service reorganization.     

技术+管理：东莞构建图书馆公共服务体系的实施战略

本文以东莞构建城市图书馆服务体系的实施战略、实施过程和实施效果为例,探讨图书馆集群化管理的理论与总分馆制实现方法,以期为正在发展城市图书馆服务体系建设提供参考。     

Development and implementation of a microcomputer-based multi-user MEDLINE system

The Health Sciences Libraries Consortium, a group of health sciences libraries based in Philadelphia, PA, has implemented a MEDLINE database retrieval system based on the CD Plus PlusNet2 system. The system provides access to the entire MEDLINE database file through three centralized servers and four distributed servers, and is accessible over the HSLC wide-area network linking all of its members. This article describes the implementation process, from selection of the system to future development.     

Providing Technical Report Services in the Academic Library

Technical reports are a valuable information resource for faculty and students in engineering and the sciences. Academic libraries should have service plans designed to handle requests for these materials. This paper reviews some of the options available for providing reference services and document delivery for the technical report literature.     

Clinical medical librarian impact on patient care: a one-year analysis.

The primary role of the clinical medical librarian (CML)--locating and providing quality-filtered, patient-specific information to physicians--has been questioned recently because of the dramatic rise in end-user searching. This study administered a questionnaire to evaluate the current impact of this service in a major hospital setting with a long established CML program. The study showed that the CML provided house officers with information that affected patient care (defined as diagnosis, diagnostic tests, or treatment) between 40% and 59% of the time. This was true even though most physicians reported they generally researched the question prior to consulting the CML. In addition, the house officers in this study indicated that they distributed the CML-provided information to other health care providers 56%-96% of the time. Based on these limited results, it appears that CMLs can continue to provide information that has a strong impact on patient care, despite the availability of an end-user local MEDLINE system.     

地区间高校图书馆联合数字参考咨询服务

数字参考咨询是以网络为媒介提供参考咨询服务的一种方式,是图书馆服务的重要内容,数字参考咨询服务(DRS)正日益向合作化方向发展。本文结合烟台、威海地区高校图书馆开展网上联合数字参考咨询服务的成功经验,探讨了联合数字参考咨询服务的涵义、建立联合数字参考咨询服务的条件以及其优越性。     

The quality and impact of MEDLINE searches performed by end users

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Characteristics of early adopters of end-user online searching in the health professions

This paper examines end-user, online searching using data from a questionnaire mailed to 150 Canadian health professionals in practice settings. The response rate was 83% (n = 124). The data provide a demographic profile of early adopters of end-user searching in the health care community. Positive correlations with the user's level of implementation of end-user searching were found for the following variables: amount of time spent in research activities, amount of system training received, and use of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). There was a negative association between the amount of time spent in patient care and implementation level. General practitioners and family physicians had lower implementation levels than physicians in other specialties. Successful implementers were more likely to be computer literate and to place a high value on formal information sources such as books, journals, and libraries. Health professionals using so-called "user-friendly" or menu-based software had lower levels of personal commitment to using online databases, as measured by a combination of continuance of use, willingness to pay personally, type of recommendations made to colleagues, and hardware ownership.     

美国公共图书馆年长者健康信息服务调查与分析

[目的/意义]调查并分析美国公共图书馆年长者健康信息服务现况，为我国公共图书馆开展相关服务提供参考。[方法/过程]利用网络调查法，结合文献调查、访谈和案例分析，选择服务人口数量排名前25的公共图书馆，以是否有专项年长者健康信息服务为抽样标准，对选取的14所图书馆的服务现况及特点进行分析。[结果/结论]美国公共图书馆年长者健康信息服务具有如下特点：遵循规范的服务流程；细分年长者用户群，重视50+用户；健康信息服务的主题内容较为集中，以满足用户的信息需求；以提高用户健康素养尤其是电子健康素养为主要目标。     

Free MEDLINE and implications for library operations

The widespread availability of free MEDLINE systems on the Internet raises issues about the continued need to allocate library funds for commercial, fee-for-service MEDLINE vendors. This paper explores the evolution and acceptance of free MEDLINE, looking in particular at NLM's PubMed system. Results of a survey on librarian perceptions of PubMed are discussed. The new generation of PubMed software is evaluated in the context of end-user needs and educational goals of medical libraries.     

The MEDLINE experience at Yale: 1986-1996

The Cushing/Whitney Medical Library began providing end-user access to MEDLINE in 1986 and switched to the OVID system in 1993. MEDLINE is a core service of the library, and the choice of delivery systems has had a significant impact throughout the Yale-New Haven Medical Center. This paper describes the user response to MEDLINE, discusses the effects of MEDLINE on other library services, and suggests ways in which technology, policy, and funding have influenced use. Yale's experience suggests that removing barriers in all three areas can dramatically expand the points of access, the number of users, and the amount of use with manageable effects on other library services.     

Requests for proposals for library automation

Many health sciences libraries are now considering integrated automated systems for an investment of several hundred thousand dollars. The request for proposals (RFPs) is the usual method of selecting candidate vendors for close inspection of promising systems. This paper draws upon the experience of the Library of Rush University and that of twelve other health sciences libraries. The libraries were interviewed by telephone using a short questionnaire that asked them to compare the RFPs with the systems actually obtained and their experiences in implementing them. The libraries were also asked, with the benefit of hindsight, what would they have done differently. Four vendors were also interviewed by telephone, in order to get their point of view.     

美国加州大学尔湾分校图书馆数字参考咨询服务及其启示

文章从数字参考咨询服务概况、参考咨询服务模式、参考咨询服务对象和服务内容、用户教育及参考馆员资质等五个方面较为详细地介绍了美国加州大学尔湾分校(University of California,Irvine,经常简称为UC Irvine或UCI)图书馆的数字参考咨询服务,指出其成功所在对我国高校图书馆数字参考咨询服务的启示。     

Subsidizing unmediated document delivery: Current models and a case study

New models for document delivery in libraries are emerging as technology enables end-user ordering through electronic interfaces. Recently Colorado State University (CSUL) tested the viability of providing subsidized unmediated document delivery to the entire university community using UnCover2. The project was analyzed and users were surveyed to evaluate the performance of the service.     

Testing the new technology: MEDLINE on CD-ROM in an academic health sciences library.

The UCLA Biomedical Library tested a six-month portion of the MEDLINE database on compact disc to determine its potential application in a large, university health sciences library environment. Patron response to the system, previous search experience, and actual search strategies were recorded. Although the overwhelming user response was positive in spite of little previous experience with online searching, results show underutilization of the system because of both software and hardware problems. The implications of this test underline the important role libraries must take in guaranteeing that new reference tools like CD-ROM be made genuinely user-friendly.     

Biotechnology awareness study, Part 2: Meeting the information needs of biotechnologists

The second part of the biotechnology awareness study focused on health sciences libraries and how well they are meeting the needs of biotechnologists working in the study's nine medical centers. A survey was conducted over a three-month period to assess the demand for biotechnology-related reference services at nine libraries and the sources the librarians used to answer the questions. Data on monographic and current serial holdings were also collected. At the end of the survey period, librarians were asked for their perceptions about biotechnology research at their institutions and in their geographic areas. Their responses were compared to the responses the scientists at the nine schools gave to the same or similar questions. Results showed few biotechnology-related reference questions were asked of the librarians. The recorded questions dealt with a range of biotechnology subjects. MEDLINE was used to answer 77% of the questions received during the survey period. More detailed notes in MeSH and a guide to online searching for biotechnology topics were suggested by the librarians as ways to improve reference service to this group of researchers. Journal collections were generally strong, with libraries owning from 50% to 87% of the titles on a core list of biotechnology journals compiled for this study. All libraries subscribed to the five titles most often cited by the scientists surveyed. Generally, librarians were unaware of the biotechnology-related research being done on their campuses or in their geographic areas.     

medline on CD-ROM: resource or red herring?

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