The Reporter: Oct 1994, Vol.5, No.3
CPMCnet: A Resource to and from the World

CPMCnet-a computer resource for the Health Sciences-can be accessed from computers on campus and worldwide. The system provides access to both information originating at Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center and medical and scientific information from around the world.

In addition to scientific information, CPMCnet includes such resources as guides to computer software, electronic versions of books and journals, and even listings of NYC bookstores and music clubs.

Developed over the past year at the Health Sciences Library by Jeff Zucker, systems analyst; Dr. Robert Kahn, director of computer and media services; and Raju Natarajan, coordinator of computer systems, CPMCnet is a direct two-way interface with Internet, the global network of computers, and provides a menu and search system customized for the Health Sciences community. CPMCnet is similar to and connected with ColumbiaNet, the university information server. However, CPMCnet specializes in information related to health sciences and provides data specific to CPMC.

"We've created a very well-organized and up-to-date system that has been acknowledged by people who have visited CPMCnet during the testing phase," says Jeff Zucker, editor-in-chief of CPMCnet. CPMCnet works in both directions: It makes data from the Internet available to the CPMC community and it introduces Health Sciences information to Internet subscribers. In addition, the resource includes private sections for access only within CPMC.

Information on CPMCnet is organized into several categories on the menu: About CPMCnet (instructions for using CPMCnet); CPMC Publications and Campus Information (full text of many campus publications, such as The Reporter, Biomedical Frontiers, P&S Medical Review, and the weekly calendar of events); Health Sciences Resources at CPMC (the on-line catalog of Columbia Library, Medline, research reports from the Medical Logic Modules project, Dental and Oral Surgery curricula, extensive information on research, and descriptions of shared facilities and equipment); Health Sciences Resources Worldwide (federal data bases such as those of the NIH, lists of computer resources at other medical schools and health organizations, and resources on selected topics such as AIDS, midwifery, and anesthesiology); and Other Internet Resources (access to worldwide library catalogs, repositories on policy and issues pertaining to education and information technology, and searching and indexing tools for global information).

Also available on CPMCnet are listings of seminars and demonstrations; student activities and grades; student handbook and policies; and summaries of CPMC departments, research centers, and affiliated institutions.

"An invaluable feature of CPMCnet is the inclusion of the full texts of many CPMC publications," says Mr. Zucker. "This allows users to read complete articles rather than getting just bibliographic references or abstracts."

CPMCnet can be accessed on campus by telnet or through the Novell network (via Scholarly Resources on the main menu) or off campus by telnet and modem. It is available on prominent lists at institutions such as Harvard and the University of Minnesota and was mentioned recently in Modern Healthcare, a national medical journal.

The CPMCnet development team actively solicits suggestions about new information sources that could be offered on CPMCnet. Comments can be sent by e-mail to help@cpmcnet.columbia.edu. Additional information on CPMCnet can be obtained from the "About CPMCnet" menu or in a brochure available at the Health Sciences Library.