Publications
APS Bulletin • Volume 15, Number 1, Winter 2005
Web Site Reviews
Michael E. Clark, PhD, Department Editor
National Network of Libraries of Medicine
Reviewed by Allen Lebovits, PhD
Site Audience
Funded by the National Library of Medicine, this is the Web site of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), an organization that has 5,453 members who provide a variety of services to health professionals as well as the public. As indicated on the Web site, the mission of NN/LM is to advance the progress of medicine and improve the public health by (1) providing health professionals withequal access to biomedical information; and (2) by improving the public’s access to information to enable them to make informed decisions about their health.
Although primarily designed for consumers, this Web site is valuable for healthcare professionals as well. The overall program is coordinated by the National Library of Medicine (www/nlm.nih.gov) and carried out through a nationwide network of health science libraries and information centers. Services include interlibrary loan, answering reference questions, and performing computerized or manual bibliographic searches.
Content Appraisal
The opening page of the Web site is primarily navigational and provides links to other parts of the site: “Health Information,” “Librarian and Health Educator Resources,” “Projects (Funding Opportunities For Librarians),” “About Us,” and “Announcements.” In addition, there is a “Search” section of the Web site, where the visitor can access Medline Plus, and eight additional free databases. Searches in Spanish are accessible as well. In a section called “Internet Discovery Tools,” there are links to 11 health-oriented, Web-based resources ranging from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to the World Health Organization (WHO). This section also has links to 11 search engines (e.g., Yahoo, Google, AltaVista). There is a section that can find a library to help the visitor locate health information (separate for the public and for professionals), but they note this section has not been updated since December 2003. The Web site itself was most recently revised May 18, 2004.
Navigation/Ease of Use
While obviously this is a Web site that librarians will likely access frequently, this web site is also a gold mine for researchers looking for health-related databases. The links are readily available here. There are some unusual links, as well, such as the one to “Tribal Connections,” which is a portal to American Indian/Alaska Native community health and information resources.
Recommendations
This Web site is intended for both nonprofessional and professional audiences, a not so easy task that is accomplished very well. One concern is that the Web site is not regularly updated, and certain sections may be out of date. This is not a content-based Web site, but rather a very useful resource that provides easy centralized access to health-related databases, as well as databases that one would ordinarily not be aware of or have access to. Pain clinicians and researchers will find this Web site very helpful for quick-and-easy access to a wide variety of health-related topics.
Reviewer content represents the opinion of the reviewer, not APS
Please direct your suggestions for future Web Site Reviews to Michael E. Clark, PhD, Department Editor, at michaeleclark2@msn.com.