Online Health Resources for Librarians
Getting started
Great starting point for all information service staff.
Health and Medical Reference Guidelines
Guidelines is to assist information services staff in responding to health or medical inquiries. Product of the American Library Association.
Searching and evaluating
Information for Librarians and Trainers
Training resources from MedlinePlue.
Tips from the locating sound health information on the Internet. Provided by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine.
Curated lists for librarians
Healthy Community Tools for Public Libraries
A website with resources to help public libraries promoting healthy communities. Provided by the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM) and the Public Library Association (PLA).
Health Literacy, Programming, and Consumer Health Information
Resources and information to for public librarians. Provided by the Public Library Association.
A list of top health websites generated by the Consumer and Patient Health Information Section (CAPHIS) of the Medical Library Association
See selected resources, included resources for seniors, from the National Library of Medicine.
Consumer health resources
Sources of information on conditions, diseases, wellness and more
The National Library of Medicine’s web site for consumer health information on conditions, wellness issues, and more. The information is free, kept up-to-date and available in Spanish.
(Best starting place for finding health information)
Accurate, up-to-date, comprehensive cancer information from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
The US health protection agency that collaborates to create the expertise, information, and tools that people and communities need to protect their health through health promotion, prevention of disease, injury and disability, and preparedness for new health threats.
HealthReach is a national collaborative partnership that has created a database of FREE multilingual, multicultural health information and patient education materials for those working with or providing services to individuals with limited English proficiency (LEP). From the National Institutes of Health.
Local services
A service aimed at helping people find state, federal, and private benefits programs. The site also contains links to forms and resources for local and national programs. The site is a service of National Council on Aging.
Access to resources on a wide range of health topics selected from approximately 1,400 government and non-profit organizations.
List of organizations with information for consumers.
Insurance
Medicare.gov is the official government site for the Medicare program, with in-depth information on Medicare enrollment, benefits, and more
Alternative and complementary medicine
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)
The agency for scientific research on the diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not generally considered part of conventional medicine.
Medication and lab tests
A resource from the National Library of Medicine (NLM) that provides an informative, user–friendly portal to current drug information for over 68,000 drugs.
Provides information about medication content and labeling found in medication package inserts.
A resource to help patients and caregivers understand the lab tests. Produced by the American Association for Clinical Chemistry.