This text acquaints the researcher, clinician, medical school student, and information specialist with all aspects of accessing and using the information available in a medical library.
The first five chapters are instructive for those unfamiliar with library resources. Chapter 1 summarizes the major medical libraries of Great Britain and North America and outlines cataloging schemes of the National Library of Medicine and the Dewey decimal system. An overview of primary sources tells how to obtain information on journals, research reports, theses, and translation facilities. This is followed by a well-annotated summary of indexing and abstracting services, encyclopedias, yearbooks, annuals, handbooks, directories, and dictionaries. There is an especially informative discussion on locating statistics. A section on developments and trends in biomedical communication, touching on such topics as the value of medical periodicals, the review process, the growth of journal literature, and the significance of citation analysis, is a welcome addition to