Production of a union list of serials using the PHILSOM Serials System

Journal ArticleThe Eccles Library has used the PHILSOM serials control system since 1969, when it was the first library to join the PHILSOM Network. The PHILSOM system is a comprehensive, automated serials control system, developed and operated as a network by the Washington University School of Medicine Library. Begun as a batch system, it was upgraded to offer online records maintenance in 1978

IAIMS and the library at the University of Utah

Journal ArticleThe formal creation of an Integrated Academic Information Management System (IAIMS) at the University of Utah began in the fall of 1983. The keystone of the IAIMS effort is the HELP hospital information system. IAIMS at the University of Utah is a broad-based program extending across the Health Sciences Center and beyond to health professionals throughout the intermountain area. This paper describes the background that led to IAIMS, the IAIMS planning process, and the library's participation in this effort

Utah education network: a collaborative model

Journal ArticleHigh-speed data communications networks are transforming the operations, services, and roles of libraries. While the installation of the physical network is often the focus of activity, the administrative and political issues are, in fact, fundamental. For libraries to participate in and influence the development of networks, building new partnerships has proven to be an effective strategy. This paper describes the use of this strategy in the development of the Utah Education Network. This participation is essential if libraries are to take full advantage of the technologies and to ensure that networks reflect the fundamental values of the profession

Tracing technology in AAHSL

Journal ArticleFrom the beginning of the association, technology and AAHSL have been intertwined. Technology was the focus of one of the first committees. Innovative applications of technology have been employed in the operations of the association. Early applications of mini-computers were used in the preparation of the Annual Statistics. The association 19s utilization of network communications was among the first in the country and later applications of the web have enhanced association services. For its members, technology has transformed libraries. The association 19s support of the early development of IAIMS and of its recent re-conceptualization has contributed to the intellectual foundation for this revolutio

Estelle Brodman and the first generation of library automation

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this paper is to examine the contributions of Estelle Brodman, PhD, to the early application of computing technologies in health sciences libraries. METHODS: A review of the literature, oral histories, and materials contained in the archives of the Bernard Becker Medical Library at the Washington University School of Medicine was conducted. RESULTS: While the early computing technologies were not well suited to library applications, their exciting potential was recognized by visionaries like Dr. Brodman. The effective use of these technologies was made possible by creative and innovative projects and programs. The impact of these early efforts continues to resonate through library services and operations. CONCLUSIONS: Computing technologies have transformed libraries. Dr. Brodman's leadership in the early development and application of these technologies provided significant benefits to the health sciences library community

The Library and the Department of Medical Informatics: Collaboration or Conflict

manuscriptBiomedical Informatic

Decadal changes in fire frequencies shift tree communities and functional traits

Global change has resulted in chronic shifts in fire regimes. Variability in the sensitivity of tree communities to multi-decadal changes in fire regimes is critical to anticipating shifts in ecosystem structure and function, yet remains poorly understood. Here, we address the overall effects of fire on tree communities and the factors controlling their sensitivity in 29 sites that experienced multi-decadal alterations in fire frequencies in savanna and forest ecosystems across tropical and temperate regions. Fire had a strong overall effect on tree communities, with an average fire frequency (one fire every three years) reducing stem density by 48% and basal area by 53% after 50 years, relative to unburned plots. The largest changes occurred in savanna ecosystems and in sites with strong wet seasons or strong dry seasons, pointing to fire characteristics and species composition as important. Analyses of functional traits highlighted the impact of fire-driven changes in soil nutrients because frequent burning favoured trees with low biomass nitrogen and phosphorus content, and with more efficient nitrogen acquisition through ectomycorrhizal symbioses. Taken together, the response of trees to altered fire frequencies depends both on climatic and vegetation determinants of fire behaviour and tree growth, and the coupling between fire-driven nutrient losses and plant traits

Introduction to the JMLA supplement: the NLM 2004 symposium on community-based health information outreach

Journal ArticleThis paper introduces the Special Supplement to the Journal of the Medical Library Association that documents the proceedings of the Symposium on Community-Based Health Information Outreach held on December 2 and 3, 2004, at the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The goal of the Symposium was to explore new models of health information outreach that are emerging as technology dramatically changes the abilities of medical and health services libraries to provide resources and services beyond their traditional institutional boundaries, with particular concern for consumer health information outreach through community-based organizations. The Symposium's primary objectives were to learn about successful and promising work that had already been done as well as to develop a vision for the future that could inform the NLM 19s next National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) contract. Another objective was to review and assess the NLM's Strategic Plan to Reduce Health Disparities with special emphasis on Native Americans. Part of a Symposium supported by Contracts 467-MZ-302306 and N01-LM-1-3521 from the National Library of Medicine with additional funding provided by the National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities