Selected list of books and journals for the small medical library

Abstract

The complementary informational access roles of the traditional hospital library book and journal collection and the high-tech Internet are viewed from a 1995 perspective. Predecessors of this list have been intended as selection guides for a small or medium-size library in a hospital or comparable medical facility. As the prices of books and journals continue on an upward spiral, the secondary purpose as a core collection for a consortium of small hospital libraries or a network sharing library resources is fast becoming its primary use. Books (610) and journals (141) are categorized by subject; the book list is followed by an author/editor index and the subject list of journals by an alphabetical title listing. Due to requests from librarians, a "minimal core" book collection consisting of 82 titles has been pulled out from the 200 asterisked initial-purchase books. To purchase the entire collection of books and to pay for 1995 subscriptions would require $93,300. The cost of only the asterisked items totals $39,000. The "minimal core" book collection costs $12,700.