Beautifully put Michelle.
Sarah
-----Original Message-----
From: Hilton Boon Michele [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 04 July 2005 10:22
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: 50 - 100 journals instead of 30,000
In the article cited, Smith does not propose that 'someone' decides on
50-100 journals and cuts the rest. He says that too many journals make
ethically dubious profits principally by providing reprints requested by
drug companies (of articles that favour their products). He suggests that,
if this practice were ended, most journals would go bust but would not be
missed. I think he means that they would not be missed because (a) most
journal articles do not provide information that is relevant and useful for
clinical practice, (b) too many articles are published in order to promote
the interests of their authors & their sponsors rather than the greater
good, (c) too many articles are of poor scientific quality, and (d) most
clinicians don't have time to read them anyway.
Folks, there is a sea-change coming and we ignore it at our peril. Our
users are suffering from terminal information overload. No one can read the
amount of health care research being produced. Evidence-based practice must
suffer accordingly. Commentators in the medical literature have been saying
since the 1960s - well before the deluge of electronic information! - that
clinicians do not have time to read research literature and need instead
reliable, relevant summaries of evidence from trusted sources. Have we been
listening? We need to meet (even anticipate) our users' needs rather than
doing what we have always done and piling on the journal subscriptions and
Medline search results.
Do not fear change!! We are a clever, adaptable bunch. The internet has
not made us obsolete; nor will changes to the nature of scientific
publication.
Yours in the revolution!
Michele
---
Michele Hilton Boon
Information Scientist
National Prescribing Centre
-----Original Message-----
From: UK medical/ health care library community / information workers
[mailto:[log in to unmask]]On Behalf Of Juliet brown
Sent: 04 July 2005 10:01
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: 50 - 100 journals instead of 30,000
and after the journals they start on the librarians - ohhhhhhhhh
nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
yours the un-good and paranoid librarian at the Vale
Juliet
Juliet Brown
Medical Librarian - Vale of Leven DGH
Never lend books, for no one ever returns them. The only books I have in my
library are books that other folks have leant me.
(Anatole France)
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>>> Gordon Smith <[log in to unmask]> 07/04/05 09:38am >>>
And who or what decides which are the 50 to 100 good journals? And what
about the un-good (or partly un-good?) ones? And how can one make sure
the good journals don't become un-good in the future?
Gordon.
Gordon Smith
The Sally Howell Library
Epsom General Hospital
Dorking Road
Epsom, Surrey, KT18 7EG
Tel. 01372-735688, Fax 01372-735687
NULJ=HOWE, HLN=EP
<<Cela est bien dit>> rEpondit Candide
<<mais il faut cultiver notre jardin>>. - Voltaire.
>>> "Panzetta, Sarah" <[log in to unmask]> 01/07/2005
12:49:56 >>>
Wouldn't that simplify things! This is the proposal made by Richard
Smith,
former editor of BMJ, in the Guardian yesterday:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/life/interview/story/0,12982,1517194,00.html
Sarah Panzetta
Library and Health Promotion Resources Manager
Camden PCT Library
&
Camden and Islington Health Promotion Resources Service
St Pancras Hospital, 4 St Pancras Way, London NW1 OPE
Tel: 020-7530 3936/3910 [log in to unmask]
www.camdenpct.nhs.uk/library
&
www.camdenpct.nhs.uk/resources
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