Missions and Goals of the NN/LM PSR

The mission of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) Pacific Southwest Region (PSR) is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public health by 1) providing all U.S. health professionals with equal access to biomedical information; and 2) improving the public's access to information to enable them to make informed decisions about their health. The Program is coordinated by the National Library of Medicine and carried out through a nationwide network of health science libraries and information centers.

The NN/LM goals for the Region focus on improving the public's access to health information and developing national programs and collaborations to achieve these goals. The goals are:

• To develop collaborations among network members and other organizations to improve access to and sharing of biomedical information resources throughout the nation;
• To promote awareness of, access to, and use of biomedical information resources for health professionals and the public, with a particular emphasis on contributing to the Healthy People 2010 goal of eliminating health disparities;
• To develop, promote, and improve electronic access to health information by network members, health professionals, and organizations providing health information to the public.

Purpose of the NN/LM PSR Site Visit

The purpose of the site visit was to help the NN/LM PSR and NLM understand how the RML is serving its network membership, learn how it can strengthen its program to meet current and emerging needs in the region, and gather ideas for how NLM can support the National Network.

Agenda

The site visit was conducted on Tuesday, October 21, from 8 AM to 3 PM at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center and the Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library. The agenda, including questions and administrator biographies can be found here.

Participants

Network members who participated in the site visit represented various regional constituencies, and different levels of activity and engagement with the RML. Participants included:

• Site Visit Team
  • H. Kenneth Walker, MD, Chair
    Emory University School of Medicine
    Atlanta, GA
  • Cynthia L. Henderson, MILS
    Morehouse School of Medicine
    Atlanta, GA
  • Pat Morris, MEd
    St. Edward Mercy Medical Center
    Ft. Smith, AR
    
  • Ruth Holst, MSLS
    Associate Director, NN/LM Greater Midwest Region
    Chicago, IL
  
  
• NLM Staff
  • Becky Lyon, MLS
    Deputy Associate Director, Library Operations
    
  • Angela Ruffin, PhD
    Head, NN/LM National Network Office
  • Lisa Boyd, MLS
    Consumer Health Librarian
    NN/LM National Network Office
  
  
• RML Staff
  
  
• UCLA Administrators
  • Alan G. Robinson, M.D.
    Associate Vice Chancellor of Medical Sciences and Executive Associate Dean
    David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA
  • Gary E. Strong
    University Librarian
    UCLA Library
  • Susan E. Parker, Ph.D.
    Deputy University Librarian & Chief Financial Officer
    UCLA Library
  
  
• Network Members

Feedback

Feedback was solicited in two phases: through a regional questionnaire posted 6 weeks prior to site visit and through discussion at site visit.

Site Visit Final Report

Findings of the site visit team are contained in the report to the Region.