National Network of Libraries of Medicine
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Archives |
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This page was archived on: May 01, 2008 | View page metadata | Document content is not current. Links may be broken. |
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Supplement, Fall
1997
Results of National Health Library Internet Survey |
Library staff throughout our region answered questions about library Internet access last spring for a National Network of Libraries of Medicine survey. Nationally there were 3,499 respondents. The survey was sent to all 276 network members in our region, 227 of whom responded. A brief summary of results follows. For more complete survey results, feel free to contact us at the RML.
Libraries with an Internet Connection
| Institution Type | Pacific Northwest | Nationally |
|---|---|---|
| Academic | 97% | 96% |
| Hospital | 81% | 73% |
| Other | 93% | 89% |
| TOTAL | 85% | 79% |
A predecessor survey done in 1993 showed that 24% of network member hospital libraries were connected nationally, compared to 73% four years later. Obviously, great progress has been made but there is still a way to go before the Internet is a ubiquitous utility in hospital libraries.
Staff of hospital libraries not currently connected (29 network members in this region) were asked to rank barriers to Internet connectivity; in the Pacific Northwest the barriers were ranked in this order, with the most serious first:
If you have ideas about ways of encouraging Internet connectivity either in health libraries or to health care professionals, we encourage you to share those with us and your colleagues.
If you used an approach or an argument that was successful in convincing your management to get you connected, we encourage you to share those stories with us and your (not yet fully connected) colleagues. Knowing what works in your environments will help us be better advocates for you.