Using technology to improve access to information has long been integral to medical and health sciences libraries. However, today's environment of rapidly changing software and hardware, social networking tools, and increasingly tiny and mobile devices presents special challenges for health sciences libraries. To help readers to better understand and manage this environment, the Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA) is planning to devote an upcoming issue to papers that help in understanding how health sciences libraries can use technologies to improve delivery of, and access to, medical and health sciences information.
JMLA particularly welcomes submission of case studies that describe how a particular institution used technology to solve a common problem confronting our libraries, as well as research papers that use quantitative or qualitative methodologies to evaluate the use of technology in health sciences libraries, and state-of-the-art reviews that look at some aspect of this issue. Papers should follow the guidelines on JMLA's Information for Authors website at www.mlanet.org/publications/jmla/jmlainfo.html. ln addition to describing the application used, case studies should include a discussion of alternatives considered, data that supports an evaluation of the projects' success in meeting stated goals, and a section on "lessons learned" that will aid other libraries who may be considering a similar application.
To appear in this issue, scheduled for January 2012, papers should be received no later than May 10, 2011. If you would like to discuss an idea for a paper, please contact Susan Starr, Editor, JMLA at jmlaeditorbox@gmail.com.
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