According to the American Cancer Society, over 10 million Americans have a history of cancer-and the over 100 distinct forms of cancer affect those individuals and their families in very different ways. When patrons come to your library with cancer-related questions, will you be prepared with the best resources for them to consult? Now, the Medical Library Association and Ruti Volk (Manager of the Patient Education Resource Center at the University of Michigan's Comprehensive Cancer Center) have assembled an authoritative guide to the best cancer information resources for all levels of readers. Chapters are devoted to both specific types of cancer-breast, brain, colon, liver, lung, lymphoma, melanoma, childhood cancers, and more-and cancer-related topics-chemotherapy, radiation, herbal supplements, nutrition, fertility, talking with children about cancer, etc. and contain a general introduction to the topic with an overview of the information needs of patients and caregivers. For each type of cancer, the author provides an invaluable annotated list of resources, including pamphlets, brochures, consumer health titles, book chapters, reference sources, videos, CD-ROMs, Web sites, and more, that incorporates both introductory works and more advanced treatments. Additional resources such as cancer patient organizations and online listservs are also featured. Whether utilizing as an aid in cancer-related searches or as a tool for building a consumer health collection, this unique guide will help any public, academic, or medical library better meet the health information needs of their users.

Comprised of fifteen chapters written by experienced consumer health librarians, The Medical Library Association Guide to Providing Consumer and Patient Health Information is designed for library and information science graduate students as well as librarians new to health and medical librarianship, regardless of library setting. It is comprehensive in scope, covering all aspects of consumer and patient health and medical information from their humble, grassroots beginnings to the ever-evolving applications of new technology and social media. In between, the mundane aspects of health and medical librarianship, such as needs assessment, costs, budgeting and funding, and staffing are discussed. Adding richness to this discussion are the coverage of more sensitive topics such as patient-friendly technology, ethical issues in providing consumer and patient health information, meeting the needs of diverse populations, and responding to individuals from various cultural backgrounds. No comprehensive picture of consumer and patient health librarianship would be complete without addressing the critical importance of marketing and strategic partnerships; such discussions round out this invaluable guide. Patients today must be knowledgeable enough to participate in their health and well-being. Shorter hospital stays, changing reimbursement patterns and the gradual shift towards focusing on proactively maintaining health and managing disease require patients to be informed and actively engaged. Education, information and understanding are important components of actively-engaged patients. Correspondingly, in today’s e-world, there is a glut of information resources available through the Internet – from YouTube videos to Googling to blogs and Twitter feeds. What is lacking in these information-rich times is the relevance of meaning and context for those who ask, “Does this health and medical information apply to me and my unique clinical picture?” or “How do I use this information?” As knowledge navigators, information technology wizards and content experts, librarians offer focused responses to individuals’ specific and highly personal health and medical information queries. In a new healthcare world order of optimizing health and minimizing hospitalizations, such a service is invaluable. Sadly, there still exists in our highly networked and technological age an information gap for those who struggle in obtaining meaningful health or medical information. These individuals may be foreign-born, non-English speaking, poor, rural, aged or semi-literate. Whatever their status, librarians must have the wherewith-all to find germane resources and also help create responsive mechanisms to bridge that health information gap for vulnerable citizens. The Medical Library Association Guide to Providing Consumer and Patient Health Information will guide you on the road to providing that response.

Technological advances and the rise of collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches have changed the practice of research. The 21st century researcher not only faces the challenge of managing increasingly complex datasets, but also new data sharing requirements from funders and journals. Success in today’s research enterprise requires an understanding of how to work effectively with data, yet most researchers have never had any formal training in data management. Libraries have begun developing services and programs to help researchers meet the demands of the data-driven research enterprise, giving librarians exciting new opportunities to use their expertise and skills. The Medical Library Association Guide to Data Management for Librarians highlights the many ways that librarians are addressing researchers’ changing needs at a variety of institutions, including academic, hospital, and government libraries. Each chapter ends with “pearls of wisdom,” a bulleted list of 5-10 takeaway messages from the chapter that will help readers quickly put the ideas from the chapter into practice. From theoretical foundations to practical applications, this book provides a background for librarians who are new to data management as well as new ideas and approaches for experienced data librarians.

For the more than 26 million Americans diagnosed with or affected by diabetes, having accurate information on the disease is crucial. But the sheer volume of information available can be daunting for patients and caregivers alike. This comprehensive guide provides librarians and library users with background on key diabetes concepts, encompassing reliable print and electronic resources, including hard-to-find periodicals and audiovisual sources. Each chapter in this guide presents an overview and description as well as an annotated list of multi-format resources on topics including: Types 1 and 2 and gestational diabetes Diet, clinical trials, and support sources Legal and insurance issues With this guide, librarians can deepen their understanding and collections, and thus improve service to the growing number of patrons affected by, at-risk for, or curious about this pervasive disease.

The Medical Library Association Guide to Developing Consumer Health Collections guides both library graduate school students and seasoned librarians from academic, health sciences, and public libraries, to develop, maintain, nurture, and advertise consumer health collections. This authoritative guide from the respected Medical Library Association covers all that is involved in developing a new consumer health library including: Conducting community needs assessments and forging community partnerships Concerns about physical space, computers, and materials Funding, budgeting, and staffing Privacy and confidentiality concerns Publicity and advertising This book guides both graduate library school students and seasoned librarians from all types of libraries—academic, health center, hospital, public, and school--to develop, maintain and nurture not only consumer health collections, but also community partnerships and outreach programs. Examples of librarians’ innovative and creative consumer health initiatives are included. Chapters include all that is involved in developing a consumer health collection including conducting community needs assessments; concerns about physical space, computers, and materials; budgeting, licensing, and staffing; privacy and confidentiality concerns; and community partnership and outreach.

“Written by two oncologists . . . this authoritative but readable reference stands out . . . as a uniquely comprehensive, thorough source of up-to-date information” (Library Journal). For more than thirty years, Everyone’s Guide to Cancer Therapy has been the definitive resource for anyone confronting a cancer diagnosis. The revised and updated fifth edition draws on the latest research, information, and advice from more than 100 top oncology specialists. Equally informative and accessible, this comprehensive book helps cancer patients and their caregivers navigate through diagnosis, treatment, and supportive care. Topics include: * Information on recently approved targeted therapies for various cancer types * The newest strategies in cancer diagnosis and prevention * Cancer biology: translating scientific discoveries into meaningful advances for patients * Supportive care and complementary approaches

This volume brings together librarians, LIS students, educators, and researchers, to discuss the many ways that information professionals and libraries serve as agents of securing health information justice.

Drawn from the extensive database of Guide to Reference, this up-to-date resource provides an annotated list of print and electronic biomedical and health-related reference sources, including internet resources and digital image collections. Readers will find relevant research, clinical, and consumer health information resources in such areas as Medicine Psychiatry Bioethics Consumer health and health care Pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences Dentistry Public health Medical jurisprudence International and global health Guide to Reference entries are selected and annotated by an editorial team of top reference librarians and are used internationally as a go-to source for identifying information as well as training reference professionals. Library staff answering health queries as well as library users undertaking research on their own will find this an invaluable resource.

Helps you understand the role that medical, hospital, public, and health libraries are uniquely qualified to play in improving health literacy. This work teaches you ways to use collection development, the reference interview, community health information, and Web resources, as well as strategies for working with special needs populations.

Annotation. Searching for health information may be the most important type of search a librarian performs in a day. Instead of starting a health care search with a blank computer screen or simply accessing ordinary information available most anywhere on the Web, start with help from the prestigious Medical Library Association. Each entry will show you how an experienced health sciences librarian would approach the question. You can begin a truly valuable search knowing: Special searching issues What to ask Where to start Supplementary search strategies Topic profile Recommended search terms and important sites Hotline phone numbers FAQs Publications on the Internet Professional organizations Patient support organizations and discussion groups Best "One-Stop-Shops" Finally, there's one ready-reference source, written by librarians to help their colleagues, that covers every important aspect of the question you or your user want to answer.