Nancy Tannery, HSLS senior associate director, was recently appointed to the National Library of Medicine’s Literature Selection Technical Review Committee (LSTRC) for a four year term. The purpose of this committee is to review journals for inclusion in MEDLINE, the world’s premier database of biomedical journal literature. The committee consists of approximately 14 members who meet three times a year. Only two members of the committee are librarians. Other members are selected based on their scientific expertise and experience.
According to Tannery, in order for a publisher or editor to have a journal considered for review by LSTRC, they must first complete the MEDLINE Review Application. The committee then evaluates the journal by considering a number of items, including the scope and coverage of the journal, its editorial board, the quality and types of content, its geographic coverage, and the overall quality of the journal. Approximately 140 journal titles are reviewed at each meeting, and 20–25 percent of these are selected for indexing.
At her first meeting in late June, Tannery did not officially participate, but observed the meeting’s format. The meetings are formal and members follow parliamentary procedures. Tannery will actively take part in the next meeting which is scheduled for October 25–26. She’s looking forward to working with committee members, each of whom brings a different background to the group. She also anticipates learning a great deal about biomedical publishing.
~ Jill Foust