Collections and resources at the Health Care Libraries

A person leans on a book shelf reading - there are full bookshelves either side of them

There are millions of resources, both online and in print, in the Bodleian Libraries’ collections. For help finding resources for your subject, browse the full list of Medical Sciences subject guides.  

If you cannot find what you are looking for, contact us or use the Bodleian Libraries inter-library loans service.

Almost all our online resources are accessible from anywhere if you have an Oxford Single Sign On (SSO). Other readers will have access to a selection of our e-journals and databases when using our library PCs.

Clinical students on attachments and electives should visit our guide to the library resources and services available to them.

Books and e-books

The Bodleian Health Care Libraries cater for both the University and local NHS staff. All our books and e-books are searchable on SOLO, Oxford University’s online library catalogue. Learn more about finding and accessing e-books at Oxford.

Key ebook collections and packages include:  

  • Oxford Medicine Online  
  • Acland’s Anatomy
  • BMJ Best Practice

Find out more about Medical Sciences books and ebooks on our subject guide.  

Each of the libraries has subject specialisms. 

 

Acute General Medicine/Surgery (all disciplines), Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics, Geratology, AIDS, Neurosciences, Otorhinolaryngology, Ophthalmology and coursebooks.

 

Epidemiology, Evidence Based Healthcare, Health Policy, Public health medicine, Statistics, Diabetes, Oncology, Radiotherapy.

Orthopaedics, Musculoskeletal Sciences, Rheumatology, Neurological Diseases and Neurorehabilitation, Orthotics, Prosthetics, Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Health Management, and Nursing.

 

General Medicine, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Nursing and Midwifery, Neonatology, Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Paediatrics, Gerontology, Cardiology, Respiratory Medicine, Trauma and Orthopaedics, Endocrinology, Psychiatry and Mental Health, Psychology, Emergency Medicine, Intensive Care Medicine, Surgery and Anaesthetics, Pathology, Microbiology, and Health Management.

 

Non-clinical medicine is primarily served by the Radcliffe Science Library. The RSL’s extensive collections in Life Sciences and Medicine date from the 19th century forward, including legal deposit and purchased material of both historical and contemporary interest. It collects the legal deposit material in clinical medicine, and legal deposit and purchased material in non-clinical subjects such as Experimental Psychology, Human Anatomy and Genetics, Physiology, Pathology, and Pharmacology.

Learn more about the Medical Sciences shelfmark classifications for the RSL (PDF).

Journals

Oxford University provides online access to thousands of health care and medical sciences journals via SOLO.  

Browzine is a service that helps you get access to online journal articles more quickly. Browzine has a standalone website and app, integration into SOLO and a browser plugin, which enables one-click downloads. Find out more about getting started with Browzine.

Databases

For more advanced and systematic searching, Databases A-Z allows you to search for subject databases (eg PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science) by title or subject.  

PubMed allows free access to titles and abstracts in MEDLINE, the world's best-known medicine and clinical science database. MEDLINE covers literature from around the world dating back to 1946, and benefits from a comprehensive controlled vocabulary known as MeSH (Medical Subject Headings). To use PubMed@Oxford (PubMed with Oxford University full-text links), access PubMed while connected to a University network, or sign in to SOLO and search for PubMed in the main Oxford Collections search box.

Clinical reading lists

Clinical reading lists are on Oxford Reading Lists Online (ORLO). To check the availability of the books on your course list, click on the course name and then the book title you need. This will give you bibliographical details, class number and whether the book is currently in stock at Bodleian Health Care Libraries and other libraries within Oxford University. Direct links to ebook versions are also provided.  

Many of your reading list textbooks are already available online. We are working hard to find and buy online versions of as many others as we can.

If a book appears on your booklist but is not included on these pages, please let us know:  

Suggest a resource

If a book, journal, or database is not available through the library (SOLO or Databases A-Z), you can request that we add it to our collection. To recommend a book, please email us with the details.

For other kinds of resource, complete the Bodleian Libraries online form. Once you have submitted your request, a member of staff will contact you. 

NHS OpenAthens

As part of a national agreement, all medical students in England are entitled to an NHS OpenAthens account for the duration of their course.  

Student NHS OpenAthens accounts grant access to NHS National Content. The resources available on a student account are those that have been purchased nationally, such as BNF, but does not include resources acquired by the regional health authorities or local Trusts. Find out more information on the NICE website.  

The Bodleian Health Care Libraries are responsible for administering these accounts in Oxford and have registered all clinical medical students. All clinical medical students should have received an automated email from 'Eduserv Athens' advising them that an NHS OpenAthens account has been set up.  

For further information or assistance with NHS Athens, contact hcl-athens@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.