Location and holdings
The Medical Library is situated on the ground floor of Building 100 where it occupies 281.5 sq.m. There are also basement storage rooms .It has holdings of 750 journals (490 current) and about 15,000 books, plus collections of microfiches, microfilms]ms and videotapes.
The Classification of Books
The books are in two sections (1) general reference books such as dictionaries and medical directories. (2) Scientific and medical. The latter are arranged by subject according to the National Library of Medicine Classification Scheme. An alphabetical guide to the classification is available.
The Classification of Journals
The journals are arranged in the alphabetical order of their title and chronologically according to the Library of Congress Classification.
Storage
About one third of the collections of books and journals are not on view. They are located in a storage area. Older journals in the store can be obtained by asking the librarian. Similarly, some older articles are stored on microfiche and microfilm.
Internet Facilities
Recent additions to the services provided by the medical library are based on the internet. Nine terminals are available and all are occupied almost continuously throughout the day. Information can be obtained via search engines such as Google. The medical literature can also be searched using large data bases such as Pub Med. Full text copies of articles in the journals for which hard- copy subscriptions are being paid can be downloaded on to CDs which arc the property of the reader. The downloaded articles may be printed either in the medical library or in the readers’ departments.
Photocopying Facilities
Photocopying machines are available, but to use them readers must supply their own paper.
Finding the Required Information
It is obvious that with such a variety of methods with which information can be obtained, readers may on occasion re9uire expert help. The librarians are there to provide guidance.
EBSCO reference & Full-text Medical Databases
Riyadh library has subscribed to EBSCO Medical databases, which provides medical and healthcare professionals with a broad range of medical literature and full-text journals covering such disciplines as clinical and pre-clinical medicine, nursing, evidence based medicine reviews, and the health care system. In addition to the 1,000 full-text journals covered in EBSCO collection, researches are able to use the essential reference databases to retrieve abstracts and citation literature from Medline, CINAHL, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts.
Users can setup personalized alerts on a predefined searches and new issues ToC (table of contents), where they can receive updated information to their Email once it’s released.
British Library Photocopies
The libraries in Riyadh have few journals before the mid 70s. Many current journals from which articles may sometimes be required are not available at all in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. When an article from such sources is really necessary it can be obtained from the British Library, but since this is an expensive process it is a strictly limited resource. This form is available from the issue desk.
Horizon, the Information & Library Management Systems
Riyadh library has recently acquired Horizon, a state of art Information arid Library Automation System, that includes all the features and functions necessary for library operations, as well as it serves library patrons by allowing easy access and retrieval of information, accessing electronic resources, and managing circulation and items reservation. Via the HIP (Horizon Information Portal) all the library services are made available anywhere anytime over the RKH Intranet as well as the Internet.
Purchase of New Books and Journals
Directors of Departments can submit requests for and suggest additional subscriptions for new journal Library Committee on behalf of their department staff. Such requests must be accompaniment by a brief justification, price, publisher and international standard book number (ISBN), or international standard serial number (ISSN) for journals.
Eligibility to Use the Library Facilities
All employees of Riyadh Military Hospital are welcome to use all the facilities of the library. They should show their employee badge. There is no access for non-employees.
Borrowing Books
Even in these days of on-line articles, electronic searches and other modern aids; books remain of paramount importance. This is because a text book conveys the views of an authoritative person, carefully arranged to provide a perspective on the subject, as well as detailed information.
Books may be borrowed for two weeks by filling the loan in cards inside the cover of the book and then checking them out with the librarian at the issue desk. The loan may be renewed for a maximum of one further period of two weeks.