Introducing computer literacy skills for physicians

Computers are integral to medical practice, education, and research. While medical students learn computer skills during their training, many practicing physicians do not have the same computer experience. To familiarize this group with the exciting developments in medical informatics, the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library and Department of Computer Medicine at the George Washington University Medical Center organized a workshop "Introducing Your Office Computer!" for attending physicians. The workshop featured a short lecture/video presentation on computer applications in medicine followed by a "computer fair" of five computer applications. Eleven physicians attended the workshop. Feedback was very positive; many called later to request more detailed instructions on using the programs demonstrated. It was a valuable experience for the staff, and new bridges were built between departments and clients.     

Measures of excellence: the search for the gold standard.

Questions concerning some of the values we hold as librarians and the goals, standards, and other evaluation tools we derive from them are discussed in the context of the history of our profession and the present period of rapid change. The concepts of stable and changing paradigms and of "scientific communities" provide the foundation for consideration of how a changing conceptual framework can affect values and their application in the evaluation process. One of many possible scenarios for the future is briefly outlined to demonstrate how some traditional values may fare.     

The videorecord: new mode for learning

The successful delivery of health care involves a commitment to improved communication both with regard to health professionals and the public. The need for innovative educational patterns is implicit in the recommendations of the latest Carnegie Commission Report, Higher Education and the Nation's Health.The new technology of videorecording permits the learner to learn at a time and place of his own choosing. Information is transmitted through the cathode ray tube-a television set-the medium of our time. The videorecord is of significant value in the basic and clinical sciences, in training personnel for allied health professions, and in continuing education. It is thoroughly compatible with the new concept of the open university, an institution without walls.In addition to its unquestioned value in educational programs in the health sciences, the videorecord has major implications for the curriculum in librarianship and for increasing the professional competence of medical librarians and their ancillaries. The medical librarian has a major stake in its imaginative use for overcoming some of the barriers to individual and community health.     

Review of criteria used to measure library effectiveness

This article reports the results of a survey of literature on measures of library effectiveness. This survey led to the formulation of six criterion concepts (accessibility, cost, user satisfaction, response time, cost/benefit ratio, and use). The advantages and disadvantages of each method of measurement are discussed. Several points which became clear during the analysis are discussed. First, there is a relative lack of concern with the rationale behind the evaluation process, although the results invariably lead to a confused interpretation when there is no clear understanding of the purpose of an evaluation. Second, the total library system is rarely considered; instead, each evaluation criterion is taken in isolation rather than as part of the whole. Third, the library's preservation function has not been considered at all.     

Mechanization of libaray procedures in the medium-sized medical library. VII. Relevancy of cited articles in citation indexing

Science Citation Index is one of a number of indexes based on the assumption that the papers cited by one author refer to work which is relevant to the subject discussed by the author citing them. Cleverdon, however, has questioned that assumption, and it was to test the assumption that this research was undertaken. An attempt was made to determine what percent of articles cited were related to the citing article. The conclusion reached was that in the field of medicine approximately 72 percent of the cited papers were considered related to the original paper by the authors of the original, thus apparently bearing out the assumption for citation indexing.