Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

National Library of Medicine Functional Statement

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: October 15, 2014