There are numerous ways for consumers and health science librarians to find health information on the Internet. Books, journals, classes, presentations, and columns in newspapers and magazines provide a constant flow of advice. However, when busy librarians try to find speedy answers, a single volume right at hand may be the fastest and easiest way to find the appropriate Website. This hefty paperback is one of those treasure troves that reference librarians like to keep nearby. It is no more than it claims: an annotated listing of Internet sites, accurate when compiled but in need of regular updating. There has been at least one earlier edition, as described in the “Introduction” and announced on the cover: “Updated! 300+ pages added!” With the modest price of $19.95, no library should mind having to buy a new edition every year.
One might wonder about the need for a printed, paper copy of Web uniform resource locators (URLs) when there are plenty of such lists on the Web itself. However, there is nothing quite so handy or browse-able as a book, especially when, as in this case, it has annotations, illustrations of Web pages, a subject index, and comprehensive coverage. There are “70 chapters, beginning with Abuse and ending with Women's Health. Each chapter is broken down into several subtopics that are arranged alphabetically.” Most chapters are concerned with various diseases, but there are also sections devoted to “Grants & Funding for Research,” “Health Care Careers & Education,” “Medical Humor,” “Organizations,” and “Quizzes, Tools & Online Calculators.” The political, legal, and administrative aspects of health care are included, as well as links to the professions of nursing, dentistry, chiropractic, osteopathy, alternative medicine, and allied health. The treatment of many topics is wide: “Fitness,” for example, includes martial arts and hiking trails.
The useful annotations are purely factual, with no editorial comment or recommendations. Libraries open to the public may like to know that sexuality and suicide are as well represented as other topics. The chapter on “Organizations” has no annotations; it is twenty-seven pages of alphabetically listed titles and URLs.
The chapter on “Medical References/Resources” includes government and library sites under subtopics such as “Consumer Health,” “Databases,” “Gateways,” and “Libraries.” A few of this reviewer's favorites are not listed but are available (pleasant surprise!) through the URL for “OHSU Library: Internet Resources”—without an explanation of what “OHSU” is (Oregon Health Sciences University).
The intended audience for this book is “consumers.” As with Consumers Union publications, private individuals would have to realize that the information is quickly dated, and the book would have to be purchased annually to be useful. As a reference tool in almost any kind of library, however, the modest price and wealth of information make it an excellent addition. This reviewer hopes that the compiler keeps up the annual work of updating that will continue to make this an effective reference publication.