By Heidi Nickisch Duggan, M.A., M.S., Director, ADA Library & Archives
From the Summer 2019 Journal of the Colorado Dental Association
Take a moment to reflect on the campus library you used in dental school. It was perhaps where you went to read all the books you needed for class or to check out the latest research in the dental journals. You likely used it as a study space, spending more than one late night at the group study tables or in a quiet carrel cramming for an important exam. You may have used the library website to access journals and e-books from your dorm room or a coffee shop off campus. Once you graduated, you may have found yourself at an institution that provided continued access to dental journals and textbooks, but more than likely, your free access to evidence-based, up-to-date information stopped the day of graduation. Or so you thought…
Did you know that one of the benefits of ADA/CDA membership is 24/7 online access to the ADA Library & Archives? That means thousands of full-text journals and e-books, clinical information resources, clinical drug information and calculators, systematic reviews and clinical guidelines, healthcare management resources, and patient information. You can research clinical questions using DynaMed Plus, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, and more, directly from your home or office, and you’ll enjoy direct full-text article linking from PubMed.gov. The ADA library provides extensive expert search assistance and education, reference services, data and information referrals, and electronic documents—all as part of your membership and at no additional cost.
The ADA archives provide quality reference and research assistance to staff, members and other dental organizations and institutions searching for information on ADA history, history of dentistry and biographical information about individuals involved in the profession. Interested in the history of toothbrushes and toothbrush design? Want to know more about pioneering women in dentistry? Interested in the links between golf and dentistry (yes, pun intended)? Want to know the history of the ADA’s involvement in water fluoridation advocacy? The ADA archives is a treasure trove of information.
We invite you to tour the ADA headquarters and visit the physical library at the ADA the next time you’re in Chicago. While we have converted most of our collection to electronic resources, visiting members can still enjoy our monograph and journal stacks, rare book collection, archives, and exhibits on dental history. Members also benefit from the library staff’s expert knowledge of information sources and research. Whether you are visiting the ADA or calling or emailing from your office, reference and research consultations are part of the perk. We help members with a wide variety of needs: from finding guidelines for a specific case, or high-level evidence about materials, tools, or conditions. We also help members with more in-depth research needs. You might need assistance formulating a research question for a manuscript, locating citation metrics, or deciding which type of publication to pursue for your project. Whatever your need, we are here to help.
You can access all these resources at ADA.org/library (log in with your ADA credentials). Prefer to interact with a human being? E-mail library@ada.org or call 800-621-8099.
While libraries constantly evolve to leverage new technologies, the mission remains to support their users’ information and research needs. We hope the ADA Library & Archives will become your source for lifelong learning—beyond dental school.