Health science libraries represent the most accessible source of library information and services available to hospital professionals. It is the responsibility of the librarian to provide library users with standardized access to library holdings. Currently, the Sacred Heart Hospital Library uses two card catalogs with different classification schemes to access the library's holdings. Serial and audio visual holdings are not cataloged. The School of Practical Nursing catalog uses yet another cataloging system. Neither the Hospital's nor the Nursing School's library catalog reflects the holdings of the other library. The objective of the Sacred Heart Hospital Library Automation Project is to establish an integrated on-line public access catalog. This will provide the medical and nursing community with enhanced access to the libraries' holdings, and support the evolving educational, informational and research needs of the entire hospital community. Another objective of this project is to automate several of the routine library management functions, including acquisitions, cataloging, serials control and circulation. This will give the librarian more time to devote to reference services and to develop instructional programs. These objectives will be accomplished by using INMAGIC, a microcomputer based database management software package operating on IBM microcomputers. The effectiveness of this project will be monitored by observing the use of catalog, and by soliciting the comments and suggestions of users. The purpose of this grant application is to acquire the hardware and software necessary to create the catalog and to automate the management functions.
