Some problems in the administration of a medical library / by James F. Ballard.

  • Ballard, James F. (James Francis), 1878-
Date:
1914
Catalogue details

Licence: In copyright

Credit: Some problems in the administration of a medical library / by James F. Ballard. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

    15/18 (page 13)
    and comparative anatomy and physiology but not as a rule on general biology or zoology. It is desirable to have the transactions of the four large chemical societies of London, Paris, Berlin and New York and such journals as the Zeitschrift fiir analytische Chemie, Zeitschrift fiir angewandte Chemie and Kolloidchemie. Much material relating to physiological chemistry is first published in these important serials. We found on investigation that the field of criminal anthro- pology was not properly cared for in any of our Boston libraries and as it is so intimately connected with legal and state medicine we found it advisable to purchase works on this subject. 7■ Public documents, transactions of 7ion-medical learned societies, hospital reports. The medical library should collect all national and state public documents of a medical and allied nature, both foreign and domestic. It should obtain all local material, the term local being u.sed here in a rather broad .sense, and the publications of all the larger municipalities. The transactions of such learned societies as the Royal Society of London, the British Association for the Advancement of Science, the Academie de science de Paris, the Association frangaise pour I’avance- ment de science, the Koniglich-Preussische Akademie der Wissen- schaften in Berlin, the Kaiserliche Akademie der Wissenschaften in Wien, should be in the library. Special effort should be made to obtain complete files of the statistical reports of local general hospitals. The reports of all special hospitals and of general hospitals in the larger cities should be acquired. All reports of a clinical character, both foreign and domestic, should be on our shelves in complete files. 8. Cost of cataloging. It is desirable that the actual cost of cataloging medical books and pamphlets should be determined. Reliable cost figures would influence to a certain extent the treatment of certain classes of material. The cost should be based on actual test work, not on vague generalizations or haphazard guesswork. The medical libraries comprising this Association should compile such figures and I would be greatly pleased to have such statistics sent to me at Boston. Such reports will be considered strictly confidential, and if sufficient material is received I will take great pleasure in making a critical report at some later date. The method used in compiling these figures should be uniform. The actual items considered should be:—