Massachusetts Commonwealth Catalog
Libraries share items across the state, but it’s always faster and more cost effective to check locally first, so if your local library network doesn’t have the item, it’s time to look in the Commonwealth Catalog.
Powerful search
The Commonwealth Catalog searches all participating libraries in one easy step and allows you to sort your results by material type: books, audiobooks, DVD. Right now eBooks are not a part of the search, but we’re working on it. If you’re looking for eBooks please visit mass.gov/libraries.
Millions of items
The Commonwealth Catalog gives you access to millions of items from libraries that hold unique collections such as Boston Public Library and UMass Amherst and other academic, special and public libraries.
Convenience
Once you request an item through the Commonwealth Catalog it usually only takes a few days for your local library to receive it and they’ll notify you so you can stop by your library and pick it up. You’ll also return the item to your local library.
The Commonwealth Catalog is the easiest way to get a book if you can't find it in the HELM online catalog.
The Commonwealth Catalog allows library users in good standing to:
The Library & Learning Commons have recently joined HELM. Founded in 2017, HELM is an association of Massachusetts college libraries in public higher education. HELM libraries are also members of the Fenway Library Organization (FLO), a consortium of academic and special libraries in Massachusetts. FLO provides library support and hosts this catalog.
The Library & Learning Commons encourages users to access the HELM online catalog as it contains all the books and other materials that the Library purchases. Use it to search for a specific author or title or to compile a bibliography on a specific topic.
The Library & Learning Commons uses Library of Congress Subject Headings. To find books on a particular subject, use the Keyword search option. Then look at the subjects under which it has been cataloged to find additional items on the subject.
Credo Reference
Listed below are some of the titles available in Credo Reference under the heading of "Medical Assisting".
Dictionary of Medical Terms
This dictionary provides the user with the basic vocabulary - from A to zymotic - currently being used in a wide range of healthcare situations. The areas covered include the technical language used in diagnosis, patient care, surgery, pathology, general practice, pharmacy, dentistry and other specializations, as well as anatomical and physiological terms. Informal, everyday and sometimes euphemistic terms commonly used by people in discussing their condition with healthcare professionals are also included, as are common words used in reading or writing reports, articles or guidelines.
Encyclopedia of Medical Anthropology: Health and Illness in the World's Cultures
Medical practitioners and the ordinary citizen are becoming more aware that we need to understand cultural variation in medical belief and practice. The more we know how health and disease are managed in different cultures, the more we can recognize what is "culture bound" in our own medical belief and practice.
The Encyclopedia of Medical Anthropology is unique because it is the first reference work to describe the cultural practices relevant to health in the world's cultures and to provide an overview of important topics in medical anthropology. No other single reference work comes close to marching the depth and breadth of information on the varying cultural background of health and illness around the world. More than 100 experts - anthropologists and other social scientists - have contributed their firsthand experience of medical cultures from around the world.
Encyclopedia of Women's Health
Women's health is a multifaceted subject, and the up-to-date reference book requires considerable social awareness in addition to wide-ranging clinical knowledge. The Encyclopedia of Women's Health meets this challenge by bringing together an impressive array of experts on topics from reproductive issues to gastrointestinal illnesses. Informed by current health issues and health-care realities, the Encyclopedia offers readers practical information, historical aspects, and future directions, all meticulously researched and conveniently presented.
Key features include:
Health Promotion and Aging, Eighth Edition : Practical Applications for Health Professionals
This acclaimed text promotes healthy aging by demonstrating how health practitioners, program developers, and policymakers can prevent or manage disease and make large-scale improvements toward health and wellness in the older adult population. The eighth edition encompasses major new research that substantially updates previous recommendations. It provides important new content on Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and the ACA; clinical preventive services; global aging; sexual health; saving for retirement; long-term care alternatives; and much more. Accessible and comprehensive, this text is supported by abundant tables, figures, and illustrations. It describes practical strategies—including model community and government initiatives—that have proven markedly successful, as well as health-promotion tools, resource lists, assessment tools, and checklists. New trends such as green burials, LGBT aging, yoga, and dancing exercise regimens are also covered.