The National Library of Medicine

(1) assists the advancement of medical and related sciences through the collection, dissemination, and exchange of information important to the progress of medicine and health;
(2) serves as a national information resource for medical education, research, and service activities of Federal and private agencies, organizations, and institutions;
(3) serves as a national information resource for the public, patients, and families by providing electronic access to reliable health information issued by the National Institutes of Health and other trusted sources;
(4) publishes in print and electronically guides to health sciences information in the form of catalogs, bibliographies, indexes, and online databases;
(5) provides support for medical library development and for training of biomedical librarians and other health information specialists;
(6) conducts and supports research in methods for recording, storing, retrieving, preserving, and communicating health information;
(7) creates information resources and access tools for molecular biology, biotechnology, toxicology, environmental health, and health services research; and
(8) provides technical consultation services and research assistance.

Last Reviewed: May 20, 2024