Library Services

Have a health-related question?  Ask a Librarian Area L AHEC Library Services are provided via our virtual reference desk. Staff are available to:

• search the healthcare literature for you
• arrange interlibrary loans
• retrieve articles
• teach individual or group classes that will enhance your/your team’s search skills

There is no charge for the majority of the library services that we provide to healthcare professionals.  If obtaining your requested articles or books will incur a fee, the charges will be passed on to you.  We will inform you of costs prior to filling your request. For more information, email Monique Mackey. Resources The AHEC Digital Library (ADL) is a statewide electronic network of resources gathered to support NC healthcare professionals in obtaining current information. The ADL includes collections of specific health specialty resources with access to full-text journals and textbooks and searchable databases, including Medline, CINAHL, and The Cochrane Collection of Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews. There Are Several Ways to Access the ADL: A free version with limited access to resources is available to all individuals at http://library.ncahec.net. Nash Health Care System and Halifax Regional Medical Center have purchased institutional ADL memberships for their employees and medical staff.  If you are affiliated with one of these institutions, please contact staff at your institution (NHCS-Kirk Williams, HRMC-Debbie Sanders) for assistance in accessing the ADL.  If you would like access to the all of the resources in the ADL but you are not affiliated with one of the institutions listed above, NC healthcare professionals may purchase yearly memberships for $200 per individual. Less than the cost of a single journal subscription, an ADL membership provides access to the full scope of licensed ADL resources 24/7.

Helpful Resources

From the Librarians at Charlotte AHEC

• Using the ADL
• Taking the Boo! out of Your Boolean Search
• True or CRAAP:  How to Evaluate the Information You Find on the Internet
• Copyright Basics:  What to Know and Where to Go

Other Resources 10 Tips on How to Use PubMed Efficiently For Consumers and Patients:  Tips on Finding Good Health Information An Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice Using Evidence-Based Nursing in Practice Finding Information for a Community Health Assessment Finding Health Data and Statistics Finding Data Sets for the Health and Natural Sciences:  An Introduction Health Literacy