Developing a subject-specific Gopher at the National Library of Medicine

Development of subject-specific Gophers is one method to make valuable health information more accessible to those who need it. The National Library of Medicine has developed a Gopher that provides access to information produced by many areas of the library. Recommendations from subject experts in two areas--AIDS, and toxicology and environmental health--led to the development of two subject-specific Gophers. These two Gopher services provide organized access to resources outside of the library as well as to information produced internally. A number of important issues need to be addressed when selecting and organizing outside resources for inclusion in such a service.