ICML 2009: Great Hall 1 Session 23

Theme: Rural and Indigenous Health

Time: 17.00-18.15
Date: Thursday 3rd September 2009
Chair: Kaye Lasserre

Managing The Knowledge Asset of Indigenous Systems of Medicine
Presented By: Gnanasekari Gnanaprakasan, Central Research Institute for Siddha, India
Prof Manorama Srinath, Retd. University of Madras, India

Dr. Gnanasekari is working in the Central Research Institute for Siddha, Chennai as a qualified librarian for the past 24 years. She completed her Ph.D in Library and Information Science from the University of Madras in 2004. She has presented several papers at both national and international level conferences. Her Ph.D thesis was on designng a expert system for Siddha medicine.

Abstract:
India is a multi-lingual, multi-cultural nation emerging as a powerful nation, rich in knowledge assets from ancient times. Indigenous systems such as Ayurveda and Siddha have been evolving for the last 5000 years. This Indigenous system proves significant in eradication of diseases as well as their prevention.
Hence this knowledge asset inscribed in ancient materials like palm leaves should be managed effectively and preserved in an appropriate manner. Knowledge Management is a practice that involves capturing and sharing of an organization’s information assets enhancing the sustainability and ability to gain competitive advantage in the present day globalization.
Management of knowledge assets is important for managers to sustain the organizational efficiency. Role of Librarians is gaining significance in managing the knowledge asset of any organization. As a medical librarian, I have documented and digitized this indigenous knowledge in the form of an Expert System. This expert system is an effective tool designed for powerful knowledge management.
Knowledge in Siddha medicine is the asset of CRIS organization. For example, a viral disease called ‘chickungunya’ spread over Tamil Nadu in the recent past could be controlled by treating with Siddha, an indigenous system of medicine. It is evident that Siddhas had documented the remedies for such diseases in palm leaves in ancient days itself.
This paper is based on knowledge management of Indigenous system of medicine which is the most ancient & more effective one. The detailed report and case studies will be dealt with the statistical support in the full paper.

Meeting the challenges in information service provision for rural health professionals
Donald A Keast, Department of Rural Health, Australia
Jocelyn Morris, Far West Health Library, Australia
Ms Sandra O'Neill, Learning & Organisational Development Library Service Greater Western Area Health Service, Australia
Adele Miles, Library, Port Macquarie Base Hospital, Australia
Sally Toms, Library, Coffs Harbour Health Campus, Australia

Don Keast has been Librarian at the Far West Health Library in Broken Hill for the last 6 years. The library services a vast area of Western NSW, with many users in very remote locations. Don has been involved in NSW health libraries for over thirty years. He enjoys the detective aspects of providing information services, and exploring the new possibilities of the World Wide Web. He has become an incurable blogger on health topics, and is undertaking a research project on clinical information seeking patterns amongst staff working in remote health.

Jocelyn Morris has worked in a diverse range of libraries for over thirty years, in both urban and rural contexts, in Australia and overseas. Her roles have  focused  on information services provision  to library users. Since 2003 she has worked at the University of Sydney Department of Rural Health in Broken Hill. Her current role of Reserach Support provides opportunities for end-user training,  literature searches, document support for systematic reviews and involvement in evaluations of various primary health care services. A country background and a preference for the country lifestyle has given her a particular understanding of the access and equity issues facing rural health consumers. She was successful in winning a Gallipoli Fellowship from the Broken Hill Returned Soldiers League to provide the financial support for her to attend this conference and present at this session.

Sandra O'Neill is the the Learning & Development Librarian for Greater Western AHS, a rural health library service based at Charles Sturt University Library in Bathurst NSW, since 1989.

A Librarian with a primarily public libraries background, Adele Miles was employed to set up a library in the new Port Macquarie Base Hospital some fifteen years ago.  At that time it was part of the Health Care of Australia group and she was responsible for looking after the information needs of remote clients in private hospitals from Central and Western NSW and into Southern Queensland.  When the hospital joined the North Coast Area Health Service in 2005, Adele's responsibilities moved a little closer to home as she became Library Manager for NSW Health employees along a 120 km strip of the coast.

Sally finished her degree in Canberra in 1982 and worked in Departmental Libraries and National Library in Canberra doing cataloguing. She had 10 years off from 1984-94 then worked at the Coffs Harbour TAFE Library, SCU Library in Coffs then for last 12 years have been the Medical Librarian at Coffs Harbour Health Campus.

Abstract:
Background : Library service to rural health professionals often involves delivering services over large distances, in environments with variable information technology infrastructure. Rural health services have frequent use of temporary staff and high staff mobility. Delivery of training is often handicapped by a lack of training facilities, lack of relief staff, and logistical difficulties.

The role of libraries : Health service delivery in rural areas involves a number of agencies and co-partners. In addition to the health service, the Royal Flying Doctor Service, aboriginal medical services, Divisions of General Practice and university affiliated health organisations take prominent roles in health care delivery. Library service in rural areas must move beyond the traditional health service model and encompass all providers. Library services often have a close working relationship with university based facilities such as Rural Clinical Schools, University Departments of Rural Health and rural research centres These university relationships permit delivery of a much wider range of library services than would otherwise be the case.

Scope of this paper : This paper examines library service delivery in the Greater Western Area Health Service, N.S.W. (GWAHS).. The role of university partnerships is examined. The use of web 2.0 tools in service delivery to remote clients (especially blogs, email news services and the open access library system Koha) is explored.