Ideal Medical Library in Today's Context

[MAMATA HEMBRAM]

Good morning professionals,

I need your suggestions regarding the establishment of an ideal medical library. I have many questions like-

*What should be the classification schedule

*What are the procedure to start a new medical library aiming to be digitized

*Requirments and standards regarding the furnitures

*Vendors to be contact

*Free digital resources available regarding medical field

*Types of register to be maintained

*What should be the Rules and regulations

and many more aspects regardind medical libray.

So plz guide me. I need your suggestions urgently.

[Siddhartha Shankar Ray]

Dear Ms. Babita Hembram,

Thanks for your post.

Good Wishes for starting a new Medical Library.

Frankly speaking, the most helpful Classification scheme for a Medical Library should be the NLM Scheme. In case you have access to old print version of Index Medicus, you please consult the part one and two of the issue No.1 of any year to have an idea of the same. 

Regarding digitization , to start with, you can opt for e-journals.the NML, New Delhi has a consortia, and you can get a membership. For free Indian Medical Journals, you please consult the Indian Medlars Centre at National Informatics Centre. as far as I know Dr. Naina Pandita is presently the In-Charge of the Centre.

Regarding acquisition of Medical Books and Journals, you may consult the Brandon-Hill's list. It appears in the Bulletin of the (now Journal of the) Medical Library Association (of USA) You can enquire from Dr. Banambar Sahoo of RMRC Bhubaneswar whether they are subscribing that journal otherwise, the National Institute of Cholera & Enteric Diseases, at Calcutta used to subscribe the journal and you can contact their Librarian ( search their website for contact details)The journal Current science is available as an open source

The MEDLINE database is available as PUBMED as an open source. The WHO through its HELLIS Programme provides document support to Libraries. you can contact the WHO SEARO office at New Delhi. You may get copies of IMSEAR free of cost from them. You can also subscribe to WHO Global Subscription in a very low price from WHO, SEARO.

ICMR also provides materials upon request. As I know the IJMR is also availabe free in the web.Among other freee materials are MMRB of CDC, Atlanta, Georgia and WER of WHO published from Geneva. Several materials are available free upon request from NIH; NIAID, Bethesda, Maryland, SEAMIC, Tokyo and UNAIDS materials from the ESCAP office at Bangkok. Many materials arae available free from the NACO as well.

Regarding Registers, what comes to mind instantly is Accession Register. At this age you may initiate computerized Accession Register for your library. So also the cataloguing and you can develop the OPAC. In case you purchase any Library Software, both the things and serials as well as circulation control can be made possible online. It will save time staff time and staff cost.

Regarding Rules you can frame your own rule as required and befitting for your institutes.

I hope that I could explain certain aspects of your query.

Best Wishes for your Library.

Siddhartha S. Ray, Calcutta