Dear colleagues
The Health Information Working Party
published the 5th edition of the Core Collection of Medical Books last
summer. This new edition was pruduced in association
with Tomlinsons Booksellers who have taken over the publication and distribution.
They have already sent out nearly one thousand copies but
do still have copies.
UK health librarians who have not
yet received a copy should contact Tomlinsons on [log in to unmask] or
0172 884 455.
The Health Information Working Party
met recently to discuss how to take this work forward. We hope to
work on new Core Collections on different topics and to look at new ways
of making this resource available.
First published in 1992, the Core Collection
has established itself as a reliable acquisition guide for the small to
medium sized library in a hospital or comparable medical institute. It
concentrates on materials of interest to UK health libraries and as such
complements the US Brandon/Hill list which appears in the Journal of the
Medical Library Association.
The Core Collection does not claim to
be a definitive list of titles but a recommended selection of the material.
The methodology used to compile the Core Collection was revised for this
new edition. Basic selection criteria include: the book has to be in print;
clinical books have to be more recent
than 2000 and non-clinical books have
to be more current than 1995; and books should cover established and not
transient topics. Specific selection
criteria included: currency; production
standards; evidence for critical base; reputation, and user demand. We
anticipate that libraries will use it as a
selection resource and choose from it
according to the scope of their collections. In the UK it has become an
established selection tool as well as
a means of supporting bids for additional
funding.
Best wishes
Richard Jones
Chair, Health Information Working Party
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