CHAPTER 14

Directories and Biographical Sources

TRACY SHIELDS

Directories, both in print and electronic formats, provide information about individuals, groups, and organizations. Biographical sources provide biographical information on individuals, both historical and contemporary. These ready reference tools can be invaluable resources for health and medical libraries. Depending on the information needs, the librarian must consider a variety of factors when selecting a directory or biographical source, including authority, currency, accuracy, accessibility, and relevancy. Added to this is the choice of electronic or print sources. Print sources will be dependent on the collection; electronic or online sources may be more accessible and abundant, as they are not limited by physical space, but could be restricted because of subscriptions or other paywalls.

The authority of print directories and biographical sources at times can be more easily ascertained than some electronic or online sources. Proprietary, subscription-based electronic resources may have more obvious authority than their open-access, freely available counterparts, with potential information overlap between the two types. Currency of information can be a major issue. Online and electronic directories may be frequently updated (e.g., weekly database uploads, quarterly CD-ROMs), whereas print resources may be less often updated (e.g., annual editions). Both print and electronic resources could have problems with accuracy. The nature of electronic media may allow for more timely correction of misinformation; print inaccuracies will persist until the next edition. The accessibility of print materials is only limited by collection holdings (although interlibrary loan offers to alleviate that) and physical constraints. Even with the perceived ease of use with electronic or online information (the “just Google it” mentality), some of it could be restricted through lack of subscriptions to the resource or by paywalls. An older printed directory easily found in the collection may be more reliable, faster, and more accurate than an electronic resource.

In light of these concerns, the information professional is burdened with choice—which type of resource, in what form (print or electronic), timeliness of retrieval, and what option best meets the patron’s needs for this information. Familiarity with the pros and cons of media forms, along with the content of resources, is essential for selecting the most appropriate resource.

Directories

Health-care providers and consumers alike may ask for information on medical and health-related organizations (including those for special populations), health education centers, or medical and scientific publishing. These requests often require basic contact information (phone number, address, etc.), although more detailed data can also be found. Following are selected resources that are helpful in addressing these information needs.

Organization Directories

Maintained by the National Library of Medicine (NLM), DIRLINE: Directory of Health Organizations includes information on health and medical organizations, agencies, institutions, professional societies, referral centers, and other resources. This online source is of interest for professionals and consumers. Records include mailing addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, Web addresses, abstracts, type of organization, and date of last review. The database can be browsed or searched by name or acronym, MeSH heading, or keyword. Search results may be saved and/​or downloaded. This resource is notable for being curated and freely available.

MedlinePlus, a consumer-oriented health information resource also curated by the NLM, offers multiple directories on hospitals and clinics, doctors and other health-care providers (also noted in later sections), and special services (e.g., mental health facilities, vision testing, rehabilitation, etc.). The MedlinePlus list of directories replaces the no longer supported Go Local initiative, which was discontinued in 2010. Both NLM resources offer curated, authoritative resources for health-related directories for consumers and providers.

Gale publishes several directories of potential interest. All Gale resources described here are subscription-based electronic resources or print editions.

The Health Organization Directory (offered through the Health and Wellness Resource Center from Gale) is a searchable database of health-care agencies, organizations, health-care facilities, and medical schools. Like DIRLINE, records include contact information, phone numbers, and e-mail and Web addresses, as well as a citation on where the information was retrieved.

The Encyclopedia of Associations (EA) is a three-volume resource of nonprofit membership organizations. The main volume lists those U.S.-based organizations with a national scope and includes contact information (address, phone number), founding date, purpose, associated conferences, membership numbers, website address, affiliates, publications, and other relevant data. The companion volumes include details on geographic and executive indexes (volume 2) and updated contact information and newly identified associations (volume 3). It is available in print or electronic formats. The EA includes subset publications such as Regional, State, and Local Organizations; National Organizations; and International Organizations.

The Encyclopedia of Medical Organizations and Agencies includes details on organizations, foundations, state and federal government agencies, research centers, and medical education institutions (medical and allied health). This resource contains more than 18,000 entries and a cross-index, along with the typical alphabetical name and keyword indexes.

Gale also publishes the Research Centers Directory, detailing programs, facilities, publications, and other information on universities and nonprofit research institutes in North America.

Hospitals and Other Health-Care Facilities

The American Hospital Association (AHA) annually publishes (print and electronic formats) a directory based on membership, its survey of hospitals, and other sources. The AHA Guide includes information on 6,500 hospitals, more than 400 health-care systems, networks, and alliances, 700 health-care organizations and associations, 700 government agencies, and 3,000 accredited providers. As noted previously, NLM’s MedlinePlus online directories include links to hospitals and clinics (general and specialized), and other health-care facilities and services.

The subscription-based (although some limited free searching is available) online American Hospital Directory provides data on more than 6,000 hospitals in the United States. Record details include addresses (physical and online), contact information, clinical services offered, Joint Commission accreditation status, some utilization statistics, and other hospital-specific data. Updates to the information are noted on the site.

The Joint Commission (JC; formerly known as the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, or JCAHO), which accredits health-care organizations in the United States, provides a search of its directory of JC-certified organizations. The site offers real-time data for download, along with searching for disease-specific care. Unfortunately, data are limited to type of program, location, and date of certification; data will most likely need to be supplemented from other sources for a broader picture.

Physicians and Other Health Providers Directories

There are a plethora of resources—print or electronic/​online—that list physicians and other health providers. Some authoritative sources to find physician directories include individual hospitals or health-care facilities; local and state health departments or licensing bodies; insurance (public and private) company coverage lists; specialty board certification groups; professional organizations and associations; and national directories. Listing all these is beyond the scope of this text; a few general resources follow—some free, some subscription- or fee-based—that provide a good starting point for physician and health provider directory information. Many physician and health provider directories have a consumer-health focus. MedlinePlus (see 14.2) offers many resources to find doctors, dentists, and other health-care providers (e.g., physical therapist, dietitian, etc.) with links to organizations and groups who provide the data.

The American Medical Association’s online DoctorFinder offers a national, U.S.-based directory of physicians (although limited to those physicians with AMA membership). Geared toward a consumer audience, the directory offers a search by name or by specialty, and limits to state, city, and zip code. A “sounds-like” option is helpful as well. Of note, the information contained is self-designated; that is, physicians select their specialty or subject area independent of any certification. If one needs to search by certification or specialty as granted by specific groups and boards, there is the directory of the American Board of Medical Specialties, which is subscription-based and online.

Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel

Join