In the public good: medical information and medical librarians in the Internet era

This paper begins with the identification of three perennial core values of medical librarians: (1) providing access to health information for all who need to use it; (2) working to improve information literacy and health information literacy; (3) assuring the preservation of the literature of the health sciences. The paper then examines how these values are being reexamined as the profession of librarianship changes in the Internet era.  The emphasis is upon the core value of providing health information for all who need to use it. The Internet has created enhanced opportunities for the delivery of health information, but tensions are increasing due to the commoditization of scientific and technical information. The definition of “public good” and “public goods” is the basis for the exploration of alternative models of electronic publishing and access initiatives in which librarians, scholars and government s are engaging. New forms of scholarly communication are being strongly advocated by librarians. Two reasons are advanced for these initiatives: the economic unsustainability of the dominant current model and the preservation of the core values of the medical librarian. The paper briefly examines the genesis of these new models and the Budapest Open Access Initiative.

The presentation is based upon a book that the author is currently writing for Scarecrow Press. This work has been generously supported by a grant from the Harold Crabtree Foundation, Ottawa, Canada.