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James Shedlock, AMLS, AHIP
Director
Galter Health Sciences Library Welcome to the Galter Health Sciences Library. The Galter Library is one of the few in the nation that provides current library services to its alumni. Because of their proximity to campus, graduates in the Chicagoland area are in the best position to utilize library, information, and research services on-site. However, due to the availability of the Internet and other communication technologies much of the electronic Galter Library is available to medical school alums around the globe! The vision of the Galter Library is to be anywhere our users want us to be: in the professional's office, in the laboratory, or at home. If you have Internet connections, you can reach the Galter Library at www.galter.northwestern.edu. Stop by online and check us out.
To improve communication with alumni, especially those with access to the Internet, and to provide greater access to information services, the Galter Library staff offers the following services to alumni:
Database Search Services: All physicians are familiar with MEDLINE, the world's premier database for health sciences literature, and many physicians do their own MEDLINE searching through local arrangements. Galter librarians offer their expertise in MEDLINE and other database searching to complement your preliminary, online research. In addition, Galter librarians can access hundreds of other databases in the biomedical or social sciences that may provide more comprehensive results to your literature research. Search fees are the same as those for faculty on campus: $20 base fee plus all direct costs with an average professional service costing about $30 to $50. What you receive is a custom bibliography, with or without abstracts, tailor-made for your topic. More accurate estimates can be made for specific search topics at the time of your initial request.
Photocopy Services: The Galter Library staff offers photocopy services to alumni interested in taking advantage of the valuable Northwestern collection. If a journal is not available to you locally, or your local library cannot obtain a copy of what you seek, consider checking the Galter collection. The photocopy service fee is $7 per item, plus $2 for mailing and handling or $2 for fax delivery. If you have a Federal Express account, we can process that delivery option for you.
If you visit the library in person, the Galter Library implemented a new card system to charge for photocopies and laser prints. Alumni are welcome to purchase a "guest card" for $1 from a new dispenser unit in the library, purchase $1 - $20 worth of printing, and then use the card to pay for photocopies and laser prints at a rate of $ .10 per copy/print. If you have any questions, please contact the Circulation Desk at 312/503-8127.
Research Services: Stuck with a nasty reference problem? Unsure where to pursue information? Consider asking for research assistance from the Galter Library reference librarians! Present your information need and see if we can help you. Reference librarians will utilize the tools and resources here at the Galter Library, in the other Northwestern libraries, or those resources available on the Internet. Often, librarians will resort to manual searching and verification, especially for historical questions for which there is no online resource to search. Such manual searching is usually the case for research involving the history of the Medical School, its faculty, staff, and students. Because of the time-consuming nature of research, a service fee of $20 is requested plus any other direct costs.
The Electronic Library: For graduates interested in using technology and have Internet access, consider doing your own research in the electronic Galter Library. Your primary resources in the e-library are NUcat, the library's online catalog of local Northwestern holdings; HealthWeb, an evaluated listing of educational, research and clinical care resources from the World Wide Web; PubMed, the free MEDLINE service from the National Library of Medicine; many other free databases; and electronic reference tools organized to assist the busy health care professional. The URL for this service is www.galter.northwestern.edu. Because of security precautions and license agreements, there are limitations to the services the library staff can offer our alums through the Internet. Accessing our local MEDLINE service and borrowing materials for you that are not owned by the Galter Library are services too difficult to manage and process electronically. However, we continue to explore every means possible of exploiting the power of the Internet to better serve you; when we can securely provide a service you need, we will announce it to you.
Contact Information: You can reach the library staff in a number of ways. Telephone: Reference librarians can be reached at 312/ 503-8133. The library director can be reached at 312/503-8133. Fax: Our number is 312/503-8028 for reference and 312/503-1204 for administration. E-mail: You can email reference librarians at hslref@northwestern.edu. Paper mail: Our mailing address is:
Galter Health Sciences Library
Northwestern University
303 East Chicago Avenue
Chicago, IL 60611-3008
We cannot guarantee that we can solve all your information needs, but we can try. Take advantage of your alma mater's library services and see what we can do for you!
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