IAIMS Consortium

The UW-Madison IAIMS project will establish a strategic plan for information technology for the health sciences. The federal initiative which funds this project began over 15 years ago, and has helped academic health science schools develop the computer network and communication systems necessary to link the clinical practice and research activities with the library services and knowledge resources necessary to support them. Our project focuses on establishing the connectivity and coordination necessary to support our state-wide mission of teaching, research and service. We have an unusual opportunity to capitalize on the Learning Center Initiative which will build a state-of-the-art educational center on the West Campus. IAIMS will help insure that the Learning Center is more than bricks and mortar; it will identify the areas for investment that are needed to permit students and faculty to seamlessly access knowledge resources at the point of care. An important component of the early IAIMS work is establishing the organizational commitment to the planning process. We need to first understand the needs and desires of the students and faculty in the health sciences. Through a series of faculty work groups we will determine the key areas for information technology development; it is likely that the development will focus on ways to better link service, research and practice with the library and Internet services. A final statement of vision will be established by these planning groups by January, 1999. Then we must work to build a sustainable organization that will guide an implementation plan, garner federal and University financial and operational support, and develop a sustainable strategy for carrying out the implementation plan.