Cost analysis of a project to digitize classic articles in neurosurgery.

In summer 2000, the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library at Yale University began a demonstration project to digitize classic articles in neurosurgery from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The objective of the first phase of the project was to measure the time and costs involved in digitization, and those results are reported here. In the second phase, metadata will be added to the digitized articles, and the project will be publicized. Thirteen articles were scanned using optical character recognition (OCR) software, and the resulting text files were carefully proofread. Time for photocopying, scanning, and proofreading were recorded. This project achieved an average cost per item (total pages plus images) of $4.12, a figure at the high end of average costs found in other studies. This project experienced high costs for two reasons. First, the articles contained many images, which required extra processing. Second, the older fonts and the poor condition of many of these articles complicated the OCR process. The average article cost $84.46 to digitize. Although costs were high, the selection of historically important articles maximized the benefit gained from the investment in digitization.

Connecting the health sciences community to the Internet: the NLM/NSF grant program.

In 1992, as part of its high-performance computing and communications initiative, the National Library of Medicine decided to provide health sciences institutions with Internet connection grants similar to those offered to universities by the National Science Foundation. Although library involvement is not required, librarian and library uses have been the most common category in the applications received.

Developing a health information infrastructure for Arizona.

Network connectivity is critical in Arizona, where travel distances are great, academic programs dispersed, and health care practitioners often geographically isolated. Accordingly, the University of Arizona (UA) applied for $50,000.00 in National Library of Medicine/National Science Foundation (NLM/NSF) Connections Program funding to promote statewide collaboration in supporting UA's health sciences education and research programs by expanding network connectivity to hospitals and other health-related institutions. The proposal outlined three strategies: Each major nonuniversity teaching hospital would secure and maintain a leased communications line dedicated to network connectivity, and NSF funds would be used to buy some necessary hardward. NSF funds would be used to establish a modern bank for dial-up Internet access by rural practitioners and teaching sites. Co-principal investigators of the project would promote and support the use of this new statewide connectivity and foster its continued expansion. The proposal was based on a conservative philosophy: familiar technologies and, where possible, existing networks and equipment would be used. The proposal was approved, and NSF funds hastened creation of an expanded health information network in Arizona. Once that network was in place, participants moved quickly from managing the mechanics of connectivity to planning for a computing and communications platform with services. Private funds were obtained to help organize the Arizona Health Information Network to direct these expanded services.

Community hospitals and the Internet: lessons from pilot connections.

Community hospitals in rural and isolated areas have had little access to the Internet. In 1992, the National Library of Medicine funded a pilot project to be conducted by the University of Washington and seven community hospitals in the northwestern United States. The goals of the project were to connect the hospitals to the Internet and study the uses made of this resource. A number of administrative, technical, financial, and organizational problems were dealt with in the attempt to establish the Internet connections and introduce this resource to these health care settings. This paper examines these issues and presents conclusions drawn from the experiences of the project team.