Establishing a national resource: a health informatics collection to maintain the legacy of health informatics development.
This case study report of the establishment of a national repository of multi-media materials describes the creation process, the challenges faced in putting it into operation and the opportunities for the future. The initial resource has been incorporated under standard library and knowledge management practices. A collaborative action research method was used with active experts in the domain to determine the requirements and priorities for further development. The National Health Informatics Collection (NatHIC) is now accessible and the further issues are being addressed by inclusion in future University and NHS strategic plans. Ultimately the Collection will link with other facilities that contribute to the description and maintenance of effective informatics in support of health globally. The issues raised about the National Health Informatics Collection as established in the UK have resonance with the challenges of capturing the overall historic development of an emerging discipline in any country.
Ellis
Beverley
B
Health Informatics Unit, Lancashire School of Health and Post-Graduate Medicine, UCLAN, Preston, UK. bsellis@uclan.ac.uk
Roberts
Jean
J
Cooper
Helen
H
D001109:Archives; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D007990:Libraries; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000266:history*; D006113:United Kingdom