This book is one of a number of reference guides issued by the ALA over many of years. This current edition (12th I think) indicates that most of the references dated between 1995 and 2007 have been retained from the previous edition. Online services have replaced most print indexing and abstracting services. The editor indicates that this guide is not exhaustive but selective in coverage. The intended audiences are health consumers, the general public, allied health professionals, clinicians and biomedical researchers. Three new subsections are included: Consumer Health, Health Care, and International and Global Health; also, a new subcategory called Internet Resources has been added to all subsections.
The book is divided into 13 major categories:
- 1.
medicine;
- 2.
bioethics;
- 3.
consumer health;
- 4.
dentistry;
- 5.
health care;
- 6.
international and global health;
- 7.
medical jurisprudence;
- 8.
nursing;
- 9.
nutrition;
- 10.
pharmacology and pharmaceutical sciences;
- 11.
psychiatry;
- 12.
public health; and
- 13.
toxicology.
Each category is very similar in its subcategories, with medicine being the largest overall. Subcategories include:
bibliography;
biography;
dictionaries;
directories;
encyclopedias;
handbooks;
guides;
indexes and databases;
internet resources; and
statistics.
Each entry is given a number, with the title of the resource in bold, along with any publisher information and a URL if appropriate. A short annotation is provided regarding the resource, sometimes cross‐referencing other resources in the book by their entry number as well. An extensive index is provided.
This reference book would be a welcome addition to any reference collection, especially academic libraries with health programs, or public libraries looking for a trusted source regarding medical and health resources.
