FIVE YEAR PLAN: 1978 - 1982
-DENVER AREA HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY CONSORTIUM
Table of Contents 1. Trends
2. Philosophy 3. Goal
4. Objectives and Strategies 5. Participating Libraries TRENDS
A basic trend that has greatly influenced health care services is the knowledge explosion. All the information published since 1900 equals that published before. This has led to a proliferation of specialty journals in all areas including the allied health fields. Finding themselves hard pressed to keep up to date, health science professionals have put pressure on hospital administrators to provide them with current information. Continuing education and re-certification requirements also have contributed to the need for resources.
The reaponse to these pressures has been to establish library services in hospitals. This has been encouraged by the newly revised JCAH standards and the National Library of Medicine's ~) program for interlibrary loan, the Biomedical Communications Network. NLM's programsfor computerized literature searches, MEDLARS and MEDLINE, are innovative and successful vehicles for producing bibliographic citations in biomedical and other related health care fields. The primary access point for the services is usually the hospital library, the staff of which interacts with the requestor and the system.
The medical information resources at NLM, although the most extensive in the world, would be severely strained if every library would look to NLM for their needs. Therefore, through planning and grant support, NLM is encouraging formal cooperation, or consortia, between libraries. They would share their resources, often extensive, before calling on larger libraries. Librarians have traditionally cooperated since the first interlibrary loan between the libraries
at Alexandria ~nd Damascus in ancient Egypt. The librarians involved in the Denver Area Health Sciences Library Consortium believe that is in the best interests of their. libraries,and the institutions they serve, to have coopera-tive arrangements in relation to sharing costs, resources, and programs. PHILOSOPHY
The Denver Area Health Sciences Library Consortium's philosophy is to provide information to the staff members of our institutions. Effective and efficient administration and management of the library make this possible. Adequate resources are essential, but budget and spac~ limitations make exten-sive collections impractical. A consortium can expand the resources of its individual members. The philosophies of this group in relation to cooperation are:
1. Cooperation succeeds only if each person sees benefit to his/her own institution. 2. Cooperation is not an easy task.
3. Every member can contribute in some way no matter what the size the library.
4.
Every member has different needs.S.
Every institution requires its own library and professional library services. 6. Not every member need participate in every cooperative program, but individuals should not interfere with programs that they don't need. Each member can participate in any program, but is not obligated to participate in every program.7. Any Colorado health science library may join the group if it subscribes to the above philosophies and works toward the common good.
GOAL
By joining in shared services, improving library programs, containing costs, and reducing duplication of effort, DAHSLC will strive to meet the common goal of all the health sciences libraries involved -- that of contributing significantly to high quality health care.
r
OBJECTIVES AND STRATIGIES Objective
Strategy
A. Meet once a month to discuss and study current activities, common problems, and future programs.
1. Have regular meetings with rotating meeting places.
2. Survey needs of members.
3. Work on various programs to meet needs. B. Participate in a formal document delivery system
1. Survey existing delivery systems. 2. Evaluate and select the best method.
3. Those libraries needing the system sign up. 4. Procedures of delivery set up to avoid
mis-understandings.
S.
Statistics kept to evaluate the program. 6. Program evaluated.C. Participate in an informal cooperative journal acquisition program
1. Determine which libraries would participate.
2. Have a union list for the participa_,tants printed. 3. Compare jointly held titles.
4. Compare new titles planned to be picked up in 1979.
S.
Committ to specific titles for 1979. 6. Evaluated the program.7. Renew program for 1980.
D. Evaluate the opportunities available with OCLC, Inc., a cooperative Cataloging System.
1. Meet with the Staff from the Bibliographic Center for Research.
2. Survey and evaluate the costs involved.
3. Make decision on whether or not to participate. 4. Start participation.
S. Go
on the system following training.6. Evaluate the program and report to other members. E. Study methods for starting a manually produced Union
Lis~ of Monographs. 1. Study the problem. 2 • . Propose the system. 3. Implement the system.
4. Evaluate the system and report.
Date of planned Implementation 7/79 S/79 7/79 1/80 6/79 F. Study possibility of gaining direct access to MEDLINE services
1. Study the costs involved.
2. Propose program at those libraries involved. 3. Implement program.
4. Evaluate program.
G. Report to the Administrations fo the participating Libraries the progress and plans of DAHSLC
1. Determine what information to report. 2. Organize report. 3. Present report. 4/79 6/80 3/79 S/79 Date Implemente 1/78 2/78 on-going 4/78 S/78 7/78 7/78 7/78 6/78 6/78 8/78 8/78 9/78 8/78 9/78 9/78 10/78 1/79 4/78 S/78 6/78 3/78 9/78 12/78
B •. Draw up Byl.aws 1. Study need.
2. Draw up and approve_bylaws.
I. Study the poss~bility of training for SDC's Dialog computer literature searching program
1. Study the costs and benefits involved 2. Contract for training and access ·
3. Prepare a program to provide initial Medline training for consortium members desiring it
1. Study the possibilities. 2. Apply for access.
3. Begin training.
K. Study possibility of specific program support in the form of NLM Program Grant or other kind of grant.
1. Survey and evaluate the need for such support. L. Study the possibility of starting a central consortia
office to handle technical services and coordination of some programs Date of planned Implementation S/79 7/79 6/79 7/79 6/80
1. Study and evaluate the need for such a progarm. 12/80 M. Study future programs for implementation under the auspices
of DAHSLC; possibilities:
1. Cooperative book acquisition.
2. Collection development with assigned subject specialties. 3. Centralized cataloging and processing.
4. Combined back journal storage.
S. Combined MLA exchange.
6. Coordinated binding schedules. 7. Sharing of special services.
8. Development of common units of productivity. 9. Common procedure manuals.
10. Coordinated continuing education experiences. 11. Union list of audio-visuals.
12. Surveys of cost effectiveness methods and systems. 13. Joint promotion of library services.
PARTICIPATING LIBRARIES
1. AMC Research Center, Eleanor Krakauer (ACRC)
2~ Blue Cross Blue Shield, Geetha Gangadhaaran (BCBS) 3. Children's Hospital, Melanie Birnbach (CH)
4. Lutheran Medical Center, Susan Higginbotham (LMC)
S.
Mercy Medical Center, Rosalind Dudden 0MMC) 6. National Jewish Hospital, Carole Engle (NJH) 7. Saint Luke's Hospital, Kate Smith (SLH) 8. Swedish Medical Center, Marla Graber (SMC)Date Implemented 4/79 4/79 S/79 S/79
9. Center for Toxicology, Man ana Environment, B.J. Croall (CTME) (a new member)
Program ACRC BCBS CH LHC HMC NJH SLH SHC
Unton list of Serials X X X X. X X X X
Courter Serivce X X X X X X
Journal Acquisition X X X X X X X
OCLC X X X X
Unton ltst Honogr. X X X X X X X X
