Description
Book SynopsisAccess to Medical Knowledge answers the question, What makes the medical librarian committed to the fundamental value of providing medical information to all who need it? What are the underlying values of the profession that support this strong commitment to the public good? In answering these questions, author Frances Groen identifies three core professional values of librarians: providing access to information, preserving the accumulated knowledge of the past, and helping the public to understand how to help themselves to this information. While these values are shared by all library specialties, Groen explores their unique meaning within the field of medical librarianship by taking a careful look at its genesis through a thorough review of the literature demonstrating these perennial values in the practice of medical librarianship. The book describes the transformative nature of information technology that has provided new opportunities to revolutionize clinical medical information
Trade Review...the book should appeal not only to those interested in library history, but any librarian who regularly fields health-related questions. * American Libraries *
This book is a refreshing and inspirational read....highly recommended.... * Issues In Science and Technology Librarianship, Summer 2007 *
...well researched....this book should find an audience among all librarians, not just medical librarians....and should interest library science students as well....enjoyable as well as informative. * Journal of the Medical Library Association, Vol. 95, no. 3 (July 2007) *
In this book, Groen successfully presents the history and development of medical librarianship in genuinely interesting and informative detail, spanning from the early 1900s to the present day....a valuable resource, and researchers and librarians in the academic world can learn much from it. * College & Research Libraries, May 2007 (vol 68, no 3) *
Detailed in its research and driven by the author's passion for the profession of medical librarianship, this is a readable and illuminating history of medical librarianship, of interest to all those working in the health sector, as well as to a wider audience of information professionals. * Library Hi Tech, August 2008 *
Groen examines medical librarianship, tracing its history, and considering changes in the field caused by developments in information technology and telecommunications. She attempts to understand why librarians make certain choices and develop certain services. She draws on her own experiences as a medical librarian and in associations and defines three core values of medical librarians: providing access to the medical literature, empowering and educating library users, and preserving the wisdom of the past. Discussion revolves around access to clinical information and consumer health information in the internet age, challenges to providing access, alternative methods, and communication. The book is meant for medical librarians, professors, and other library and information professionals. Groen has been affiliated with Falk Library of the Health Professions, U. of Pittsburgh, and the medical library at McGill U. in Canada. * Scitech Book News, June 2007 *
Table of ContentsPart 1 Preface Part 2 Introduction: Libraries as a Public Good—Why? Part 3 PART I: LIBRARIANS AND THEIR VALUES Chapter 4 1. Librarians, Values, and the Public Good Part 5 PART II: THE ORIGIN OF MEDICAL LIBRARIANSHIP Chapter 6 2. Early Days in the Porfession Chapter 7 3. The Emergence of the Medical LIbrary in the Twentieth Century, 1900-1960 Chapter 8 4. The War and After, 1940-1960 Chapter 9 5. Gaining Ground in Medical Libraries, 1960-1990 Part 10 PART III: MEDICAL LIBRARIES IN THE AGE OF THE INTERNET Chapter 11 6. Digitization and the Internet: A Revolutionary Context for Libraries Chapter 12 7. Consumer and Patient Information: Convergence on the Internet Chapter 13 8. New Approaches to Clinical Medical Information Part 14 PART IV: IS THERE A BETTER WAY? Chapter 15 9. The Economics of Scientific and Medica Information Chapter 16 10. Toward Open Access Chapter 17 11. New Solutions in Access to Medical Information Chapter 18 12. Controlling Copyright: The Necessary Balance Part 19 Conclusion: Advancing the Role of the Medical Librarian in the Public Good Part 20 Bibliography Part 21 Index Part 22 About the Author
