Rethlefsen NL "Citation analysis of Minnesota Department of Health official publications and journal articles: a needs assessment for the RN Barr library " JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 95 (3): 260-266 JUL 2007

[Eugene Garfield]

E-mail Addresses: mlrethlefsen at gmail.com 

Title: Citation analysis of Minnesota Department of Health official 
publications and journal articles: a needs assessment for the RN Barr 
library 

Author(s): Rethlefsen NL (Rethlefsen, Neflssa L.) 

Source: JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 95 (3): 260-266 JUL 2007 

Document Type: Article 
Language: English 
Cited References: 21      Times Cited: 0      
  
Abstract: 
Objective: The paper describes the information needs of a state public 
health agency, compares needs to its library's collection, and evaluates 
collection development policy accordingly. 
Methods: A citation analysis of journal articles authored by Minnesota 
Department of Health staff as well as official publications from 2002 to 
2004 was conducted. Fifty-six publications fitting the criteria for 
inclusion in the study were identified using PubMed and library records. 
Information on each cited reference was recorded, including reference type, 
relative age of citation, and journal name, if applicable. The library's 
collection and collection development policies were analyzed in regard to 
the results.

Results: As expected, journals were the most heavily cited format: 63% (n = 
897) of all citations were to journal articles. Most cited materials were 
between 2 and 5 years old. The 897 journal citations represented 265 
different journals. The top 10 cited journals (4% of all titles) accounted 
for 36% (n = 320) of all citations; 62% (n = 320) of journals were cited 
only once. Of the total journals cited, the library subscribed to 70% (n = 
627).

Discussion: Overall, no large gaps appeared in the RN Barr Library's 
journal collection. The analysis confirms that the library's collections 
budget for serials and books reflects the cited use of these materials.

KeyWords Plus: INFORMATION NEEDS; COLLECTION; EDUCATION 
Addresses: Rethlefsen NL (reprint author), Mayo Clin, Coll Med, Learning 
Res Ctr, 200 1st St SW, Rochester, MN 55905 USA
Minnesota Dept Hlth, RN Barr Lib, Minneapolis, MN 55414 USA

E-mail Addresses: mlrethlefsen at gmail.com 
Publisher: MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOC, 65 EAST WACKER PLACE, STE 1900, CHICAGO, 
IL 60601-7298 USA 
Subject Category: Information Science & Library Science 
IDS Number: 187KU 

ISSN: 1536-5050 

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