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FYI: Brief Shutdown at National Library of Medicine (U.S.)
Forwarded to HISTNEUR-L from H-SCI-MED-TECH.
No, the shutdown is not due to another Federal Budget Crisis, but
renovation work!
Point your browser to <http://www.nlm.nih.gov/> for information about contacting
NLM.
The library's Renovation Web Page is not directly linked to the NLM
homepage <http://www.nlm.nih.gov>, as suggested below, but rather
through the "Visitor and Researcher Information" link. Go to
<http://www.nlm.nih.gov/about/renovation.html> for updates.
Russell Johnson
--- Begin Forwarded Message ---
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1998 14:35:08 GMT0
From: Iwan Morus <imorus@clio.arts.qub.ac.uk>
Subject: FYI: Brief Shutdown at NLM
Sender: "H-NET List on the History of Science, Medicine, and
Technology" <H-SCI-MED-TECH@H-NET.MSU.EDU>
"Stephen Greenberg" <GREENBES@mail.nlm.nih.gov> writes:
National Library of Medicine's Main Reading Room Prepares for 21st
Century: Brief shutdown to bring long-lasting improvements
The National Library of Medicine will be preparing its exhibition hall
and Main Reading Room for the 21st century when it embarks on a
series of upgrades beginning the morning of Friday, December 18,
1998. The Library will be closed to the public from that date until it re-
opens at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, January 4th, 1999. The Library will also
suspend its public tours, normally offered weekdays at 1:00 p.m.,
during this period.
Improvements will include the installation of additional computer
terminals for online searching, a new raised floor system for computer
wire management, and new carpeting and other enhancements to the
appearance of the Main Reading Room and the Rotunda (Exhibit Hall).
Although NLM will be closed to walk-in patrons during the
renovation, researchers can still telephone (1-888-FIND-NLM) or e-mail
(custserv@nlm.nih.gov) the NLM staff and place interlibrary loan
requests through the 4,500 medical libraries nationwide in the National
Network of Libraries of Medicine.
"Of course, we never want to prevent our patrons from being able to
visit us and take advantage of our resources," observed Dr. Donald
A.B. Lindberg, Director of NLM, "But our building, which opened in
1962, obviously was not designed with the Internet and computerized
catalogs in mind. The new technical capabilities resulting from this
project will allow much more flexibility and versatility for our computer
network, and that translates into better service for our visitors."
Eve-Marie Lacroix, Chief of the Library's Public Services Division,
concurs. "We apologize in advance for any inconvenience this
upgrade may cause our local patrons. The only consolation is that we
will have a much more 'user-friendly' and attractive facility to offer the
public when we resume operations."
If you are curious about the status of the renovation, check the
Library's renovation web page at http://www.nlm.nih.gov. Questions
about the renovation, and what services will be available from
December 18th through January 4th, can be answered by calling 1-888-
FIND-NLM between 8:30 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. EST, or by sending an e-
mail message to
custserv@nlm.nih.gov.
The National Library of Medicine, a part of the National Institutes of
Health, is the largest medical library in the world, with more than five
million books, journals, audiovisuals and artworks in its collections.
--- End Forwarded Message ---
___________________________________________________
Russell A. Johnson rjohnson@library.ucla.edu
Archivist and Cataloger (310) 825-6940
History & Special Collections Division
Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, UCLA
Box 951798 Los Angeles CA 90095-1798
<http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/biomed/his/hisdiv.htm>
Archivist (310) 825-3191 or 206-2753
Neuroscience History Archives
Brain Research Institute, UCLA
Box 951761 Los Angeles CA 90095-1761
<http://bri.medsch.ucla.edu/archives/nhahome.htm>