MCHLine and the Mary C. Egan Maternal and Child Health Library
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MCHLine® is a database listing materials held in the Mary C. Egan Maternal and
Child Health Library. An MCHLine® record contains
a bibliographic citation, the name of a contact from whom the item
may be obtained, and
an annotation describing the item. MCHLine® may be searched by author, title, publisher, publication date, series, and subject terms
(keywords). Search tips, thesaurus of indexing
terms, and annotated
bibliographies on popular topics are available.
The Mary C. Egan Maternal and Child Health Library is part of the library
system of Georgetown University,
and it contains more than 20,000 items on a wide range of maternal and
child health (MCH) topics. Most of these items are cataloged in MCHLine®,
although some special collections are not yet included. MCHLine® is used for responding to requests for information and for preparing annotated
bibliographies and publications.
The MCH Library's unique and hard-to-find resources have been developed
by:
- The Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB)
- Other federal agencies involved in MCH-related activities
- State and local MCH programs
- MCHB Grantees
- Voluntary and professional organizations
The MCH topics covered by the items contained in the MCH Library include
- Maternal, infant, child, and adolescent health
- Oral health
- Nutrition and physical activity
- Violence and injury prevention
- Children with special health care needs
- MCH programs and services
Library holdings include
- Books and reports: Policy and planning documents, program analyses, research and training reports, and other maternal and child health items. Many of these items document federal and state initiatives to improve the health of mothers and children.
- Journals: Over 250 periodicals and newsletters.
- Vertical file: 30 drawers of brochures, pamphlets, fact sheets, and other publications for health professionals and consumers.
- Final reports: Over 700 reports of projects funded by MCHB.
- Audiovisuals: A collection of over 500 titles that may be viewed in the library.
- Historic materials: Reports of the U.S. Children's Bureau from as early as 1914; microfilm of Children's Bureau documentary sources from the National Archives (300 reels); the William McConway Hiscock Collection on the federal Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic and Treatment program; and papers from notable individuals from MCHB and its predecessors including Mary C. Egan, Alice Chenowith, Rudy Hormuth, and Vince Hutchins.
- Title V reports: Annual reports and state plans documenting activities of state MCH agencies under Title V of the Social Security Act.
The MCH Library collects consumer health materials and commercially published materials very selectively and does not collect materials on clinical medicine. The NCEMCH Resource Development Policy (1999) guides the collection of materials for the MCH Library.
Guidelines
to borrow or obtain copies of library materials
The MCH Library is primarily a reference collection. To obtain copies
of materials, users should first contact the publishers or other
contact sources listed in the databases or bibliographies, or visit
lending libraries in their area such as university or public
libraries. Journal articles listed in the databases are sometimes
provided at no charge by the publisher, and sometimes a fee or
subscription is required. Please view PubMed's How
to Get the Journal Article or Partners in Information Access for the
Public Health Workforce's How
to Access Journal Articles for more details.
When materials are
not available from other sources, limited photocopies or loans are
available from the MCH Library. Photocopies
are provided to all audiences; loans are provided directly to health
professionals and through interlibrary loan to other audiences (consult
your local library for interlibrary loans).
We welcome on-site users. Please schedule an appointment in advance so
we may be sure someone will be available to assist you. Library hours
are Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Please contact
us to
request library materials or to schedule
an appointment for on-site use.
