Library links on medical school home pages

The purpose of this study was to assess the websites of American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC)-member medical schools for the presence of library links. Sixty-one percent (n?=?92) of home pages of the 150 member schools of the AAMC contain library links. For the 58 home pages not offering such links, 50 provided a pathway of two or three clicks to a library link. The absence of library links on 39% of AAMC medical school home pages indicates that the designers of those pages did not consider the library to be a primary destination for their visitors.     

Clinical medical librarianship: a review of the literature

The history and evolution of clinical medical librarianship are analyzed and traditional and modified approaches, including LATCH, are reviewed. Cost and evaluation methods are outlined, indicating benefits and disadvantages of clinical medical librarian (CML) programs. The future of CMLs is explored.     

Education for librarianship in India

The ‘globalization’ phenomenon has infiltrated many societies and cultures, promoting the creation of ‘global villages’ where the risks of cultural levelling are evident. The Agence de la Francophonie (ACCT), secretariat of the Francophone Summits, has raised awareness about this issue, through information gathered by its Banque internationale d'information sur les États francophones (BIEF) programme. The last Francophone Summit (Cotonou, 1996) adopted a recommendation recognizing the global impact of the ‘information highway’ while urging the Francophonie to promote the cultural specificities and diversities of its Member States. The information and communication technologies and the information highway seem to favor the linguistic imperialism of certain societies and cultures. This trend triggers two types of reaction: (1) an accelerated merger of cultures into one single conventional universe and (2) an assertion of national cultural identities. The Francophonie has chosen the latter and has developed strategies to support its position.     

Academic status for medical school librarians

Results of a survey conducted indicate that most medical schools grant academic status in some degree to their professional librarians. Faculty appointments and benefits are not always awarded. In order to upgrade the stature and effectiveness of the medical school librarian in relation to his institution and to the teaching faculty, his having faculty status is desirable. It is the medical school's responsibility to grant faculty status to librarians who possess necessary qualifications; likewise, it is the responsibility of the medical school librarian to merit faculty rank on a basis with other teaching faculty. In three new medical schools, the library is considered an academic department, and other schools are considering such designation.     

Library instruction for medical students

The library instruction program for medical students at the University of Tennessee Center for the Health Sciences is described. This instruction program, which was developed in cooperation with the medical faculty, is included in the College of Medicine curriculum. Library instruction is presented sequentially at scheduled times during the four-year curriculum when students need specific information. The development, implementation, and evaluation of the program are discussed.     

Getting on the fast track, or how to get an MLIS through distance education, with a specialization in medical librarianship

The article describes an innovation in MLIS education for medical librarianship, with an introduction to the FastTrack, the distance education program at the University of Pittsburgh's library and information science school, together with an overview of a model program linking the biomedical library at Vanderbilt University with the School of Information Sciences in Pittsburgh. Admissions requirements and specific curriculum for the distance education master's degree are detailed in an FAQ format.     

Centralization vs. decentralization in medical school libraries

Does the medical school library in the United States operate more commonly under the university library or the medical school administration? University-connected medical school libraries were asked to indicate (a) the source of their budgets, whether from the central library or the medical school, and (b) the responsibility for their acquisitions and cataloging. Returns received from sixtyeight of the seventy eligible institutions showed decentralization to be much the most common: 71 percent of the libraries are funded by their medical schools; 79 percent are responsible for their own acquisitions and processing. The factor most often associated with centralization of both budget and operation is public ownership. Decentralization is associated with service to one or two rather than three or more professional schools. Location of the medical school in a different city from the university is highly favorable to autonomy. Other factors associated with these trends are discussed.     

Reference services in U. S. medical school libraries

Results of a 1967/68 survey of reference practices and policies in U. S. medical school libraries are presented. The information was obtained through questionnaires sent to the libraries of medical schools having students currently enrolled; eighty-five replies were returned.