The United States National Library of Medicine's international relationships

Abstract

The US National Library of Medicine (NLM) is a Federal institution which serves as a national resource with international impact. The global biomedical literature and that selected for Index Medicus is characterized by numbers of journals, country of origin, and language of publication. NLM's domestic responsibilities and international programmes are described. NLM's international relationships consist of MEDLARS co-operation, exchange programmes, services, a special foreign currency programme, technical consultation, co-operation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and some special programmes vis-á-vis formal governmental bilateral agreements. A regional approach to the provision of medical library and health-information services is illustrated by the PAHO Regional Library of Medicine. The principles for the availability of MEDLARS internationally and the nature of the quid pro quo arrangements are presented.

BITNIS — Bridging the information gap before the web

“…Dr. Lindberg was never shy about trying new technologies, but to be adopted, new technologies had to demonstrate their usefulness to fulfill a need in the context of the NLM's mission. The NLM operated on the principle that "technological innovation must be an aid to improved medical research, education and practice" [3]. The Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (MEDLARS) of the NLM had for long been considered a leading bibliographical information resource for biomedical researchers and practitioners worldwide.…”

“…The NLM collaborated with the DoS by devoting NLM resources to enable the access to MEDLARS from Confederation of Independent States (CIS) countries through BITNIS [18]. Joint teams from the NLM and DoS were deployed to CIS countries to provide connectivity, equipment and training to health and other 3 The National Technical Information Service, U.S. Department of Commerce. national libraries in countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.…”

“…Dr. Lindberg was never shy about trying new technologies, but to be adopted, new technologies had to demonstrate their usefulness to fulfill a need in the context of the NLM’s mission. The NLM operated on the principle that “technological innovation must be an aid to improved medical research, education and practice” [ 3 ].…”

BITNIS – Bridging the Information Gap Before the Web

“…Remote access to MEDLINE with GM could be achieved a few ways, and generally involved a personal computer, modem and telephone line. 3 Users could place an international phone call with their computers to the NLM, a local or long-distance call to the closest International MEDLARS Center (IMC), or a call to a local commercial packet network service (e.g., TELENET or TYMNET) and use that service in turn to connect to the NLM [6]. In practice, these options were feasible only to international users who were fortunate enough to be close to a MEDLARS Center that hosted local copies of the NLM's databases or could afford the expense of long-distance or international phone calls and/or the packet network service.…”

Σημασιολογική Αναπαράσταση Και Διαχείριση Γνώσης Υπολογιστικών Προβλημάτων Ιατρικής

“…Από τους πρωτοπόρους στον τοµέα της σηµασιολογικής αναπαράστασης και αναζήτησης της ιατρικής γνώσης µπορεί να χαρακτηριστεί η ∆ιεθνής Βιβλιοθήκη της Ιατρικής (NLM: National Library of Medicine) που εδρεύει στο National Institutes of Health στην Bethesda του Maryland. Είναι η µεγαλύτερη παγκοσµίως ιατρική βιβλιοθήκη και έχει αναπτύξει το σύστηµα αναζήτησης πληροφοριών (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System -MEDLARS), το οποίο παρέχει πρόσβαση στη βιοϊατρική πληροφορία [44]. Μέσω του διαδικτύου, οι υπηρεσίες του MEDLARS είναι διαθέσιµες παγκοσµίως χωρίς χρέωση.…”