Arizona Health Information Network: the collaborative administration and management of a statewide computing resource...

The need to access current, relevant health care information transcends the boundaries of the library. Many computer-based tools are now available that provide access to this information where and when it is needed. However, the provision of these tools often requires a substantial commitment of resources in the form of staff expertise, computer hardware and software, and user training. The need to access current information is critical for health care providers and students at all points of care regardless of the institution size or location. Unfortunately, the resources necessary to provide access to information may not be equally available at all sites. The Arizona Health Information Network (AZHIN) joins together librarians and information systems specialists from eleven institutions throughout the state in an effort to share computing resources and expertise in order to improve the quality of health care delivery, education and research. This cooperative effort allows each institution to contribute both financially and in the form of staff expertise, based upon its size and available resources. Although the benefits of this type of cooperation seem obvious, in a competitive environment it is necessary for each member to retain independence. To balance cooperation and independence, a framework has been established to enable individual AZHIN member institutions to administer local access to the shared resources.