2001 Contributed Papers

The use of web and digital technologies has become ubiquitous in libraries of all kinds: libraries everywhere have web pages, use web-based catalogues, employ digital technologies for resources sharing and contribute to institutional intranets. While the use of these technologies is not unusual, some of our colleagues are taking them a step further, finding new and inventive ways of putting web and digital technologies to work. We invited them to tell us about the innovative ways they apply these technologies in their libraries. The response was remarkable: we received numerous submissions on a broad range of topics from all around the world. The challenge for the committee was in choosing from among the fascinating submissions we received!

The papers selected cover a wide variety of technological innovation:

• the creation, by a university medical center library, of modular web-based tutorials that allow the library to provide instruction in the use of biomedical information directly to users' desktops;
• the transformation, through digital technologies, of traditional management of document delivery and reserves in a multi-campus university library system; and
• the development of a web usability study to determine the effectiveness of the re-design of an academic health sciences library home page.

These papers amply demonstrate the breadth and depth of technological innovation in biomedical and life sciences libraries today. Continuing to develop new and creative ways of implementing technologies will further allow us to improve the services we provide and increase the value those services have for our users.

In keeping with the theme of innovation, the Contributed Papers Committee has decided this year that we will no longer publish our proceedings in paper format. Instead, we will "publish" them solely on the division web site. This move will save money and time, not to mention trees. Final proceedings will be available, in both html and .pdf formats, the week of the conference each year.

It Looks Pretty...But is it Useful? Testing the Usability of a Library Home Page
Heather Munger, Health Sciences Library, State University of New York at Buffalo &
Pamela A. White, Health Sciences Library, SUNY Upstate Medical University

Development of Web-Based Tutorials Utilizing a Case-Based Approach to Biomedical Database Searching and a Reusable Electronic Tool
Jennifer Lyon, John Clark, Annette Williams, Rebecca Jerome,Kimbra Wilder Gish, Nunzia Giuse,The Annette and Irwin Eskind Biomedical Library, Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Electronic Document Delivery in West Virginia
Nancy J. Wasson, West Virginia University Libraries/Health Sciences Library
Carroll W. Wilkinson,West Virginia University Libraries/Charles C. Wise, Jr. Library

Acknowledgements

PDF Version of Proceedings

Comments should be directed to Laurie Scott.

Rev. July 2007