Access to Medical Knowledge: Libraries, Digitization, and the Public Good

by Frances K. Groen

Overview

Access to Medical Knowledge examines the fundamental values that have characterized the development of medical librarianship since its foundation. The major focus is the development of medical librarianship in the English speaking world, in particular North America, yet includes a number of major issues in international cooperation including the provision of medical information worldwide.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810852723
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	10/16/2006
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	298
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.67(d)

About the Author

Frances K. Groen is Trenholme Director of Libraries Emeritus at McGill University.

Table of Contents

Part 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

Editorial Reviews

This book is a refreshing and inspirational read....highly recommended....

Issues In Science and Technology Librarianship

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

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

...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

...the book should appeal not only to those interested in library history, but any librarian who regularly fields health-related questions.

American Libraries

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

This book is a refreshing and inspirational read....highly recommended....

Summer 2007 Issues In Science and Technology Librarianship

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.

June 2007 Scitech Book News

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.

August 2008 Library Hi Tech

This book is a refreshing and inspirational read....highly recommended....

Summer 2007 Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship

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 (C&RL)

...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