Instructions for ordering documents through e-mail are also provided. NCI's CancerFax service is yet another way to request NCI materials, such as PDQ summaries. There is no charge for this service except for the cost of the telephone call from the fax machine to the CancerFax computer in Bethesda, Maryland. Public, University, and Medical Libraries Books and articles about cancer are available in public, university, hospital, and medical school libraries. However, not all hospital and medical school libraries are open to the public, so it is advisable to ask about their policies and to find out whether particular journals or books are available.
Librarians can provide help in using the resources and locating the appropriate materials.
Index Medicus and Abridged Index Medicus provide author and subject information about reports published in more than 3,000 health sciences journals. These two references can be found in medical school, hospital, public, and university and college libraries. If journals are not available, the staff can usually arrange an interlibrary loan. The Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature is an index of articles in many popular, nontechnical magazines and journals. This publication is available in most public libraries in print, and in some libraries on computer.