Web Office Tools

Collaboration spaces and authoring tools on the Web have many positive applications in the medical library world: meeting and conference planning, curriculum development projects, and writing articles or research projects across institutions are just a few. Earlier this year, I worked on an article with three other faculty members, using our college's share drive. It was very cumbersome to keep track of the various edits and versions and group members had to e-mail others when changes were made.

Google Docs makes keeping track of versions very easy and you can set up an RSS feed and/or e-mail notification of any edits. Very slick! Zoho has a nifty tagging feature and provides a database tool in addition to the word processor, spreadsheet, and presentation software available at Google Docs.

As with any Internet-based application, privacy and security are an issue. Although users can determine levels of access, I think we need to examine the FERPA and HIPAA implications. I would not use Internet-based applications for any material that contains personal identification information of individual patients or students.

The permanence of the tools is also an issue. Both Google Docs and Zoho are labeled as Beta, which means they will change. They could disappear or, more likely, morph into a service that requires payment for the advanced features users learn to like in the Beta version. "It's all about the money!" Because of that, I don't think Web office tools will replace institutional purchases of basic office software.

These tools do work very well for short term projects that do not contain sensitive information. They can facilitate collaboration and communication and have a role in medical library services and healthcare education.