RE: EPA Set to Close Library Network and Electronic Catalog

["T Scott Plutchak" <tscott@uab.edu>]

It should be pointed out that the NIH Library is NOT the National 
Library of Medicine and does not play a role in PubMed or PubMed 
Central.  NLM functions as an institute in its own right, with 
separate congressional authorizations; it is not "the NIH 
Library".

I don't mean to suggest that congress might not, in its infinite 
wisdom, decide not to re-authorize NLM, but that would be a 
decision of a significantly different order of magnitude than 
EPA's decision to close its libraries.  While it would be foolish 
to rely on NLM as the ONLY archival solution, I still think it is 
on the more reliable end of the spectrum in terms of likely 
longevity.

Scott

T. Scott Plutchak

Director, Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences
University of Alabama at Birmingham
tscott@uab.edu