Regional medical libraries: a concept and a necessity

The Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan Regional Medical Library (KOMRML) consists of ten academic libraries, the first of the RML's to be decentralized.This paper considers early conceptions of RML's, their relationship with the National Library of Medicine, their hierarchical structure, and their function as a social agency.     

Access to the scholarly record of medicine by the osteopathic physicians of southeastern Michigan

This paper is one part of a continuing study to determine the availability of library service to physicians in southeastern Michigan not associated with academic institutions. The institutional affiliations of the 800 osteopathic physician community of the area were identified. As the availability of library service at these institutions was known, the conclusion is patent that 60 percent of these physicians do not have dependable access to the library resources of the area. Further, it is apparent from the way the institutions are distributed and the responsibilities physicians have, that the only hope of providing library service to the practicing physician is through hospitals.     

Development of methodologic tools for planning and managing library services. I. Project goals and approach

In July 1966, the Institute for Advancement of Medical Communication began work on a project aimed at developing methods for collecting objective data suitable for planning and guiding local, regional, and national programs to improve biomedical libraries and the biomedical information complex. This article constitutes an introduction to a series of reports on the methodologic tools that have been developed. It describes the overall purpose and initial goals of the project, gives the general plan of the work, and presents five basic concepts that underlie the project's approach and structure the entire effort.     

Regional medical library program development

The National Library of Medicine has published a new set of guidelines for the development of its Regional Medical Library Program. This article is a working paper that attempts to review the possible consequences to the informal national medical library network which presently exists. It reviews the relationship of medical libraries to their parent institutions and the responsibilities of different library units to each other in their efforts to accomplish RML objectives.     

Revision of the Wayne State University Medical Library subject catalog using the 1966 Medical Subject Heading system

Wayne State University Medical Library (WSUML) revised its monograph subject catalog in 1961 utilizing the 1960 edition of MeSH as an authority list. With the introduction of MEDLARS in 1963 by NLM, all topical subheadings were omitted from MeSH. Inasmuch as this omission could not accommodate the needs of WSUML, the 1960 edition of MeSH was retained as a guideline.In January 1966, when MeSH resumed the incorporation of topical subheadings, WSUML was faced with a decision whether to continue the current policy or to adopt the form as presented in the latest edition of MeSH. This report describes the methodology employed in adopting a new policy, the findings which resulted from the change, and an evaluation of this reorganization.