[12101] in Public-Access_Computer_Systems_Forum
Re: Reference Service
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Glenn Ferdman)
Thu Mar 26 00:35:13 1998
Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 16:54:03 -0600
From: Glenn Ferdman <gferdman@nwu.edu>
To: PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU
Reply-To: Public-Access Computer Systems Forum <PACS-L@LISTSERV.UH.EDU>
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
The site in question (Electric Library) has a
30 day trial.
Check 'em out at:
http://www.elibrary.com/
My initial reaction, after checking out
their journal sources was that there is a
paucity of medical information. Most of
it seems geared toward "general reference"
(i.e., good for a public library, small academic
library, and perhaps business library).
I can't vouch for the search engine, not having
spent much time with it, although it supposedly
allows you to do boolean, and it has a few filters
or limiting options to refine your search.
In general, if our experience over the past few
years is any indication of the direction of things,
we have certainly seen a significant drop-off in
the number of lit search requests from our patrons
(mostly doctors and support staff). As a result
our responsibilities have evolved--becoming the providers
of "access" to databases which are available throughout
the institution. We still maintain the role of primary
'selectors' and evaluators of different info sources,
and have been positioning our home page to be the
single point of access or starting point for all things
"knowledge-based" (as the Joint Commission, our
accrediting body refers to "library information"). Now,
we just have to remind everybody to start off with our
home page--although the impending development of
the institution's Intranet might be a good opportunity to
put "knowledge based" info right under their noses.
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Glenn Ferdman, MLS
Team Leader, Academic Information Management
Children's Memorial Hospital
2300 Children's Plaza, Box 12, Chicago, IL 60614
(773)880-4244, (773)880-3833 (fax), gferdman@nwu.edu
http://www.childmmc.edu/cmhweb/cmhotherdepts/libraryweb/home.html
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