The United States National Library of Medicine's international relationships

The US National Library of Medicine (NLM) is a Federal institution which serves as a national resource with international impact. The global biomedical literature and that selected for Index Medicus is characterized by numbers of journals, country of origin, and language of publication. NLM's domestic responsibilities and international programmes are described. NLM's international relationships consist of MEDLARS co-operation, exchange programmes, services, a special foreign currency programme, technical consultation, co-operation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and some special programmes vis-á-vis formal governmental bilateral agreements. A regional approach to the provision of medical library and health-information services is illustrated by the PAHO Regional Library of Medicine. The principles for the availability of MEDLARS internationally and the nature of the quid pro quo arrangements are presented.