Brief Communications
USE OF THE OCLC SYSTEM IN A HOSPITAL LIBRARY* BY JOSEPHINE YEOH. Medical Librarian
Riuerside Methodist Hospital Columbus, Ohio
THIS paper is addressed chiefly to hospital librarians who may be considering installation of an OCLC cataloging computer terminal in their libraries. OHIO COLLEGE LIBRARY CENTER The Ohio College Library Center is a nonprofit organization which maintains a computer data base of' cataloging information for over one million books in machine-readable form. A member librarv, by using its OCLC computer terminal, may search the data base for a book by one of three methods: LC number, author-title search, or title search. If' cataloging copy for the book is in the data base, it will be displayed on the screen. The member library may then make any changes or modifications desired. When the displaved cataloging is satisfactory, a command is given requesting production of card catalog cards, and these are sent within a week to the member library. If the book is not in the data base, the member library is then obliged to catalog the book using a "work form" which is displayed on the screen. The library is not charged for terminal use for cataloging that particular book. RIVERSIDE METHODIST HOSPITAL Riverside Methodist Hospital is an 870-bed hospital in Columbus, Ohio, with a house staff' of ninety interns and residents. Approximately forty-five Ohio State University medical students rotate through for clinical experience each month. There is also a school of' nursing. and the library is available to all hospital * Presented June 4, 1975, at the Seventv-fourth Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association, Cleveland, Ohio. Revised, August 1975.
Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(1) Jan. 1976
departments and personnel. The library has a collection of' 6,500 books, 250 journal subscriptions, 7 medical audiocassette subscriptions, a patient education area, a pamphlet collection, and a small f'iction collection. An average of' thirtv-f'ive reference bibliographies are prepared for users per month. Around forty-f'ive interlibrarv loans are borrowed and thirty-f'ive are loaned. A photocopy machine is available, maintained by the librarv staff' of one full-time professional, one f'ull-time assistant, and one weekend assistant. FEASIBILITY PLANNING I had to decide whether (1) my library was large enough to be able to utilize an OCLC terminal, (2) the OCLC data base would contain enough medical and nursing books to be of' value, and (3) the installation of' a terminal would be economically feasible. A conference with Mr. Frederick Kilgour, Director of' the Ohio College Library Center, was reassuring as to the first two points. Approximately 500 books per year are catalogued by the hospital library, using the NLM classification system, and the problems of producing catalog cards were great. However, in the OCLC system, two medical school libraries were online at that time, which meant that probablv 90 to 95%. of' my collection would be in the data
base. As for economic feasibility, I had intended to request another full-time assistant which would have cost around $5,500 per year in wages. However, it was estimated that the cost of' the terminal for the first vear, including installation and "library prof'ile" (tailoring the OCLC cataloging to the hospital's individual cataloging preferences), would be approximately $1,500. This f'ig,ure was based also on a cost of' $2.00 per book for each first time use of the terminal to request catalog cards (actually. the present cost is $1.80. down from $2.02 in the summer of' 1974), and 3.4 cents per printed catalo, card. We estimated an average of' seven cards per book. The hospital installs and maintains the telephone line as part of' its Centrex system.
53
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
Therefore, it was not difficult to convince my administrator to f'ollow the route of automation. And one fiscal year later, I am requesting only another half-time assistant rather than a f'ulltime position.
By projection, my total fee for one year's use should be a little less than the estimated $1,500, and I will probably catalog in the neighborhood of 400 books.
2. Cataloging System. All books in the data base are cataloged according to the LC and Dewey systems. Nearly all nursing and hospital administration books are also cataloged by the NLM system. However, for medical books, a significant proportion are not cataloged according to NLM, and I have to reclassify them, add the medical Cutter numbers, and give them MeSH subject headings. However, when the National Library of Medicine data come into OCLC, this problem will disappear, at least for small libraries with limited collections. If a library is using some other classification system and does not plan to convert, OCLC will be of little benefit in book cataloging. 3. Staff. A small library will have to consider the fact that the training session will take one full day, that a relatively competent person is needed to operate the terminal, and that therefore the terminal may not be used to its fullest potential. This is because the librarian will most likely be the one operating the terminal, and in a library employing only one professional librarian there will be interruptions when other high priority projects are to be completed. 4. Hardware. If a library is thinking of installing a MEDLINE or a CAI terminal, neither of which ordinarily utilizes a CRT terminal, it is possible to request an OCLC teletypewriter terminal which gives a printout, and which may be compatible with either or both of the above systems. There is at present the capability of' producing book labels and pockets by hooking the Beehive 100 terminal to an IBM Selectric typewriter with a hard copy printer attachment, but in my opinion, this is not economically feasible for a small library. 5. Future Potential. In the future, serials imay be cataloged and even checked in on-line, audiovisuals may be cataloged, and the system may be used as a union catalog among member libraries. This will be a very useful tool for on-line interlibrarv loan processing. Eventually, book searching may be done by subject. Also, terminals may be used for circulation control.
DISCUSSION 1. Budget. There will be long-distance Tymshare phone charges for those located outside Columbus. Also, those libraries not located in Ohio are expected to purchase their computer terminals, at a cost of approximately $3,700, depending on the model.
CONCLUSIONS I find that my initial enthusiasm for having an OCLC terminal has been justified, and my main frustration is that I am unable to utilize its potentialities fully, due to my present staff shortages. As library staffing costs increase and automa-
THE TERMINAL The Ann Arbor Terminal, model K2480D, was installed on October 23, 1974. This is a CRT terminal which is less complex than the Beehive 100 terminals installed in larger libraries. However, since all the books in the Riverside library are in English, and there will be little original cataloging done, this terminal has proved quite adequate. COSTS OCLC has several membership fee payment options, and the three advance payment plans give discounts as follows: annual, in advance, 6%; semiannual, in advance, 4.5%; and quarterly, in advance, 3%. We chose the fourth option, monthly after-the-fact, without discount, since our present cataloging volume is both small and irregular. Thus far according to my log, kept from installation on October 23, 1974, until February 28, 1975, our charges have been as follows:
For terminal installation For "library profile" First-time use charges October 1974: 12 titles November 1974: 40 titles December 1974: 35 titles Catalog card production October 1974 Approx. November 1974 Approx. December 1974 Total
54
$87.50 235.00 21.60 72.00 63.00 4.00 18.00 14.17
$515.37
Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(1) Jan. 1976
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
tion costs decrease, and as NLM data come online, I would conclude that any but the smallest hospital library might consider OCLC membership.
Use of Multiple Data Bases in Bibliographic Services By GERTRUDE FOREMAN, Search Analyst CAROL BALDWIN, Search Analyst
Bio-Medical Library University of Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota
As an educational institution the library is involved in the dynamic process of diffusing knowledge. Compiling bibliographies has long been recognized by librarians as one method for disseminating intellectual resources. However, in actual practice some libraries provided rather limited bibliographic service when searching was a manual process. With the advent of on-line computer-assisted searching, libraries could offer service to more people, provide more comprehensive bibliographies by searching data bases, or produce more relevant bibliographies by selecting the most appropriate data base. This has been the experience at the University of Minnesota Bio-Medical Library. That bibliographic services are an integral part of library reference service seems to be an accepted tenet of medical librarianship. In the first edition of the Handbook of Medical Library Practice, Cunningham refers to preparation of "fairly comprehensive subject or author bibliographies" or more limited searches of "current indexes for only the last ten years" as a reference service to be provided depending on library capabilities [1]. In the second edition of the Handbook, Cunningham and Grinnell recognize that "preparation of comprehensive or complete bibliographies requires much time," but "libraries are frequently asked to supply references on a given subject covering the last ten or fifteen years" [2 1. Cunningham and Grinnell provide sample search questions as well as a "suggested form for requesting bibliographic reference service" [3]. Lewis, in 1970, claims that "a minimal level of service included the capability of compiling reading lists of recent articles on specified medical topics." FurtherBull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(1) Jan. 1976
more, in the "largest and best libraries," special bibliographic programs "may include current awareness or alerting services, selective dissemination of information ... or mechanized information retrieval" [41. Lewis also refers to expanded bibliographic assistance with the "aid of a wide spectrum of indexing and abstracting services" and he includes a bibliographic search procedure checklist [5 ]. At the Bio-Medical Library, the late 1960s to early 1970s was a period of rapid growth during which time the library emerged as one of the strongest of the University of Minnesota libraries. But bibliographic search services did not gain impetus until computer-based data bases became available. Belated implementation did not indicate a lack of concern. A review of recent annual reports [61 reveals a steady increase in MEDLARS requests from eight in 1967/68 to fifty-three in 1971/72. In 1969 the feasibility of literature search services for rural health professionals was studied [7]; the service was subsequently funded by Northlands Regional Medical Program for one year. Service for university clients also was initiated in 1969. Requests for manual literature searches increased from
twenty-one in 1968/69 to fifty-four in 1970/71. The Bio-Medical Library became a member of the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE network in June, 1972, and the SUNY Biomedical Communication Network in March 1973.
During 1972/73, 3,096 searches were processed. After charges were imposed in 1973/74, the number of searches dropped to 1,764. With requests for computer bibliographies again increasing, we feel it is appropriate to place greater emphasis on improving search service rather than increasing search numbers. Processing a request on several data bases is one of the more apparent means of improvement. With the availability of an increasing number of on-line data bases, libraries can provide more comprehensive reference service. The decision to add new data bases does not necessarily improve library services. If data bases are to be used to advantage, analyst training [8] and "information-base consciousness" [91 are essential. Familiarity with different data bases enhances selection of and retrieval from the various files. With access to the SUNY Biomedical Communication Network and MEDLINE. librarians at the Bio-Medical Library may use MEDLARS, Psvchological A bstracts, ERIC.
55
USE OF THE OCLC SYSTEM IN A HOSPITAL LIBRARY* BY JOSEPHINE YEOH. Medical Librarian
Riuerside Methodist Hospital Columbus, Ohio
THIS paper is addressed chiefly to hospital librarians who may be considering installation of an OCLC cataloging computer terminal in their libraries. OHIO COLLEGE LIBRARY CENTER The Ohio College Library Center is a nonprofit organization which maintains a computer data base of' cataloging information for over one million books in machine-readable form. A member librarv, by using its OCLC computer terminal, may search the data base for a book by one of three methods: LC number, author-title search, or title search. If' cataloging copy for the book is in the data base, it will be displayed on the screen. The member library may then make any changes or modifications desired. When the displaved cataloging is satisfactory, a command is given requesting production of card catalog cards, and these are sent within a week to the member library. If the book is not in the data base, the member library is then obliged to catalog the book using a "work form" which is displayed on the screen. The library is not charged for terminal use for cataloging that particular book. RIVERSIDE METHODIST HOSPITAL Riverside Methodist Hospital is an 870-bed hospital in Columbus, Ohio, with a house staff' of ninety interns and residents. Approximately forty-five Ohio State University medical students rotate through for clinical experience each month. There is also a school of' nursing. and the library is available to all hospital * Presented June 4, 1975, at the Seventv-fourth Annual Meeting of the Medical Library Association, Cleveland, Ohio. Revised, August 1975.
Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(1) Jan. 1976
departments and personnel. The library has a collection of' 6,500 books, 250 journal subscriptions, 7 medical audiocassette subscriptions, a patient education area, a pamphlet collection, and a small f'iction collection. An average of' thirtv-f'ive reference bibliographies are prepared for users per month. Around forty-f'ive interlibrarv loans are borrowed and thirty-f'ive are loaned. A photocopy machine is available, maintained by the librarv staff' of one full-time professional, one f'ull-time assistant, and one weekend assistant. FEASIBILITY PLANNING I had to decide whether (1) my library was large enough to be able to utilize an OCLC terminal, (2) the OCLC data base would contain enough medical and nursing books to be of' value, and (3) the installation of' a terminal would be economically feasible. A conference with Mr. Frederick Kilgour, Director of' the Ohio College Library Center, was reassuring as to the first two points. Approximately 500 books per year are catalogued by the hospital library, using the NLM classification system, and the problems of producing catalog cards were great. However, in the OCLC system, two medical school libraries were online at that time, which meant that probablv 90 to 95%. of' my collection would be in the data
base. As for economic feasibility, I had intended to request another full-time assistant which would have cost around $5,500 per year in wages. However, it was estimated that the cost of' the terminal for the first vear, including installation and "library prof'ile" (tailoring the OCLC cataloging to the hospital's individual cataloging preferences), would be approximately $1,500. This f'ig,ure was based also on a cost of' $2.00 per book for each first time use of the terminal to request catalog cards (actually. the present cost is $1.80. down from $2.02 in the summer of' 1974), and 3.4 cents per printed catalo, card. We estimated an average of' seven cards per book. The hospital installs and maintains the telephone line as part of' its Centrex system.
53
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
Therefore, it was not difficult to convince my administrator to f'ollow the route of automation. And one fiscal year later, I am requesting only another half-time assistant rather than a f'ulltime position.
By projection, my total fee for one year's use should be a little less than the estimated $1,500, and I will probably catalog in the neighborhood of 400 books.
2. Cataloging System. All books in the data base are cataloged according to the LC and Dewey systems. Nearly all nursing and hospital administration books are also cataloged by the NLM system. However, for medical books, a significant proportion are not cataloged according to NLM, and I have to reclassify them, add the medical Cutter numbers, and give them MeSH subject headings. However, when the National Library of Medicine data come into OCLC, this problem will disappear, at least for small libraries with limited collections. If a library is using some other classification system and does not plan to convert, OCLC will be of little benefit in book cataloging. 3. Staff. A small library will have to consider the fact that the training session will take one full day, that a relatively competent person is needed to operate the terminal, and that therefore the terminal may not be used to its fullest potential. This is because the librarian will most likely be the one operating the terminal, and in a library employing only one professional librarian there will be interruptions when other high priority projects are to be completed. 4. Hardware. If a library is thinking of installing a MEDLINE or a CAI terminal, neither of which ordinarily utilizes a CRT terminal, it is possible to request an OCLC teletypewriter terminal which gives a printout, and which may be compatible with either or both of the above systems. There is at present the capability of' producing book labels and pockets by hooking the Beehive 100 terminal to an IBM Selectric typewriter with a hard copy printer attachment, but in my opinion, this is not economically feasible for a small library. 5. Future Potential. In the future, serials imay be cataloged and even checked in on-line, audiovisuals may be cataloged, and the system may be used as a union catalog among member libraries. This will be a very useful tool for on-line interlibrarv loan processing. Eventually, book searching may be done by subject. Also, terminals may be used for circulation control.
DISCUSSION 1. Budget. There will be long-distance Tymshare phone charges for those located outside Columbus. Also, those libraries not located in Ohio are expected to purchase their computer terminals, at a cost of approximately $3,700, depending on the model.
CONCLUSIONS I find that my initial enthusiasm for having an OCLC terminal has been justified, and my main frustration is that I am unable to utilize its potentialities fully, due to my present staff shortages. As library staffing costs increase and automa-
THE TERMINAL The Ann Arbor Terminal, model K2480D, was installed on October 23, 1974. This is a CRT terminal which is less complex than the Beehive 100 terminals installed in larger libraries. However, since all the books in the Riverside library are in English, and there will be little original cataloging done, this terminal has proved quite adequate. COSTS OCLC has several membership fee payment options, and the three advance payment plans give discounts as follows: annual, in advance, 6%; semiannual, in advance, 4.5%; and quarterly, in advance, 3%. We chose the fourth option, monthly after-the-fact, without discount, since our present cataloging volume is both small and irregular. Thus far according to my log, kept from installation on October 23, 1974, until February 28, 1975, our charges have been as follows:
For terminal installation For "library profile" First-time use charges October 1974: 12 titles November 1974: 40 titles December 1974: 35 titles Catalog card production October 1974 Approx. November 1974 Approx. December 1974 Total
54
$87.50 235.00 21.60 72.00 63.00 4.00 18.00 14.17
$515.37
Bull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(1) Jan. 1976
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS
tion costs decrease, and as NLM data come online, I would conclude that any but the smallest hospital library might consider OCLC membership.
Use of Multiple Data Bases in Bibliographic Services By GERTRUDE FOREMAN, Search Analyst CAROL BALDWIN, Search Analyst
Bio-Medical Library University of Minnesota Minneapolis, Minnesota
As an educational institution the library is involved in the dynamic process of diffusing knowledge. Compiling bibliographies has long been recognized by librarians as one method for disseminating intellectual resources. However, in actual practice some libraries provided rather limited bibliographic service when searching was a manual process. With the advent of on-line computer-assisted searching, libraries could offer service to more people, provide more comprehensive bibliographies by searching data bases, or produce more relevant bibliographies by selecting the most appropriate data base. This has been the experience at the University of Minnesota Bio-Medical Library. That bibliographic services are an integral part of library reference service seems to be an accepted tenet of medical librarianship. In the first edition of the Handbook of Medical Library Practice, Cunningham refers to preparation of "fairly comprehensive subject or author bibliographies" or more limited searches of "current indexes for only the last ten years" as a reference service to be provided depending on library capabilities [1]. In the second edition of the Handbook, Cunningham and Grinnell recognize that "preparation of comprehensive or complete bibliographies requires much time," but "libraries are frequently asked to supply references on a given subject covering the last ten or fifteen years" [2 1. Cunningham and Grinnell provide sample search questions as well as a "suggested form for requesting bibliographic reference service" [3]. Lewis, in 1970, claims that "a minimal level of service included the capability of compiling reading lists of recent articles on specified medical topics." FurtherBull. Med. Libr. Assoc. 64(1) Jan. 1976
more, in the "largest and best libraries," special bibliographic programs "may include current awareness or alerting services, selective dissemination of information ... or mechanized information retrieval" [41. Lewis also refers to expanded bibliographic assistance with the "aid of a wide spectrum of indexing and abstracting services" and he includes a bibliographic search procedure checklist [5 ]. At the Bio-Medical Library, the late 1960s to early 1970s was a period of rapid growth during which time the library emerged as one of the strongest of the University of Minnesota libraries. But bibliographic search services did not gain impetus until computer-based data bases became available. Belated implementation did not indicate a lack of concern. A review of recent annual reports [61 reveals a steady increase in MEDLARS requests from eight in 1967/68 to fifty-three in 1971/72. In 1969 the feasibility of literature search services for rural health professionals was studied [7]; the service was subsequently funded by Northlands Regional Medical Program for one year. Service for university clients also was initiated in 1969. Requests for manual literature searches increased from
twenty-one in 1968/69 to fifty-four in 1970/71. The Bio-Medical Library became a member of the National Library of Medicine's MEDLINE network in June, 1972, and the SUNY Biomedical Communication Network in March 1973.
During 1972/73, 3,096 searches were processed. After charges were imposed in 1973/74, the number of searches dropped to 1,764. With requests for computer bibliographies again increasing, we feel it is appropriate to place greater emphasis on improving search service rather than increasing search numbers. Processing a request on several data bases is one of the more apparent means of improvement. With the availability of an increasing number of on-line data bases, libraries can provide more comprehensive reference service. The decision to add new data bases does not necessarily improve library services. If data bases are to be used to advantage, analyst training [8] and "information-base consciousness" [91 are essential. Familiarity with different data bases enhances selection of and retrieval from the various files. With access to the SUNY Biomedical Communication Network and MEDLINE. librarians at the Bio-Medical Library may use MEDLARS, Psvchological A bstracts, ERIC.
55
