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Connecting the health sciences community to the Internet: the NLM/NSF grant program
1Extramural Programs, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, Maryland 20894.
Bulletin of the Medical Library Association
|October 1, 1994
Summary
The National Library of Medicine offered Internet grants to health institutions in 1992. Library and librarian uses were the most frequent application category, despite not being required.
Area of Science:
- Health Sciences
- Information Science
- Computer Science
Background:
- The National Library of Medicine (NLM) initiated a high-performance computing and communications initiative in 1992.
- Grants for Internet connectivity were modeled after those provided by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to universities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To inform health sciences institutions about available Internet connection grants.
- To analyze the categories of applications received for these grants.
Main Methods:
- The NLM provided grants for Internet connections to health sciences institutions.
- Application data was collected and categorized.
Main Results:
- Library involvement was not a mandatory requirement for grant applications.
- Applications categorized under 'librarian and library uses' were the most common.
Conclusions:
- Health sciences libraries played a significant role in adopting Internet connectivity grants.
- The initiative successfully encouraged the integration of the Internet within health sciences institutions, particularly through library services.