Medical Library Association Guide to Cancer Information: Authoritative, Patient-Friendly Print and Electronic Resources, The

Online, Mar/Apr 2008 by Wiley, Deborah Lynne

*** The Medical Library Association Guide to Cancer Information: Authoritative, Patient-Friendly Print and Electronic Resources by Ruti Malis Volk ISBN: 978-1 -55570-585-5 Published: 2007 Pages: 372 pp.; softcover Price: $85

Available from: Neal-Schuman Publishers, 100 William St., Suite 2004, New York, NY 10038; (212) 925-8650; www.neal-schuman.com

There is no shortage of medical information available on the internet today: A consumer can easily become overwhelmed with the choices and variety of offerings. That is why this book is needed. It provides a guide to authoritative, reliable, and understandable resourceswith no attempt to cover every item available. It is aimed at those professionals providing guidance to the public, not necessarily to the primary information seekers themselves.

The author is the librarian in charge of the Patient Education Resource Center at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center. She also had a child who died of cancer, so she has experienced the information needs from both sides of the table. She points out that timely, accurate, and understandable information is required throughout the entire process of living with cancer.

The book is divided into three parts. The first is a primer on cancer, building the foundation of knowledge needed to provide cancer information assistance to the public. This includes definitions or terms, explanations of different types of cancers, and guides to general reference sources. Part 2 contains separate chapters on each of 25 different types of cancers, also divided between adults and children. Each chapter contains a description of the cancer and basic facts about it, along with a list of information resources. The resources are divided into sections for brochures, books, audio/visual resources, web resources, and patient support organizations. They are selected for their relevancy, education level, accuracy, timeliness, format, and quality. The focus is on resources that cover the specific topic, not necessarily more general resources that cover a wide variety of topics.

The last section of the book covers cancer prevention, treatments, and quality-of-life issues. Again the focus is on a few selected, high-quality resources rather than providing a list of everything that is available.

If you have any need for cancer information, you must get this book. It will save you and your patrons valuable time sorting through the myriad of resources available.