e-Library Science Research Journal Vol.2 | Issue.9 | July. 2014 ISSN : 2319-8435

Research Papers Impact Factor : 2.1703(UIF)

USAGE OF OPHTHALMOLOGY BOOKS AMONG MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS IN ANNA CENTENARY LIBRARY, : A STUDY

A. Ashokkumar1 and S. Thanuskodi2

1Librarian and Information Assistant Gr I, Anna Centenary Library, Chennai. 2Associate Professor, Department of Library and Information Science, Alagappa University, Karaikudi.

Abstract :

An user study on the small scale survey on usage of Ophthalmology books among the medical professionals in Anna Centenary Library, Chennai which was conducted at the end of 2013. The primary aim of the study is identifying the Ophthalmology books users among the Medical Professionals and usage of the Ophthalmology books in ACL. The study reveals some facts to learn about the usage of public libraries by medical professionals, frequency of usage and more. The result of the study revealed that the numbers of Ophthalmology books users are very few in the library, among them most of the patrons using the library very rare. The books on Glaucoma are the most demanded topic by the patrons and most of them satisfied regarding the availability of the collection in the section. The result also provide the point which should be considered by the librarians is that the role of a public library to provide medical information to the health care professionals in the city, improvement of availability of books, adding peer reviewed journals, providing the supporting services such as online catalogues, reprography to make the access easy.

KEYWORDS :

Ophthalmology Books; Public Libraries; Medical Professionals; Doctors; Ophthalmologist.

INTRODUCTION:

Anna Centenary Library, shortly called as ACL, is the one of the largest public libraries in Asia, situated at Chennai, . The library consisting totally 9 floors and various sections in subject wise including Computer Science, Languages, Law & Economics, Pure Sciences, Medicine and more. At present the library is functioning as reference library for public. Currently the fifth floor has the separate section for books on Medicine. The medicine books section of the library contains books on different disciplines like Cardiology, Pediatrics, and Ophthalmology etc. Ophthalmology is the branch of medicine that deals with physiology, anatomy, disease and diagnosis of the eye. A specialist in medical and surgical eye problems are called as ophthalmologist. The word Ophthalmology is came from the Greek words Ophthalmos and Logia, which are means respectively The Eye and Study of. Ophthalmology literally means “the science of eyes”. In modern world, Ophthalmology plays a vital role in the universe of medicine by research wise and also commercially. In India, to become an Ophthalmologist, after completing MBBS degree, post-graduation in ophthalmology is required. The degrees are Doctor of Medicine (MD), Master of Surgery (MS), Diploma in Ophthalmic Medicine and Surgery (DOMS), and Diplomat of National Board (DNB). The concurrent training and work experience is in the form of a junior residency at a medical college, eye hospital or institution under the supervision of experienced faculty. Further work experience in form of fellowship, registrar or senior resident refines the skills of these eye surgeons. All India Ophthalmological Society (AIOS) and various state levels ophthalmological societies (like TNOA) hold regular conferences and actively promote continuing medical education (CME). ACL is a public library which has notable collections of medical books and attracts professional doctors, medical students to the library for their higher studies, professional development and research purpose. The major eye care hospitals and Ophthalmic institutions are there near by the library like Government Ophthalmology Hospital , , Maxivision Eye Hospital, MN Eye Hospital, Udhi Eye Clinic, Agarwal Eye Hospital, , Vasan Eye Care, Ramachandra Hospital and various private eye clinics. It supports to bring the Ophthalmology books readers to the library. The total number of medical books available in the section is near 25000 approximately. As per user register the average regular users in the section per day is 50. This study analyzing the usage of Ophthalmology books by the medical professionals including students, doctors, research scholars.

1 USAGE OF OPHTHALMOLOGY BOOKS AMONG MEDICAL...... Vol.2 | Issue.9 | July. 2014

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

Herma C. H. Coumou and Frans J. Meijman (2006) studied that How do primary care physicians seek answers to clinical questions?. From their study we could observed that the primary care physicians seek answers to only a limited number of questions about which they first consult colleagues and paper sources. This practice has basically not changed over the years despite the enormous increase in and better accessibility to electronic information sources. One of the major obstacles is the time it takes to search for information. Other difficulties primary care physicians experience are related to formulating an appropriate search question, finding an optimal search strategy, and interpreting the evidence found. Some studies have been done on the supporting role of a clinical librarian in general practice. We can observed from this study that their information needs are mostly heeded in their clinical library, instead of visiting public library. Fred B. Wood et al (2000) discussed in their article titled Public library consumer health information pilot project: results of a National Library of Medicine evaluation regarding the role of public libraries in providing health information to the public and to generate information, a National Library of Medicine's pilot project that would assist NLM and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) in learning how best to work with public libraries in the future. Three regional medical libraries (RMLs), eight resource libraries, and forty-one public libraries or library systems from nine states and the District of Columbia were selected for participation. From the result of the study we came to know that few of the participating public libraries had health information centers (although health information was perceived as a top-ten or top-five topic of interest to patrons). The results also highlighted the importance of building an evaluation component into projects like this one from the outset, to assure that objectives were met and that evaluative information was available on a timely basis, as was the case here. A A Verhoeven et al (1995) analyzed that the use of information sources by family physicians. The study reveals that family physicians used colleagues most often as information sources, followed by journals and books. This outcome corresponded with results in other medical professions. Several factors influenced the use of information sources by family physicians, including the physical, functional, and intellectual accessibility of the source; the physician's age and participation by the physician in research or education. The paper studied suggested ways to improve information gathering in the areas of computerization, education, library organization, and journal articles. Dee and Blazek (1993) studied the information needs of the rural physicians in Central Florida. In this small scale study we can observed that the rural physicians need immediate high quality answers to patient care questions. The authors recommend that the National Library of Medicine (NLM) develop a computerized expert system containing concise, synthesized medical information to answer patient care questions while the patient is in the clinic. Thanuskodi (2012) public libraries are essential since they improve literacy, stimulate imagination and expand personal horizons. The