When the Medical Library Association identified questions critical for the future of the profession, it assigned groups to use systematic reviews to find the answers to these questions. Group 6, whose question was on emerging technologies, recognized early on that the systematic review process would not work well for this question, which looks…

Discusses evidence-based medicine (EBM) and the need for systematic use of databases like MEDLINE with more sophisticated search strategies to optimize the retrieval of relevant papers. Describes an empirical study of hospital libraries that examined requests for information and search strategies using both structured and unstructured forms.…

Explores response time variations in National Library of Medicine's ELHILL bibliographic search system and analyzes statistical significance of response time in terms of its variations by day of week, hour of day, particular bibliographic file being searched, command issued by user, number of users logged onto system. Ten references are cited.…

Argues that training in the use of computer based retrieval systems fails to meet many of the needs of staff and end-user searchers in health sciences information and that, although structured training programs present several advantages, they are rarely implemented. It is recommended that a design process based on Needs-Objectives-Content-Method…

Five years ago, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) funded an Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) study of the impact of new information and communications technologies on the roles of health sciences libraries in a radically changing health care and educational environment. A key recommendation of the resulting report called for…

The National Library of Medicine's Current Information Transfer in English public access online catalog offers unique subject search capabilities--natural-language query input, automatic medical subject headings display, closest match search strategy, ranked document output, dynamic end user feedback for search refinement. References, description…

Discusses development of a library information system by Georgetown University Medical Center's Dahlgren Memorial Library; describes its components, including online catalog and OCLC interface, circulation, serials control, acquisitions, networking/interlibrary loans, word processing and mini-Medline system; and discusses user reaction, staff…

The objectives of this study were to examine the need and potential demand for computer-based information services in the University of Otago medical libraries, to evaluate the various databases of interest, and to recommend the best means of access to such services. Data were collected through user and library surveys, an extensive literature…

This report presents the objectives, methodology, and results of a study which assessed the selection and utilization of four MEDLINE search systems by faculty and medical residents at the George Washington University Medical Center. The four systems, which were provided or sponsored by the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library, offer a wide range of…

This student manual is designed to supplement a course for the enhancement of library research capabilities using the speech and hearing sciences as a subject base. It is divided into sections, each of which displays commands and features from a number of printed and computerized reference works. Section titles include: (1) "Syllabus";…

Traces the history of the National Library of Medicine with emphasis on research and development activities in biomedical communications and information science. Highlights include the areas of bibliographic control, library automation, information retrieval, knowledge management systems, and educational technologies. (CLB)