Library & Information Services
The Information Service for Integrated Medicine
CAMLIS is a new NHS library and information service which aims to provide a comprehensive range of quality information sources on Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM), from Herbal Medicine to Homeopathy, from Acupuncture to Autogenic Training. CAMLIS is open to researchers, healthcare professionals, patients and members of the public alike.
What information can I find at CAMLIS?
CAMLIS is Europe’s first comprehensive public library service for complementary and alternative medicine. We aim to have on CAM:
- all research relevant books in the major European
languages - all evidence based clinical textbooks in English
- a wide selection of evidence based patient
information resources - all peer reviewed journals
- the most important CAM and core general medical
databases
We cover all branches of CAM for which evidence based literature exists.
How to find information in CAMLIS
CAMLIS serves a wide range of users, from patients who are considering CAM treatment to experienced researchers. CAMLIS aims to run training sessions for all its user groups on a regular basis. Please check notices or the website for our schedule.
Books, reports, CD-ROMS and DVDs are arranged on the shelves according to the National Library of Medicine classification scheme.
Commonly used headings and their class numbers
| QU 145 | Nutrition and food values |
| QV 760 | Materia medica |
| QV 766 | Medicinal plants |
| WB | Practice of medicine - covers general topics, including: |
| WB 13 | Encyclopedias on the practice of medicine |
| WB 55.C4 | Traditional Chinese medicine |
| WB 112 | Osteopathy |
| WB 120 | Household medical books |
| WB 369 | Acupuncture |
| WB 400 | Nutrition therapy |
| WB 925 | Herbal medicine |
| WB 930 | Homoeopathy |
| WM 172 | Anxiety disorders, incl. stress |
| WM 415 | Autogenic training |
Books are generally the most suitable resource when you need an overview of a subject matter.
Users who wish to update their knowledge in a certain area have access to specialised bibliographic databases and journals. CAMLIS currently subscribes to a range of core databases such as Medline, AMED, Natural Standard, HerbMed Pro, Essential Oil Resource, and takes 50+ journals. All databases and nearly all journals can be accessed on-line; journals are also available in print.
The CAMLIS Service
Who has access to CAMLIS?
Everybody! CAMLIS targets the broadest possible audience of individuals and organisations with an interest in CAM:
- Researchers from within the NHS as well as academic
institutions and professional bodies - Healthcare professionals from NHS and non-NHS
backgrounds - Patients and potential patients who wish to explore
CAM - Journalists researching CAM issues
The Reading Room at CAMLIS
50+ journals and currently 3,500 books are available to readers; the book number will reach 5,000 by 2010.
Computers, printer and photocopier are available. Information professionals will assist readers with their enquiries, as well as offer information skills training.
Additional services for members of CAMLIS stakeholder organisations
Subscribers of those professional bodies which contribute
towards the funding of CAMLIS enjoy additional
benefits:
- Remote access to on-line subscriptions of databases
and journals (individual members are issued with a
library card and password) - Borrowing of books
- Access to our Virtual Learning Environment (CAMLIS
VALE), fora, mailing lists, grey literature repository - Reference access to the Royal Society of Medicine Library
- Journal article delivery and postal loan service for a nominal charge
- Document delivery from a network of partner libraries at a nominal charge
In addition CAMLIS stakeholder organisations may hire the hospital’s conference suite for training events, meetings etc. at reduced rates, and may use on-line services such as CAMLIS VALE to support their own training programmes.
www.CAM.nhs.uk
The CAMLIS website is being developed into the principal portal to CAM internationally. The site allows users to search simultaneously CAMLIS as well as external resources - the catalogues of other relevant libraries, databases and e-journals, even training events that meet set criteria. Users can select individual or groups of resources which they have access to. The search facility will grow substantially over the next few years as CAMLIS expands its cooperation with other libraries.
Providing CAM Research with new on-line services
CAM professionals and researchers will in future benefit from our application of the latest internet based technology: closed and open on-line fora, mailing lists, shared databases, wikis, newsletters, e-journals, repositories for grey literature as well as for parallel publication in a peer-reviewed journal and Open Access.
We are in the process of installing a wide range of electronic communication tools which will facilitate and stimulate communication between CAM professionals and researchers, and allow sharing of data from patient surveys, trials etc. for research.
Gerhard Bissels, Information Centre Manager
60 Great Ormond Street
London, WC1N 3HR
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7391 8828
Open: 8.45am - 5pm weekdays
Tuesday & Wednesday till 7pm