In-house use of a medical library journal collection

Abstract

A three week in-house use study of four sample subject areas of the Canterbury Medical Library journal collection was carried out using the "pick-up" method and check sheets attached to the front of current journals. The study aimed to obtain a more accurate idea of total library use than had been available previously, and to discover the relationship between in-house and circulated use for different titles and subject areas. Results showed a ratio of 1 .84:1 in-house uses to each circulated use during the study period. The correlation between in-house and circulated use was significant for the general medicine area only. The significance of the results is discussed.