Teaching medical professionals to retrieve and manage medical information

Popularity of the personal computer has prompted physician interest in direct access to the medical literature from sophisticated electronic data retrieval systems. This paper describes the educational programs developed by the library at the George Washington University Medical Center in response to this interest and growing national trend. As a result of these programs, the role of the librarian has changed permanently. Librarians are now perceived by faculty as educational specialists and information consultants. The evolution in libraries parallels the technological changes taking place in other biomedical communications units. The authors recommend the positive outcomes from adapting traditional roles to meet user's needs in a changing environment.