Building the electronic health sciences library for the twenty-first century: the Galter Library experience

Area of Science:

• Health Sciences Librarianship
• Information Science
• Digital Libraries

Background:

• Academic health sciences libraries are increasingly focused on creating World-Wide Web (WWW) access points.
• Developing electronic libraries requires integrating web resources with existing library systems.
• The Galter Health Sciences Library at Northwestern University is actively engaged in this development process.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the process of constructing an electronic health information system using web resources.
• To present the Northwestern University Galter Health Sciences Library's approach as a model for 21st-century health sciences libraries.
• To highlight key factors in creating an efficient and useful electronic library system.

Main Methods:

• Utilizing World-Wide Web resources and tools like Netscape for development.
• Integrating new web-based information with existing library systems (NUmed/OVID MEDLINE, LUIS/NUcat/NOTIS).
• Focusing on the selection, organization, design, and construction of web pages.

Main Results:

• Development of web pages for electronic information selection and organization.
• Creation of an interface, policies, and guidelines for user access.
• Establishment of tools for accessing local and international electronic scholarly resources.

Conclusions:

• The process of building web pages is central to creating the electronic library.
• Effective selection, organization, design, and construction are crucial for an efficient information system.
• The Northwestern model offers a framework for future electronic health sciences libraries.