An amendment to education law was signed into law as Chapter 571 of the Laws of 2003 (S.5056/A.8366). With the passage of Chapter 571, each of New York's nine reference and research library resources systems receive State funds directly from the New York State Library to provide a clinical medical and consumer health information services program for libraries and library systems.
(Revised December 2005)
Pursuant to Education Law §273(4)(b) as amended by Chapter 571 of the laws of 2003 and Part O of Chapter 57 of the Laws of 2005, Medical Information Services Program funds may be used by the 3R's for the provision of medical and consumer health information services for all types of libraries and library systems. Program priorities should include medical, clinical and consumer health information for libraries in not-for-profit institutions that deal with direct patient care; are active participants in regional resource sharing; and which receive adequate library support from their parent institution or funding body. These services may include:
NY 3Rs may not use the subsidy for:
Each NY 3Rs handles the Medical Information Services funds for the libraries and library systems located within its region. Each NY 3Rs should include the MISP Program in its Five-Year Library System Plan of Service. Plans should take into consideration the needs for health and medical information of the individual institutions in the area; library system and NN/LM document delivery and interlibrary loan protocols; and any health information service consortia already operating in the region.
Each system will submit an annual report and budget application to the State Library following the method prescribed by the Commissioner.
The purposes of this program are to:
Quality patient care in hospitals requires that medical personnel have access to the latest, most accurate and timely medical and clinical health information. As a result, New Yorkers will realize healthier lives by having access to the most accurate health information they need.
The major participants in the program include the New York State Library and the nine Reference and Research Library Resources Systems.
The New York State Library is the one library in New York with statutory responsibility to serve the government, the people and the libraries of the State. The NYSL's Division of Library Development is responsible for administering the New York State Medical Information Services Program. Library Development provides program coordination and oversight, working with the NY 3Rs, to ensure that the program is carried out in accordance with Education Law. Library Development is responsible for determining the allocation of the Medical Information Services funds as outlined by the current allocation formula in Education Law §273(4)(b). The current allocation formula, which is derived from a weighted formula first used in 1983, is described in Appendix A.
The nine NY 3Rs were established under Education Law to enable academic, hospital, law, business and other special libraries, public library systems, and school library systems to share resources. They provide interlibrary loan, delivery, database development, electronic resource licensing and access, reciprocal access, continuing education, and other services to meet the reference and information needs of library users, students and faculty of institutions of higher education, the professions and others. The NY 3Rs coordinate and administer the State-funded Hospital Library Services program and Medical Information Services program.
Each NY 3Rs is responsible for fostering communication with libraries that participate in the New York State Medical Information Services Program on current policies, procedures and practices for the use of those funds. Each NY 3Rs is also responsible for providing training on access to clinical medical and consumer health information.
Program year: July 1 - June 30
The following weighted formula for the annual distribution of the New York State Medical Information Services Program funds to the nine reference and research library resources systems is based, in part, on the original formula for the annual distribution of the NYSILL/RML coupons developed by a Task Force in 1982 and used for the first time in 1983. Minor revisions to the formula were made in 1994. This revised formula has been used for the allocation of State funds since 1994 when the RML program stopped supplying lists of teaching hospitals and health related instructions to the New York State Library.
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Visit the Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) website for the most recent list of Resource Libraries and Regional Medical Libraries.
To perform an "Advanced Search" in the Members section of the NN/LM web site:
The results are listed in order by state and city. The brief listing for each library has a link to additional information in the Library Profile.