MEDICAL LIBRARY STATISTICS

Abstract

Four compilations of medical library statistics have been published to date, namely those by Louise Darling in 1956, by the Medical Library Association in its 1959 Directory, by Harold Bloomquist in 1962, and by the author in 1964. In addition to these sources and to the annual statistics compiled by the Library Services Branch of the U. S. Office of Education, surveys of pharmacy, hospital, and medical society libraries have been completed recently. Standards for medical and special libraries are being considered by the Medical Library Association through its Guidelines Survey and by the Special Libraries Association through its Statistics Coordinating Project and its Standards Survey. To coordinate the collection of medical library statistics and to make the information readily available to the profession, it is suggested that the Medical Library Association support the collection and publication of statistics of representative medical libraries until such time as the Library Services Branch is able to implement fully its program of library statistics.