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NLM Newsline 1998 January-March; Vol. 53, No. 1The NLM Newsline is published 6 times a year by the National Library of Medicine (National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services). In addition to electronic access, the printed NLM Newsline is mailed without charge to institutions and individuals interested in health sciences communications. For further information, contact the NLM Newsline Editor, Melanie Modlin; e-mail address: mm354i@nih.gov
Contents:
OnlineUsage Statistics SmashedFree MEDLINE Rewrites NLM Record BookAppearing before the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Labor, HHS, Education and Related Agencies in March of last year, NLM Director Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg told Members of Congress that someday "it might actually be possible to offer MEDLINE without charge." Just over three months later, of course, Dr. Lindberg's hopeful assertion became reality as Vice President Al Gore performed the ceremonial first free search of the Library's vast MEDLINE database. The demonstration, in a U.S. Senate hearing room, took place June 26, 1997. In a matter of months, NLM's records for online searching would be thrown out the window. The two gateways to MEDLINE, the new PubMed, developed by the NLM's National Center for Biotechnology Information, and Internet Grateful Med, launched in 1996, have both seen an explosion in use since World Wide Web access to MEDLINE became available free of charge. Web usage now accounts for more than 90 percent of all MEDLINE searches done at NLM. The number of searches done on PubMed and Internet Grateful Med in March_1998 was 7.6 million, more than the number of MEDLINE searches done for the whole of 1996 (7.4 million). Today, the world's largest database of peer- reviewed medical information is being queried at least a third of a million times daily. This represents more than a tenfold increase in roughly eight months. By the end of March, the figure climbed closer to 400,000 searches. PubMed achieved a record of 315,000 MEDLINE searches on March 10th, with ELHILL adding 67,356. ELHILL's all-time record for MEDLINE searches was set February 24, 1998, with 71,618. And these numbers are expected to continue climbing as the number of users with Internet and Web access increases. There are other impressive statistics. The NCBI web site logs over 2.4 million hits per day, most of them searches of MEDLINE through PubMed, but a large proportion searches of NCBI's molecular biology and genetics databases. As Dr. Dennis Benson, Director of NCBI's Information Resources Branch, reports, "Since PubMed's inception, we've logged accesses from over two million different users. That, in my opinion, is an impressive statistic, since it shows the penetration of MEDLINE into the public sector and provides a confirmation of Vice President Gore's statement about launching PubMed in order to 'empower' the American public in improving their health care." Who is doing all this MEDLINE searching?
"There's a core of traditional users, of course: doctors and other health professionals, librarians, scientists and students," explained Dr. Lindberg. "These users are delighted with the new (and free), easy-to-use methods of access we have provided." Dr. Brandon Brylawski, Senior Developer at NCBI, designed and built the original PubMed system. He commented on the special benefits of free MEDLINE to persons in the medical field. "Doctors, nurses, and other health professionals have historically kept their medical knowledge up-to-date with a hodgepodge of methods, including conferences, audio or video tapes, textbooks, and the occasional journal article," explained Dr. Brylawski. "These knowledge sources are often spotty and leave large gaps; indeed, some doctors seem to get much of their new information about medication from pharmaceutical salesmen. The medical literature, which necessarily forms the core of any educational program, is far from most practitioners' lives: they just do not have the time to read the often vast amount of relevant literature in their field, nor have time to review the latest findings on a given illness during the course of their busy days. MEDLINE, long used by academics and researchers, was just not convenient and cost-effective." "The advent of free, easy-to-use MEDLINE may for the first time bring the medical literature close enough to the average health professional to cause a dramatic change in the application of health science," continued NCBI's Dr. Brylawski. "I believe that if an average doctor or other health worker can research a topic of immediate interest, locate a relevant paper or two, and print them out within the scope of fifteen minutes, then the use of the literature will become a routine, daily part of many professionals' practice. For the first time, a typical doctor's office will have access to the same cutting-edge information as any academic center; dramatic improvements in health care cannot help but result." MEDLINE to Index Selected Consumer Health PublicationsChange Reflects General Public's Increased Use of NLM Databases In response to rising consumer interest in obtaining reliable health information from MEDLINE, NLM Director Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg has approved the inclusion of 12 carefully selected titles that contain information specifically for patients, their families and the general public, beginning with 1998 issues. The publications are:
ELHILL in TransitionLibrary's Workhorse to Be Slowly Phased Out "ELHILL" is the term for one subsystem of NLM's MEDLARS computerized system of databases and databanks. ELHILL was created by the Lister Hill Center, the Library's research and development arm, and refined and maintained for the last 25 years by the Office of Computer and Communications Systems (OCCS). ELHILL's 23 databases provide online access to information on a wide range of subjects relating to biomedicine. Not an acronym, ELHILL is named after U.S. Senator Lister Hill of Alabama (L. Hill) who, with Senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts, introduced legislation creating the National Library of Medicine. MEDLARS is an acronym for the MEDical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System. The ELHILL system has never been busier than in recent months. Since the launch of free MEDLINE in June of 1997, ELHILL records for Citations Printed, Disk Accesses, Searches, Characters and Program Slices have been broken repeatedly. But despite its many years of reliable service, the estimable ELHILL program will gradually be phased out. Dramatic advances in computer technology and rapid growth in the volume of online searching of NLM databases are the forces behind the change. The letter at right, by NLM Director Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg, provides the rationale for this decision: Dear Reader: ELHILL as a means of searching NLM databases has been a reliable workhorse for more than 25 years. It was developed in the late 1960s and has been improved over the decades. Those who maintain it (and some of them have been with ELHILL its entire life!) say that it has reached the end of its useful service. The software must be replaced by modern software that can be improved and maintained properly. I have heard from a number of you in recent days expressing your concern. It is difficult to say goodbye to an old friend, but we must. Furthermore, the very computer hardware required to operate ELHILL is itself being replaced by modern client-server architecture. PubMed and Internet Grateful Med have already permitted us to increase MEDLINE searching by tenfold within the past 8 months. This means that NLM's MEDLINE services must respond to heavier use and to use by tens of thousands of new users. I am completely confident that PubMed and Internet Grateful Med will do this job and will continue to get better. So far as the communications network goes, there is no alternative to the Internet, save for the "Next Generation Internet." It is the economies of using the Internet that allowed us to offer free MEDLINE searching to begin with. Federal agencies have been told to use the Internet to disseminate scientific and technical information and it is being adopted by most U.S. and international corporations for business purposes as well. We are fortunate that the U.S. leads the world in this development. If there are problems in some localities, at least these are the problems of success. I am certain we can count on continuing improvements to the Internet to provide a sound basis for further NLM information services. I know there have been some birthing pains for our new systems. We are rapidly improving their reliability, flexibility, and capability. More and more of NLM's databases will be incorporated into PubMed and Internet Grateful Med. A trained user of MEDLINE can now do on PubMed almost anything that can be done on ELHILL. I hope that the medical library community in particular will give the new systems a fair trial; tell us what needs to be improved. Some of the criticisms being leveled at PubMed are unfounded. Refer to the techniques published on the NLM Home Page* (www.nlm.nih.gov) and in Gratefully Yours before deciding that something can't be done. If you still encounter difficulties, I will be glad to pass your concerns and suggestions on to our network and technical staff. Finally, I ask for your patience as we transition to new systems. We will not abandon ELHILL until we are assured that the new systems can provide an acceptable replacement. Donald A.B. Lindberg PubMed System UpdatedLoansome Doc, Search Enhancements Among New Features PubMed, the National Center for Biotechnology Information's system providing free access to MEDLINE, started 1998 with a major makeover. The new PubMed 2.0 became available on the World Wide Web January 26, 1998. The updated version responds to many comments and suggestions received from NLM's expert language searchers. New and advanced features in this version of PubMed include: The Loansome Doc Ordering System, allowing users to order full-text copies of articles from a local medical library. (Local fees may apply.) Users must register to use this service. Current Loansome Doc users may continue to use their existing User ID and password. New users may register on PubMed after clicking the "Order" button. A MeSH Browser, on the sidebar menu. The browser is in its early stage of development and will continue to change in response to users' comments and suggestions. For now, it displays MeSH descriptors only in a hierarchical structure and lets users select terms for searching. In addition, users can attach subheadings directly and limit terms to a Main Concept. If a non-MeSH term is entered, the MeSH browser will check against the MeSH Mappings and display the associated MeSH term. A Details button. "Details" displays a window with the current translated search strategy using PubMed's search and syntax rules. Within this window, the search strategy can be edited and then resubmitted. The Details button is automatically present on the document summary page (initial display of citations) and in the Current Query intermediate page after an Advanced Search mode search. A revamped Citation Matcher. This feature, available from PubMed's sidebar menu, is a fill-in-the-blank form that allows users to enter journal citation information in order to locate a specific single article, issue's content, or entire journal's content. MeSH Searching Enhancements, including MeSH terms and MeSH major topic search fields. For more information about these and other new or improved PubMed features, go to: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/PubMed/news.html. "We Were Here First"New Exhibit Probes Centuries of History at NLM Site The National Library of Medicine has mounted a new exhibit entitled "We Were Here First: The History of the NLM Site 1000 BC-AD 1955." Located at the entrance to the History of Medicine Division, just off the NLM lobby (Building 38), the exhibit uses original artifacts and digital reproductions of maps and photographs to illustrate three thousand years of human activity on the land on which the NLM now stands and its immediate environs. The land has been variously used as a hunting camp (approximately 1000 BC-AD 1600), a tobacco plantation, the summer home of a descendent of Martha Washington, and a country club and golf course. "This exhibition offers a new perspective on our history by examining the variety of past uses of material space -- the land to which we come to work every day," observed Dr. Elizabeth Fee, Chief of the History of Medicine Division. "'We Were Here First' gives us a new sense of some of the people who came before us. It allows us a glimpse of the fascinating waves of activity that have taken place in one small area of Montgomery County, where our buildings stand today." From approximately 1000 BC-AD 1600, small groups of hunters periodically visited the area, using it as a hunting camp and a stopping place on the route between western Maryland and the Potomac River. Archeological excavations carried out in the area just south of NLM, across the small brook, uncovered evidence of extensive tool- making activity. Some of the objects such as stone projectile (i.e. spear and arrow) points, hammerstones, and daggers, are on display. The NLM area was part of two land grants, "Clagett's Purchase" and "Huntington", made to Thomas Fletchall in 1715. By 1783 the land was owned by Robert Peter, one of the wealthiest men in Montgomery County. His son, Thomas, married Martha Washington's granddaughter, Martha Parke Custis. Their granddaughter and her husband, Armistead Peter, a physician who was in charge of a smallpox hospital during the Civil War, inherited the Bethesda land and built a summer home called Winona on this site. While descendants of the prominent Peter and Custis families lived in the house on the hill, a local family named Gingle occupied a house near the stream. Maps from 1865, 1879, and 1894 show the locations of the Peter and Gingle homes. In 1921, the Town and Country Club, a private club founded by members of Washington's German-Jewish community, purchased the property. It was later renamed the Woodmont Country Club. Extensive renovations turned the Georgian brick house into a white columned mansion and the surrounding land into a nine-hole golf course. Posters from this period announce dances on the "Starlight Open Porch" and celebrate the expansion of the golf course. The Federal Government purchased the land for NIH in 1948 but ran it as the public Glenbrook Golf Course until 1955. Ground was broken for the National Library of Medicine in 1959. The exhibit, curated by Carol Clausen, will be on display until the end of June. Flyers are available. Thanks to Carol Clausen, Librarian, History of Medicine Division, for contributing this article. 
Winona, built around 1870 on the site where the National Library of Medicine now stands. "Partners in Information Access"NLM, NN/LM and CDC Unite To Address Public Health Professionals' Needs The National Library of Medicine, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have joined forces to improve public health professionals' access to information technology and information services. In January 1997, these organizations, in partnership with the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), launched "Partners in Information Access for Public Health Professionals." They convened for the first time at NLM. This initiative is working to identify the information needs of public health professionals and to provide them with timely, convenient access to information resources. The primary goals are to: (a) increase public health professionals' awareness of the NLM, the NN/LM, and CDC programs and services; (b) assist public health professionals in getting connected to the Internet; (c) train them in using information technology and information services; and (d) increase awareness of public health information needs and resources among NN/LM members. The initiative is being spearheaded by a Steering Committee made up of representatives from the CDC, NLM, NN/LM, ASTHO, and NACCHO. A number of preliminary steps have been completed: 1) Linkages have been established between the Web sites and information resources of the participants, including a link between NLM's Health Services Technology Assessment Texts (HSTAT) System and CDC's Prevention Guidelines Database; 2) a fact sheet describing the program is available via NLM's Home Page with active links to CDC, NN/LM, ASTHO and NACCHO; 3) a series of articles has been published about CDC's epidemiologic database, WONDER (Wide Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research), NLM and the NN/LM in the "Electronic Book Corner" section of the Journal of the American Public Health Association; and 4) NLM has made plans for regular exhibits at the national conferences of ASTHO and NACCHO. The Library has also established mechanisms for alerting ASTHO and NACCHO members of relevant NLM funding opportunities. On March 23, 1998, NLM will co-sponsor with the New York Academy of Medicine a national forum, "Accessing Useful Information: Challenges in Health Policy and Public Health," which will assist in identifying public health information needs and appropriate methods for addressing them. The Library also expects to fund NN/LM outreach and connections projects targeted toward public health professionals. Long- range plans include satellite- and computer- based training for public health professionals, with an initial emphasis on web-based AIDS and environmental health information resources.
Thanks to Angela Ruffin, Outreach Librarian, NN/LM Network Office, for contributing this article. Associations Switch to Free Web AccessNLM Maintains Alliances With Medical Groups In 1991, the National Library of Medicine and the American College of Physicians (ACP) began discussions on an experimental pilot project to provide fixed-cost access to MEDLINE for ACP members. Viewed as the final barrier to access, costs needed to be removed from the decision as to how much or how long a physician would use MEDLINE for searching for information for clinical practice, education and research. Launched in 1992, the program became not only a highly successful member benefit for ACP members, but also the model for similar agreements with the American Academy of Dermatology, the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Cardiology, the American College of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American College of Surgeons and the Texas Medical Association. As the Internet has become ubiquitous in the dissemination of information, it has become possible to deliver MEDLINE at no charge to our customers. This changes not only the method of delivery but also our mode of delivery from a PC or Mac-based client to a Web client. Not only do association members no longer require the software client, they do not have to pay for use. The Association Flat-Rate programs were certainly instrumental in achieving the goal of getting healthcare information directly to the desk of the healthcare provider. Given the new methods for access, however, they are no longer necessary and will be discontinued. A great deal of thanks must go to those associations who worked with NLM to make these programs a success. NLM will continue to work closely with all the medical associations and others, to ensure their easy access to MEDLINE. Many associations have built a link from their association home page to NLM. Alliances are being made with other partners in order to make access to MEDLINE an integrated and seamless part of their products. If you would like to do so, just direct your web client to www.nlm.nih.gov . For more information, please contact Karen Hajarian, 301-402-4277, or hajarian@nlm.nih.gov . Names in the NewsNLM Director Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg has been chosen one of "Federal Computer Week's Federal 100" of 1998, a group of 100 executives from government, industry and academia found by an independent panel of judges to have had the greatest impact on the government systems community in 1997. The exceptional group of winners was selected for "the differences you have made in the way agencies and companies develop, acquire and manage information technology in the federal world." NLM Director Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg and Dr. Michael Ackerman, head of the Library's High Performance Computing and Communications Office, have been named co- recipients of the 1998 Ranice W. Crosby Distinguished Achievement Award. The award is given annually by the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Department of Art as Applied to Medicine. It recognizes those who have made scholarly contributions to the advancement of the communication of knowledge in the medical science, and who best exemplify the ideals of Ms. Crosby, Director Emerita of Art as Applied to Medicine. Drs. Lindberg and Ackerman were acknowledged for their leadership roles in the creation and implementation of the Visible Human Project, "one of the significant contributions to the knowledge base of medicine in the twentieth century." NLM Deputy Director Kent A. Smith delivered the National Federation of Abstracting and Information Services (NFAIS) Miles Conrad Lecture February 24, 1998, in Philadelphia. Conrad was the first president of NFAIS and one of its founders. Smith's topic was "Federal Information Policy: Putting It All Together." Text of his remarks may be viewed at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/od/roster/smith.html#Miles.NLM Board of Regents Chairman Dr. Michael E. DeBakey will be awarded an honorary doctorate degree from the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in May. Dr. DeBakey is Chancellor Emeritus and Distinguished Service Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
"Indexer extraordinaire" Thelma Charen, who in her decades at NLM trained hundreds of librarians and indexers in the use of Medical Subject Headings and the principles of subject control and access, retired in November. Ms. Charen's professionalism and creativity won many admirers, including former NLM Director Martin M. Cummings, M.D., who, at a 1994 celebration of her 50 years of federal service, observed, "I have never ceased to admire your outstanding contribution in making the world's biomedical literature readily accessible and easily retrievable. Your work places you alongside of [John Shaw] Billings and [Robert] Fletcher." David J. Vecchioli, a library technician in the History of Medicine Division, traveled to Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada in late October to deliver his paper, "'Where the Boundary Line Is': Spopee and Blackfoot Borderlands," at the 29th Annual Algonquian Conference. Vecchioli's paper told the story of a Blackfoot man, Spopee, who spent 32 years at the Government Hospital for the Insane in Washington, D.C., today known as St. Elizabeths Hospital. The Algonquian Conference annually gathers scholars from several fields who are interested in the study of Alqonguian arts, culture, history, and languages. Vecchioli, who is pursuing an M.A. in history part-time at the University of Maryland, College Park, wrote the paper last summer during a masters thesis research course. Roger Jelliffe, M.D., Professor of Medicine, Division of Geriatric Medicine, at the University of Southern California School of Medicine, and an NLM grantee, was awarded the 1997 American Association of Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Award in Clinical Sciences. NLM Receives 1998 James Madison AwardFree MEDLINE, PubMed Hailed for "Furthering the Public's Right to Know" NLM has been named a winner of the 1998 James Madison Award, honoring its "unique and valued contributions" in "furthering the public's right to know." The Madison Awards, presented annually on March 16th, the anniversary of Mr. Madison's birthday, are sponsored by the Coalition on Government Information, a 50-member group founded in 1986 by the American Library Association. Members share Madison's commitment to open public access to government information. The Library was recognized for its decision to provide free Internet access to MEDLINE, the largest and most extensive database of published medical information, and for creating PubMed, a service that links users from the abstract to the full text of an article. In the press release announcing the awards, the Coalition quoted a statement NLM Director Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg made when announcing the launch of free MEDLINE. "Citizens are increasingly turning to the Web as a source of information to improve their daily lives, including their health. So it is vital that they, and the health professionals who serve them, have access to the most current and credible medical information." Other winners of the 1998 Madison Awards were: Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Ben Bagdikian, who has written extensively on the public's right to information; former U.S. Superintendent of Documents Wayne Kelley, who oversaw the Federal Depository Library Program, providing public access to millions of federal publications through a national network of depository libraries; and Eliot Christian, a federal computer specialist who, with the support of the U.S. Geological Survey, developed the Government Information Locator Service (GILS), assisting the public in locating and using government information. 
Dr. Donald Lindberg (r), representing NLM, chats with Now, "Voyager"Integrated Library System to Support Basic Library Functions As a Federal Reinvention Laboratory under the National Performance Review, NLM is undergoing a transition from its mainframe legacy systems to a more modern client/server environment. As part of this effort, NLM has selected Voyager, developed by Endeavor Information Systems, Inc., as its new integrated library system (ILS), to support basic library functions. Voyager will replace a number of internal custom-built systems developed at NLM over the last 25 years. Voyager, an integrated information management system designed for academic and research libraries, will be used by NLM for acquisitions, serials control, cataloging, collection management, circulation, preservation, binding and an Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC). The OPAC will provide the retrieval engine for online access to the Library's cataloging records for monographs, audiovisuals and serials, replacing existing online access mechanisms such as Locator, CATLINE, AVLINE and SERLINE. Voyager is a fully integrated system that combines open system architecture and relational database technology. It will allow NLM to incorporate data from the ILS into its other unique applications. Directed by Joe Hutchins, Office of Computer and Communications Systems, and Dianne McCutcheon, Division of Library Operations, NLM staff members will be working with Endeavor, the developer of Voyager, to add new features to the product, including a binding module and enhancements to the closed stack request module and serials processing to meet NLM's internal processing requirements. NLM expects to begin implementation of Voyager in the fall of 1998. African-American History Month LectureSaluting the Civil Rights Movement's Forgotten Health Activists When Martin Luther King III spoke at NIH last month at a ceremony marking his father's birthday, he stressed the importance of continuing the late civil rights leader's work for equal rights. King suggested that those included the right to high-quality, affordable health care, and to equal treatment in clinics, hospitals and other medical institutions. He also called for expanded health education and other outreach efforts in minority communities, as a way of reducing disparities in the incidence of disease and disability. No doubt Martin Luther King III would have enjoyed the National Library of Medicine's African-American History Month lecture, "The Forgotten Radicals: Health Activists and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s." The February 5th presentation examined the largely unrecognized efforts to achieve equality and fairness in health care that were underway during the height of his father's civil rights activism. Gerard Fergerson, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Health Policy and History at New York University, began his talk by noting that African-American History Month provides "an important cultural space for projects of historical recovery." For this topic from the not-too-distant past, recovery of information proved an unexpected challenge. His review of numerous definitive accounts of the civil rights movement yielded "not one reference to community organizing among health workers in the 1960s, the fight for hospital desegregation, protests against racial covenants in medical teaching and research institutions, or the testimony of health workers at Congressional hearings on civil rights bills. Simply, there is work to do." Dr. Fergerson is now doing the work, researching a book to chronicle this missing piece of American history. After considerable digging, he discovered "the largely unexplored activism of the Medical Committee for Human Rights," founded in New York City in June of 1964. "A multi-racial organization with roots that intersected with other old health left, as well as local and national civil rights organizations, MCHR was initially formed in response to a call to provide a 'medical presence' to care for civil rights activists who headed south for the 1964 Freedom Summer Project," Dr. Fergerson explained. (Freedom Summer brought droves of northerners, many of them young students, to the south to fight for civil rights.) "Membership in MCHR would remain open to members of the health profession and 'members of the public' during the entire period of its existence," he continued. "By the time that the organization disbanded in 1980, it had been instrumental in many anti-racism and social justice activities in health, including calls for better medical care in Mississippi; national appeals to end segregation in medical care; the design and staffing of health clinics (some providing free care by volunteers); protests to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission to enforce anti-discrimination statutes; the battle for national health insurance; anti-nuclear activities; and, finally, the general fight to combat poverty and race as barriers to occupational and social mobility and access to health care in society." At its peak in 1971, MCHR had some 40 chapters with over 20,000 members. In his lecture, Dr. Fergerson discussed how the anti-racism agenda of MCHR had a unique influence on the mainstream civil rights movement, "by offering a critique of social and health status, which highlighted the empirical and material conditions under which blacks and the poor lived." He also made the case for a "new synthesis" of the history of medicine and the history of civil rights, "to address the important influence of older social and health left movements on calls for an end to racism and oppression in the health and medical arena." By early 1965, in the aftermath of Freedom Summer, MCHR had established a firm national foundation for health civil rights work. The organization (and many of its members, who would remain committed champions of equality in the health arena) would embark on a set of significant health activities and social justice projects over the next 25 years. And, although the struggle for health equality continues, there are many lessons to be gained from these efforts of three decades ago. "The need to challenge concepts of governmental intervention, social justice, and racism is perhaps no less pressing in 1998 than it was during the early 1960s," observed Dr. Fergerson. "Financial and non- financial barriers to health care access are still chronic problems for our racialized and marginalized urban communities," he noted. "Though the temptation is strong to consign the story of civil rights and health activism solely to the annals of history, because we have won some major battles, we must not give in to this impulse," said Dr. Fergerson in conclusion. "As I have tried to illustrate this afternoon, the work and legacy of MCHR might provide an inspiration for those who are still concerned with these issues." 
Dr. Gerard Fergerson recalls the "Doctors at the Gate"The Public Health Service at Ellis Island As part of the Bicentennial Commemoration of the U.S. Public Health Service in 1998, an exhibit, "Doctors at the Gate: The U.S. Public Health Service at Ellis Island," will be on display at the National Museum of Health and Medicine, Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Washington, DC, from February 5 through June 21, 1998. The exhibit will focus on the role played by the Public Health Service (PHS) in the medical inspection of arriving immigrants at Ellis Island from the time that it opened in 1892 until more restrictive laws greatly slowed the flow of immigrants to the United States in 1924. It will also discuss the care provided on the Island to those immigrants who required hospitalization. The Office of the PHS Historian, National Library of Medicine, and the Media Arts Branch of the Program Support Center, Department of Health and Human Services, collaborated with the Museum in the preparation of the exhibit. Professor Alan Kraut of American University, an expert on immigration history, served as a consultant. A number of individuals and institutions provided artifacts, photographs and information for use in the exhibit. The National Museum of Health and Medicine is located at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Georgia Avenue and Elder Street, NW, Washington, DC. For museum hours and directions, call 202-782-2200.
NLM Board of Regents Commends MLAMedical Librarians and Medical Library Association Honored for 100 Years of Service At its January meeting, the NLM Board of Regents approved a resolution recognizing and applauding the Medical Library Association (MLA) in its Centennial Year. Text of the resolution follows. Whereas, medical librarians play an essential role in improving patient care, medical research, and health science education, and Whereas, medical librarians are expert in locating, evaluating, and managing the large and constantly expanding body of biomedical information, and Whereas, medical librarians are expanding their role in managing new forms of information related to health care management and delivery and health promotion, and Whereas, medical librarians have created an unprecedented network - the National Network of Libraries of Medicine - to share information rapidly and efficiently in all areas of the United States, and Whereas, the Medical Library Association has effectively represented and supported medical librarians for 100 years: It is hereby RESOLVED that the Board of Regents of the National Library of Medicine recognizes and applauds, in this Centennial Year of the Medical Library Association, the essential role of librarians at hospitals, medical schools, and other health-related institutions for their expertise in providing biomedical information and their skill in utilizing new technologies for the benefit of patients, health practitioners, researchers, educators, and administrators throughout the Nation. Garrison Portrait Hung in HMDInfluential Librarian Recognized for Many Contributions For the past 35 years, the only visible presence of Fielding Hudson Garrison (1870-1935) in the National Library of Medicine has been the faint outline of his face, incised on the wall of the Building 38 lobby, alongside the images of his colleagues, John Shaw Billings and Robert Fletcher. Portraits of Billings, the founder of the Library, and his assistant, Fletcher, hang in NLM's Main Reading Room. Now, a painting of Garrison, newly refurbished and hung in the History of Medicine Reading Room, accords him the prominence that his many contributions to the Library deserve. Garrison joined the staff of the Library of the Surgeon General's Office (the predecessor of the NLM) as a clerk in 1891 and remained for almost 40 years. He earned an M.D. degree from Georgetown University in 1893, taking courses at night, and was promoted to Assistant Librarian in 1899. He became Principal Assistant Librarian, a position which made him second to the Library's director (the Librarian) in 1912, and was thereafter frequently called upon to serve as Acting Librarian. With Billings and Fletcher, he helped produce the first series of the Index Catalogue of the Library of the Surgeon-General's Office. Later he became co-editor and then editor of Index Medicus, a duty he performed until the end of his career at the Library. His contributions to these landmark publications helped ensure their excellence and established the Library as the leader in providing control and access to biomedical literature.
The portrait, which was painted by Franklin B. Clark in 1937, shows Garrison in early middle age, wearing the uniform of a lieutenant colonel in the Army Medical Department. The painting was done from a photograph. Garrison had died two years earlier at the age of 64. Thanks to Carol Clausen, Librarian, History of Medicine Division, for contributing this article. Multilateral Initiative on MalariaPublic and Private Sectors Unite To Battle Disease's Resurgence in Africa The ushering in of a new year tends to bring with it a surge of energy and eager resolve to explore novel ideas. The flurry of activities at NLM in January is testament that this year is no different. On January 20th and 21st more than 30 people from 12 countries convened at NLM for what promised to be an exciting and productive meeting of the Communications Working Group of the Multilateral Initiative on Malaria (MIM). Involvement with MIM, a relatively young and innovative international project, began at its inception one year ago in Dakar, Senegal. An initiative known for its truly global spirit and far-reaching goals, MIM draws from the expertise of members of the NIH community, international research agencies, donor organizations, and malaria researchers from Africa and around the world to strategize on more effective ways to combat the resurgence of this deadly disease in Africa. The Final Report of the Dakar meeting identified the need to improve communication capabilities of scientists and researchers working in Africa as integral to the success of MIM. Following the Dakar meeting, NLM accepted the responsibility for planning and implementing a strategy for bringing Internet connectivity to malaria research sites in Africa. Formation of the Communications Working Group, which consists of scientists, funders, medical librarians, and telecommunication specialists, was intended to serve as an effective forum to tackle this pressing issue. Dr. Elliot Siegel, Associate Director for Health Information Programs Development (OHIPD), and Chair of the Working Group conference commented, "NLM is proud of its role as facilitator and catalyst. Together, it's our mission to help expedite this process of improving communications by identifying specific technological solutions that are responsive to local scientific research needs, and thereby significantly enhancing the achievements of the malaria research community." The conference was organized by Julia Royall, Special Expert with OHIPD, who worked closely with colleagues at NIAID, CDC, the Pasteur Institute, and the Wellcome Trust, to help assure a close tie between malaria research funding and support of the new communications infrastructure that will result from this work. The meeting began with presentations by malaria researchers from Mali, Senegal, Kenya, and Tanzania, who discussed the on- going research at their respective centers. They highlighted how the Internet will assist their particular research focuses by providing rapid communication with colleagues both on the continent and worldwide. The prospect that these networking capabilities would also include direct access to foreign databases and journals including NLM's PubMed system, was met with great enthusiasm. After these presentations, the Working Group "got to work" by splitting up into smaller groups to collectively strategize on the next steps. With a focus on science as the driving force behind MIM, the groups generated working documents that laid out the beginnings of detailed strategies to undertake over the next year. Medical librarians from Africa and the international telecommunication experts were on hand to offer pertinent advice to the groups as they developed their ideas. Their firsthand experience in Africa was essential to ensure the production of feasible and sustainable implementation plans. The groups concentrated on topics of content, connectivity, and training specific to each malaria research center. Regina Shakakata, a dynamic medical librarian from Zambia, touched upon an important issue when she said, "Awareness cannot be overlooked. People simply do not make use of what they do not know. Technology alone is not enough -- we need to spend time training to show the personnel at the sites how to use this to its full potential." The groups addressed insightful points such as this in their discussions and incorporated them into the final documents. The conference ended on a positive note with the participants expressing optimism for the road ahead. "We are now at a pivotal point in time when the contribution of the African scientist to global malaria research is not just beneficial, but absolutely necessary. And one cannot conduct quality research without having the capacity to collaborate with others at an equal level. This group is attempting to do just that, and I think it this meeting has set a great precedent for future interactions," stated Kevin Marsh, a malaria researcher working in Kenya. The Working Group set a tentative date for their next conference which will most likely take place in, fittingly, Africa. Thanks to Isis Nyong'o, a participant in the Stanford in Washington internship program, for contributing this article. Isis, a junior at Stanford, came to NLM's Office of Health Information Programs Development to work on the communications aspect of MIM.
Getting Better All the TimeSmall Changes Add Up to Big Workplace Improvements for Visitors, Staff If you work at NLM or have visited recently, you may have noticed a number of changes for the better. The canteen's been moved and is bigger, brighter and beautified. There are additional security cameras, placed strategically throughout both buildings. Two sets of crosswalks span Center Drive, the street separating NLM from the Natcher Building and the Metro. Visitors who use wheelchairs have better exterior signage to guide them to entrances designed for their use. The elevator at the front of the main Library building (38) has been modified to make it easier to use for patrons in wheelchairs or with sight impairments. Two sets of restrooms in the Lister Hill building (38A) and in the main Library building have been modified to accommodate wheelchair users, with larger stalls and a keypad that will open the main door. There are TTY telephones for hearing-impaired visitors. These small changes add up to a big difference. "We're trying to make the Library a place more responsive to the needs of our staff and our patrons," explained Donald C. Poppke, NLM Executive Officer. "Our goal is to help employees and visitors feel comfortable and safe, and to make our services as accessible as possible" he continued. "All of these efforts - along with many others like flexible schedules, family-friendly leave policies and universal Internet access - are aimed at improving the quality of work life at NLM." One new improvement will be detectable only in the event of a power outage. Battery- powered lights in stairwells and hallways will allow visitors and staff to exit the building when conventional lights fail. "Many of us remember a scare in March of 1996, when the battery-powered emergency generator failed because it was in the flooded area," Poppke explained. "There were no alarms and people were trapped in dark stairwells. This new system will ensure that that never happens again." There's also a pilot project under way to lessen the strain of long-term computer work. "Ergobreak" software is being tested by staff in the Office of Administration and the Office of the Director. This program has cues that appear on the screen at regular intervals, encouraging exercise, stretching, eye movement and other stress relievers. "We decided to look into this product when a number of NLM staff experienced ergonomically related problems." "In all of these efforts, we have had tremendous assistance from NIH's Division of Engineering Services," Poppke concluded. "They have been absolutely outstanding." Poppke is keeping an eye out for other improvements to make to the Library and its surroundings. In the coming year, he says he hopes to be able to announce improvements in the Building 38 sprinkler system, better energy conservation and possibly the replacement of the alarm system in Building 38A. Keep your eyes open and you may see these and other upgrades soon. NLM in PrintThe following references cite works that discuss the products and services of the National Library of Medicine. If you know of other appropriate citations for this column, please send reprints or references to the Editor, NLM NEWSLINE, Public Information Office, National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD 20894, or e-mail to mm354i@nih.gov. (Note: Some of the articles below may be from publications that are outside the scope of the NLM collection and therefore are not available from the Library on interlibrary loan.)
PRODUCTS AND PUBLICATIONSNew Database Allows Search by Chemical Structure NLM has created what's thought to be the first public World Wide Web site that lets scientists search and retrieve information from databases by chemical structure. The Library's chemical structure home page (http://chem.sis.nlm.nih.gov) is designed to speed access to toxicological, environmental and medical data. It uses MDL Information Systems' Chemscape product line to render 2- D and 3-D chemical structures. Using a form provided on the NLM site, researchers can draw a structure or substructure, conduct a data search, retrieve an interesting parent compound or perform a similarity search. Fact Sheets UpdatedNLM has recently updated the following fact sheets, all of which are accessible from the NLM home page (http://www.nlm.nih.gov), under the heading, "NLM Publications." The titles of the revised fact sheets are:
Last updated: 10 January 2000 First published: 01 January 1998 Permanence level: Permanent: Stable Content
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U.S. National Library of Medicine, 8600 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20894 National Institutes of Health, Department of Health & Human Services Copyright, Privacy, Accessibility Last updated: 14 February 2000 |
Participants in the Partners in Information
Access for Public Health Professionals, meeting at the National Library of
Medicine.
Christa Hoffmann, (left) Head, Cataloging Section,
Technical Services Division, and Alice Jacobs, (right) Assistant Head,
recently received the NIH Quality of Work Life Award for initiating and
contracting for an evaluation of all TSD workstations, to determine how
well they met staff members' needs. This resulted in recommendations for
improvements for each staff member and in training for all staff. The
Quality of Work Life Awards salute the outstanding efforts of individuals
and groups who strive to improve workplace conditions. his commitment
improves not only the quality of work life, but also the quality of
science. 
A Public Health Service doctor examines the eyes
of an arriving immigrant for trachoma. (Photo Courtesy of the National
Archives)
Garrison was an avid student of the history
of medicine and was recognized as the preeminent American authority in
this field. In 1911 he published in the Journal of the American Medical
Association a list of classic medical publications, the by-product of
research he had done for an exhibit of significant books, pamphlets, and
articles in the Library's collection. This checklist of milestones in the
development of medicine from ancient times to the 20th century was revised
and greatly expanded by Garrison in 1933 and later by others. Now in its
fifth edition, the bibliography, commonly known as "Garrison &
Morton," remains a standard reference work in medical history. Garrison
also published, in 1913, An Introduction to the History of Medicine, which
had gone through four editions by 1929 and is still a highly respected and
widely used text. It is particularly fitting that Garrison now presides
over the History of Medicine Reading Room, where he casts an informed and
benevolent eye upon present-day researchers in medical history. 
The Communications Working Group of the
Multilateral Initiative on Malaria met January 20-21 at NLM. More than 30
persons from 12 nations participated.