THE CHANGING FACE OF MEDICAL LIBRARIES

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics
• Information Science

Background:

• Traditionally, medical knowledge dissemination relied on printed books and physical libraries.
• Rising costs of paper and publishing have made traditional resources less accessible.
• The increasing popularity and accessibility of electronic media present a shift in information consumption.

Purpose of the Study:

• To highlight the evolving landscape of medical information access.
• To introduce electronic resources as a viable alternative to traditional medical literature.
• To assess the cost-effectiveness of implementing advanced information systems in healthcare settings.

Main Methods:

• Review of trends in publishing and media consumption.
• Identification of key electronic medical information systems.
• Analysis of cost-effectiveness for healthcare facilities.

Main Results:

• Paper-based medical resources face challenges due to increasing costs.
• Electronic media, such as MEDLARS, are gaining prominence in medical information access.
• MEDLARS, accessible via the National Informatics Centre, presents a cost-effective option for Indian hospitals.

Conclusions:

• The shift towards electronic resources is inevitable in medical libraries and education.
• Implementing systems like MEDLARS can provide significant cost savings for peripheral hospitals.
• Adoption of digital medical information systems is crucial for modern healthcare infrastructure.