FAQ
DOCLINE -- MedlinePlus Consumer Health Libraries

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The Consumer Health Libraries pages direct MedlinePlus visitors to local libraries that provide services to consumers. Libraries that list themselves in MedlinePlus should expect increased traffic to their listed web site and should expect to respond to consumer health inquiries in person and by telephone.

To list your library on the MedlinePlus Consumer Health Libraries Page:

• On the DOCLINE navigation bar, select Institutions
• On the DOCLINE sub navigation bar, select Update <LIBID> where <LIBID> is your institution's LIBID. Your library's institution record is displayed.
• Press "Services & Fees" on the Institution Navigation bar
• Press "Other Services" on the Institution Navigation bar -OR- Scroll down to the Other Services area
• Click Yes to "Authorizes listing in MedlinePlus Consumer Health Libraries Directory"
• Indicate whether your library provides the listed services for each of the user populations (Checked = Yes)
• Press Save

The MedlinePlus Consumer Health libraries page is updated weekly, Monday nights at midnight. The information displayed in MedlinePlus comes from the "Institution Address" and "Internet Addresses" fields in DOCLINE. To ensure that your library's information is complete and accurate, please follow these steps:

1. Verify the URL address which will display in MedlinePlus. A complete URL (including "http://") should be entered. MedlinePlus will display a single URL based upon the order shown below.
   
   
   1. Consumer Health Home Page
   2. Library Home Page
   3. Institution Home Page
   4. OPAC Home Page
   5. If none of the above are entered, then no URL is displayed
   
   For example, if there is no Consumer Health home page, then the Library home page URL would display.
   
   
2. Verify your Institution name and address (Address page). The Institution Address should appear as you would like it to be displayed in an online directory listing.
   
   
   • We recommend Title Case rather than UPPERCASE
   • The Institution address should not contain department level information (e.g. ILL Department)
   • US libraries should verify that their zip codes displays full ZIP+4 number. To find your ZIP+4 address, go to http://www.usps.com/zip4/.
   
   
3. Verify your library's main phone number in the Phone field of the Institution Address. NOTE: An example of a Phone Number is 555-1212. The Ext. field should include only numbers, not "X" or "ext."
   
   
4. Verify your consumer health contact information (People page). This information is not displayed in MedlinePlus, but will be helpful to other libraries with questions or referrals.

Related Questions:

General DOCLINE questions

DOCLINE questions

Getting Articles, Borrowing Books

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http://www.nlm.nih.gov/services/doc_cons_health_lib.html

Last updated: 14 September 2004
First published: 26 January 2004
Metadata| Permanence level: Permanence Not Guaranteed