[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 20 (Wednesday, March 4, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E294]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CELEBRATING THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. JOHN EDWARD PORTER

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, March 4, 1998

  Mr. PORTER. Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to recognize the 100th 
anniversary of the Medical Library Association (MLA). Headquartered in 
Chicago, Illinois, MLA was founded on May 2nd, 1898 by four librarians 
and four physicians to ``encourage the improvement and increase of 
public medical libraries.''
  A century later, MLA has grown into a professional organization which 
represents more than 1,200 institutions and 3,800 individuals involved 
in the management and dissemination of biomedical information to 
support patient care, education and research. Whether working in 
hospitals, academic health centers, or libraries, MLA members play a 
vital role in improving the quality of health care throughout the 
nation.
  Physicians have consistently reported positive changes in their 
diagnosis, choice of tests and drugs, length of hospital stays and 
advice given to patients as a result of information provided by medical 
librarians. The ability of medical librarians to quickly maneuver 
through the wealth of health care information on the Internet, and to 
identify the most credible, relevant and appropriate sources of 
information for each request has become a critical competent of today's 
health care system.
  In keeping with its commitment to improve and expand the health 
information professions, MLA assists librarians in the exchange of 
health sciences publications, offers continuing education seminars and 
scholarships, and continuously develops leadership programs designed to 
meet the needs of the medical library community. In addition, MLA 
places a high priority on keeping its members up-to-date with respect 
to the latest breakthroughs in health care information technology.
  As we celebrate MLA's centennial anniversary, I believe it is also 
important to recognize the longstanding partnership between MLA and the 
National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institutes of 
Health. As chairman of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health 
and Human Services, and Education, I am very familiar with the 
extraordinary work being done at the NLM to improve access to health 
care information. By using NLM's state-of-the-art medical data bases 
and telemedicine project sites, medical librarians are able to provide 
doctors and patients, often in underserved rural and urban areas, with 
the most current and accurate health-related information.
  Mr. Speaker, as we approach the 21st Century, it is clear that the 
telecommunications advances of the Information Age will continue to 
revolutionize the role that medical librarians play in the delivery of 
health care in America. It is with an eye to the future, that I invite 
all Members to join me in celebrating the past 100 years of the Medical 
Library Association during their 1998 Centennial Celebration.

                          ____________________