The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 267 No 7163 p308
1 September 2001

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“Guide to the Society” articles

Roy Allcorn (Head of the Society’s Information Centre) describes how the Society addresses the information needs of pharmacists and others with a specific range of specialist services provided through the library, the technical information service and the museum

The Library

Technical Information Service

Museum

How the Society’s specialist information services address members’ needs

Having access to up-to-date and authoritative information is crucial these days, and the Society’s Information Centre is a rich knowledge resource on pharmacy and related health care topics for pharmacists, health care professionals, researchers and others. In addition, the museum’s collection of objects, images and other materials on British pharmacy history widens this audience to include the media and the general public.

The services are all centred around special expertise in acquiring, indexing, storing, and then accurately retrieving the right documents, items or pieces of information to match an enquirer’s specific purpose or enquiry.

The Library

The library is the oldest constituent part of the Information Centre, having been founded at the same time as the Society in 1841. Its collections date back as far the 15th century and contain many important early pharmacopoeias and herbals.

Now the focus is very much on modern information to support the practising pharmacist. A large percentage of the book collection is available for free loan in person or by post to Society members or pharmacy students resident in the United Kingdom. Over 12,000 books have been added to the library’s computer catalogue since its introduction in 1992. Recently introduced software has enabled the library catalogue to be available on an intranet accessible by staff throughout the headquarters building.

The library currently receives about 250 journals, including pharmacy journals from the UK and around the world together with the major general medical journals from the UK and United States. A photocopy service can provide articles from these journals within the provisions of UK copyright legislation. This means, among other things, that the library is obliged to charge for the photocopies. Members do receive a preferential rate.

The library staff have experience of using print and electronic sources to track down references and provide information on many topics. They have available a range of databases which they can search on behalf of members. Those who are able to visit the library can carry out searches themselves, with staff always on hand to assist if required.

Developments for the coming year include making the library catalogue available on the internet. The plan is to introduce a user-friendly web-based version that will allow users to search the collection and place requests and loan renewals online. In time the system will provide extra features, including online inter-library loan requests, links to virtual documents and searching of third party databases. The coming year will also see the start of preparations for the extra support pharmacists will require for mandatory continuing professional development (CPD).

With the introduction of the Society’s new telephone system the library can now be contacted directly on 020 7572 2300. This number also allows messages to be left at busy times or out of hours. Alternatively the e-mail address is library@rpsgb.org.uk.

Technical information service

For more than 30 years the Technical Information Service (TIS) has provided information and advice on medicines, therapeutics and pharmacy practice to Society members. Until relatively recently the TIS information pharmacists were probably best known for foreign drug identification and for finding references to information published in The Pharmaceutical Journal. In addition to these more familiar services, they are now increasingly active in providing a resource to help pharmacists’ continuing education needs, using their access to major databases such as RPS e-PIC, Medline, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts, TICTAC and many varied internet sources.

The service is staffed by four pharmacists. They have previous experience in community, hospital and industrial pharmacy. Enquiries are handled by telephone, fax, e-mail or post. The service is primarily a free search service to members, with charges only incurred for comprehensive searches and requested photocopies or printouts. The service answers about 14,000 enquiries a year, about three-quarters of which are from members. Also provided is a comprehensive literature search service of medical and pharmaceutical databases at competitive rates.

In seeking to further develop information provision, TIS has published its in-house database RPS e-PIC which is available on subscription via the internet and on CD-ROM. The TIS input to the Information Centre pages on the Society’s website (www.rpsgb.org.uk/infocentre/) continues to expand.

The information pharmacists are also committed to CPD. They are all associate members of the College of Pharmacy Practice.

The first half of this year has seen a comprehensive review of the information services provided by all parts of the Information Centre. The results of this are being assessed in order to agree a strategy for service development which will help meet the future information needs of both the membership and Society staff.

The new direct dial telephone number for TIS is 020 7572 2302 and the e-mail address is techinfo@rpsgb.org.uk.

Museum

The Society’s museum has moved a long way since its beginnings in 1842 as a collection of materia medica specimens intended for the education of the Society’s students and members. Since the early 20th century the museum has acquired objects, images and reference materials relating to the history of pharmacy as it has been practised in Britain through more than five centuries. The result is Britain’s best specialist collection in the field, used regularly by professional, academic, media and general interest researchers, and hugely appreciated by members of the general public visiting the museum’s displays.

Over the past five years the curator and her team have worked hard to raise the museum’s profile and reach a wider audience with regular guided tours, a changing programme of special exhibitions and lively popular events like July’s “Lambeth Pharmacy History Day”. In October the museum will notch up another first with an exhibition by Michelle Charles, a well regarded contemporary artist, featuring recent works inspired by objects and ideas found among the collections.

Unfortunately, when the Society moved to its current headquarters in 1977 it did not plan for the use of the museum collections as a resource for pharmacists and the general public to learn about pharmacy’s its past, present and future. Because of this, the displays are spread over four floors of the building, making it difficult for them to tell a coherent story, and they often share space with offices and meeting rooms. This means that during 2002 the museum may be required to cut back its public programme and limit access. However, the curator hopes to be able to develop enhanced online “virtual” exhibitions and research materials and develop other forms of outreach.

The museum’s new direct dial telephone number is 020 7572 2210. Its e-mail address is museum@rpsgb.org.uk.