What is a medical library and what do they provide?
A medical library is an information resource for physicians, health professionals, and researchers (ExploreHealthCareers.org). Medical libraries are usually in association with hospitals, medical associations, and colleges/universities. The materials in their catalog will vary among different institutions, colleges, and associations but most contain journals, journal articles, theses, and other medical publications.
Medical libraries can be an essential resource for physicians as they contain valuable research that medical practitioners can use. These resources include up-to-date information about rare medical conditions, developing medicine, and risky surgical procedures which can all be found in a medical library’s catalog. Medical libraries at college and universities may contain more archival material as students learn more about the history and background of medicine.
Examples of medical libraries:
Medical Library Service (MLS):Located within the College of Physicians and Surgeons of British Columbia on Howe Street in Vancouver, the Medical Library Service is a collection of resources for medical practitioners. MLS has a physical collection of journals and other research material in-house and has access to electronic databases for digitized articles and more.
UBC Biomedical Branch (BMB) Library Services: BMB Library Services is located in the Diamond Health Care Centre at Vancouver General Hospital. BMB has a physical collection in addition to a large selection of electronic resources such as AccessMedicine, MEDLINE (Ovid), PubMed, and more.
U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM): NLM is located on the campus of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, USA. The National Institutes of Health is a biomedical research organization which is a part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. According to their website, they are the world’s largest biomedical library with a vast and diverse collection of print and electronic materials.
Medical and Law Libraries Career Guide 