In the response section of the NYTimes, MDBookLady gave a wonderful plug
for librarians.
http://nytimes.abuzz.com/interaction/s.116009/discussion/e/1.7708

Rather than telling each other that we're great, she took her message to
the readers.

--
Mari Stoddard          mailto:[log in to unmask]
Arizona Health Sciences Library     520/626-2925 (voice)
PO Box 245079, Tucson AZ 85724        520/626-2922 (fax)
University of Arizona      http://educ.ahsl.arizona.edu
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Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2000 13:03:10 -0400
From: "Smith, Catherine" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: NY Times

And ACTomlin did it even better than Booklady...Fess up AC Tomlin, are you
on the list?

Catherine Arnott Smith, MA, MILS, MSIS
Predoctoral Research Fellow
Center for Biomedical Informatics
University of Pittsburgh

(412) 521-4117 home
(412) 383-3071 work
but email is best: [log in to unmask]
===============================================================================

Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2000 09:44:38 -0400
From: "Smith, Catherine" <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: NY Times

T. Scott P. wrote:

"In other words, the point of her article seems to be "It's not all on the
Internet and it's not all free!"  Who can argue with that?"

I was the one who brought this article up so here's my 2 cents (or maybe 4
cents). I agree with T. Scott and the others who have said Zuger's article
made some good points. My opinion is that she never dropped the other
shoe. It is certainly important to convey to people that everything isn't
on the Internet. Yes, we have all been trying to convey the same message
for years at rather lower salaries and with considerably less media
exposure. BUT the other part of that message SHOULD have been "Here's how
to get the furshlugginer ARTICLES." Loansome Doc. Your local public
library. Pony Express. SOMETHING. Dr Zuger, unless I missed something, did
not even use the word "Medline".

Which is a segue into the other point commentators have made: the
librarian was not mentioned. The librarian as a individual is key to
getting that article to people (doctors OR consumers). I don't care if
that article is got to them via the ether, for $$$ on the part of the
institution, or via the Post Office. A librarian has been trained to get
that article, by some means, at some cost, in some format, to people.
Mention the librarian and you in some way admit that there is a solution
to the information problem.

I am involved in developing a website for consumer health right now, and
we had a meeting with a pseudo-focus group of one person (Yes, I know, we
need more, this was just for practice). We asked her what SHE'd like to
see on our website and most of her needs revolved around Medline. She was
already searching PubMed, she said. But she had no idea how to get the
articles!

We need more columns like Zuger's, but telling the whole story.


Catherine Arnott Smith, MA, MILS, MSIS
Predoctoral Research Fellow
Center for Biomedical Informatics
University of Pittsburgh
(412) 521-4117 home
(412) 383-3071 work
but email is best: [log in to unmask]