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Medical

 

History

 

As Lerner (2002) notes, "Medical Literature is almost as old as writing itself" (p.170).  The practices of physicians were at one time learned through an apprenticeship, or a learning by watching and doing.  However, as a more formal education became the standard practice for aspiring physicians, the medical literature in the libraries became a life-force.  At the time when medical schools began opening, the schools were not located near the large communities in which the libraries were contained.  This being the case, the students did not have convenient access to the materials they needed.  Lerner (2002) states that "Thomas Linacre, physician to Henry VIII, bequeathed his medical books to the College of Physicians of London, of which he was a founder" (170).  Many other English medical bibliophiles followed suit, and by 1660 this library contained thirteen hundred volumes. The largest library in the world today, the National Library of Medicine, had its start as a "small collection of books in the office of the Surgeon General of the United States Army" (170), as Lerner (2002) mentions.  He was responsible for providing journal and reference materials to physicians stationed at various posts around the country.  In 1864, John Shaw Billings was assigned to the Surgeon General's Office, and soon thereafter he was put solely in charge of the collections.  He took it upon himself to build the collection by asking physicians to locate obscure materials for him.  As more time elapsed on he expanded his collection to include materials from all branches of medicine.  After the Civil War this Library was opened to the public and military, physicians from all over traveled to it to use its materials.  Due to the demand for access, Billings developed a subject index.  "Ever since, comments Lerner (2002), the library's role as the world's leading medical bibliographer has been even more important than its status as the world's largest collection of medical literature" (172).  In 1956 the Armed Forces Medical Library was renamed the National Library of Medicine.  The demand for access to the materials in its collection led to the development of MEDLINE, and today this is the largest library in the world, which all began in the office of the Surgeon General prior to the Civil War (Lerner, 2002, 170-172).

 

Current Status

 

Due to the fact that the information needed to practice medicine is always expanding, the field of medicine is no longer based on rote memorization.  The need for a medical reference center is at its highest. In the book Reference and Information Services in Health Sciences Libraries, there is a reference to a recent study, noted by Wood (1994), "conducted in Rochester, NY," which "showed that 80% of the physicians responding, definitely or probably handled some aspect of a clinical situation differently as a result of information provided by the library" (2).  However, the physical manifestation of the library has changed dramatically.  Due to the rise of information available through the use of the Internet, the most current medical information is just a click away.  The largest libraries have made their resources available on the Internet, so libraries can be "networked together," as Wood (1994), explains to share this information (2).  Now when you visit the doctor, they will often times bring a computer along with them so that they can find the information they need right there (Wood, 1994, 2).

 

There is a new wave of medical librarians emerging who work alongside the nurses and physicians to provide information quickly, which pertains to the situations at hand.  These "librarians" are referred to as "informationists."  They are "professional medical team member[s]," as Shipman (2003) reports, who have the "skills, equipment, time, and subject knowledge to research the literature, evaluate it, and recommend potential treatment options" (49).  Often times doctors do not have the time to go to the library to do research.  This scenario keeps the information professional right beside them, so that they can find the information as it is needed.  The  "informationists" are in a preliminary stage right now, there are very few of them practicing.  Along with needing education in Library Science, they also need training in medicine, which makes the position more difficult to fill.  However, this is a new idea, which could become the standard for medical librarians in the future (Shipman, 2003, 49-50).

 

Collections

 

With the rise of technology, most medical libraries depend on online resources.  They still may have print sources available, but with the costs of updating those resources, they primarily rely upon electronic resources.  To access current trends in medicine, articles are viewed with the use of databases.  Some examples of databases are MEDLINE, AIDSLINE, AVLINE, CANCERLIT, CATLINE, CCIS, CHEMLINE, EMBASE, FREIDA, MEDLARS, etc. Databases are probably the most common information source in the medical library, although they can access holdings from other libraries through online library networking (Wood, 1994, 347-351).

 

 

Subject Headings

 

There are many different subject headings pertaining to medical libraries.  Five headings you would find in a medical library would be:

·        Medicine-Practice

·        Medicine-Psychosomatic

·        Medicine-Research

·        Medicine-Study and teaching

·        Medicine as a profession.

 

Patrons

 

Medical libraries are, for the most part, located in hospitals or medical centers.  This being the case, those who use the materials would be doctors, nurses, attorney's (due to legal issues such as malpractice), or other health care professionals.  Although it is not common to every medical library there are some which try to get the public to use its' resources.  On the other side of that there are medical libraries which only serve the medical staff (Kellerman, 1997, 117-122)

 

Staffing

 

According to the MLA website, "a medical librarian needs a graduate degree in library or information science.  A background in science, health sciences, or allied health is beneficial, as are graduate courses in medical informatics or medical librarianship."  Also according to the MLA website, the minimal qualifications besides a master's degree are:

·        Strong oral and written communication skills

·        Strong interpersonal skills

·        Strong computer skills

Since the size of the libraries vary there can be 1+ librarians in a medical library.  This all depends on the size of the library and how they interact with the physicians.

 

Professional Organizations

 

The Medical Library Association (MLA)

The American Library Association (ALA)

The Association of Academic Health Sciences Library Directors (AAHSLD)

The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)

(Wood, 1994, 347-351)

 

Job Opportunities

 

According to the MLA website, there are many jobs available. However, as with many professions, your opportunities increase if you are willing to move to where the jobs are.  To find listings of current jobs available, go to www.mlanet.org/jobs/index.html  "The Medical Library Association reports that in 2001 the average starting salary (less than two years experience) was $40,080.  The overall average salary for medical librarians in 2001 was $49,955.  Library directors can earn up to $125,000."  For more information go to www.mlanet.org.