A brief overview by Jeremy Quillin

 Criticality- finding the right resource  Knowledge- knowing basic information  Restraint- restraint in legal advice  Ethics- highly personal question  Volume- specialized libraries  Updating- updating inserts and additions  Expense- Reference budgets for health, business, and law

 Medical Dictionaries: Stedman’s Medical Dictionary is used by both professionals and the public. Synonyms distinguished by blue print. User friendly with visual simplicity, contains 107,000 terms. Dorland Illustrated Medical Dictionary contains more than 125,000 terms, known for its clean line drawing, photographs, and radiographic images. Medical terms printed in bright red. Both contain a CD-ROM for more information

 Medical Encyclopedias (General) Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy has been an aid to physicians since Common language that gives information on disorders which is supplemented with graphics and a detailed index. Encyclopedia of Alternative medicine presents forty types of alternative medicine, from ancient Indian ayurveda to the modern Feldenkrais Method of healing.

 Medical Encyclopedias (Specialized) Gale Encyclopedia of Children’s Health is a four volume compilation of pediatric diseases and disorders for children under four years old. Also includes developmental issues, immunizations, and drugs. Physicians Desk Reference is used to find drugs by manufacturer, or by product or generic name. Information includes warnings, dosages, overdoses, contraindications, and use-in- pregnancy.

 Medical Directories (locate doctors or hospital) Directory of Board Certified Medical Specialist can be used to locate a physician by specialy and by geographical area. Questionable Doctors is a consumer watch publication that lists doctors who were disciplined by state and federal governments. Detailed information about offenses is included.

 Medical Databases and Indexes Pubmed is freely accessible and the most extensive bibliographic database for health issues. Covers information from MEDLINE. Thomson Gale is a respectable medical database to journals, newspaper articles, and pamphlets.

 Online Resources MedlinePlus is The National Library of Medicine’s consumer health site, which is a strong resource for checking on drugs, clinical trials, hospitals, and physicians. Information is updated daily. Drugdigest is a valuable site for drug information which provides info on drug interactions and prescriptions.

 Health Statistics The National Center for Health is the primary source for statistics. Data is collected from birth, death, and medical records.

 Legal Dictionaries Black’s Law Dictionary, published since 1891, is the most cited law dictionary in the country and covers more than 43,000 definitions. Merriam Webster’s Dictionary of Law is a free basic law dictionary available on-line.

 Legal Encyclopedias West’s Encyclopedia of American Law covers 5,000 legal issues. Terms, cases, statutes, documents, issues, forms, and time lines are presented.

 Legal Databases and Indexes Lexis database is the most authoritative index of legal and government documents. Case law, codes, legal analysis, public records or property, news transcripts, and regulations are all included. LAWCHEK was created for the layperson and the reference librarian. Offers fee-based access to legal forms, glossaries, guides, letter templates, and legal directories.

 Legal Online Resources Findlaw.com is a popular free site for legal professionals and students. Includes legal links. Information. Lawyer directories, forms, and news. Hieros Gamos is a web site that offers a directory listing of lawyers, law firms, expert witnesses, court reporters, and investigators.

 Business Dictionaries A Dictionary of Business has over 6,500 entries. Includes a systematic web of cross-references, illustrations. Synonyms, and abbreviations. International Dictionary of Finance provides simple definitions on a wide range of business activity. Many terms included are common to countries other than the U.S.

 Directories and Handbooks Thomas Register of American Manufactures is useful for finding information on numbers, addresses, sales offices, and affiliations of over 168,000 American Manufacturers. Standard & Poor’s Register of Corporations offers and directory of 75,000 corporations and executives across the world.

 Investment Guides Value Line Investment Survey is a weekly investment adivsory. The main portion covers the ratings and reports of 1,700 stocks.

 Business Databases and Indexes Gales Business and Company Profile covers over 200,000 directory listings, full-text public relations newswires for the latest info, and thousands of entries from business journals, trade periodicals, and management serials from 1980 to the present.