Search

University libraries play a critical role by facilitating the use of their electronic resources and facilities available for students' learning and research activities. Health and medical students and professionals are expected to use the electronic resources provided for their academic and research work. This study, therefore, seeks to investigate the acceptance and utilization of electronic resources in research and learning among users of the College of Health Sciences Library of the University of Ghana. The study employed a survey research design along with a quantitative approach to collect data from 128 respondents. A questionnaire was used for data collection, and it was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 22 (SPSS) software. The study found that a majority of the respondents were aware of the electronic resources provided by the library, and they used various types of e-resources such as Google, Wikipedia, ScienceDirect and PubMed electronic sources. Moreover, the study found that the computer literacy skills of users have a positive relationship with the awareness of e-resources. Furthermore, there is no significant relationship between gender and the perceived usefulness of the use of e-resources. Last but not the least, the high cost of personal internet data and low internet bandwidth were challenges encountered by most of the respondents when accessing e-resources. The study made the following recommendations, among others, regular training on the use of e-resources, and libraries must collaborate effectively with lecturers to create awareness in the lecture hall and also some of the e-resources should be part of teaching instruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Medical Librarian’s Bibliography 2023 lists all articles from GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information. In addition, articles with significance for medical librarianship published in journals in the field of library science are recorded: Bibliothek Forschung und Praxis, Bibliotheksdienst, B.I.T. Online, BuB: Forum Bibliothek und Information, Information – Wissenschaft und Praxis (IWP), Journal of EAHIL (European Association for Health Information and Libraries). The Medical Librarian’s Bibliography 2023 also lists selected articles relevant to medical librarians from Diabetes-Journal, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, and Research Synthesis Methods.

Medical college libraries play a significant role in the dissemination of knowledge not only in the field of medical science but also in paramedical sciences too. The present study aimed to ascertain the frequency of the library visit, the purpose of library visits, and mostly used library resources and services available in the Central Library of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal. A questionnaire was distributed among the students of the College of Nursing, RIMS, Imphal. The survey hyperlink was sent via the messaging application WhatsApp and electronic mail, accompanied by a polite solicitation to complete the survey. The data were collected from August to October 2022 until the desired response rate was received. This research used a sample size of 100 drawn at random and 86 students responded to the questionnaire. The collected data were analysed using MS Excel to draw inferences. The majority of the users (50%) visit the library at least once a week, for the purpose of borrowing books (22%), doing assignments (20.33%), and self-study (14.14%). The most preferred resources for the nursing students were books and reference sources (almost 80%). Circulation, reference service and digital service were among the highly used services of the nursing students. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The prospects presented by digital transformation holds the potential of greatly increasing the capacity of medical libraries, which in turn it will make it possible for these libraries to provide better services and increasing accessibility. But how can digital technologies be adopted in transforming medical libraries' services and operations, in the digital transformation era? This study looked at the opportunities and challenges associated with implementing digital technologies in medical libraries through digital transformation. The study thus reviewed literature on digital transformation of medical libraries services, as a way to support healthcare systems in South Africa. The chapter revealed that digital transformation has the potential to enhance libraries processes, practices, performance, and to stay relevant in their increasingly competitive environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the initiatives at the Medical University of Łódź promoting the open access concept is publishing the UMedical Reports (UMR) series of monographs. This project stands out on a national scale due to the series’ unique profile. Three Information and Library Centre (CIB) librarians are actively involved in the publishing process. This study aims to explore the publishing activity of medical libraries in the context of Open Access and to compare the UMR publishing initiative with similar projects in Poland and worldwide. The comparative method was used to examine the activities of medical libraries and the UMR publishing series in the context of Open Access policy. A diagnostic interview was conducted to thoroughly analyse the genesis and current activities of UMR. UMR publishing activities to date were also evaluated using SWOT heuristic analysis, taking into account findings from the interview with the editor’s secretary. Analysis of activities conducted by medical academic libraries worldwide and in Poland showed that many foreign institutions conduct similar activities, but materials on biomedical topics are not often published by libraries, which underscores the unique character of the UMR series. A detailed analysis of UMR activities to date facilitated identification of areas requiring improvement, as well as highlighting valuable aspects of the project.

Augsburg University Library is responsible for supplying literature for research and teaching for the new Medical Centre of the University of Augsburg. With this poster, we present an insight into the development of collection usage in the first few years, from the end of 2019 until mid-2023. We look at full-text access to journal articles, orders via the document delivery service and the use of electronic and printed textbooks. At the same time, we provide the workflows we use for the analyses.

The 2023 annual conference of the German Medical Libraries Association (AGMB) in Bonn was held under the motto “AGMB 2023: Future – now more than ever”. There were numerous lectures and short presentations, posters and workshops. In addition to the report on the conference, the current issue of GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information contains four publications of lectures, seven of the eight posters presented, the presentation and appreciation of the award-winning pioneer project in medical libraries 2023 and the announcement of the competition for 2024. Also included are three latecomers to the themed issue “Research-related services of (medical) libraries” 2023 and the current communication from the AGMB board “German MLA (AGMB) News”.

Copyright of Journal of Academic Library & Information Science is the property of Anhui University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Academic Library & Information Science is the property of Anhui University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

[Purpose/Significance] The biomedical research field is suffering from reproducibility crisis, which has become one of important issues under the background of the rise of the data-intensive research paradigm. As one of the most important attributes of scientific research by empirical data study,reproducibility needs to be improved by good data practices of researchers. How to effectively improve the data literacy of researchers has become the key point to solve the crisis. However, the relevant research is basically in the blank condition. The paper aims to establish a new data literacy education system for reproducibility crisis, in order to fill the current research gap and provide reference for implementing the relevant education in our country. [Method/Process] Firstly, the paper clarifies the relationship between reproducibility crisis and data literacy by using content analysis: the inappropriate data behavior of researchers may bring serious problems in many respects, such as research data, methods, process, environments and results, which could eventually lead to the irreproducible research. Then, we redefine the concept of data literacy education. Secondly, based on the summarization of the existing foreign research results and practice, the paper builds the Reproducibility Data Literacy Education (Re-DLE) system from the perspective of educational goals and content, subjects and objects, teaching methods, implementation strategies, and evaluation. At last, it proposes the necessary guarantee factors for the operation of the system. [Results/Conclusions] The ultimate goal of Re-DLE is to improve research reproducibility, bulid the educational content framework on the theory of data life cycle, and divide the main content into three dimensions: re-data awareness, re-data skills, and re-data ethics, each of which includes some clear educational objectives, subject modules and detailed instructions Medical libraries have a wealth of teaching experience and should become the educational main body for the broader biomedical research community. the establishment of diversified training methods, diversified teaching strategies and evaluation methods, in other words, we need to strengthen the team building of teaching librarians, consolidate the educational resources foundation, promote educational exchanges, and improve the internal and external cooperative system, so as to push forward the building of the Re-DLE system. The research results of this paper not only can be seen as a theoretical breakthrough, but also provide the theory basis for the development and implementation of education. In addition, due to the limitation of methods, the paper can be used as a qualitative research, which still has some problems to be solved. In the future work, we need to build more scientific and effective Re-DLE system by using empirical research methods.

The Medical Librarian’s Bibliography 2022 lists all articles from GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information. In addition, articles with significance for medical librarianship published in journals in the field of library science are recorded: ABI Technik, Bibliothek Forschung und Praxis, Bibliotheksdienst, B.I.T. Online, BuB: Forum Bibliothek und Information, Information – Wissenschaft und Praxis (IWP), Journal of EAHIL (European Association for Health Information and Libraries). The Medical Librarian’s Bibliography 2022 also lists selected articles relevant to medical librarians from Database: the Journal of Biological Databases and Curation, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, Pflege, Research Synthesis Methods, Systematic Reviews, and Zeitschrift für Evidenz, Fortbildung und Qualität im Gesundheitswesen.

Medical libraries are facing new challenges and opportunities due to dynamic changes in the digital era for offering excellent services to health scientists and professionals. The usage of information and communication technology (ICT) has become increasingly important in various fields, including the healthcare industry. Medical libraries, in particular, have also witnessed a significant transformation in terms of their functions and services due to the adoption of the digital revolution. This article aims to investigate the usage of ICT in the selected medical libraries in Bangladesh, with a special reference to the icddr,b Library. In this connection, a comparative study is made based on six major medical libraries of Bangladesh. These libraries are compared in terms of ICT use for providing library services through library websites. Collected data are analyzed in quantitative as well as qualitative methods to explore better results. Results are shown in the form of tables and figures. This paper gives a snapshot of ICT use in medical libraries of Bangladesh. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The library is always known to be the warehouse of resources in terms of books and non-book materials. This paper generally discussed the medical library which is a library that is found or situated in any health related establishment, as well as the resources and services obtainable from it. It also emphasized on the need to provide varied information services and ICTs resources in the delivery of qualitative Medicare to clients of these libraries. The paper also stressed why medical libraries should be used effectively thereby giving that qualitative approach to quality Medical care services to her clients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Medical Library Forum is the property of Warszawski Uniwersytet Medyczny and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

This study adopts a bibliometric approach to explore a focus on the general state of SRs worldwide, and analyzes the differences between SR writings with and without medical librarian involvement in terms of the differences in the number of authors, the country of institutional affiliation of the main author, the number of citing, and the number of times cited. The research objects were 22 journals that are included in the MEDLINE database were obtained a total of 9,030 SR articles published between 2014 and 2017. The results of the study revealed the following: A steady increase in the number of SR articles with librarians involved over the years. In terms of the characteristics of SR authors, the number of authors largely fell between three and seven regardless. A dominant proportion of institutional affiliations of the main authors for SR articles with librarians involved were located in the United States, exhibited librarians in highly developed countries had a higher rate of participation in SR. In terms of SR article citations, according to the t-test results, there was no significant difference in the number of citing between the presence and absence of librarian involvement, but a significant difference in the number of times cited between two. Suggestions of this study are as follows: Collaboration between clinical personnel and librarians in writing SRs should be encouraged, the state should enact SR relevant policies, and draw on SR-related services initiated by other libraries.

As in almost all areas of public life, the corona period quickly made it clear to us at the SUB Göttingen that we would probably not return to the state “before”. After the initial shock, two lockdowns and weeks of limited usability – but at the same time a significantly increased demand for learning spaces and workstations on the part of the students – it became clear that the learning space had to be adapted once again to the changed conditions and needs. The article shows how the Göttingen Medical Library team was able to develop a new concept in cooperation with the medical student council and how it could be implemented in a very fast pace.

The focus of the current issue of GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information is the 2022 annual conference of the German Medical Libraries Association (AGMB) in Würzburg, which took place under the motto “AGMB 2022: Seizing opportunities together”. In addition to the conference report, this issue contains articles on most of the lectures of the conference, all four posters including the development of the awarded poster, the presentation of the awarded pioneer project for medical libraries 2022 “LIGHTS” as well as the appreciation of this project and the announcement of the competition for 2023. Furthermore, the current issue contains the proposal for a search protocol with regard to the systematic and transparent development and documentation of a comprehens literature search and is finally completed by the current “German MLA (AGMB) News”.

In advance of loss of archival space, a health sciences library developed a plan to weed and organize its archives. Working with the health sciences center foundation and campus academic affairs officials, the library hired a local archivist on a contract basis, for the last quarter of 2017, to execute this plan. This case study describes the organizational context, details and administrative implications of the project. This description is a unique contribution to the literature about the use of contract labor in health sciences library collections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Medical Librarian’s Bibliography 2020 lists all articles from GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information and selected publications relevant to medical librarians from the following journals: ABI Technik, Bibliothek Forschung und Praxis, Bibliotheksdienst, B.I.T. Online, BuB: Forum Bibliothek und Information, Information – Wissenschaft und Praxis (IWP), Informationspraxis, Journal of EAHIL (European Association for Health Information and Libraries), Journal of the Medical Library Association, Mitteilungen der Vereinigung Österreichischer Bibliothekarinnen und Bibliothekare, o-bib: das offene Bibliotheksjournal, Open Password, Research Synthesis Methods, Zeitschrift für Bibliothekswesen und Bibliographie.

Since 2006, the University of Tennessee's Preston Medical Library has collected survey feedback from exiting residents through targeted emails or at the required exit process in the library. Questions ask residents which types of articles or sources they use to find information and address the resident's use of the library's physical space. Survey results from 2006 to 2021 were examined for trends and changes in resident utilization of resources to better inform future library decisions on instruction and marketing. Resident resource usage varied over time and demonstrated an encouraging increase in attention to evidence-based tools. UpToDate's consistent popularity shows the durability of the product. A reported increase in use of reviews, randomized controlled trials, case reports, and practice guidelines reflects greater employment of more in-depth resources than merely expert opinion. At the same time, residents clearly valued the library's physical space. Survey results will inform future outreach focus. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Libraries have always been the integral components of the academic institutions world over. Earlier known for housing the spectrum of books permitting their ready access to knowledge seekers, libraries of current age are no more confined spaces with limited functions. With the advancing information technology, the conventional definition of a library is changing to accommodate newer roles and challenges. Twenty-first century academic libraries are extending beyond the walls of their individual institutions and are evolving as open access information spaces, dealing with intelligent sharing through social communication and networking technologies.Despite such massive changes in the information storage and retrieval patterns across the globe, libraries at Ayurveda institutions in India seem by and large unbothered and unaffected. Poor educational and research standards in Ayurveda seem to have direct links with libraries contributing minimally to academic exchange and progress. An SCONUL survey conducted for the first time in any ayurvedic library setting in the country came as an eye opener stating clearly that Ayurveda institutional libraries require a major reform first to bring them at par with other academic libraries and subsequently to evolve them as the nucleus of knowledge fostering. These setups direly need a hand of help to become eligible for contributing what they are really meant to.

The profound transformation of medical libraries over the last twenty years reflects the advancements in medical education and health care delivery, increased expectations of users, and accelerated evolution of technology. The Harvey Cushing/John Hay Whitney Medical Library (CWML) used this opportunity to rethink how staffing could be redeployed to accommodate these new developments. After assessing processes, workflows, and individual responsibilities, library administration devised a novel team approach that would allow clerical & technical (C&T) staff to work across departmental lines to provide a broader variety of in-depth and frontline services. This paper will share how the C&T staff at the CWML developed a broader skill set, while providing library services to users in the rapidly changing field of medical education and health care services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Medical libraries are continual sources of knowledge and information. Without this knowledge and information, there will be no researcher, teacher, and doctor. Libraries cannot share knowledge with knowledge seekers alone. In this scenario, the role of the librarian becomes very influential. A librarian is an information services provider. The providence of these services is dependent on the facilities which are required by librarians. Realizing the importance of this issue the researcher has carried out research to investigate issues faced by librarians while operating medical library services. This study was related to quantitative research methodology; therefore, the researcher adopted quantitative research methodology for this research work. The presented issue in this study was solved through collecting data, with the help of using different techniques associated with data collection techniques, description of collected data, analyzing collected data and then finding the solution to the problem after a detailed analysis of data. In this study, the university libraries located in Islamabad were the population of the study to collect data regarding library operational issues in medical university libraries in Islamabad. The findings of the study show that medical librarians are facing numerous issues. These issues are impending medical librarians to operate library services in effective and appropriate ways. So, this research work suggests that the budget of libraries should be increased, medical librarians should be trained to meet their challenges, and medical resources and digital resources ought to be augmented in the respective universities in Islamabad. The aforementioned strategies can be useful for medical libraries and can enable librarians to operate their library services in more influential and effective ways in terms of information providers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examined the concept of herbal medicine and the need for supporting Indigenous knowledge through the digitalization of information on the accumulation and transmission of herbal healing practices from generation to generation. It examined the relevance of digitizing herbal medicine information in order to sustain and conserve this unique information. The digitalization of library health information also raises readers' attention. In addition, the organization is responsible for permanent storage and documentation of information resources, in particular health information. This research examined the strategic importance of medical libraries. It described how medical libraries could be crucial in digitizing indigenous herbal knowledge to protect them against the threat of extinction. The article also emphasized the challenges and potential of digitizing Herbal Medicine Information in Nigeria's medical libraries and presented practical solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Twenty fifteen marked the year of assessment for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs that achieved the greatest success were those where evidence-based practice (EBP) interventions were implemented. The ability to practice evidence-based medicine is grounded in the creation of and access to medical literature that synthesizes research findings. The role that global health literature played in the success of the MDGs demonstrates that medical libraries and librarians have a role to play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Librarians can hold capacity-building workshops that provide instruction on how to access evidence-based literature and also train health professionals to conduct synthesis research. Research findings conducted by in-country health professionals are more likely to address issues being faced by local communities and will afford the possibility of obtaining the necessary evidence-based answers that can then be used to implement policies to resolve public health issues identified in the SDGs. This paper discusses how an international team of librarians leveraged funding from a Medical Library Association/ Librarians without Borders/Elsevier Foundation/Research4Life grant to hold a capacity-building workshop in Zimbabwe and follow-up online trainings. The workshop focused on accessing evidence-based resources and conducting synthesis research. Outcomes included the creation and policy implementation of evidence-based knowledge products in alignment with local needs and galvanizing a multisectoral group of key individuals who have gone on to collaborate toward the vision of creating a Zimbabwe innovation hub. Looking ahead, such grants can be leveraged to conduct capacity-building to support knowledge translation and other local training needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Medical Librarian's Bibliography 2020 lists all articles from GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information and selected publications relevant to medical librarians from the following journals: ABI Technik, Bibliothek Forschung und Praxis, Bibliotheksdienst, B.I.T. Online, BuB: Forum Bibliothek und Information, Information – Wissenschaft und Praxis (IWP), Informationspraxis, Journal of EAHIL (European Association for Health Information and Libraries), Journal of the Medical Library Association, Mitteilungen der Vereinigung Österreichischer Bibliothekarinnen und Bibliothekare, o-bib: das offene Bibliotheksjournal, Open Password, Research Synthesis Methods, Zeitschrift für Bibliothekswesen und Bibliographie. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern academic libraries, including medical libraries, constantly strive to achieve their users’ needs as accurately as possible. Consequently, that is why libraries efficiency is measured by users’ satisfaction rate. It includes resources and their availability, employees’qualifications as well as the libraries’ housing conditions. Users’ opinions can be beneficial as they verify previous work of libraries and signpost new directions in development. Therefore, in 2017 there was organized the users’ satisfaction survey in academic libraries. It was a part of „Analysis of Scientific Libraries Functioning” project initiated by The Polish Librarians’ Association. 32 academic libraries, including 5 medical libraries, participated in the sur-vey. This paper presents the results in medical libraries. It is an attempt to plan new solutions based on the previously determined best functioning mechanisms and define the features that still need improvement.

The focus of the current issue 3/2021 of GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information is the 2021 annual conference of the German Medical Libraries Association (AGMB), which once again took place online under the motto “AGMB 2021: Reliable even in stormy times”. The conference report was written by the former board of AGMB (Dagmar Härter, Martina Semmler-Schmetz, Iris Reimann & Claudia Wöckel). The authors in this issue are Alexandra Streck & Elke Roesner (The reanimation of the YouTube channel. A story of experience in 5 chapters), Ninon Franziska Frank (“We have a video on this!”– tutorials as asynchronous training tools), Claudia Adolph, Christine Debus, Anne Lerch, Hedwig Rotermann & Susanne Ruhm (German-wide access to e-books and ournals at ZB MED via remote access licenses), Dagmar Härter & Charlotte Hartnack (We offer – visualisation of all online offers of the Medical Library Göttingen), Sandra Rümmele (Digital cooperative teaching at the Central Medical Library Hamburg), Christian Vogel ( support in libraries – learning from the professionals. 99 tips how to avoid work, responsibilities and users), Michaela Beisser & Evamaria Krause (Information literacy services of Augsburg University’s medical library), Christina Draheim, Janus Wawrzinek, Stefan Wulle & Wolf-Tilo Balke (Drug-Disease-Networks: Innovative search tool for PubPharm), Thomas Nordhausen & Julian Hirt (The new edition of RefHunter in web format: what can it do and what is its goal?) and Petra Labriga (Tracking science – the role of libraries in the context of reading analytics at academic publishers). Also included is an interview with Oliver Obst on the occasion of his appointment as an honorary member of the AGMB, the presentation of the pioneer project in medical libraries 2021 (: A service of hospital libraries in cooperation) as well as the appreciation of this project, the announcement of the competition for 2022 and the latest communication from the AGMB (German MLA (AGMB) News).

A new university medicine is being built in Augsburg. In this poster, we describe how we adapted and expanded the existing information literacy services for the new medical and medical information sciences programs during the digital semesters.

The focus of the current issue 3/2021 of GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information is the 2021 annual conference of the German Medical Libraries Association (AGMB), which once again took place online under the motto "AGMB 2021: Reliable even in stormy times". The conference report was written by the former board of AGMB (Dagmar Härter, Martina Semmler-Schmetz, Iris Reimann & Claudia Wöckel). The authors in this issue are Alexandra Streck & Elke Roesner (The reanimation of the ZB MED YouTube channel. A story of experience in 5 chapters), Ninon Franziska Frank ("We have a video on this!"– tutorials as asynchronous training tools), Claudia Adolph, Christine Debus, Anne Lerch, Hedwig Rotermann & Susanne Ruhm (German-wide access to e-books and e-j ournals at ZB MED via remote access licenses), Dagmar Härter & Charlotte Hartnack (We offer – visualisation of all online offers of the Medical Library Göttingen), Sandra Rümmele (Digital cooperative teaching at the Central Medical Library Hamburg), Christian Vogel (E-mail support in libraries – learning from the professionals. 99 tips how to avoid work, responsibilities and users), Michaela Beisser & Evamaria Krause (Information literacy services of Augsburg University's medical library), Christina Draheim, Janus Wawrzinek, Stefan Wulle & Wolf-Tilo Balke (Drug-Disease-Networks: Innovative search tool for PubPharm), Thomas Nordhausen & Julian Hirt (The new edition of RefHunter in web format: what can it do and what is its goal?) and Petra Labriga (Tracking science – the role of libraries in the context of reading analytics at academic publishers). Also included is an interview with Oliver Obst on the occasion of his appointment as an honorary member of the AGMB, the presentation of the pioneer project in medical libraries 2021 (Lisando : A service of hospital libraries in cooperation) as well as the appreciation of this project, the announcement of the competition for 2022 and the latest communication from the AGMB (German MLA (AGMB) News). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of the current issue 1/2021 of GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information is directed to the topic “One Year COVID-19”. The contributions to the focus were written by colleagues from medical libraries, but also from other libraries as well as from institutions of medical information in a broader sense. The current issue is supplemented by communications from the AGMB’s Evidence-Based Medicine Working Group, the Medical Library Bibliography 2020, and the board’s communication “German MLA (AGMB) News”.

The Medical Librarian’s Bibliography 2020 lists all articles from GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information and selected publications relevant to medical librarians from following journals: ABI Technik, Bibliothek – Forschung und Praxis, Bibliotheksdienst, b.i.t.online, BuB: Forum Bibliothek und Information, Information – Wissenschaft und Praxis (IWP), Informationspraxis, Journal of EAHIL: European Association for Health Information and Libraries, Journal of the Medical Library Association, Mitteilungen der Vereinigung Österreichischer Bibliothekarinnen und Bibliothekare, o-bib: das offene Bibliotheksjournal, Open Password, Zeitschrift für Bibliothekswesen und Bibliographie.

The Rutgers University (RU) Open and Affordable Textbooks (OAT) Program provides $1,000 incentive awards to faculty who commit to redesigning or developing a course to use open or affordable course materials. This can include replacing a traditional textbook with open educational resources (OER), library-licensed materials, course reserves, self-developed materials, or a combination of these. It is a university-wide initiative, but this paper will focus on the impact on students in the health science programs. In many cases Health Sciences faculty went beyond using open educational resources by developing their own and making them freely available to their students and others. As of 2020 it is estimated students in the health sciences have saved $285,218 through the use of open materials and sustainable course design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2009, the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine at Florida International University opened its doors. From the start, its medical library sought student feedback by administering a survey to each class. The responses found that students use online resources far more than the facility, that the hours are mostly adequate, and that most students prefer a combination of print and electronic textbooks. By analyzing the data, the library determined students' preferences for space, services, and resources and how those preferences have changed over time. This data will inform future decisions about the library's collection, services, and facility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Starting in the 1990s, health care providers began prescribing opioids to patients as pain relievers, believing they were safe. However, many patients became addicted to these pills. In 2017, the US Department of Health and Human Services declared a public health emergency to fight the opioid epidemic. This crisis was prevalent in East Tennessee, where many residents were prescribed opioids. Case Presentation: Librarians at an academic medical center library in East Tennessee analyzed the health information requests related to pain, mental health, and addiction over the last fifteen years. We reviewed the pattern of requests related to these topics, the counties requesting this information, and the impact that these hospital policies had on these requests. Conclusions: From 2005 to 2014, there were few requests about mental health, pain, and substance abuse. However, once the library moved into the hospital and there was an increase in awareness of opioid addiction, requests on those topics increased. Most of the requests were about pain, with the height occurring in 2017, during which year the public health emergency to fight the epidemic was declared. Additionally, 2017 was the year the hospital implemented visitor limitations for patients with infections associated with intravenous drug use, which might explain the drastic drop in substance abuse information requests in 2018. Future outreach will target counties that have a high opioid prescription rate.

The unexpected death of the longtime editor-in-chief of this journal overshadows the current issue, which is otherwise all about the AGMB annual conference 2020. In addition to the obituary for Mr. Bruno Bauer, this issue also contains a selection of interesting conference contributions. The interviews with previous chairmen and chairwomen and with the current chairwoman of the AGMB are particularly informative.

The paradigm shift in medical academic practices in Pakistan is becoming a challenge for medical librarians. Majority of medical schools in Pakistan have started problem based learning, undergrads medical research program and Postgraduate programs. This quantitative study aims to investigate the information literacy program in medical libraries situated in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province of Pakistan. The questionnaire administered with in 20 medical colleges libraries using Google Forms as an instrument for data collection and distributed link among all medical college librarians of the province. Findings of the study revealed that majority medical libraries are providing informal information literacy using orientation, bibliographic instructions and occasional lectures as method. The target audience of the information literacy was newly inducted Students. The effectiveness and importance of information literacy program for medical students considered by (87.50%) librarians. This study by large will contribute to modify the current practices of information literacy by the medical libraries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The focus of the current issue 1-2/2020 of GMS MEDIZIN – BIBLIOTHEK – INFORMATION is on evidence-based medicine and systematic review in German, Austrian and Swiss medical libraries. The authors in this issue are Helge Knüttel, Maria-Inti Metzendorf and Martina Semmler-Schmetz (Health sciences libraries in Germany as supporters of evidence-based medicine: current situation and new directions), Lorena Cascant and Stefanus Schweizer (SWOT analysis for systematic review services in German, Austrian and Swiss medical libraries), Volker Braun (Search service at the Mannheim Medical Faculty), Michelle F. Schaffer (Services for EBM – from teaching to clinical research and practice: experiences at the University of Bern), Brigitte Wildner (The role of the librarian in the Cochrane systematic review process: a case report), Gerhard Bissels and Irma Klerings (Towards the first postgraduate course in Medical & Health Librarianship), Thomas Nordhausen and Julian Hirt (Navigating in the jungle – recommendations for selecting databases for systematic literature searching), and Sabine Buroh and Stefanus Schweizer (The new working group on evidence-based medicine within AGMB). In addition to the articles listed above, the current issue of GMS MEDIZIN – BIBLIOTHEK – INFORMATION also features articles on other topics written by Iris Reimann (From the AGMB), Sergei V. Jargin (Some aspects of the Russian medical library system), Jasmin Schmitz (“Zukunft wissenschaftlicher Bibliotheken?!” [The Future of Research Libraries?!] – report on an online conference organized by ZB MED and OPEN PASSWORD) and Bruno Bauer (The Medical Librarian’s Bibliography 2019).

The Medical Librarian’s Bibliography 2019 lists all articles from GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information and selected publications relevant to medical librarians from following journals: ABI Technik, Bibliothek – Forschung und Praxis, Bibliotheksdienst, B.I.T. online, BuB: Forum Bibliothek und Information, Information – Wissenschaft & Praxis, Journal of EAHIL: European Association for Health Information and Libraries, Mitteilungen der Vereinigung Österreichischer Bibliothekarinnen und Bibliothekare, o-bib. Das offene Bibliotheksjournal, Zeitschrift für Bibliothekswesen & Bibliographie. The list also includes articles from medical journals written by staff of medical libraries. In such cases, entries of authors were only created if they are working in medical libraries.

Since 2018 Dietrich Rebholz-Schuhmann is scientific director of – Information Centre for Life Sciences. In this interview he speaks on his motivation for assuming that task and informs about his aims. By intensifying ZB MED’s research activities, the re-admission into the Leibniz Association should be made possible. The scientific priorities at ZB MED are set by professorships at the University of Cologne, the Technical University of Cologne, the University of Bonn and in future also at the University of Bielefeld. Important offers from ZB MED are services to the life science community and support of open science. For this ZB MED has developed a number of collaborations, notably with the Bielefeld Institute for Bioinformatics (BIBI). Furthermore, the interview informs about the support of AGMB by ZB MED and the perspective of ZB MED for the coming years. Finally Rebholz-Schuhmann gives his opinion on the future of libraries, which he sees as decisive players in the information society.

The focus of the current issue 3/2019 of GMS Medizin – Bibliothek – Information is the annual conference 2019 of the German Medical Libraries Association in Göttingen. The motto of the conference was “AGMB 2019: Shaping new paths together”. The authors in this issue are Christina Draheim, Kristof Kessler, Janus Wawrzinek & Stefan Wulle (The search plattform PubPharm), Dagmar Härter (Dissection, dissection, cutting - virtual and without blood: two years of practical experience with „Anatomage“ at the Göttingen Medical Library), Birte Lindstädt (Electronic laboratory notebooks as part of research data management in the life sciences), Elisabeth Müller & Dietrich Rebholz-Schuhmann (Acquisition strategy of ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences), Simone Petermeise & Iris Reimann (Now you can touch heart and brain in the Medical Library of RWTH Aachen University), Iris Reimann & Martina Semmler-Schmetz (Quo vadis AGMB? Results of the online member survey 2019 and outlook on possible consequences for the AGMB), Claudia Wöckel (Learn, share, act, bridge boarders… Think out of the box; Publication support for scientists – libraries as service partners) and Diana Klein (AGMB 2019: Shaping new paths together. Annual Meeting of the German Medical Library Association (AGMB), September 16 to 18, 2019 in Göttingen). Furthermore this focus issue features articles from Bruno Bauer & Dietrich Rebholz-Schuhmann (ZB MED – Information Centre for Life Sciences: A 10-question interview with director Dietrich Rebholz-Schuhmann by Bruno Bauer) and Iris Reimann (German MLA (AGMB) News; German MLA (AGMB) competition “Pioneer projects in medical libraries” 2020 – announcement).

The purpose of the present research is to evaluate the service quality of medical college libraries of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences from the users' perspective based on the LibQUAL+ model. Furthermore, is to make a comparison between perceived quality in terms of users' different education level. The data were collected from 119 questionnaires which were responded by 13 college libraries' clients by administering the LibQUAL+ questionnaire in a printed format. The findings revealed that college libraries have been failed in satisfying even the minimum expectations of their users as well as could not meet the customers' desired expectations that make them fully satisfied with the service quality. This study also revealed a wide gap between users' perceptions and expectations of service quality. The effect of services dimension is the most satisfying dimension. Furthermore, findings showed that the relationship between education level and satisfying with the service quality is statistically significant (P<0.001). It is necessary for the university managers to pay more attention to the quality of library services equally in all the colleges included. This will lead to help libraries to meet the user's expectations of service quality in all colleges which will lead to academic improvements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study revealed about the physicians perspective towards ICT application in the central library of NEIGRIHMS, Meghalaya. Medical library has been developing day by day in this technological epoch. The present study was limited only for physicians both in clinical and non clinical sections. The study was conducted by simple random sampling and data were collected by using questionnaire method from the physicians. It was noticed that 85% respondents provided responses and the received responses were analyzed and tabulated in various sections. The findings showed that physicians purpose of library usages, their attitude, impact of ICT, techniques for searching e-resources, difficulties in using the library & satisfaction level etc. The role of medical librarian is very crucial for dissemination of advanced library services in this digital environment. Physicians retrieved the recent information relating biomedical science field with the help of emerging eresources, medical library databases & consortium. The study will help to know the ICT impact in the library and its effectiveness among the medical fraternity of NEIGRIHMS in Meghalaya state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this study was conducted to find out the realistic about the user's utilization and satisfaction level of Central library of Sikkim Manipal Institute of Medical Sciences (SMIMS), Gangtok, Sikkim, India. The user's satisfaction of a library totally depends upon the utilization of library resources and services. Methodology: For the required queries a questionnaire was prepared for the present study and it was distributed among 120 SMIMS students randomly. Findings: The study exposed that students use the library for browsing e-resources and borrow books as per their need. From the students responses it was clear that users give preferences on accessing e-resources than printed material. Research Limitations: The present study is limited only for the students of the particular medical institution. The students were selected from different disciplines i.e. medical science, nursing and physiotherapy. Though faculties also use the library along with the students of this institution yet the research survey was limited for the students only. Practical Implications: Users were satisfied by using the library services like e-resources accessing, printing & photocopying service, DDS service, SMS alert service etc. Above these services the respondents recommended for digitization of the central library for the better utilization of library services as new information and communication technology are developing day by day so it should be implemented for best practices. Originality: This is the original study as it is absolutely based on primary data from student's survey. Some additional data are also collected personally from the library staff to know the better utilization of library services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]