The History of MEDLARS

Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System (MEDLARS) is a searchable database service of the United States' National Library of Medicine (NLM). The NLM, which was established in 1836, is a comprehensive medical literature library that is accessed by users worldwide.

Early Days

• Prior to the introduction of MEDLARS in January 1964, the NLM published a monthly journal, the Index Medicus, referencing medical articles in a multitude of medical journals. Plans to mechanize the Index started in 1958, according to Frank B. Rogers, the director of the NLM who was responsible for the project.

Going Online

• In 1968, the State University of New York Biomedical Communication Network created a computerized version of MEDLARS that was available using tapes supplied by the NLM. In October 1971, the NLM launched Medline to provide "online" access to selected references in the MEDLARS database. This development encouraged a wider audience to access the database as search results were simplified.

Developments

• The introduction of "Grateful Med," user-friendly software for searching MEDLARS, made the full database available to health workers in February 1986. The development of the Internet expanded access to MEDLARS and Medline with the introduction of PubMed in 1997.