Physicians, medical students and other health professionals in Latvia now have access to a comprehensive collection of medical resources available on the Web through MD Consult, a division of Elsevier Science.
MD Consult has donated a license for the MD Consult Core Collection to the Medical Research Library of Latvia and its nine branch libraries, providing the country’s more than 7,500 health professionals with online access to full-text medical books, journals, an extensive drug database, clinical practice guidelines and other resources across a broad spectrum of disciplines.
"Latvia was under Soviet rule for more than 45 years and during that time new advances in medicine and clinical resources from non-Soviet nations were practically unavailable," said Velta Poznaka, acting Library Director at the Medical Research Library of Latvia.
"When MD Consult heard about the need for medical literature in Latvia’s research libraries, we knew we could help," said Stephanie Manning, Vice President and Publisher of MD Consult.
MD Consult learned of Latvia’s needs through the Sister Library Initiative, a program established by the Medical Library Association’s (MLA) International Section. Through the initiative, the MLA selected two libraries outside the United States that were in need of support, one of which is the Medical Research Library of Latvia and its nine branches.
"MD Consult’s contribution provides our libraries with a source of information that fosters the knowledge of our health professionals, promotes continuing education and increases the efficiency and quality of public health services in Latvia," added Poznaka.