Stimulating growth and development of medical society libraries

A library can represent the most valuable personal service which a medical society can offer to a physician; yet, libraries unfortunately are taking a lessening role in medical societies. Surveys show that medical society libraries have declined in number from seventy-one in 1942 to forty-eight at the present time. This paper offers a positive plan of action with the objective of enabling libraries to regain a position of eminence in medical societies. It is pointed out that there are four vital elements in stimulating the growth and development of a library. These are the constant enhancement of resources; the promotion of library services; the rendering of prompt, valuable services; and ultimately, the recognition of the library through gifts, endowments, and expressions of appreciation.     

Restructuring support staff classification levels for academic health sciences library positions

Nonprofessional library support staff traditionally hold what are considered to be low-paying, nonchallenging positions. These negative factors make retaining creative and productive employees difficult. This article outlines the approach taken at the Medical College of Georgia's Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library to devise a structure of library staff positions that becomes progressively more demanding. A new nine-level Library Staff Classification Plan resulted. This plan also enables and encourages employees to acquire more skills and to accept more responsibility in order to qualify for higher-level library positions or to advance their present position to receive comparable rewards. The plan expresses the level of responsibilities expected, the employee qualifications desired, and lists representative duties across the spectrum of typical library tasks.     

Increased dietary carbohydrate and endurance during single-leg cycling using a limb with normal muscle glycogen concentration

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that increased availability of blood-borne glucose would improve endurance after carbohydrate loading. A single-leg exercise model was employed, taking advantage of the fact that supercompensation of muscle glycogen occurs only in a previously exercised limb. Endurance time to exhaustion at 70% of maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) was determined for 11 males and three females who were then allocated to a control group or a high-carbohydrate (CHO) group. For 3 days following Test 1 the control group maintained a prescribed normal diet whilst the CHO group increased the proportion of energy derived from carbohydrate (62.1 +/- 4.3% cf. 43.9 +/- 2.0%, P less than 0.01). The endurance test was then repeated using the leg that was inactive during Test 1. Endurance time was increased on Test 2 (123.7 +/- 43.2 min cf. 98.5 +/- 21.9 min, P less than 0.05 one-tailed test) for the CHO group but not for the control group (101.8 +/- 21.7 min cf. 107.5 +/- 9.1 min, NS). There was no indication of enhanced carbohydrate metabolism during Test 2 for the CHO group but mean heart rate was lower during Test 2 than during Test 1 (145 +/- 14 beat min-1 cf. 152 +/- 12 beat min-1, P less than 0.05). These results suggest that the prior consumption of a high-carbohydrate diet improves endurance during high-intensity cycling with a limb with normal muscle glycogen concentration.