Customer Reviews

The Consumer Health Information Source Book

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As a consumer health librarian I can say that this is the absolute bible when it comes to selecting health-related materials. Not just a list of books, this is a wide-ranging source of well-written, well-considered reviews of almost all types of materials (books, CD-ROMs, databases, pamphlets, magazines/newsletters, Spanish-language materials, and more) for the layperson, plus selected sources written for the health professional that would be helpful in the well-stocked consumer health library. There is an extensive section of reviews of complementary/alternative therapy materials, something the faint-of-heart might not have wanted to tackle, but Rees accomplishes it with aplomb. Conspicuous by its absence is a list of consumer health videos, but this would be a huge task in and of itself!

Rees knows his stuff (more importantly, he has known his stuff over time--this is the 6th edition of this book [2000]) and he doesn't play it safe: many of the books he reviews are concerned with controversial theories or therapies, but he reviews them impartially. Most public libraries, all medical/hospital libraries, and many academic libraries can benefit from owning a copy of this book, for collection development purposes and also for patrons to browse. The interested layperson, either a patient or family member, would do well to consult this book when looking for the best books/other materials on your particular topic.

This is the source that medical librarians turn to when developing consumer health collections. The absolute best starting place for selecting consumer health titles!