FROM TRADITIONAL TO TECHNOLOGY – BASED MEDICAL LIBRARY SERVICES

Abstract

The operation and services revolution affecting global library services delivery has not excluded medical libraries. The later has its own share of the revolutionary catalyst consisting mainly of changes in concepts, medical education, technology, services and users interest. Consequently, such library services needed for Evidence Based Medicine (EBM)/Evidence Based Health Care (EBHC) necessitated the adoption of technology-based library services in form of automated, digital, interactive as well as Evidence Based Librarianship (EBL). Medical librarians are therefore faced with the challenges of type of services to render in an attempt to be counted among the ‘team players’ rather than ‘onlookers’ or worst still ‘indifferent’ services providers. As noted by Oluwakuyide (1972), ‘ideally a medical librarian should keep abreast of developments in both medicine and librarianship’. Hence, medical librarians must examine their services regularly visà-vis global trends in the field of medicine and librarianship. By so doing they will have the opportunity to identify what they need to know and do as well as, how to do it. This is definitely one of the major reasons for Medical Library Association Conference/Annual General Meeting (AGM).