As Covid 19 spread rapidly across our community, knowing where to turn for authoritative health information became more challenging by the day. We’re here to help you find your way to the very best health and medical information, all for free, whether it’s Covid 19 or a health topic completely unrelated to the current pandemic.

You have access to books, journal articles and websites that will give you quick definitions, disease information, access to patient handouts, surgery videos, medical journal articles, and alternative treatments. We have collected the links for you in one convenient place on our Health Information Center page found through the library website

A great place to start is, of course, the library catalog for books on health and wellness topics. We also have a number of digital Reference Books which are available to your 24/7. Use the Gale Virtual Reference Collection for reference titles.

Some of the most updated medical information can be found in journal and magazine articles. Remember to click the box for ‘full text’ while you search, otherwise you could end up with abstracts. Check out these databases:

• Ohio Web Library will allow you to search across multiple databases at once.
• Alt HealthWatch is a full-text alternative health research database focused on complementary, holistic, and integrated approaches to health care and wellness.
• Health Source Nursing/Academic Edition provides access to hundreds of articles and scholarly journals related to nursing and health care.
• Medline is an authoritative online resource from the National Library of Medicine. It includes nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine and prescription drugs.

If you want to stay away from journal articles, these two websites offer different disciplines of medicine, but are both excellent.

• Natural Medicines is the go-to website for natural medicines, dietary supplements, and complementary and integrative therapies.
• The Merck Manual has been a trusted source of medical information since 1899. Choose from the Consumer version written in everyday language or the Professional version for information geared toward doctors and medical students.

We realize this is a lot of resources to cover. We are here to help. You’re welcome to contact the Science & Technology Division at 330-643-9075 orThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  for help with navigation of these resources, or just let us know what you need and we can do the research for you. Don’t trust Google with your health; follow the best information for the best results.

Kelli Nikola
Librarian, Science & Technology Division at Main Library