As a reporter, I’m accustomed to using every resource at my
fingertips to find out what I need to know. No, I don’t have
super-secret powers.
Most of the time those impressive-sounding tools are no better
than the things at your desk: My phone book and a Google search
field.
As a reporter, I’m accustomed to using every resource at my fingertips to find out what I need to know. No, I don’t have super-secret powers.
Most of the time those impressive-sounding tools are no better than the things at your desk: My phone book and a Google search field. But tracking down someone who is really an expert requires more than clicking on the first topic line that pops up.
Pretty much anyone with an Internet connection realizes there’s plenty of bunk out there, and if you’re looking for a map to the local Best Buy that’s no big deal.
It’s pretty easy to weed through the topic lines that look wrong then.
But when you’re looking for information on health research, a topic that few of us are really experts on, it’s a little more difficult to weed articles that are cutting edge from things that belong on the cutting room floor.
Fortunately, folks in the South Valley aren’t that far from a jewel in the local landscape. On the outskirts of the Stanford Shopping Center, right in front of Bloomies, is the Stanford Health Library, an oasis of scientifically based information that covers some of the most advanced techniques and treatments available through modern science for nearly every ailment conceivable.
“The world has changed a lot (since the advent of popular Web use), and I think people’s expectations in terms of what they have access to have changed,” said librarian Howard Fuller. “People used to think that everything was out there, but that’s not really the case. We’ve seen a trend where people are coming in and doing research here so they can get more information.”
More than books and journals, the library also offers patrons access to exclusive research services they would have to pay hundreds of dollars for at home, plus free access to an extensive video library, not to mention the more than 350,000 full-text articles stored in the library’s information system – valuable stuff if you have serious health concerns or want to stay on top of the latest research for a certain condition. The library’s staff constantly scans books and the Internet, posting sites and community databases that meet their review.
“We get all sorts of inquiries – everything from a black toe from running to really serious, advanced diseases and post-surgical questions,” said Nora Cain, the library’s director, who noted that information packets can be sent, free of charge, to anyone who needs access to the library, but cannot make it in to the center.
“We generally say seven to 10 days just to give it time in our mail system, but we usually have the information turned around in 24 hours, so we can fax it if it’s urgent or e-mail it if the person has access that way. We’ll use just about anything but carrier pigeon.”
The library, which opened in 1989, was originally meant to serve the community around the Stanford campus, but its mission has grown in recent times. About two years ago, the library had a one-line mention on the third page of an article produced for the American Association of Retired Persons called “Ten things to do when you get bad news.”
Flooded with requests for information, they sent out 700 information packets in eight weeks to every state in the union and every territory connected to the United States. It offered staff members a glimpse at the broader community they could serve, and they ran with it.
Today, the Stanford Health Library’s Web site streams some 40 free videos, with more added as their health collection grows. Research services like Lexis Nexis are not available through the site, but the staff is happy to assist anyone who is unable to visit during regular library hours. They also sell video-taped lecture programs, including Q&A, through the program.
Northern California residents still have an added advantage, though. The library puts on lecture programs throughout the year on topics ranging from sexual arousal to stress management, spinal surgery to breast cancer, to name a few recent events. Free to the public, these series bring noted researchers face-to-face with the public to discuss the latest advancements in disease treatment.
“The best part of information you can get through the library is that we try to represent to best of what’s going on at the medical center,” said Cain. “This is new information, and it might not be presented to the general population for a couple of years.”
The final workshop in the spring schedule, “Latest Developments in Neuro-Oncology,” will be held Wednesday, April 26 at 7pm. To register call (650) 498-7826, and the next time you tell your husband you’re headed to the Stanford Shopping Center, tell him you’re going to enrich your brain.
More information
For more information on the health library, call (650) 725-8400 or (800) 295-5177, or e-mail HealthLibrary@
StanfordMed.org. To access the library’s online content, visit HealthLibrary.Stanford.edu.
