Awareness and Usage of National Library of Medicine Classification (NLMC) System in Health Libraries in Sri Lanka

Abstract

Attached

The present study addresses NLMC use in Sri Lankan Health and Medical libraries. The objectives of this study were to investigate whether NLMC is used in Sri Lankan Health and Medical libraries and awareness about NLMC among health and Medical Librarians. Also, it was aimed to find out the present classification system/s and possibilities for future alterations. The participants of this study were all the Librarians who are in-charge of Health and Medical Libraries in Sri Lanka who are the members of HELLIS Network in Sri Lanka. A descriptive survey was applied for data collection. An open- ended questionnaire and interview were conducted after relevant literature review. Results of this study showed that majority of Medical Librarians who are in Sri Lankan Medical libraries rarely used the NLMC for their cataloguing purposes. The study summarized NLMC is not popular among medical libraries in Sri Lanka, due to lack of awareness of the system and the influence of the mother institute or lack of popularity of the system within the country. This study suggests that LIS education system in Sri Lanka has to pay more attention towards NLMC to include LIS curricula