The Georgia Interactive Network (GaIN) for Medical Information is a non-profit, university-based electronic health care information network. Centered at the Mercer University School of Medicine (MUSM) in Macon, Georgia, GaIN was established in 1983 with a National Library of Medicine grant. It is an interactive network offering a wide range of information services to member health care institutions. GaIN is also a partner and collaborator in many statewide educational, health care and information access programs.

For more information, you may download a brochure about GaIN services [Updated 3/07 - PDF format] or call 800-425-GaIN (4246), or e-mail your questions to: gain.info@gain.mercer.edu.

• Purpose. GaIN provides medical information via computer directly to the health professional who needs the information. Members may access the network through the website (http://gain.mercer.edu).
  • Membership. GaIN membership is open to health care institutions in Georgia (e.g. hospitals, private practices, clinics, public health departments).
  • Online Products & Services. Via the Web, GaIN members can:
    • access full-text textbooks and journals via MD Consult®, STAT!Ref® and EBSCO databases;
    • view full-text online medical journals;
    • stay up to date with regularly-updated literature alerts in a variety of specialty areas;
    • view the collective online catalog of the member institutional libraries; and
    • request reference and document delivery services.
  • Member & Network Services. GaIN members also have access to the staff and services of Mercer University School of Medicine Medical Library and Learning Resources Center. Reference, document delivery, training, cataloging, journal listing, library automation, computer support, publications, continuing education credit, and other services are available to meet the needs of the individual health care professional or the institution. Free educational programs aimed at increasing computer literacy are available to all members, as well as a toll-free help line. 
  • Regular meetings combined with educational workshops directed at librarians and other information managers are offered as well as help with library management activities. Site visits are also provided. Note that GaIN's services satisfy many JCAHO requirements for "knowledge-based information sources"

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  SERVICES

  GaIN offers a wide range of information services to health care institutions. In addition to online network products and services, members also have access to the staff and services of Mercer University School of Medicine Medical Library and Learning Resources Center.

  Online Products & Services 

  • Databases. Members may do their own searches on a variety of databases. An electronic document delivery form makes requesting materials an easy option.
  • Current Literature Alerts. Quality-filtered alerts to the current literature in a variety of disciplines are listed in a quickly available format. Subject areas include general medicine, family practice, nursing, complementary & alternative medicine, education, ethics & research, rural health, surgery, psychiatry, healthcare standards and recommendations, emergency medicine/critical care, geriatrics, marriage & family therapy, oncology, OB/GYN, pediatrics, public health, and rural health.
  • Online Catalog. Records for books, journals and other materials housed in the MUSM collection and the GaIN institutional library collections can be found in MEDCAT, an electronic catalog of resources available within the GaIN network. Members may request loans electronically or by fax.

    Member & Network Services 

  • Reference. Library staff are available to answer both quick and complex questions, verify citations or perform searches on over 300 computer databases. Requests for help may be made in person or by phone, fax or e-mail. Standard fees are charged according to the user's affiliation with MUSM and are billed quarterly.
  • Document Delivery. Photocopies of materials owned by MUSM or other libraries are available to GaIN members. This service is provided within the guidelines of the copyright law. Standard fees are charged according to the user's affiliation with MUSM and are billed quarterly. Library staff can also help GaIN libraries locate materials not available in the network through OCLC (the Online Computer Library Center), a national database of book and journal holdings of major academic, public and special libraries throughout the United States.
  • Training & Educational Programs. Free classes are offered at MUSM to teach all members how to use the GaIN system and the Internet. Members may request classes through the GaIN web site. Twice a year, workshops designed for the Institutional Site Contacts are offered at the Spring and Fall GaIN Meetings in Macon. In addition, computer technology and library management topics are periodically taught around the state. Institutional members also receive an annual site visit at which their specific GaIN training or library consultation needs can be addressed. On-site GaIN demos are also available to current or prospective institutional members. Library staff are available to teach specific topics to groups on a cost recovery basis. Continuing education credit for GaIN-sponsored training and educational programs is available for GaIN participants.
  • Cataloging. Centralized cataloging is available to Institutional members to maintain the online catalog of holdings of the GaIN network libraries, promote resource sharing, and enhance each collection's usage by making it accessible to its borrowers through remote searching capabilities. In addition to a searchable database, cataloging products (i.e., catalog cards and book processing packets) are provided and a machine readable archive is maintained of each library's holdings. Contact GaIN Program office for quote: gain.info@gain.mercer.edu or 800-425-GAIN (4246).
  • Computer and Systems Support. Library staff are available to help GaIN users with any access problems they may experience or questions they may have. A toll-free number is available for users.

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  MEMBERSHIP

  GaIN membership is open to health care institutions in Georgia. All members have 24-hour per day access to GaIN electronic resources.

  • Institutional Membership Benefits
  • Online access to medical textbooks and journals
  • Document delivery service*
  • Literature searches and reference help*
  • CE credit for site contacts and others through Mercer University Office of Extended Education for all educational offerings, events, workshops, on-site training 
  • Help with library management activities, i.e., cataloging, journal listing, library automation
  • Annual site visits and cost-benefit reports of using GaIN network
  • Bi-annual site contact meetings, educational workshops and newsletters
    * - additional fees may apply.
  • Membership Fees
  • Based on institutional profile including bed size, number of health care professionals and other statistics. Contact GaIN Program office for quote gain.info@gain.mercer.edu or 800-425-GAIN (4246).
  • Cataloging profile for OCLC 0
  • Library Automation: Contact GaIN Program office for quote gain.info@gain.mercer.edu or 800-425-GaIN (4246)
  • Additional Services (Billed Quarterly)
  • Computer literature searches performed by MUSM Reference
  • Photocopies of journal articles or ILLs
  • FAX charges
  • Cataloging service through MUSM 
    

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