Fact Sheet
Reference and Customer Services

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) collects, preserves and promotes the dissemination of information important to the progress of medicine and public health. Reference and Customer Services staffs help researchers use the Library's resources--its collections, computer-based information services and staff expertise. Reference assistance for the main Reading Room and general collections is provided by the Reference and Customer Services Section of the Public Services Division. Reference service for materials books published prior to 1914 and journals published prior to 1871, and on other aspects of medical history, is available from staff of the History of Medicine Division (HMD).

General Policies

Reference assistance covers a broad range of subject areas within the biomedical sciences and is available as a backup service to augment services available from other libraries and health information centers across the country. Priority is given to health professionals, health sciences librarians, health sciences students, scientists, and researchers in the history of health sciences. In order to permit the Library to fulfill its role as a national library, researchers are encouraged to use local and regional resources before requesting reference assistance from NLM.

Services

The staff of the Reference and Customer Services Section and HMD provide responses to inquiries received from across the U. S. and abroad by E-mail, telephone, postal mail, fax, and in person from individuals who must consult NLM's collections or who are using NLM products.

Reference librarians and customer services staff:

• Explain the products and services available from the National Library of Medicine
• Provide help and instruction in the use of NLM's catalog (LOCATORplus), consumer health site (MEDLINEplus), and MEDLINE database (using PubMed).
• Provide instruction in the use of reading room electronic database access services, microform collections and the Learning Resource Center, which contains recent programs in NLM's collection of audiovisual and computer-based learning and continuing education materials for health science professionals (see Fact Sheet, Learning Resource Center)
• Verify and locate published print and audiovisual materials held at NLM
• Suggest other information resources and special programs of NLM, the NIH Institutes, clearinghouses and government agencies
• Refer researchers to regional, state and local health science libraries across the U.S. and International MEDLARS® Centers offering NLM database access, research assistance and document delivery
• Consult and advise librarians in the U.S. and abroad on medical bibliography and other sources of health information
• Assist researchers in locating biographical, statistical and other factual information
• Prepare and publish bibliographies including a series of Current Bibliographies in Medicine on specific subjects in support of NIH Consensus Development Conferences
• Maintain lists of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) on the NLM Home Page

Hours of Assistance

Federal holiday closures and special hours are announced two weeks in advance.
Telephone inquiries are accepted Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m. EST and Saturday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. at 1-888-FINDNLM (1-888-346-3656) or 301-594-5983.

Reading Room Winter Hours (Labor Day to Memorial Day)

Monday - Wednesday and Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Thursday 8:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Saturday 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Reading Room Summer Hours (Memorial Day to Labor Day)

Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

History of Medicine Reading Room Hours

Monday - Friday 8:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Resources

NLM's extensive reference collection provides onsite researchers immediate self-service access to over 4,500 works in the main reading room, including key textbooks, indexes, and a ten-year collection of more than 180 major medical journals. Materials in the general collection but not in the reference collection must be requested at the Circulation Desk for retrieval from the closed stacks or requested via Interlibrary Loan through a local library. Access to a variety of health-related databases is currently available, such as: Drug Information Full-Text, Encyclopedia of Associations, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts and Sociological Abstracts. Researchers may search for books, audiovisuals and formats in the NLM collection through NLM LOCATORplus, the online public access catalog.

The History of Medicine (HMD) Reading Room houses a collection containing the major bibliographic resources necessary for historical research, as well as standard works in the history of medicine. Reference sources, such as directories, handbooks, regulations, abstract tools, statistical sources, and prepared bibliographies are also used by staff in both reading rooms to answer customers' needs. Patrons needing material from the HMD Collection should register separately at the HMD Service Desk.

For further information write:

Reference and Customer Services Section
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
Phone: 1-888-FINDNLM (1-888-346-3656) or 301-594-5983
Fax: 301-402-1384 ; Email: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/contacts/contact.html

For further information on the history of medicine, pre-1914 book-length material, pre-1871 journals, and pre-1970 audiovisuals, write:

History of Medicine Division Reference
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
Phone: 1-888-FINDNLM (1-888-346-3656) or 301-402-8878
Fax: 301-402-0872 ; Email: hmdref@nlm.nih.gov

For a complete list of NLM Fact Sheets contact:

FACT SHEETS
Office of Communications and Public Liaison, NLM
email: publicinfo@nlm.nih.gov
Internet URL: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/factsheets.html