Innovation and survival: a case study in planning medical library services

In the information age, information utilities like libraries are as sensitive to the stresses of change as any other organization. This article is a case study of a small, specialized medical library as it attempted to understand, and cope with, the complex simultaneous challenges of serious budgetary constraints, technological change, and shifting user demands in the mid 1990s. To support planning decisions in a period of declining use statistics, the Medical Library at Women's College Hospital, Toronto, carried out a user survey that posed choices about priorities among services. Conclusions drawn from the survey and its related planning process may help similar organizations design an appropriate service blend for future users.