[Mla-cds] Top (collection development/management) trends in health & biomedical sciences?

[Ramune Kubilius]

Hello there,

For an introductory paper I'm thinking of writing, I've trying to 
enumerate some of the current trends in the health sciences 
information world that impact libraries and their collections. Might 
someone like to comment? Here are a few trends I've identified (gut 
feeling mostly) in no particular order:

1) The increasing interest in and importance of preserving / 
collection history of the health sciences
(Decisions to make when weeding, what to digitize, institutional 
anniversaries- what to keep, how to organize items of institutional 
historical value, etc.)

2) The increasing importance of "global"
(Academic programs, like public health are focusing on "global"; 
medical schools, like their parent institutions, are establishing 
more international campuses, programs, collaborations)

3) The increasing importance and emphasis on basic science: research, 
researchers, and resources.

4) The increasing reliance on & popularity among all users, clinical 
and basic sciences, for "consolidated information" online sites: 
clinical awareness, differential diagnosis, methods & protocols, 
"recommended by your peers" and other.

5) The increasing "imbedded" presence of our librarian colleagues in 
departments & research centers, grants projects to: organize 
Websites, manage information resources, consult, be personal 
librarian to the researchers, etc.

6) Our views on/actions re: eBooks are changing--we are purchasing 
them, we often are making print buying decisions based on whether 
online is available, we often automatically dump their records into 
online catalogs (see also #9).

7) An increasing number of "scholarly communications" activities in 
health sciences libraries- NIH requirements, repositories, 
collaborative Website building, and beyond....

8) Our hospital library colleagues are going through some tough times 
(drastic cuts in budget, staff, space & hospital administrator 
shortsightedness)....

9) The changing nature, perceived importance of technical services 
and processing.

And last but not least-10) Journal backfile archive purchases (or 
hopes that everything will be in PubMed Central?) as justification to 
weed large runs of print journals (if our missions permit it).

If there is an interest, I will summarize people's "top trends" to this list.

Thanks!
Ramune Kubilius
Collection Development / Special Projects Librarian
Galter Health Sciences Library
Northwestern University