Newsletter of the IFLA Section of Biological and Medical Sciences Libraries (On-line)

January 1997,
Volume 18, No. 1
ISSN: 1025-5680

Past, Present and Future of the Biomedical Section

Looking at the archives of the Section, it is quite impressive to see how the links within the international medical community had been strongly enforced by the work of few colleagues, working for the same purpose: that the Section of Biological and Medical Sciences Libraries becomes an open forum for the rising questions in our profession such as medical leadership, technological evolutions and the development of networks, human or informatics.

The Section is nearly twenty years old. In 1977, between the Third International Congress on Medical Librarianship in Amsterdam, 1969, at the Fourth in Belgrade in 1980, the Section was established within IFLA.

The first Chair was Irwin Pizer from the United States who was succeeded by William D. Walker. Next to serve was Lois Ann Colaianni from the National Library of Medicine, followed by Derek Law from the King's College in London. Frances Groen of McGill University in Montreal became chair in 1993. In 1995, I was elected chair and for the first time it was a non-English speaking person. The Section now has 61 members from around the world.

Section activities during these years included preparing a directory of medical libraries in the world, preparing materials in support of training activities for medical librarians in less developed regions. The main function of the Section has been the planning and presenting of professional programs for open sessions and workshops at the annual IFLA conferences. And we can say that all programs and events were successful, whether Stockholm. Paris, Moscow, Barcelona, Havana or Beijing.

Ongoing activities include the publication of the Newsletter, now in electronic format, and the brochure. Of great importance is the Section's participation in the International Congress of Medical Librarianship every four years and its ongoing building of the membership.

The next IFLA conference in Copenhagen will be a turning point as 1997 is an election year. All officers and members will complete terms at this meeting. An intense campaign to recruit new members is underway and I hope it will be fruitful for the Section.

From the Editor

Three of the new series volumes are published:

1. Reference and Information Services in Health Sciences Libraries, 1994.

2. Information Access and Delivery in Health Sciences Libraries, 1996.

3. Educational Services in Health Sciences Libraries, 1995.

While these reflect the state of the art today, the older volumes also have value. The 1943 edition has a wealth of information about the development of medical libraries. For example, in that year only eight medical libraries in the United States had holdings of more than 100,000 volumes. The distribution of books available revealed that per 10,000 population, the average number of books available was 309 or 22 per physician. How far we have come in 54 years.

Also interesting is the size of the chapter on the various classification schemes available to libraries. There is great detail in the chapters on cataloging and subject headings. Today's library is most likely to use a cataloging utility and few have catalogers whose only job is assigning subject headings. This kind of cataloging gave librarians in-depth knowledge of the journals and books in their libraries. In contrast. today's librarian has skills in use of electronic resources not imagined in 1943.

Another chapter that has enduring value is Gertrude L. Annan's on "Rare Books and the History of Medicine." It is a mini course on the management of such a department. Read together, the new Current Practice series along with the earlier editions, will give the reader a great view of medical librarianship and an idea of the changes yet to come.

Copenhagen in 1997

This will be an election year at IFLA and all Section members are encouraged to read the announcements on elections and the call for papers in this issue of the Newsletter.

Call For Papers

63th IFLA Annual Conference - Copenhagen

August 31 - September 5, 1997

Section of Biological and Medical Sciences Libraries

The next IFLA meeting will take place in Copenhagen, Summer 1997. The Biomedical Section will organize jointly with the Science and Technology Section an Open session with the main theme: "Improving Access to Electronic and Medical Information". Two papers will be given in health and medicine.

It is the best opportunity for you to meet your profession on a worldwide scale and to participate to the work of our Section. Do not hesitate!

IFLA Elections in 1997

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

Election a l'IFLA en 1997

ANNONCE

Durant la prochaine Conference de l'IFLA qui se tiendra a Copenhague du 31 aout au 5 Septembre 1997, le Comite permanent de la Section des Sciences Biologiques et Medicales renouvelle sa composition. Voici pour vous la meilleure opportunite de joindre la communaute internationale et de preparer l'avenir de notre profession.

For further information! please contact me: