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Become a Member—It’s Free!

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) has two levels of network membership—Full Member and Affiliate Member.  Membership grants health information providers access to the many benefits the Network has to offer.

Benefits of Being a Network Member

Network Members receive a variety of benefits and services, including:

  • Eligibility for award funding for health information access and other projects.
  • Access to a variety of training opportunities for librarians, health professionals, and consumers.
  • The opportunity to partner with other health sciences libraries or health-related information centers.
  • Access to DOCLINE, the interlibrary loan system used by health sciences libraries.
  • Periodic mailings of posters, brochures, bookmarks, and other publications.
  • The opportunity to provide input on regional NN/LM programs and services. 
  • A certificate recognizing NN/LM membership.
Network Member Responsibilities

Membership is free but there are some conditions to participate. Each NN/LM member institution, regardless of category, must agree to make basic contributions as follows:

  • To designate an individual as the local contact person for Network information/communications.
  • To be listed in the Middle Atlantic Region's directory and the national registry of network members. National registry information is available online through DOCLINE.
  • To provide basic information on collections and services to NLM and their RML by updating their DOCLINE institutional record once per year.

Full Member Requirements

Full Membership is open to any health sciences library or health related information center that: 

  • Is regularly staffed.
  • Has its own lendable collection of health sciences materials such as current biomedical journals (25 minimum in collection), books, audiovisuals, and/or electronic databases.
  • Provides information services, including collection sharing through the DOCLINE* system and providing information services to health professionals and/or the general public (e.g. answering or referring reference questions and performing information searches).
  • Members are encouraged to provide Loansome Doc service to their users and/or to unaffiliated users.

*Reciprocal borrowing though the DOCLINE system is a key responsibility for Members. Members are required to fill loan requests within two to three business days.

Affiliate Member Requirements

This level of membership is open to libraries or information resource centers that are called upon for health information by their users, but which do not meet all the criteria for Full Member participation. An Affiliate Member might form a cooperative relationship with a Member, for example, for reference assistance or document delivery.

Apply for Membership

Applying for Network Membership is easy and takes only a few steps:

Step one: Make sure you understand the basic responsibilities and requirements of being a Network Member and which Member level you feel best fits your institution by reviewing the information above.

Step Two: Fill out the application form online

Step Three: Once you have filled out and submitted the Application Form, you will be contacted by a member of the Middle Atlantic Region staff and learn what the next steps in the process will be.

For more information about NN/LM membership contact:

NN/LM Middle Atlantic Region
New York University
Frederick L. Ehrman Medical Library
550 First Avenue
New York, NY 10016
Toll Free: (800) 338-7657
URL: http://nnlm.gov/mar/
States Served: Delaware, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania