The Maine Ariel Project is a state-wide initiative by Maine Medical Center (MMC), Maine's largest health care provider, teaching hospital and research center, in collaboration with the Health Science Libraries and Information Consortium (HSLIC), a non-profit coalition of 45 medical, academic, and research center libraries. The Maine Ariel Project will enable 41 health science libraries to provide faster, more convenient access to biomedical and scientific journals and greatly improve the quality of documents delivered. Libraries will have the capacity to deliver journal articles electronically to physicians and other patrons at the point of patient care. The project follows the successful model of the Maine Electronic Document Delivery Project of the New England Regional Library of Medicine. The project's Specific Aims are: (1) To improve speed, convenience and document quality in the delivery of up-to-date biomedical and scientific journals articles to health care professionals, public health officials, allied health professionals, educators, and students. (2) To improve the awareness, knowledge and skills of staff and volunteers in Maine's public libraries and secondary school libraries to access biomedical and scientific journals. (3) To raise the awareness, knowledge and skills of consumers to find and use the biomedical and scientific journal articles and consumer-oriented health publications they need to make health care and lifestyle decisions. In Year 1 and Year 2, the Maine Ariel Project will fund and install a computer, with Ariel@ Software, a scanner, and a printer in 27 health science libraries, and in Year 3 will provide upgrades for 14 other libraries currently using older versions of Ariel or outmoded technologies. Library sites will be responsible for Internet connectivity and continuing Ariel service after the funding period. The project will train health science library personnel, provide model outreach materials, and enable libraries to reach out to patrons within their communities. In Year 3, the project will hold 10 forums for public libraries and secondary school libraries on how to better access health information resources. In Year 3, the project will conduct targeted outreach to community-based health organizations to help them inform consumers about how to find and use accurate, up-to-date health information. As an in-kind contribution, HSLIC members will serve on the project's Steering Committee, be peer mentors, lead the library forums, and conduct outreach and dissemination.
