We strive to improve the public's access to health information so they can make informed decisions about their health. Our programs focus on reaching minorities, senior citizens, and low income populations. To accomplish this, we provide outreach and training to staff at public libraries and other community-based organizations, Network members, healthcare providers, K-12 teachers and staff, college and adult school staff, and health advocacy groups.

Providing Health Reference

• The Librarian's Role in the Provision of Consumer Health Information and Patient Education - Medical Library Association (MLA) policy statement
• Guidelines for Medical, Legal, and Business Responses - developed by the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA), American Library Association
• Code of Ethics for Health Sciences Librarianship - established by MLA

Resources for Consumer Health Collections and Services

• Basic Medical Library Management - resources for the librarian new to providing health information services
• Consumer Health: An Online Manual - everything you need to know for developing and managing a consumer health library
• Consumer Health Workshops for Public Librarians 375 Kb - tri-fold brochure with descriptions of free consumer health workshops and other opportunities for public librarians
• Health Information Literacy - resources from MLA
• How Do You Set Up and Run a Consumer Health Library? - from the Consumer and Patient Health Information Section (CAPHIS) of MLA
• Multilingual Health Information - an extensive list of multilingual health information resources
• Public Libraries and Community Partners: Working Together to Provide Health Information - a guide to encourage partnerships between public libraries, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, and local community-based organizations

Training in Consumer Health Resources

Our staff provides training in the effective use of Internet health information resources, highlighting National Library of Medicine (NLM) and National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) products and services. Our goal is to reach public librarians, health professionals, Network members, and other intermediaries who do not have access to such training so they can help their user populations to find and evaluate health information.

Please visit our Training page for more information on classes, training materials, and distance learning available from the NN/LM PSR and NLM.

Presentations and Handouts

Our staff provides presentations on consumer health topics to libraries and community-based organizations throughout the year. The materials in these presentations are available as a resource to anyone who would like to use them for consumer health programs.

Navigating the Maze of Health Information: Resources to Help You Make Informed Decisions about Your Health and Wellness 4.08 MB
This 2-hour presentation was provided for community members at a public library in an urban area. The presentation covers MedlinePlus with a focus on African American health resources, complementary and alternative medicine, and evaluating online health information. February 2008

Speak Up for Health! Helping Your Community Make Informed Decisions about their Health 7.45 MB
This presentation was provided for the management and staff of a community-based organization in an inner-city area. The presentation covers MedlinePlus with a focus on African American health and mental health resources. January 2008

It's Your Health! Resources to Help You Make Informed Decisions about Your Health and Wellness 4.42 MB
This talk was presented to an Insulin Pumpers support group. The first part covers the basics of MedlinePlus and issues of searching for consumer health information on the Internet. The second part covers the basics of searching PubMed, including using limits, finding free full text articles, and setting up alerts using myNCBI. March 2007

The Health e-Shows Series

Health e-Shows is a series of eight webcasts and webinars in collaboration with Infopeople. The sessions will be presented by Kelli Ham, Consumer Health Coordinator, NN/LM Pacific Southwest Region, UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library.

• Session #1 - A Younger Generation of Older Adults: Health Information for Boomers (October 22, 2007)
• Session #2 - Communicating about Health: Empowering Patrons to Communicate with Their Health Care Providers (December 3, 2007)
• Session #3 - An In-depth Look at MedlinePlus (March 4, 2008)
• Session #4 - Beyond MedlinePlus: Resources That Answer Those Other Tough Health Reference Questions (May 14, 2008)
• Session #5 - I Don't Give Medical Advice; I Dispense Quality Health Information (June 19, 2008)
• Session #6 - Understanding Health Literacy: Why It Is So Important and What Librarians Can Do to Help (August 14, 2008)
• Session #7 - Health Information for Kids and Teens and Seniors, Oh My! (October 28, 2008)
• Session #8 - Finding Easy-to-Read and Multilingual Health Information for Your Patrons (December 1, 2008)

Please visit our Distance Learning page to access the archived Health e-Shows sessions. For links to presentations of all types, please visit our Presentations page.

Tutorials, Brochures and Factsheets

To access useful resources for self-instruction and for teaching others, select from the links below.

• MedlinePlus Basics 467 Kb - tri-fold brochure
• MedlinePlus Basics en Español 167 Kb - tri-fold brochure
• MedlinePlus FAQ - frequently asked questions about MedlinePlus
• MedlinePlus Fact Sheet
• Take the MedlinePlus Tour
• PubMed Basics 149 Kb - tri-fold brochure to help you search
• PubMed Tutorial - shows you how to search PubMed for journal literature
• Tox Town - an interactive guide about toxic chemicals and environmental health risks you might encounter in everyday life, in everyday places
• ClinicalTrials.gov Fact Sheet
• ClinicalTrials.gov FAQ - frequently asked questions about ClinicalTrials.gov

Professional Development for Librarians

• Consumer Health Information Specialization Program (MLA) - gain expertise in the area of consumer health information