[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 59 (Wednesday, May 4, 2011)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2692-S2693]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 163--COMMEMORATING THE 175TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
UNITED STATES NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE
Mr. HARKIN submitted the following resolution; which was referred to
the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions:
S. Res. 163
Whereas since 1836, the National Library of Medicine has
played a crucial role in information innovation,
revolutionizing the way scientific and medical information is
organized, stored, accessed, and disseminated;
Whereas the National Library of Medicine houses the largest
and most distinguished collection of health science and
medical research literature in the world and serves as a
vital resource to researchers, health professionals, and
health care consumers;
Whereas the National Library of Medicine produces and
provides free public access to comprehensive online databases
of biological, genomic, and clinical research data that are a
lynchpin to cutting edge biomedical research and are searched
more than 2,000,000,000 times each year;
Whereas the National Library of Medicine plays a central
role in developing health data standards to enable efficient
use and exchange of health information in electronic health
records;
Whereas the National Library of Medicine has conducted and
supported training programs for ground-breaking informatics
research and development for more than 40 years;
Whereas the National Library of Medicine is a leading
source of toxicology, environmental health, and disaster
preparedness and response information, including innovative
use of information technology and mobile devices for first
responders;
Whereas the National Library of Medicine has developed a
wide range of consumer health information resources, which
have improved the health of citizens of the United States and
persons around the globe; and
Whereas the long and distinguished history of the National
Library of Medicine is worthy of special commemoration by the
people of the United States: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) commemorates the 175th anniversary of the United States
National Library of Medicine;
(2) salutes the National Library of Medicine for a long and
distinguished record of service to citizens of the United
States and people around the globe, and for the many
contributions of the National Library of Medicine in the area
of information innovation; and
(3) calls upon the people of the United States to observe
the 175th anniversary of the United States National Library
of Medicine with appropriate recognition and activities.
Mr. HARKIN. Mr. President, as a member of the Senate who has been
very interested in and involved with the areas of biomedical research,
health care and the improvement of the public health, I want to draw
the attention of the Congress and the Nation to the 175th anniversary
of the National Library of Medicine, NLM, located at the National
Institutes of Health, NIH.
NLM has changed the way scientific and medical information is
organized, stored, accessed and disseminated. Throughout its
distinguished history, the Library's hallmark has been information
innovation, leading to exciting scientific discoveries that ultimately
improve the public health.
From its modest beginnings as the Library of the U.S. Army Surgeon
General in 1836, the National Library of Medicine has grown to become
the world's largest medical library and the producer of electronic
information resources used by millions of people around the globe every
day.
The NLM has been fortunate to be led by Donald A.B. Lindberg, M.D.
since 1984. Under Dr. Lindberg's leadership, the Library has
dramatically advanced toward its goal of providing access to biomedical
information--anytime, anywhere--for scientists, health professionals,
and the public. During Dr. Lindberg's tenure, NLM has embraced the
Internet as the primary mode of delivering its services and expanded
its portfolio to include genetic sequence data, high-resolution
anatomical images, clinical trials information, and a wide array of
high-quality information for consumers. One wonders what astonishing
developments the next 175 years might bring.
Throughout its 175 years, NLM's work has been vital to facilitating
and improving the effectiveness of biomedical research, getting
important health information out to health professionals and consumers
and conducting groundbreaking informatics research.
Index Medicus, a groundbreaking index of medical journal articles
first published in 1879, evolved into MEDLINE, the first marriage of
online search technology and nationwide telecommunications, in 1971.
Available free of charge since 1997 via the Internet, PubMed/MEDLINE is
today the most frequently consulted medical database in the world.
NLM began providing toxicology and environmental health data for use
in emergency response and disaster management in the mid-1960s. Today,
it produces information services to help health professionals, disaster
information specialists, and the general public cope with emergencies
and disasters ranging from children swallowing household cleaners to
overturned trucks carrying hazardous materials to the widespread
effects of hurricanes, earthquakes, wildfires, and oil spills.
NLM established librarian training programs and the National Network
of Libraries of Medicine in the late 1960s, to provide equal access to
the biomedical literature to persons across the country. Now with
nearly 6,000 members, NLM and this network of academic, hospital, and
public libraries partner with community-based organizations to bring
high-quality information services to health professionals and the
public--regardless of geographic location, socioeconomic status or
level of access to computers and telecommunications.
NLM has conducted and supported training programs and groundbreaking
informatics research and development for more than 40 years. The
Library, its grantees, and its former trainees continue to play
essential roles in the development of electronic health records, health
data standards, and the exchange of health information.
NLM is home to the National Center for Biotechnology Information,
NCBI,
[[Page S2693]]
established in 1988 as a national resource for molecular biology
information. Its work was essential to the mapping of the human genome.
Today, NCBI is an indispensable international repository and software
tool developer for genetic sequences and other scientific data, and a
pioneer and leader in linking data and published research results to
promote new scientific discoveries.
NLM began intensive development of Web health information services
for the general public in 1998 with the release of MedlinePlus.gov. Now
available in English and Spanish, MedlinePlus is just one of many NLM
consumer health information products also available on mobile devices.
An award-winning free magazine, NIH MedlinePlus, is edited by NLM staff
and is an important vehicle for sharing information from all of the NIH
Institutes and Centers, in language that consumers can easily
understand. Copies of the magazine, both an English and Spanish-
language version, are distributed to doctors' offices, clinics,
community health centers and other sites around the Nation.
NLM released ClinicalTrials.gov in 2000. It is now the world's
largest source of information about clinical trials recruiting for
patients and healthy volunteers, and also provides summary results of
some trials long before they appear in the published literature.
In 2003, the Library teamed with the National Institute on Aging to
launch NIHSeniorHealth. The site features authoritative, up-to-date
information from the NIH Institutes and Centers, in a format that
addresses the cognitive changes that come with older adulthood and
allows easy use.
Also in 2003, NLM began a program called the Information Rx.
Partnering with a variety of respected national physician groups and
other organizations, NLM has supplied prescription pads to health
providers, so that they can point their patients to the first-rate
health information on the MedlinePlus site.
In recognition of its many achievements, today I am introducing the
following Senate Resolution to commemorate the 175th anniversary of the
founding of the National Library of Medicine. I offer my
congratulations to NLM and to its current and past leadership and staff
and thank them for their important public service.
____________________