English translations of biomedical journal literature: availability and control

An overview is presented of the availability and control over the past two decades of English translations of biomedical journal literature. Note is made of the various types of translation formats and their sequence of indexes. Special attention is given to the Russian-language literature, the role of the National Library of Medicine, the publication of cover-to-cover journal translations, and the priorities of languages needing translation. Present developments and future prospects are also considered, with a caveat concerning critical reviews citing untranslated materials.     

Using a journal availability study to improve access

PURPOSE: Identify journal collection access and use factors. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Health Sciences Library patrons. METHODOLOGY: Survey forms and user interactions were monitored once a week for twelve weeks during the fall 1997 semester. The project was based on a 1989 New Mexico State University study and used Kantor's Branching Analysis to measure responses. RESULT: 80% of reported sought journal articles were found successfully. Along with journal usage data, the library obtained demographic and behavioral information. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Journals are the library's most used resource and, even as more electronic journals are offered, print journals continue to make up the majority of the collection. Several factors highlighted the need to study journal availability. User groups indicated that finding journals was problematic, and internal statistics showed people requesting interlibrary loans for owned items. The study looked at success rates, time, and ease of finding journals. A variety of reasons contributed to not finding journals. While overall user reports indicated relatively high success rate and satisfaction, there were problems to be addressed. As the library proceeds in redesigning both the physical space and electronic presence, the collected data have provided valuable direction.     

Evolution of a processing system in a large biomedical library.

The processing system used in the UCLA Biomedical Library is modest in size and still under development. Its origins date back to a batch mode serials control system begun in the mid-1960s. This was converted to an on-line system which currently has modules for check-in, updating and retrieval, claims, bindery preparation, and invoice information. Titles can be retrieved at the terminal by search of any word in the title, by subject heading, language, country of publication, and type of publication. The system is adaptable to network use and at present is shared with one other library. To the serials system has been added a computer-assisted cataloging and card production system. The latter utilizes serials nucleus software as well as design for data input and data storage. In-house listings and coding procedures overlap in a general way. Work is under way on further integration of the two processing subsystems and a feasibility study has been completed for addition of a subsystem for acquisitions which will combine and adapt features of the other two; for example, information retrieval characteristics from both, catalog coding and programs for acceptance of data, serials programs for claims, and other output programs. Cost benefits of the subsystems are described and discussed.     

Management of journal errata in a health sciences library.

A management decision to discontinue manually correcting errata in medical journals is based on a five-month study and is justified in terms of the cost of identifying and correcting errata, the haphazard way such errors are reported, and the fact that online errors are not corrected. Additional questions raised by the study address emerging problems with online Full text databases, and with whom the responsibility for correcting errors in the medical literature should rest. Concern is expressed over the sense of responsibility librarians may feel as they provide reference referral to sources of information which may contain uncorrected information.     

How biomedical investigators use library books

Relatively few studies have been concerned with the use of biomedical books. This paper reports an investigation into use made of library books by biomedical investigators. Based on cancelled charge slips collected at the Yale Medical Library circulation desk, telephone appointments were made to interview those research investigators whose books had been returned the previous day. The interviewer obtained answers from the investigator to a questionnaire to discover how the investigator had learned of a book, if the book had been useful, and, if useful, how it had been used. During the six-month study period, 30.4 percent of researchers' volumes returned were monographs. Almost four-fifths of books borrowed supplied information wanted, and about four-fifths of books used had been printed in the previous decade. Nine-tenths of the use of books was research-related, the other tenth being for lecture preparation.     

生物医学期刊作者投稿行为的影响因素

为了了解影响生物医学期刊作者投稿行为的因素,对250名生物医学工作者进行调查。结果表明,所设计的17项影响因素得分两两比较,差异均有统计学意义（P〈0．01）,平均分大于4的影响因素主要有刊物是否为正式刊物、期刊的级别、刊物发行范围、稿件质量、编辑部对稿件及作者的态度、刊物发文在职称评定中是否有效、期刊的影响因子、发文速度等8项。     

高校图书馆电子期刊资源的整合与利用

文章概述了电子期刊的三种存在形式及各自特点,提出高校图书馆应从满足师生的信息需求角度出发,利用图书馆网站,多途径地对电子期刊资源进行整合,做好电子期刊资源的导航工作,进一步加强电子期刊资源的开发与利用。     

谈高校图书馆电子期刊数据库的订购

电子期刊数据库在高校图书馆期刊建设中的地位越来越重要，本文着重探讨了电子期刊数据库的订购原则、供应商的合法性、数据库数据分析、数据库检索系统分析及合同谈判等内容。     

The long tail: a usage analysis of pre-1993 print biomedical journal literature

Objective: The research analyzes usage of a major biomedical library''s pre-1993 print journal collection.Methodology: In July 2003, in preparation for a renovation and expansion project, the Biomedical Library at the University of California, San Diego, moved all of its pre-1993 journal volumes off-site, with the exception of twenty-two heavily used titles. Patrons wishing to consult one of these stored volumes could request that it be delivered to the library for their use. In the spring of 2006, an analysis was made of these requests.Results: By July of 2006, 79,827 journal volumes published in 1992 or earlier had been requested from storage. The number of requests received declined with age of publication. The usage distribution exhibited a “long tail”: 50% of the 79,827 requests were for journal volumes published before 1986. The availability of electronic access dramatically reduced the chance that corresponding print journal volumes would be requested.Conclusions: The older biomedical print journal literature appears to be of continued value to the biomedical research community. When electronic access was provided to the older literature, demand for older print volumes declined dramatically.

Highlights

• Analysis of requests for stored biomedical journal volumes published prior to 1993 indicates that older biomedical journal literature receives substantial use: during this 3-year study, there were nearly 80,000 requests for journal volumes published in 1992 or earlier, with half the requests for volumes published from 1986–1992 and 40% of the request for volumes published from 1970–1985. These results indicate that retaining older print volumes, or providing easy access to the older literature through electronic journals or other means, will likely be required to meet user information needs.
• Use of older journal volumes varies by title and by user population, and a small number of journal titles were responsible for most of the use.
• Requests for older print biomedical journal titles dropped significantly when electronic access became available.

Implications

• Biomedical libraries should carefully consider implications of eliminating on-site access to older journal literature for users and budgets.
• Removing access to older journal literature may result in higher demand for interlibrary loan and document delivery services.
• Biomedical libraries can safely substitute reliable electronic access to older literature to meet ongoing needs for this information, thereby creating space for other purposes.

     

高校图书馆期刊有效采访研究

期刊是高校图书馆文献资源建设的重要组成部分,本文分析了影响高校图书馆期刊有效采访的各种不利因素,提出了期刊有效采访的对策与措施。     

Improving standards in the scientific biomedical community in Romania by using journal ranking to improve journal quality*

The paper articulates the problems of journal publication in a relatively small country such as Romania where locally (i.e. nationally) published journals include most of the national medical scientific output. The starting point was a study ordered by the Cluj University of Medicine and Pharmacy Scientific Council, for the purpose of obtaining an objectively ranked list of all current Romanian biomedical journals that could be used in the evaluation of the scientific activity of the university academic staff. Sixty‐five current biomedical journals were identified—of which more than half were new titles that had appeared over the past 5 years. None of these are included in the Science Citation Index or Journal Citation Reports (JCR). A set of criteria was used for ranking the journals: peer review, inclusion in international databases, publication time lag, language of articles and abstracts, journal specific index and domestic impact factor. The period covered, along with tools and formulas used are presented. The problems of Romanian biomedical journals as well as ways of improving publishing standards are discussed. Also emphasized is the necessity for increased awareness in the medical scholarly community and the role of the library in this respect.     

Electronic journal provision in a health-care library: insights from a consultation with NHS workers

Objective: This study determines the current awareness journal reading requirements of the users of Stockport National Health Service (NHS) Trust's library. The overlap between requirements and the provision of the NHS Core Content resources, four major electronic journal bundles, and the holdings of North West health libraries is also investigated. Methods: A survey of both hospital and Primary Care Trust staff was conducted, and respondents were required to provide a list of their favourite journal titles. Each requested title was assigned a subject code, and the impact factor was noted. Results: From 135 survey responses, 217 journal titles were identified and 33 category codes were utilized. There was little overlap between the request list and the NHS Core Content titles, but substantial correspondence existed between the request list and the print holdings of North West health libraries. Conclusions: Current awareness journal reading requirements will not be met by the Core Content provision alone. Bundles of titles offer value‐for‐money solutions, but may be at the expense of popular titles. Furthermore, the success of regional document supply schemes may be compromised if large numbers of health‐care libraries replace print holdings with similar electronic journal bundles.     

Migration to an electronic journal collection in a hospital library: implications for reference service

This article provides a perspective on the migration to an electronic-only journal collection in a hospital library and its effect on reference services, information-seeking, and library use patterns. Bellevue Hospital Center in New York, NY is one of the first major teaching hospitals in the United States to begin a fundamental shift to a current, electronic-only journal collection. This article describes the process and develops a model for use by other hospital libraries, with commentary on the impact on reference services to library users. Key findings are that physicians, residents, and nurses have come to expect electronic journal collections and use the Internet in the hospital library to access electronic journals. Similar to many academic health sciences libraries, the reference desk in a hospital library has become more like a technical support desk. Users who contact the library have questions about access to the library's electronic resources or about searching techniques. In the future, medical reference librarians will continue to assist searchers who cannot find what they are looking for and will assist those who repeatedly get results that do not match their information needs.     

The book availability study as an objective measure of performance in a health sciences library

In its search for an objective overall diagnostic evaluation, the University of Illinois Library of the Health Sciences' Program Evaluation Committee selected a book availability measure; it is easy to administer and repeat, results are reproducible, and comparable data exist for other academic and health sciences libraries. The study followed the standard methodology in the literature with minor modifications. Patrons searching for particular books were asked to record item(s) needed and the outcome of the search. Library staff members then determined the reasons for failures in obtaining desired items. The results of the study are five performance scores. The first four represent the percentage probability of a library's operating with ideal effectiveness; the last provides an overall performance score. The scores of the Library of the Health Sciences demonstrated no unusual availability problems. The study was easy to implement and provided meaningful, quantitative, and objective data.     

编辑应重视生物医学研究中的伦理学问题

论述生物医学研究中必须遵循的基本伦理原则.结合伦理学文献和国内相关伦理研究的法律规定,阐明编辑在生物医学研究中涉及伦理学问题审查中的作用和实现方式.     

利用OA期刊促进图书馆期刊资源建设探析

文章通过对OA期刊的概述和特点分析,指出OA期刊对图书馆期刊资源建设的影响和利用OA期刊进行期刊资源建设的原则,并提出利用OA期刊加强期刊资源建设的具体措施,即熟悉国内外现有OA期刊、OA期刊的组织和利用以及调整图书馆期刊订购工作等。     

An availability study of electronic articles in an academic health sciences library

Objectives:

The purposes of this study were: to determine the number of articles requested by library users that could be retrieved from the library''s collection using the library catalog and link resolver, in other words, the availability rate; and to identify the nature and frequency of problems encountered in this process, so that the problems could be addressed and access to full-text articles could be improved.

Methods:

A sample of 414 requested articles was identified via link resolver log files. Library staff attempted to retrieve these articles using the library catalog and link resolver and documented access problems.

Results:

Staff were able to retrieve electronic full text for 310 articles using the catalog. An additional 21 articles were available in print, for an overall availability rate of nearly 80%. Only 68% (280) of articles could be retrieved electronically via the link resolver. The biggest barriers to access in both instances were lack of holdings and incomplete coverage. The most common problem encountered when retrieving articles via the link resolver was incomplete or inaccurate metadata.

Conclusion:

An availability study is a useful tool for measuring the quality of electronic access provided by a library and identifying and quantifying barriers to access.

Highlights

• Lack of holdings, including access to recent articles restricted by embargoes, was the most common barrier to locating full text, accounting for over 90% of all identified problems.
• Availability rates for electronic articles varied by year of publication and by the database in which the OpenURL request originated.
• Link resolver error rates varied widely based on the source of the request and frequently resulted from incomplete or inaccurate metadata.

Implications

• An availability study is an inexpensive, practical tool for assessing the quality of electronic access to journal articles.
• The results of an availability study can help libraries identify barriers to access and thereby allocate limited resources to areas that will provide the most benefit to users.
• Link resolvers might be more accurate if the quality of metadata in OpenURLs was improved and the behavior of full-text targets was standardized.

A user who attempts to access an electronic article expects the process to be seamless: click a link or two, and the article appears. Unfortunately, this process is not always so simple. Many factors can prevent users from retrieving an article, including:

• Collection and acquisition problems: The library may not subscribe to the desired journal, or the article and/or journal may be unavailable for some other reason.
• Cataloging and holdings problems: The journal may be cataloged or indexed incorrectly, or the library''s holdings data may be wrong.
• Technical problems: Problems may occur with the journal provider''s site or the library''s proxy server.

While many libraries use link resolvers to make it easier for users to retrieve articles, these can introduce additional points of failure. The resolver might not be configured correctly, the knowledgebase (database of library journal holdings) might include incorrect information, or article metadata from the source database might be incomplete or incorrect.At the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) Library, users occasionally complained about access problems. These complaints provided anecdotal information about barriers to access, but library staff needed more solid data on which to act: How often were users able to retrieve a desired article? What problems did they encounter in the process, and how often did these problems occur? An availability study was conducted to answer those questions.First described by Kantor [1], an availability study is a method for evaluating how well a library satisfies user requests and identifying barriers to satisfying those requests. An availability study consists of the following steps:

1. gather actual user requests (or simulate them)
2. try to fill those requests using the same tools and methods a user would use
3. record what happens
4. analyze the results