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A health or medical library is designed to assist
physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
s,
health professional A health professional, healthcare professional (HCP), or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated as HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a Nursing, nur ...
s,
student A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution, or more generally, a person who takes a special interest in a subject. In the United Kingdom and most The Commonwealth, commonwealth countries, a "student" attends ...
s,
patient A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by Health professional, healthcare professionals. The patient is most often Disease, ill or Major trauma, injured and in need of therapy, treatment by a physician, nurse, op ...
s,
consumer A consumer is a person or a group who intends to order, or use purchased goods, products, or services primarily for personal, social, family, household and similar needs, who is not directly related to entrepreneurial or business activities. ...
s, medical researchers, and information specialists in finding health and scientific information to improve, update, assess, or evaluate health care. Medical
libraries A library is a collection of Book, books, and possibly other Document, materials and Media (communication), media, that is accessible for use by its members and members of allied institutions. Libraries provide physical (hard copies) or electron ...
are typically found in
hospital A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized Medical Science, health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically ...
s,
medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...
s, private industry, and in medical or health associations. A typical health or medical library has access to
MEDLINE MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, or MEDLARS Online) is a bibliographic database of life sciences and biomedical information. It includes bibliographic information for articles from academic journals covering medic ...
, a range of electronic resources, print and digital journal collections, and print reference books. The influence of
open access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...
(OA) and free searching via
Google Google LLC (, ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company focusing on online advertising, search engine technology, cloud computing, computer software, quantum computing, e-commerce, consumer electronics, and artificial ...
and
PubMed PubMed is an openly accessible, free database which includes primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institute ...
has a major impact on the way medical libraries operate. The
United States National Library of Medicine The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. I ...
(NLM) is the largest biomedical library in the world, and collects and provides access to some of the best health information in the world (due to its linkage to the
National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in 1887 and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Service ...
). The NLM maintains numerous medical and genomic databases, searchable via its
Entrez The Entrez () Global Query Cross-Database Search System is a federated search engine, or web portal that allows users to search many discrete health sciences databases at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website. The NCB ...
search system, including
MEDLINE MEDLINE (Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online, or MEDLARS Online) is a bibliographic database of life sciences and biomedical information. It includes bibliographic information for articles from academic journals covering medic ...
(
PubMed PubMed is an openly accessible, free database which includes primarily the MEDLINE database of references and abstracts on life sciences and biomedical topics. The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM) at the National Institute ...
) and
OMIM Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a continuously updated catalog of human genes and genetic disorders and traits, with a particular focus on the gene-phenotype relationship. , approximately 9,000 of the over 25,000 entries in OMIM ...
(a genetic traits database). The largest medical library in Europe is the German National Library of Medicine (ZB MED), which also has collections in the fields of nutrition, agriculture, and environmental science. ZB MED operates as the official European supplier of full texts in response to searches conducted in the NLM's bibliographic databases such as PubMed, and also operates its own search portals.German National Library of Medicine Partnerships
. Retrieved 23 May 2012.


Uses

A 2013 survey of health care providers in the United States concluded from its data that professionals in the health care industry perceive access to medical libraries as valuable. The same study further concluded that health care professionals feel that information they get from libraries has a positive impact on patient care.


Accreditation

To become accredited, every American and Canadian college of
medicine Medicine is the science and Praxis (process), practice of caring for patients, managing the Medical diagnosis, diagnosis, prognosis, Preventive medicine, prevention, therapy, treatment, Palliative care, palliation of their injury or disease, ...
,
nursing Nursing is a health care profession that "integrates the art and science of caring and focuses on the protection, promotion, and optimization of health and human functioning; prevention of illness and injury; facilitation of healing; and alle ...
,
dentistry Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the Human tooth, teeth, gums, and Human mouth, mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, dis ...
,
pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medication, medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it ...
,
veterinary medicine Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, medical diagnosis, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all a ...
, or
public health Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals". Analyzing the de ...
is required to have a health or medical library appropriate to the needs of the school, as specified by an accrediting body, such as the
Liaison Committee on Medical Education The Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) is an accrediting body for educational programs at schools of medicine in the United States and Canada.''Glossary.'' ACGME website. The LCME is sponsored by the Association of American Medical ...
(LCME)'
standards
These accreditation standards include having qualified library staff on hand to answer reference questions, and provide training in using electronic resources. Some academic medical libraries are located in the same building as the general undergraduate library but most are located near or in the medical college or faculty.


Trends

In support of
open access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which nominally copyrightable publications are delivered to readers free of access charges or other barriers. With open access strictly defined (according to the 2001 de ...
to the journal literature, the U.S. NLM established an online library of digital journal articles, PubMed Central (PMC), which will soon be supplemented by a UK version. NLM works with the National Network of Libraries of Medicine
NN/LM
to provide regional medical library support in the United States, while its consumer health information service
MEDLINEplus MedlinePlus is an online information service produced by the United States National Library of Medicine. The service provides curated consumer health information in English and Spanish with select content in additional languages. The site brings ...
offers free access to health information, images, and interactive tutorials. Many countries like Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom have well-developed medical libraries, though nothing quite as evolved as the U.S. NLM.


Medical librarians

Medical librarians are skilled professionals who assist with resources and research in the medical professions. The focus of the medical librarian is to emphasize the use of
evidence-based research Metascience (also known as meta-research) is the use of scientific methodology to study science itself. Metascience seeks to increase the quality of scientific research while reducing inefficiency. It is also known as "research on research" an ...
and practice. This can be for both medical research or medical practice. As well the medical librarian is expected be a resource for assisting with publishing and presentation of research. Medical librarians use web based resources to conduct research and help generate evidence based approaches to healthcare. Organizations such as the MLA set standards for what a medical librarian should follow in practice.


Collections

Different medical libraries have different needs and different resources for collection development. Several guides for librarians have been published. The Brandon–Hill title lists were a free collection of suggested books and journals. These lists were created by two librarians at the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, Al Brandon and Dorothy Hill, and published from 1965 to 2004. Beginning in 2006, the annual ''Doody's Core Titles in the Health Sciences'' lists, which includes a separate suggested list for small libraries, have been commonly used for English-language medical books. Both medical librarians and subject-matter experts are involved in compiling the ''Doody's'' lists.


Associations

The Medical Library Association (MLA) is a Chicago-based advocate for library professionals and health sciences libraries – primarily in the United States. MLA maintains an online list of ALA-accredite
library school programs
for those who would like to pursue a master's degree in library and information studies in the US and Canada ( MLIS). It furthermore administers the US credentialing organization for medical librarians, the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP). The main network for medical libraries in the United States is the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM). The Special Libraries Association has a Medical Section of the Biomedical and Life Scienc
Division
which serves as a forum for Division members who are engaged or interested in the exchange of information in the biomedical and health sciences, and the acquisition, organization, dissemination, and use of such information in all formats. In Canada, health librarians and libraries are represented by the Canadian Health Libraries Association. Australia have th
Health Libraries Australia Group
of the
Australian Library and Information Association The Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA), formerly the Australian Institute of Librarians and Library Association of Australia, is the peak professional organisation for the Australian library and information services sector. ...
and the Victorian state base
Health Libraries Inc
In 2013, HLA introduced a PD Specialisation in 2013 leading to Association post nominals on demonstration of ongoing professional development in the field of health librarianship. A list of health libraries in Australia may by found on the website of th
National Library of Australia
In 2015, Australia is undertaking a census of health libraries and librarianship aiming to identify the full industry, locations, organisations, roles, and staff employed. The first specialis
"Health Librarianship Essentials"
tertiary training commenced in April 2015 at the Queensland University of Technology supported by HLA. In the United Kingdom, medical (or health) librarians are represented by the Health Libraries Group of the
Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP, pronounced ) is a professional body for librarians, information specialists and knowledge management, knowledge managers in the United Kingdom. It was established in 20 ...
(CILIP). The medical and health libraries of the German-speaking countries, Germany, Austria and Switzerland, are represented by the Arbeitsgemeinschaft für medizinisches Bibliothekswesen e.V (Medical Libraries Association), based in
Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
, Germany.Arbeitsgemeinschaft fuer Medizinisches Bibliothekswesen (AGMB) e.V.
Willkommen bei der AGMB
accessed on 28 February 2025
There are similar, if smaller, national groups in many European countries and these groups and individual health librarians and libraries are represented by th
European Association for Health Information and Libraries (EAHIL)
since 1987. For those librarians who work in very specialised subject areas, there are associations and networks which focus on their subject areas, and an example of such an organisation is Elisad, the European Association of Libraries and Information Services on Addictions
Elisad
The
International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is an international body representing the interests of people who rely on Library, libraries and information professionals. A non-governmental, not-for-profit organizati ...
(IFLA) has
Health and Biosciences Libraries Section
The las
International Congress on Medical Librarianship (ICML)
was in Brisbane in 2009.


See also

* List of medical libraries * Medical Library Association * Medical Library Association of Great Britain and Ireland * Canadian Health Libraries Association * Margaret Ridley Charlton * Fred Kilgour *
United States National Library of Medicine The United States National Library of Medicine (NLM), operated by the United States federal government, is the world's largest medical library. Located in Bethesda, Maryland, the NLM is an institute within the National Institutes of Health. I ...
* Osler Library of the History of Medicine *
Frank Bradway Rogers Frank Bradway Rogers (December 31, 1914 – July 27, 1987) was an American medical doctor and librarian who was instrumental in changing the Army Medical Library into the National Library of Medicine. He helped develop an electronic system of st ...
* Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library * Wellcome Library


References


External links


Canadian Health Libraries Association
{{Authority control Types of library