2000 SC/MLA Annual Meeting Presentations


Karen L. Roth/Thomas W. Hill- Abstract 2003

Comparison of Delivery Methods Used for Article Requests in Two Hospital Library Settings
Karen L. Roth - Manager, Medical Libraries, Morton Plant Mease Health Care, Clearwater, Florida
Thomas W. Hill - Librarian, Medical Library, Self Regional Healthcare, Greenwood, South Carolina

Purpose: This poster will delineate the available delivery methods for articles from two hospitals libraries and compare their use for both internal and external customers during a three month period.

Setting: The two medical libraries are similar in size and services. Each library carries approximately 2000 books and 250 print journal subscriptions, and each makes available several online full-text resources for all patrons. The libraries are staffed 40 hours per week and are available 24/7 to physicians and hospital personnel. Morton Plant Hospital, home of the main medical library for Morton Plant Mease Health Care, is an urban, not-for-profit community hospital. The Medical Library of Self Regional Healthcare is in the SRH Medical Center, a rural, not-for-profit, family practice residency teaching and regional referral center.

Brief Description: Data will be collected over at least one three (3) month period. The hospital libraries have a multifunction digital copy machine, which not only makes paper copies but also makes paperless faxes and scan items into TIFF. Both libraries can convert paper or TIFF to PDF copies. The Morton Plant Hospital library also has a microfiche machine, which can make paper copies, paperless faxes, or TIFF attachments. Only data on these various forms of “copies” made of journal articles during the prescribed time frame will be collected.

Expected Outcomes: It is expected that data collected from this project will show that libraries are moving from paper copies to a variety of electronic formats for delivery to customers. These data will help us to understand how better to serve the customers' needs. Many library patrons have expressed a desire to receive information using email and/or other computer access. Moving to a more seamless approach will expand the customer base of the library.

Discussion: The Medical Library continues to move toward non-paper products and also continues to “push” the consumer