Biomedical subjects
M M Byrnes
Publications and source records attributed to M M Byrnes.
Preservation of the biomedical literature: an overview.
The National Library of Medicine began to preserve its collection many years ago. This article presents a brief review of NLM's early conservation and microfilming programs, and describes the current activities of the library's new Preservation Section. Also mentioned are the complementary efforts of NLM staff who are involved in research into electronic imaging and the campaign to increase the use of alkaline paper in medical and scientific publishing. Goals of the National Preservation Plan for the Biomedical Literature are summarized and a report on progress in implementing the plan is provided. Results of the preservation needs assessment described in the accompanying article by Kirkpatrick are briefly analyzed. Recent efforts of the Commission on Preservation and Access, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Research Libraries Group, and several international associations are described in terms of their potential benefit to preservation of the biomedical literature. The need to monitor new preservation technologies and preserve materials in audiovisual and electronic formats is emphasized. It is argued that with enough coordination, cooperation, and willingness among health sciences libraries to share the costs, the goal of preserving all of the important biomedical literature can be accomplished.
Performance of retarded adolescents and nonretarded children on the Tower of Hanoi Problem.
Groups of retarded adolescents and nonretarded children, varying in MA were presented with 2-disk and 3-disk Tower of Hanoi puzzles, solutions to which require a certain amount of logical foresight. Nonretarded 8- to 11-year-old children performed at close to ceiling on the 2-disk task but had difficulty with the 3-disk task. Retarded groups with MAs ranging from 8 to 11 years performed no differently than nonretarded 6- and 7-year-old children. They had some difficulty on the 2-disk task, and very few reached criterion on the 3-risk task. They tended to preseverate in their errors and frequently resorted to game-rule viole perform many years below MA expectations on tasks requiring foresight and logic.