Current Approaches To Improving Access To Government Documents

Based on the responses of 77 Association of Research Libraries (ARL) member libraries to a December 1986 survey of 106 ARL libraries (a 73% response rate), this report profiles the current state of bibliographic access to federal publications. Following a brief discussion of survey background and methodology, a summary of survey results indicates that the typical respondent became a depository in 1912, selects 80% of the items offered on deposit, and maintains a centralized U.S. document collection. In addition, issues and needs for bibliographic access are identified, and case studies are presented for the following approaches to access: (1) the shelflist and printed indexes (Dartmouth College); (2) traditional cataloging (Pennsylvania State University and Cornell University); (3) loading the GPO (Government Printing Office) tapes (New York State Library, the University of Florida, Rice University, and Texas A&M University); and (4) retrospective conversion (Case Western Reserve University, the University of Cincinnati, Cornell University, the University of California at Los Angeles, and the University of California at Irvine). Finally, options and recommendations are presented for future action by individual libraries and cooperative programs. A federal depository collection profile and approaches to bibliographic access to U.S. federal government publications are presented in two tables. A 12-item selected bibliography and the survey form are also provided. (KM)

This helpful new book discusses access possibilities and policies with regard to government information. New and impending legislation, information on most frequently used and requested sources, and grant writing are some of the topics covered in the comprehensive chapters. Government Documents and Reference Services helps make sense of technical reports, government regulations, patents, and other difficult areas the librarian has to deal with. Reference and technical librarians will find this an indispensable tool to guide them through the intricacies of government document research.

V. 52 includes the proceedings of the conference on the Farmington Plan, 1959.

Most industries have plunged into data automation, but health care organizations have lagged in moving patients' medical records from paper to computers. In its first edition, this book presented a blueprint for introducing the computer-based patient record (CPR). The revised edition adds new information to the original book. One section describes recent developments, including the creation of a computer-based patient record institute. An international chapter highlights what is new in this still-emerging technology. An expert committee explores the potential of machine-readable CPRs to improve diagnostic and care decisions, provide a database for policymaking, and much more, addressing these key questions: Who uses patient records? What technology is available and what further research is necessary to meet users' needs? What should government, medical organizations, and others do to make the transition to CPRs? The volume also explores such issues as privacy and confidentiality, costs, the need for training, legal barriers to CPRs, and other key topics.

In April 2001, the Prime Minister established the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada. Its mandate was to review medicare, engage Canadians in a national dialogue on its future, and make recommendations to enhance the system's quality and sustainability. The 47 recommendations in this report outline actions that must be taken in 10 critical areas, starting by renewing the foundations of medicare and considering Canada's role in improving health around the world.