Hospital Libraries in 14 States Share "Mobile Information" to Cut Costs
PRINCETON, N.J., March 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- All hospitals and medical facilities in the mid-Atlantic and southeastern Atlantic regions are welcome to participate in a technology-sharing, cost-cutting consortium organized by the non-profit Health Sciences Library Association of New Jersey's Group Licensing Initiative (HSLANJ GLI).
The consortium, in its 14th year, offers more than 500 resources from 13 highly-regarded academic publishers, at a cost savings of 15-70% off regular pricing, through negotiations and the leveraging of group purchasing power. The region encompasses 14 states; Washington D.C.; Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands; and represents more than 26% of the nation's hospitals and medical facilities.
"Being a medical librarian is more challenging than ever because in healthcare or hospital systems today, everyone needs mobile information," according to Lisa Block, medical librarian, Atlanta Medical Center, Atlanta, Georgia. 2015 was her first year participating with the HSLANJ GLI. "The biggest convenience of the consortium is you can get more for your money—there's a big discount on resources."
More than 125 medical librarians regularly participate in the HSLANJ GLI and most agree that the biggest benefits are cost-savings and high-quality electronic resources.
"With the economic climate in healthcare, hospitals have to stretch every dollar. The GLI helps us do that and get more bang for our buck," says Donna Winkelman, Medical Librarian, Saratoga Hospital, Saratoga Springs, New York.
"We are moving toward electronic resources, which cause an increase in budget," explains Ann Marie Zglinicki, manager of library services, Mercy Philadelphia Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. "Electronic journals and databases are quite costly but quick—you can get PDFs, you can email them—there's immediacy."
The HSLANJ GLI is endorsed by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM) as the lead organization capable of assisting health sciences librarians obtain resources. Current participation is open through May 2, 2016.
Founded in 1972, HSLANJ is a non-profit organization which encourages the professional development and advancement of librarianship to improve the quality of library services provided by health care organizations. To learn more, visit www.hslanj.org/gli.
The HSLANJ Group Licensing Initiative is funded in part with Federal funds from the National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Contract No. HHS-N-276-2011-00003-C, University of Pittsburgh, Health Sciences Library System, as well as Contract No. HHS-N-276-2011-00004-C, University of Maryland Baltimore.
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SOURCE Health Sciences Library Association of New Jersey
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