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A world of knowledge for the nation's health: the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

The origins, history, current collections and services, and projected future services of the U.S. National Library of Medicine are described, and the seminal figure in its development is profiled. The library, now located on the campus of the National Institutes of Health, was founded in 1836 as the Library of the Army Surgeon General's Office. The current facility holds more than 3.5 million items and offers innovative information services to health-care professionals worldwide. The leading figure in the library's development was Army physician John Shaw Billings, whose accomplishments included the international expansion and bibliographic organization of the holdings and creation of the Index Medicus and Index-Catalogue. The computerized services offered by the library include the MEDLINE database, which is based on Index Medicus, and pharmacy-related databases. Health-care practitioners can gain access to the library's resources through the Regional Medical Library Network. Among projects under development at the Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications are microcomputer and optical disk technologies, the preservation of paper collections, and a unified medical language system. The U.S. National Library of Medicine has served the health-care community for 150 years; many services in the area of biomedical communications are available to pharmacists and other practitioners through the library and the Regional Medical Library Network.

History, 19th Century↗

A simple objective method for determining a dynamic journal collection.

In order to determine the content of a journal collection responsive to both user needs and space and dollar constraints, quantitative measures of the use of a 647-title collection have been related to space and cost requirements to develop objective criteria for a dynamic collection for the Treadwell Library at the Massachusetts General Hospital, a large medical research center. Data were collected for one calendar year (1977) and stored with the elements for each title's profile in a computerized file. To account for the effect of the bulk of the journal runs on the number of uses, raw use data have been adjusted using linear shelf space required for each title to produce a factor called density of use. Titles have been ranked by raw use and by density of use with space and cost requirements for each. Data have also been analyzed for five special categories of use. Given automated means of collecting and storing data, use measures should be collected continuously. Using raw use frequency ranking to relate use to space and costs seems sensible since a decision point cutoff can be chosen in terms of the potential interlibrary loans generated. But it places new titles at risk while protecting titles with long, little used runs. Basing decisions on density of use frequency ranking seems to produce a larger yield of titles with fewer potential interlibrary loans and to identify titles with overlong runs which may be pruned or converted to microform. The method developed is simple and practical. Its design will be improved to apply to data collected in 1980 for a continuous study of journal use. The problem addressed is essentially one of inventory control. Viewed as such it makes good financial sense to measure use as part of the routine operation of the library to provide information for effective management decisions.

Humans↗

The development of a semi-preparatory scale supercritical-fluid chromatograph for high-throughput purification of 'combi-chem' libraries.

A unique separator was developed which allowed automatic separation and peak collection using semi-preparative supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC). A peak detector switched the effluent between waste and special collection cassettes. Up to 50 mg of various solutes were injected onto a 21-mm I.D. Cyano column. The entire flow path was contained and no aerosols were generated. Collection efficiency was as high as 95%. Peak purity was often greater than 99. 9%. Typical run times were less than 10 min. An analytical SFC was used to screen the performance of a wide range of mobile and stationary phases for the elution of more than 60 miscellaneous small drug compounds. The best 'universal' gradient employed 0.4% isobutyl or isopropylamine dissolved in methanol, then mixed from 5 to 55% into carbon dioxide at 10%/min. Flow rate was 50 ml/min. The analytical SFC was shown to be a good predictor of the semi-prep instrumental performance.

4-Aminobenzoic Acid↗

Teaching reprint file management: a hands-on approach.

The development of user-friendly search systems has enabled physicians to perform their own MEDLINE searches These physicians are recognizing a need to learn how to organize their growing reprint collections. Librarians at the University of Michigan, Alfred Taubman Medical Library have developed a unique course that presents a variety of techniques to meet the needs of a wide audience. For some users, such as students or house officers who have limited funds or lack support devices, a variety of manual methods are presented. Advantages and disadvantages of using manual versus computerized systems are discussed. Following the illustration of the manual methods, users are introduced to a simple computerized method using a utility type database management package, PC-FILE. Hands-on training under the direction of librarians allows students to develop and use a practice database while having experts available to answer questions. Users are encouraged to take a copy of PC-FILE (shareware) with them to experiment with before committing themselves to a more expensive database management software package. Before the class ends, those interested in a more sophisticated package with specialized report formats and downloading/uploading capabilities are given a brief demonstration of PRO-CITE. Evaluations have shown that there is interest in all three methods.

Computer User Training↗

The Houston Academy of Medicine--Texas Medical Center Library management information system.

A management information system (MIS) provides a means for collecting, reporting, and analyzing data from all segments of an organization. Such systems are common in business but rare in libraries. The Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library developed an MIS that operates on a system of networked IBM PCs and Paradox, a commercial database software package. The data collected in the system include monthly reports, client profile information, and data collected at the time of service requests. The MIS assists with enforcement of library policies, ensures that correct information is recorded, and provides reports for library managers. It also can be used to help answer a variety of ad hoc questions. Future plans call for the development of an MIS that could be adapted to other libraries' needs, and a decision-support interface that would facilitate access to the data contained in the MIS databases.

Academic Medical Centers↗

Information-seeking behavior of health professionals in Hong Kong: a survey of thirty-seven hospitals.

Shortly after the establishment of Hong Kong's Hospital Authority (HA) in 1990, ten library service networks supported by the Library Information Systems (HALIS) were established to pool resources. A survey was undertaken to investigate the information-seeking behavior of health professionals working in thirty-seven public hospitals, examine their information needs, assess user satisfaction with and the impact of library services (including HALIS), and examine why hospital libraries sometimes fail to meet user needs. The findings revealed disparate use patterns among different groups of health professionals and confirmed that medical staff were most satisfied with the library collections and services. The nurses and hospital executives were found to be underserved. They needed information not only for work-related reasons but also to support self-study and development. The new HALIS service was neither well known nor widely used, especially among nurses. The findings provided valuable measures of performance for comparing different hospitals and assessing changes over time. Survey results also highlighted areas in which improvements are needed, such as collection enhancement, promotion and user training, and assessment of the impact of library service on patient care. Subsequent developments in these directions have led to increased awareness and use of library services and confirmed the direction of strategic plans for growth.

CD-ROM↗

Medical collections in public libraries of the United States: a brief historical study.

During the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it was not unusual for a public library in the United States to include a collection of medical books among its resources. The origin and development of these collections, the growth of the movement, and the factors which contributed to the eventual withdrawal of these collections from the public library are recounted here.

History, 19th Century↗

Management data for collection analysis and development.

Sound management data are needed to evaluate the collections of health sciences libraries. This study reports the utilization of computer data bases to compare the libary collections of The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio. The University of Texas Medical Branch, and the National Library of Medicine's CATLINE data base. The imprint dates of the records of two libraries are compared to measure acquisitions rates. Subject profiles for the Q and W classes demonstrate the similarity of the collections. Reasons for the variances are considered.

Analysis of Variance↗

Characterization of the KNOX class homeobox genes Oskn2 and Oskn3 identified in a collection of cDNA libraries covering the early stages of rice embryogenesis.

For identification of genes involved in embryogenesis in the model cereal rice, we have constructed a collection of cDNA libraries of well-defined stages of embryo development before, during and after organ differentiation. Here, we focus on the possible role of KNOX (maize Knotted1-like) class homeobox genes in regulation of rice embryogenesis. Three types of KNOX clones were identified in libraries of early zygotic embryos. Two of these, Oskn2 and Oskn3, encode newly described KNOX genes, whereas the third (Oskn1) corresponds to the previously described OSH1 gene. In situ hybridizations showed that during the early stages of embryo development, all three KNOX genes are expressed in the region where the shoot apical meristem (SAM) is organizing, suggesting that these genes are involved in regulating SAM formation. Whereas OSH1 was previously proposed to function also in SAM maintenance, Oskn3 may be involved in patterning organ positions, as its expression was found to mark the boundaries of different embryonic organs following SAM formation. The expression pattern of Oskn2 suggested an additional role in scutellum and epiblast development. Transgenic expression of Oskn2 and Oskn3 in tobacco further supported their involvement in cell fate determination, like previously reported for Knotted1 and OSH1 ectopic expression. Whereas Oskn3 transformants showed the most pronounced phenotypic effects during vegetative development, Oskn2 transformants showed relatively mild alterations in the vegetative phase but a more severely affected flower morphology. The observation that the KNOX genes produce similar though distinct phenotypic reponses in tobacco, indicates that their gene products act on overlapping but different sets of target genes, or that cell-type specific factors determine their precise action.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Evidence-based paradigms and opinions in clinical management and cancer research.

Clinical management involves values, the recognition of a patient's unique circumstances, and information. Given strong biases in the way we all process experience, clinical decision making must acknowledge the results of formal research. Evidence-based clinical management requires that we take account of the whole body of available evidence, not a potentially biased "biopsy" of it. Systematic literature review is therefore a central element. Such an approach is time consuming and requires skills in literature search and data evaluation, which physicians frequently have not been taught. Computing and library facilities are an important aid, as is the development of evidence-based resources such as the Cochrane Library Collection. Practice guidelines can prove useful and acceptable to clinicians if they are both evidence- and practice-based. The largest single obstacle to evidence-based clinical management is the bias against the reporting of studies with negative findings. This can be overcome by compulsory trial registration.

Decision Making↗

[The work of Hunayn ibn Ishāq in the Arabic manuscripts of Escurialense Library].

After a short historical introduction about Hunayn's life and about the foundation and development of the Escurialense Library, the article deals with the Arabic collection which is kept in it. Hunayn is the author of some work in the Escurialense codices, and the translator of some others. Particularly, three codices containing original medical works by Hunayn are listed here and commented on in detail, together with twenty-five containing Hunayn's translations of Hippocratic and Galenic texts. Some astrological texts are also treated.

Arab World↗

Selective Medical Library on Microfiche. An international experiment supported by the Rockefeller Foundation.

The Selective Medical Library on Microfiche (SMLM) project is designed to improve access to the world's significant biomedical literature in developing countries' medical school libraries through the provision of a first-rate, low-cost core collection of journals. One hundred and five journals representing thirty-six biomedical specialties were selected using a method designed specifically for SMLM. The journals are provided on microfiche because of its relative low cost, durability, easy reproduction, and rapid delivery by air mail. SMLMs have been established at test and demonstration sites in four medical schools in Egypt, Indonesia, Mexico, and Colombia. SMLMs are delivered as turnkey systems consisting of the microfiche collection, a reader-printer, four fiche readers, necessary furniture, and promotional and training materials. The project involves extensive evaluation.

Developing Countries↗

UCMP and the Internet help hospital libraries share resources.

The Medical Library Center of New York (MLCNY), a medical library consortium founded in 1959, has specialized in supporting resource sharing and fostering technological advances. In 1961, MLCNY developed and continues to maintain the Union Catalog of Medical Periodicals (UCMP), a resource tool including detailed data about the collections of more than 720 medical library participants. UCMP was one of the first library tools to capitalize on the benefits of computer technology and, from the beginning, invited hospital libraries to play a substantial role in its development. UCMP, beginning with products in print and later in microfiche, helped to create a new resource sharing environment. Today, UCMP continues to capitalize on new technology by providing access via the Internet and an Oracle-based search system providing subscribers with the benefits of: a database that contains serial holdings information on an issue specific level, a database that can be updated in real time, a system that provides multi-type searching and allows users to define how the results will be sorted, and an ordering function that can more precisely target libraries that have a specific issue of a medical journal. Current development of a Web-based system will ensure that UCMP continues to provide cost effective and efficient resource sharing in future years.

Catalogs as Topic↗

Virtual shelves in a digital library: a framework for access to networked information sources.

OBJECTIVE: Develop a framework for collections-based access to networked information sources that addresses the problem of location-dependent access to information sources. DESIGN: This framework uses a metaphor of a virtual shelf. A virtual shelf is a general-purpose server that is dedicated to a particular information subject class. The identifier of one of these servers identifies its subject class. Location-independent call numbers are assigned to information sources. Call numbers are based on standard vocabulary codes. The call numbers are first mapped to the location-independent identifiers of virtual shelves. When access to an information resource is required, a location directory provides a second mapping of these location-independent server identifiers to actual network locations. RESULTS: The framework has been implemented in two different systems. One system is based on the Open System Foundation/Distributed Computing Environment and the other is based on the World Wide Web. CONCLUSIONS: This framework applies in new ways traditional methods of library classification and cataloging. It is compatible with two traditional styles of selecting information searching and browsing. Traditional methods may be combined with new paradigms of information searching that will be able to take advantage of the special properties of digital information. Cooperation between the library-informational science community and the informatics community can provide a means for a continuing application of the knowledge and techniques of library science to the new problems of networked information sources.

Catalogs, Library↗

Gene expression in normal and disease states--identification of therapeutic targets.

Analysis of gene-expression patterns derived from large expressed sequence tag (EST) databases has become a valuable tool in the discovery of therapeutic targets and diagnostic markers. Sequence data derived from a wide variety of cDNA libraries offer a wealth of information for identifying genes for pharmaceutical product development. Collecting, storing, organizing, analyzing and presenting cDNA expression data requires advanced bioinformatics methods and high-performance computational equipment. Comparison of expression patterns from normal and disease tissues enables inferences about gene function to be made, and medically relevant genes as candidates for therapeutics research and development programs to be identified.

Biotechnology↗

Editorial policy and the assessment of quality among medical journals.

Many factors are weighed in judging the quality of a journal. Editorial policies in the instructions to authors section offer an important, though often neglected, source of information. In addition to directions on formatting and style, this section often includes financial disclosures and policies on coverage, peer review, confidentiality, human experimentation and duplicate submissions. This study analyzes the contents of instructions sections from several categories of medical journals to determine their usefulness in making collection development decisions. Included are journals currently considered the most prestigious, indexed in Index Medicus and Abridged Index Medicus, and not indexed in Index Medicus or subscribed to by a typical large academic health sciences library. It was found that in a statistically significant number of journals, the instructions to authors section is more likely to be included and substantive in highly regarded journals than in less prestigious journals. It is concluded that the amount of information in the instructions section is related to the quality of the journal and that these sections are a useful collection development tool.

Libraries, Medical↗

Sequence tag analysis of gene expression during pathogenic growth and microsclerotia development in the vascular wilt pathogen Verticillium dahliae.

Two cDNA libraries were constructed from cultures of the vascular wilt fungus Verticillium dahliae, grown either in simulated xylem fluid medium (SXM) or under conditions that induce near-synchronous development of microsclerotia. Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) were obtained for over 1000 clones from each library. Most sequences in the two EST collections were unique; nearly 55% of the translated ESTs had strong similarity to protein sequences in the NCBI nonredundant database. ESTs corresponding to melanin biosynthetic enzymes were exclusive to the developing microsclerotia (DMS) collection, and sequences corresponding to extracellular hydrolases (plant cell wall degrading enzymes) were more abundant in that collection. ESTs corresponding to proteins involved in transport and cell growth were more abundant in the SXM collection. The results of this preliminary analysis suggest that the in vitro growth conditions used here provide useful model systems that will facilitate studies of pathogenesis and microsclerotia development in V. dahliae.

DNA, Complementary↗