Library and Information Science

Because of the rapid increase in demand for more sophisticated information services in medicine, the traditional library service is getting to be obsolete.

The Kitasato Memorial Medical Library of Keio University has developed fairly extensive literature search services in manual. However, as the university library system is undergoing a drastic change and is developing a network of information centers for research and education, the medical library is also involved and is facing this evolution, which will make it necessary to plan a more extensive information service.

To define the services the new medical information center should provide, “the guideline for medical school libraries” prepared in 1965 by a joint committee of the Association of American Medical Colleges and the Medical Library Association, and the proposal on improving university libraries prepared in 1970 by the Association of Government Universities in Japan were examined. The former was found to be very enlightening in regard to the basic philosophy of medical librarianship and the role of medical librarian, but not very helpful in obtaining information on the actual services a medical library should offer. The latter could not help us at all for the purpose.

Although the information activities of the Smith, Kline & French in Philadelphia had been a goal for the library's information services for a long time, their recent drastic development made their services a little too sophisticative for a medical school library with very limited computer aid.

The new center will have to develop its own policy for the center's information service. One thing is certain that the center's information service should not be restricted only to the printed information.