Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Library
| File:MCH Library.jpg | |
| Established | 1982 |
|---|---|
| Location | 2115 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W, Washington, DC |
| Website | mchlibrary |
The Maternal and Child Health Library (MCH Library) is a hybrid library, part of the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health (NCEMCH) at Georgetown University, located in Washington, D.C.
With funding from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, the MCH Library provides mainly digital access to current information on a wide range of topics in maternal and child health. The library is funded to develop customized resources and tools to help maternal and child health providers, researchers, policymakers, and program administrators, intended to assist them in making more informed decisions in their mission to improve the health of children and families in the U.S.[1] Its physical collection is held in the Mary C. Egan Maternal and Child Health Library, one of the six libraries of Georgetown University. The MCH library collection includes resources that are otherwise hard to find, the so-called gray literature.[2]
The MCH Library is open to the general public.
History
The MCH Library was established in 1982, part of the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health, and affiliated with Georgetown University's Public Policy Institute.
Physical Collection
The MCH Library, through the Mary C. Egan Maternal and Child Health Library, contains more than 25,000 items on a range of maternal and child health (MCH) topics, most of which are indexed through MCHLine®, a searchable online database. Examples include selected publications which are funded by the MHCB for health professionals, Title V and other project reports from state and community programs and historical collections from the Children's Bureau dating from 1914.
Digital Collection
MCH librarians compile and regularly update digital information on maternal and child health-related topics, using their expertise to sift through voluminous data in order to offer the best summaries to online users of recent and high-quality resources on each topic.[3] In addition, the MCH library provides online databases tracking both governmental and other organizations in the MCH field as well as other Projects funded by the MCHB. Other selected digital features include:
- Knowledge Paths
The MCH Library website provides "knowledge paths" for users with links to Websites, electronic publications, databases, discussion groups, and citations for journal articles and other print resources.
- MCHAlert
MCH Alert is a free weekly electronic newsletter that seeks to provide subscribers with summaries of the latest research findings, policy information, publications and initiatives of relevance to the maternal and child health (MCH) community. MCH Library staff search over 160 journals to select summaries for the MCH Alert.[4] MCH Alert has been cited in publications as the first source of notification of emerging research.[5][6]
- Translation Toolkit for Health Professionals
Translation Toolkit provides a summary of resources and best practices for health care providers working with individuals and families that speak a language other than English.
- Evaluation Toolkit
Evaluation Toolkit is intended to help users design evaluations for their programs which can isolate and document specific effects on health outcomes, considered an important standard for evidence-based practice.[7]
Initiatives
The MCH Library collaborates with the Health Information Group, which is part of the Public Policy Institute at Georgetown University, to provide health information for local, state and national health efforts using new technology. Recent products include a New Media Primer for Health Professionals, to increase the use of social media in public health.
References
- ↑ Georgetown Public Policy Institute, Georgetown University, Washington, D.C.
- ↑ MCH Library collection policy|http://www.mchlibrary.info/collection_policy.html
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- ↑ Blair, S., Inside Maternal and Child Health, Blue & Gray, Georgetown University's Biweekly Newspaper for Faculty and Staff, 14(3), 2005.
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