Medical Library Association guide to reference sources in the health sciences

CHICAGO — Prepared in collaboration with the Medical Library Association, the new sixth edition of “Introduction to Reference Sources in the Health Sciences,” published by ALA Neal-Schuman, lists classic and up-to-the-minute print and electronic resources in the health sciences, helping librarians find the answers that library users seek. Completely updated, revised and expanded, it includes electronic versions of traditionally print reference sources, trustworthy electronic-only resources and resources that library users can access from home or on the go through freely available websites or via library licenses. Compiled and edited by Jeffrey T. Huber and Susan Swogger, this benchmark guide:

• includes new chapters on health information seeking, point-of-care sources and global health sources;
• focuses on works that can be considered foundational or essential, in both print and electronic formats;
• addresses questions librarians need to consider in developing and maintaining their reference collections.

Huber is director, School of Library and Information Science, at the University of Kentucky. He has also been on the faculty in the School of Library and Information Studies at Texas Woman’s University since 1998. Previously, he was associate director for research at the Houston Academy of Medicine–Texas Medical Center (HAM–TMC) Library and adjunct associate professor in the School of Health Information Sciences at the Health Science Center at Houston, University of Texas.

Swogger is collections development librarian at the University of North Carolina’s Health Sciences Library. Previously she was director of a psychology library in Phoenix, Ariz.

Founded in 1898, the Medical Library Association is a nonprofit, educational organization of more than 1,100 institutions and 3,600 individual members in the health sciences information field, committed to educating health information professionals, supporting health information research, promoting access to the world's health sciences information, and working to ensure that the best health information is available to all.

ALA Store purchases fund advocacy, awareness and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. Founded in 1976 by Patricia Glass Schuman and John Vincent Neal, Neal-Schuman Publishers, now an imprint of ALA Publishing, publishes professional books for librarians, archivists, and knowledge managers. Contact us at (800) 545-2433, ext. 5052, or editionsmarketing@ala.org.