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Need a Library? - Unaffiliated People
If you are not a member of MLA, then Join
MLA and the Hospital Libraries Section.
Hospital Libraries come in every size and shape. They are offer a variety of library services to a variety of clientele. In most cases, they are "private" libraries which means that, being supported financially by their parent institution, they "serve" only employees and staff of that institution. Usually, unaffiliated people can walk into a hospital library, read materials there and make photocopies for a price. Usually, unaffiliated people cannot check out materials, search databases, or use library services such as interlibrary loan.
However, some libraries offer many services, some for free and some for a fee.
Always call before going to a hospital library to find out how accessible they are to unaffiliated users, the hours they are open and their location.
The National Network of Libraries of Medicine
(NN/LM) and the National Library of Medicine
(NLM) provide additional access for unaffiliated users. Most hospital libraries are members of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. To find out more about the NLM and NN/LM programs, look at these pages:
These are the programs available to anyone who asks:
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If you are affiliated with a hospital, become aware of the library service available from your professional librarian. It could be more extensive than you thought. If this service is under-supported, lobby with the administration to increase support.
The Rochester Study proved, through evidence-based research, that having and using library services saved lives, improved patient care, and cut costs.
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Call the NN/LM at 1-800-338-7657. You will be connected to your regional medical library, based on the area code from whcih you are calling. They will advise you of the nearest NN/LM member.
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In June, 1997, the National Library of Medicine made MEDLINE free on the worldwide web. Called PubMed, this search interface offers free MEDLINE.
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The Online databases and databanks Fact Sheet describes other databases available such as Bioethics, Cancer Information, Clinical Trials, Consumer Information, and History of Medicine..
LOCATORplus describes books, journals and audiovisuals in the National Library of Medicine's collection.
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To obtain the articles you found on your MEDLINE search, you have several options.
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You can take your citations to your local public library and use their interlibrary loan services.
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You can travel to a local hospital or medical school library and photocopy the articles yourself, calling first to ascertain the hours of operations and access to unaffiliated users.
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You can contract with a hospital or university medical library for the article delivery service attached to PubMed called
Loansome
Doc. Under these contracts, articles can cost from free up to $10 or $15.
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Contact your state medical school and ask if they have any special outreach services that service rural or unaffiliated healthcare professionals. Some medical libraries, hospital or medical school, have contract arrangements where you can pay for access to collections and services.
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Be aware that there may be an Area Health Education Center (AHEC) in your geographic area that serves rural and unaffiliated healthcare professionals. Ask about AHECS in your state at your state medical school or the NN/LM. An excellent example of AHEC library service is the North Carolina AHEC system.
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Hospital Librarians are dedicated to service but are often constrained for budgetary reasons from providing service to unaffiliated users. The Hospital Library Section of the Medical Library Association hopes this page gives you some direction in your search for access to health sciences information.
Contact HLS Web editor
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