Institute of Medical Information & Library

The Institute of Medical Information (IMI) & Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College (CAMS & PUMC), was designated as the National Center of Medical Information Research and Biomedical Information Resources, the Medical Library of National Science and Technology Library (NSTL) and the Center for Health Policy and Management of CAMS & PUMC. In the past IMI & Library has been consecutively assigned as the International MEDLARS Center in China, the WHO Collaborating Center for Health and Biomedical Information, the Office of Medical Information Management affiliated to Medical Information Administrative Committee of Ministry of Health and the Chair of China Board for WHO Global Health Library.

IMI was established in 1974 by integrating the former Medical Information Department of CAMS founded in 1958 and the Library of CAMS & PUMC. For decades, around the major strategic tasks of national health reforming and medical scientific innovation, IMI has developed medical information research and consulting services of tactic decision-making in the fields of medical scientific development, prevention and control of diseases, family planning and health policy and management, including participation in framing programs at national and ministerial levels in the relevant area. IMI also took part in the research and constitution of Population and Health Project, one of the national long-term plans. In addition, IMI & Library has developed the unique Chinese Biomedical Literature Database on Disc (CBM disc) which is the hardcore of medical literature analysis and retrieval system in Chinese. IMI also has been publishing journals and newsletters, namely The Journal of Medical Informatics, The Journal of Medical Research, China Medical Herald, Modern Doctor of China and newsletters concerning the development of scientific research in the fields of AIDS, Maternal and Child Health, Family Planning, Cardiovascular Diseases, etc.

The Library, as a famous medical library with abundant collection and long history in China, was set up in 1917 and appointed as the First National Medical Library by the State Council in 1950s. In early 1990s, the Library held a title of National Center Library of Medical Literature Resources Sharing Network of Ministry of Health. Meanwhile the Library was also invited to be the WHO Depository Library in China. After the Library was designated as the Medical Library of NSTL in 2000, she functioned as a national library of medicine in China. The Library has total collection of more than 500 000 volumes, 3 000 foreign journals, 1 200 Chinese bio-medical journals, 30 network databases and disc databases and 4 400 volumes of postgraduate thesis. In addition, the Library consists of over 1 000 volumes of Chinese traditional medicine, 1 000 monographs on foreign medical history and 20 000 volumes of WHO publication. Based on the improvement of traditional literature services, the Library currently provides timely specific information services for decision making consultation and technical innovation along with the development of information technology, betterment of service capability and widening of service scope.

The Center for Health Policy and Management was founded in 2006 by integrating academic advantages of social medicine and health management, medical informatics, public health of CAMS & PUMC. Focusing on the keystones and hotspots in the field of health policy and management, the Center has developed research including health development strategy, international health care, rural and community health care, health economics and hospital management, family planning, prevention and control of diseases, medical scientific development strategy, evidence-based medicine and knowledge management, health technology assessment, etc. The Center has also been providing services for government, enterprises and institutions by information consultation, decision-making supports, and developed various kinds of academic training and exchanging activities.