A brief visit to several Japanese medical libraries and information centers revealed similarities and dissimilarities with their United States counterparts. All the institutions had indexes, many English language journals, and photocopying requests. Differences appeared in the reference services provided. The information centers were computer…

Describes an automated interlibrary loan request routing and referral system made available to U.S. biomedical libraries by the National Library of Medicine. The description covers the databases used and the systems modules that support various functions. The current status of the system and possible future developments are discussed. (six…

A history and overview of library services in the health sciences area, beginning with the deluge of information in World War II. Includes discussion of types of libraries and users, special services, interlibrary cooperation, bibliography and research, information retrieval and library mechanization. An extensive list of references is appended.…

These two papers on the subjects of videodisc technology and medical library networking were presented at the 1982 International Federation of Library Associations (IFLA) conference. The first, "Videodisc Technology and Applications" by Earl Henderson (United States), examines the videodisc player and the premastering (five-function…

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) had its beginnings in the Library of the Army Surgeon General's office established in 1836. Dr. John Shaw Billings, who was in charge from 1865 to 1895, greatly influenced the growth of the library and also initiated production of the widely used "Index Catalogue" of author and subject listings as…

Describes the activities of the Health Sciences OCLC User Group, which was organized to establish a forum for communication; provide information about National Library of Medicine cataloging rules in OCLC; maintain close relations with the National Library of Medicine and the Medical Libraries Association; and represent its constituency to OCLC.…

Provides an overview of developments in health sciences libraries leading to the virtual library. Highlights include online searching; integrated library systems; networked resources; the expansion of interlibrary loans and document delivery systems; the Integrated Academic Information Management System; and the role of the National Library of…

The feasibility of developing cooperative arrangements for sharing exotic foreign language serial titles among the health sciences libraries of California was investigated. Preliminary circulation counts indicated that 74 percent of the 77 titles counted had circulated twice a year or less and that the health sciences libraries do maintain…

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…