Challenges in Researching the History of the Health Sciences
2024 South Central Chapter / Medical Library Association (SCC/MLA) Annual Meeting; October 25-29, 2024; Dallas, TX
Abstract
Researching any historical topic may be outside of most health sciences librarians comfort zone. Reference questions can be varied from historical diseases to treatments to statistics to local interest items. There are many challenges when doing historical research for librarians trained in clinical research; and there are additional issues in explaining history to trained scientists.
The presenter will offer some starting points for historical research, along with lessons learned using examples and actual reference questions. Additionally, sources to consider will be presented, along with where to search outside of medical literature.