Prestel in a medical school library: the experience of the Welsh National School of Medicine

An account is given of the first year's experience with Prestel in the Welsh National School of Medicine Library. Statistical information is presented for usage of Prestel over a three month period when the service was well established and in frequent demand. This includes details about users and their reasons for consulting Prestel, and an analysis of the costs of operating the service. Conclusions about Prestel's value as a library service are drawn in the light of this, together with a small number of completed questionnaires. It is concluded that although users generally were enthusiastic about Prestel and found it easy to operate, from the librarian's point of view the service has been expensive and the information retrieved has not been of great value.