National Medical Library (NML) operates MEDVIK system, a centralized library management system for medical libraries in Czech Republic. MEDVIK system environment with its strong technological infrastructure and WWW portal (www.medvik.cz) have created extensive opportunities to innovate NML provided information services. This paper describes key issues that have been implemented or NML has been working on. MEDVIK shared database serves either as the union catalogue of periodicals (UCP). The flexible database structures have been modified to enable new model of collaboration with participating libraries - online update of UCP holdings data via MEDVIK Portal sub-module. This effort led to important data consolidation which now allows precise searching for titles or owner library by available years. NML plan to implement new e-resources management system in first quarter 2008, which is intended to interoperate with MEDVIK as closely as possible to serve our users with accurate availability information and access to both traditional and electronic resources. ERM system interface will be incorporated into MEDVIK Portal. NML produces Czech National Medical Bibliography (BMC), a bibliographic database of Czech medical literature. Current production has been already processed in MEDVIK system and there are several backfiles that will be converted by the end of this year. Total number of BMC records approximates 500 thousands and there will be more older records added retrospectively back to 1946. BMC records have been indexed with MeSH descriptors. Abstracts and links to fulltext have been added where available. BMC will be made accessible through MEDVIK Portal. Recently, efforts have been made to promote cooperation with Czech journal publishers to find ways how to provide persistent linking, fulltext archiving and possibly to automate basic metadata input into BMC database. NML is going to conduct a review of available digital archiving tools and to implement a digital repository. The intention is that the repository shall serve as Czech health information archive for published documents and non-published materials as well. NML plan to gradually digitize older endangered journal volumes to be stored in the repository. NML believes that MEDVIK Portal providing access to BMC linked with consistent union catalogue holdings and ERM, backed up with the digital repository of journal articles and other important content shall become the unique discovery resource for all interested medical information users.

National Medical Library Prague Czech Republic

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