Determination of continuing medical education needs of clinicians from a literature search study, Part I. The study.

Continuing medical education is an area of current concern to health sciences librarians. A comprehensive study of literature searches requested by physicians and by fourth-year medical students serving their five-week preceptorship with a rural physician was conducted: (1) to determine if there is any pattern to the requests received so that areas of study for continuing medical education can be ascertained; and (2) to determine whether there is any appreciable difference in nature and complexity between those searches requested by clinicians and those requested by medical student preceptees. Literature search requests were examined in terms of individual MeSH subjects, subcategories, and categories for each subject covered in every search. This analysis has demonstrated that assessing the clinical problems of practicing physicians may be one method of determining needed continuing medical education topics.     

An evaluation of CD-ROM MEDLINE use in Thailand

An analysis of requests for CD-ROM MEDLINE* searches from June to December 1987 at the Medical Library, Chulalongkorn University, was performed. Requests were received from eighty-two places, in Bangkok and the provinces; 97.8% were from government organizations. MEDLINE on CD-ROM was available from 1982 to date. Most users requested searches covering the previous five or six years. Users were surveyed regarding the service: just over 87% found the service user-friendly. In addition, users suggested that the library conduct search training programs, and more than half of the users noted that a single work station could not meet the search load.     

Analysis of external and internal interlibrary loan requests: aid in collection management

The analysis of 60,779 external interlibrary loan requests for copies of periodical articles from the collection of Erasmus University Medical Library in 1988 is described. The study was used for planning the length of backruns to be retained due to space limitations that forced the disposal of older volumes. More than 50% of requests were for the most recent two-year period, and 90% of requests could be filled with a twenty-year run of periodicals. In 1989, 4,157 internal requests were received for periodicals not owned; these were analyzed to determine those most commonly requested. Prior to subscribing, new titles were reviewed as to price, bibliometric indicators, number of requests, length of backfile, and the number of requesting departments. The Library Advisory Board decides on cancellation or purchase of periodicals; the elements considered are described.     

Determination of continuing medical education needs of clinicians from a literature search study. Part II. Questionnaire results.

Part II of this study of the needs of clinicians for continuing medical education (CME) examines the results of a questionnaire sent of Oklahoma physicians to determine if they would request formal CME courses in the same subject areas in which they had previously requested in formation from librarians. The degree of correlation between literature search requests and responses to the questionnaire confirms that the analysis of library information requests may be one approach to determining CME needs.     

Transcending Library Catalogs: A Comparative Study of Controlled Terms in Library of Congress Subject Headings and User-Generated Tags in LibraryThing for Transgender Books

Perhaps the greatest power of folksonomies, especially when set against controlled vocabularies like the Library of Congress Subject Headings, lies in their capacity to empower user communities to name their own resources in their own terms. This article analyzes the potential and limitations of both folksonomies and controlled vocabularies for transgender materials by analyzing the subject headings in WorldCat records and the user-generated tags in LibraryThing for books with transgender themes. A close examination of the subject headings and tags for twenty books on transgender topics reveals a disconnect between the language used by people who own these books and the terms authorized by the Library of Congress and assigned by catalogers to describe and organize transgender-themed books. The terms most commonly assigned by users are far less common or non-existent in WorldCat. The folksonomies also provide spaces for a multiplicity of representations, including a range of gender expressions, whereas these entities are often absent from Library of Congress Subject Headings and WorldCat. While folksonomies are democratic and respond quickly to shifts and expansions of categories, they lack control and may inhibit findability of resources. Neither tags nor subject headings are perfect systems by themselves, but they may complement each other well in library catalogs. Bringing users’ voices into catalogs through the addition of tags might greatly enhance organization, representation, and retrieval of transgender-themed materials.     

GaIN (Georgia Interactive Network for Medical Information) study on health professionals' search requests and continuing education needs

Health sciences librarians are being called upon to be more proactive in their institutions' continuing education efforts. In an effort to identify whether search requests indicated CE needs, a study was conducted by a group of members of GaIN (Georgia Interactive Network for Medical Information). MEDLINE requests from health care professionals for subject specific clinical topics were collected during a six-month period via a standard search request form created for the study. Copies of all completed requests were collected and broad ICD-9 codes assigned to the search topics. Institutional reports were generated for each participating library to share with hospital CE coordinators. They were also compiled for the group as a whole, and reflected the "hottest" topics requested during the study period for physicians and for non-physicians (nurses, allied health, administrators). A survey to hospital librarians and CE educators showed some value in the reports, but greater potential for further collaboration between librarians and CE coordinators.     

Web-based Loansome Doc, librarians, and end users: results from a survey of the Southeast Region

OBJECTIVES: The study examines how Loansome Doc services are implemented and used by libraries in the Southeast Region and describe end users' experiences with and attitudes toward Loansome Doc. METHODS: 251 active DOCLINE libraries and 867 Loansome Doc users were surveyed. RESULTS: Roughly one half of the libraries offered Loansome Doc services. Of those that did not, most indicated no plans to offer it in the future. The majority had a small number of end users and experienced minimal increases in interlibrary loan activity. Problems were relatively rare. Satisfaction with Loansome Doc was high among all types of libraries. End users were usually physicians or other health care professionals who requested articles for research and patient care. Most learned about Loansome Doc through PubMed or Internet Grateful Med. End users appeared to be largely self-taught or received informal instruction in Loansome Doc. Loansome Doc filled document requests in a timely manner, and end users reported being satisfied with the service. CONCLUSIONS: Greater promotion of what Loansome Doc is and how it can benefit libraries can increase the number of participating libraries. While satisfaction of Loansome Doc end users is high, satisfaction could be increased with more help on the PubMed screen, more library training, and faster delivery methods.     

期刊定位的多元化转型为《中国中药杂志》带来新的发展机遇

对我国科技期刊群体从类型定位、发展特色等角度进行分析,并结合《中国中药杂志》近年来在关键发展环节上的数次转型经历与经验体会,论证在当前新的办刊环境中,以创新思维和市场化发展理念为主导,通过在期刊发展方向、内容与质量、新媒体刊网融合、行业性平台拓展等方面实行多元化、综合性的重新定位与调整,完全有可能为期刊带来新的发展机遇和空间.     

Rethinking Responsible Literature Searching Using LibGuides

Drawing from the Responsible Literature Searching project developed by the Health Sciences Library System–University of Pittsburgh, the Mayo Clinic Libraries utilized Springshare's LibGuides software to create an Effective Database Searching Guide for its diverse set of users. Library databases are organized under broad subject categories with overview information, links to help materials, and news on system updates. Additionally, the guide features a visual site map, searching best practices, a database comparison chart, responsible literature searching guidelines, classic evidence-based practice articles, and recommendations on when to contact a librarian for assistance. The self-guided tool is both easy to use and maintain.     

Mobilization of duplicates in a Regional Medical Library Program.

An overabundance of duplicate journals without an efficient and economical method of distribution caused one library's staff to reassess traditional methods of dispersal. A simplified form for listing duplicates was devised. In conjunction with the Regional Medical Library Program and the extension program, lists of duplicates were distributed to hospital and clinical libraries. These libraries selected materials to strengthen their ability to fill information needs at the local level and to conserve RMLP support for esoteric and expensive materials. In a two-year period, 86,000 individual pieces were distributed. Some lessening of interlibrary loan requests from heavy users was documented. In an evaluation survey users expressed satisfaction with the program. The successful use of the duplicate program will lead to a further experiment--the library will attempt to fill interlibrary loan requests for common journals with hard copy rather than photocopy in a cost and time reduction effort.     

Academic Engagement in the Library Commons

Abstract

Beginning in July 2002, the Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill underwent an 11 million dollar renovation. During three phases of the renovation, parts of the collection were inaccessible to patrons. In order to continue to make the library's collection available, library staff created a paging system. Patrons submitted requests for needed library materials using paper and electronic forms and library staff retrieved the requested items. The paging service was modified three times based on prior experience. Patrons were generally satisfied with the service. The renovation ended in December 2004.     

The use of government publications: The case of social scientists at the university of botswana

The authors surveyed 101 social scientists at the University of Botswana to determine their use of government publications. Citation studies were also employed as a complement to the survey. The findings reveal that most of the respondents (97.3 percent) used government documents in some fashion. Moreover, most users attached a high importance to the use of government publications for research (89 percent) and teaching (86 percent). The study also suggests that social scientists prefer to borrow government publications from their colleagues and obtain personal copies rather than depend on the University of Botswana Library. It is recommended that government documents be more accessible to the establishment of government publications distribution centers as the inaccessibility of these documents is a national problem. Another recommendation is that the University Library should provide current awareness services on government publications to its users.     

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.

     

Survey of medical literature borrowed from the national lending library for science and technology

This paper reports the results of a four-week questionnaire survey carried out at the National Lending Library (N.L.L.), Great Britian, to discover which types of organizations were the principal users of medical literature, what types of literature were used, and which were the main sources of references to medical publications. Industrial organizations and universities accounted for the majority (62 percent) of the loans, most of which were English-language periodicals published since 1960. For the whole sample, citation lists in periodical articles were the principal sources of references, although for literature published in the last fifteen months, abstracting and indexing journals were the main sources. Of the latter, Index Medicus proved to be the most fruitful source of references. By asking whether the item requested was really useful to their work, a measure of the reliability of the different sources of references was obtained.Appendixes include the questionnaire, a list of the most frequently borrowed journals, and a list of abstracting and indexing journals used as sources of references.     

建立绩效考核制度促进编委会职能发挥

介绍《中国中药杂志》通过制定、实施编委会绩效考核制度,有效促进了期刊良性发展的经验.     

Introducing health sciences librarians to the Internet

The Internet is no longer just for the adventurous explorers or the technical experts--it has found its way into the mainstream of librarianship. New users are coming onto "the net" in droves. A wealth of information is currently available dealing with the mechanics of the Internet and there are general guides to the available resources. More work needs to be done, however, in developing subject specific materials. This paper will report on the strategy that Scott Memorial Library, Thomas Jefferson University, has employed to develop staff skills and awareness and to take advantage of the resources and opportunities that the network provides for the health sciences community.     

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