[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 95 (Monday, July 12, 2004)]
[Senate]
[Page S7934]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO KENT A. SMITH

 Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, as a Member of the Senate who has 
worked in the area of medical research and health care, I draw the 
attention of the Congress--and Nation--to the retirement of a truly 
outstanding civil servant: Kent A. Smith. For the past quarter century, 
Mr. Smith, as deputy director, has managed the day-to-day operation of 
the National Library of Medicine, a part of the National Institutes of 
Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The National 
Library of Medicine is the largest medical library in the world, and it 
serves as the indispensable hub of national and international 
scientific medical communication.
  The administrative and managerial astuteness of Mr. Smith has 
converted the vision of the Library's directors, Donald A.B. Lindberg, 
M.D., and his predecessor, Martin M. Cummings, M.D., into outstanding 
operational programs. There are many examples. One of the great success 
stories at the Library and the National Institutes of Health in the 
last decade is the National Center for Biotechnology Information. This 
institution, which serves as the collector and disseminator of 
molecular sequence data resulting from the Human Genome Program, is 
absolutely indispensable to the conduct of 21st century biomedical 
science. Its various web services are used almost a billion times each 
year by people around the globe. Mr. Smith provided invaluable support 
to members of the House and Senate, and their staff, in developing the 
legislation that created the center.
  He has also been closely associated with the amazingly successful 
entry of the National Library of Medicine into the world of web-based 
consumer health information relied on by millions of Americans. His 
skill at managing people and budgets has allowed the Library to move 
beyond its traditional emphasis on serving exclusively scientists and 
health professionals. Today, such heavily used consumer information 
services as MedlinePlus, ClinicalTrials.gov, NIHSeniorHealth.gov, and 
the Household Products Database are testimony to his success in 
administering such a diverse institution as the Library now is.
  Kent Smith, trained in mathematics, economics, and management, is 
known to medical librarians around the world. In our country he has had 
close ties to the 5,000 member institutions of the National Network of 
Libraries of Medicine, and he has championed their cause in many 
venues. His leadership and tireless efforts have had great impact on 
the development of federal information policies that ensure broad 
public access to an expanding universe of electronic government health 
information resources.
  He is also known for his strong leadership of national and 
international organizations in the information field. He has served as 
President of the National Federation of Abstracting and Indexing 
Services, President of the International Council of Scientific and 
Technical Information, Chair of the Policy Group of the Federal Library 
and Information Center Committee, Vice President of the UNESCO General 
Information Program, and Chairman of CENDI, a group of federal 
scientific and technical information and technology managers.
  I am aware that there are many far-sighted and dedicated managers 
serving the people of the United States. It is a pleasure for me to 
honor one with whom I am personally acquainted and who, on the occasion 
of his retirement, richly deserves our thanks for a job well 
done.

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