Michele Spatz, ed. The Medical Library Association Guide to Providing Consumer and Patient Health Information. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2014. $61.00. pp. 224. Paperback. ISBN 144222570X

• Author: Charles Doarn
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1002/wmh3.159
• Published date: 01 December 2015
• Date: 01 December 2015

Book Review

Michele Spatz, ed. The Medical Library Association Guide to Providing Consumer

and Patient Health Information. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlef‌ield, 2014. $61.00.

pp. 224. Paperback. ISBN 144222570X

In Latin, bibliotheca is library and a library of health sciences is bibliotheca

salute scientiae. The concept of a library dates to antiquity and was a symbol of

civilization. Across many civilizations, great works of literature on a plethora

of subjects were collected, cataloged, and stored, initially only for access by

select individuals. Gutenberg’s fourteenth-century invention changed that with

the introduction of printed materials for the masses. In 1570, the Opera

Medicinalia was the f‌irst medical textbook printed. Over the next 500 years,

massive libraries were built as the educational values of society grew

exponentially. In health care, knowledge grew and helped usher in new

approaches to medical care and education. The introduction of telecommunica-

tions and eventually information technologies continued to def‌ine what a

library was. Today many health-related materials, both scholarly and other-

wise, are available on our personal devices. What then happens to the

bibliotheca salute scientiae?

Michele Spatz has written a thought-provoking book about the concept of

the modern medical library as a guide for the consumer. Entitled The Medical

Library Association Guide to Providing Consumer and Patient Health Information, this

13-chapter text provides a comprehensive review of health-care information for

the student, provider, and patient. It posits a thorough review of the challenges

health libraries face today.

A health sciences library remains essential to the acquisition of medical

knowledge. To gain access to many professional medical publications, you need

either an extensive print collection or licenses with publishers to give access

online. The library of today is much different than a few generations ago. There

are multimedia tools everywhere, including video editing rooms, 3-D printers,

and large collections retrievable either physically or virtually.

Spatz provides a cogent guide for the medical library moving forward. The

chapter authors provide unique perspectives on various subjects including:

World Medical & Health Policy, Vol. 7, No. 4, 2015

415

1948-4682 #2015 Policy Studies Organization

Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc., 350 Main Street, Malden, MA 02148, USA, and 9600 Garsington Road, Oxford, OX4 2DQ.