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Government Shutdown Update (Access to National Library of Medicine Services)

Posted on January 23, 2018 by Eric Edwards

(via Bobbi Newman, National Network of Libraries of Medicine – Greater Midwest Region)

The National Institutes of Health is in a furlough status as of Monday, January 22, 2018, due to an absence of federal appropriations. According to the FY 2018 HHS Contingency Staffing Plan for Operations in the Absence of Enacted Annual Appropriations, “The plan for maintaining access to databases includes the minimum staff required to identify and correct dynamic access problems caused by changes in the volume and types of use. (During a shutdown, there would be no routine updating of databases that is normally a major part of these database operations.) In addition, the plan for continuation of IT infrastructure services represents only the bare minimum to sustain the essential infrastructure for keeping the National Library of Medicine data center operational for serving the external biomedical databases that are used in the provision of non-Federal health care.”

What does this mean for librarians and patrons?

  • Databases such as MedlinePlus and PubMed are online but will likely not be updated during the Federal shutdown.
  • E-mails and customer support requests to NLM will not be answered.
  • NLM will not fill ILL requests or provide technical support to DOCLINE/Loansome Doc. Contact the National DOCLINE Coordinating Office, at DOCLINE@hshsl.umaryland.edu, if you have questions.

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, including the GMR Office, is open! Please contact the Office, at gmr-lib@uiowa.edu, if you need assistance.

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