Guide to services
What is included in the library membership?
Our librarians can save you time and their expertise ensures a thorough search. Ask for a list of articles on any clinical or research topic.
The librarian will search:
- MEDLINE and other subject-specific databases
- the library’s e-resources and book collection
- the web and other resources (as appropriate)
Download articles from the search results or ask the library to obtain them for you.
Access ebooks through the library catalogue including online versions of Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine, DSM-5 and other key texts.
- Print book delivery (return by Canada Post for free throughout the province)
- UBC print books are available (loan for free)
- Books from other lending libraries are available (cost recovery charges may apply)
Access the online collection of over 6,000 full-text e-journals includes American Journal of Psychiatry, BMJ, The Lancet, Mayo Clinic Proceedings and numerous titles from the Clinics of North America series.
Point of care and drug tools
AccessMedicine, BMJ Best Practice, ClinicalKey, DynaMed and CPS (formerly RxTx) offer current guidance on disease management.
Access full-text articles through CINAHL, Cochrane Systematic Reviews, MEDLINE and PsycInfo.
AccessMedicine, BMJ Best Practice, ClinicalKey, DynaMed and CPS (formerly RxTx) offer current guidance on disease management.
Get personalized alerts
Sign up for email subscriptions to:
- Cites & Bytes monthly newsletter of clinically relevant citations from the medical literature
- Customized monthly automated searches on clinical topics of your choice
Learn how to use the online resources with a librarian
Set up an online meeting with library staff and get personalized one-on-one training on how to use the library resources.
Earn CPD credit for using library services
Use of many library services and resources can be claimed for CPD credit.
How much is library membership?
| Library membership | Library services | E-resources | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active registrants | Included | Included | Included with annual licence renewal |
| Retired registrants | Included | Included | $100/year |
| Eligible non-registrants | Included | No access | $120/year |
Strategic priorities
Provide physicians and surgeons in BC with high quality, reliable, and current clinical information to protect the public.
Service delivery
- document delivery
- literature searches
- teaching and outreach
Service transformation
- integrate the library’s services into physicians’ electronic practice
Outreach and promotion
- provide teaching opportunities for physicians to better navigate information resources
Organization capacity
- determine additional efficiencies and streamline processes
FAQs
Library and CanadaQBank
Full access to the library and CanadaQBank for the following registration classes:
- academic
- administrative
- assessment
- clinical observership
- conditional – disciplined
- conditional – practice limitations
- conditional – practice setting
- emergency – family
- emergency – specialty
- former (library services)
- full – family
- full – podiatric surgeon
- full – specialty
- osteopathic
- provisional – family
- provisional – specialty
- retired – life
- special
- surgical assistant
CanadaQBank only
Registrants in the educational – medical students registration class have access to CanadaQBank.
Make a literature search request or email medlib@cpsbc.ca with your request.
Make a journal article request or email medlib@cpsbc.ca with your request.
- To search all library resources, go to the Library home page search box.
- For clinical summaries, go to Point of Care and Drug Tools.
- To search the literature for journal articles, go to Databases.
- To search for apps available to download, go to Mobile Apps.
- To search for ebooks and books available through the library, go to the Catalogue.
Verify your CPSID and password. You can reset your password if you have forgotten your password.
If you require assistance, call the College at 604-733-7758 or 1-800-461-3008 and speak with a College services representative.
Yes. Search the list of e-journals held by the library on the Books and Journals page.
Yes. Some ebooks and e-resources are available to download to your device.
The initial loan period is three weeks and may be renewed to a maximum of three months if there are no holds placed upon the item.
A return label is included with the book:
- Attach the label to a padded envelope.
- Drop it into a Canada Post mail box.
Books may also be returned to the concierge at 669 Howe Street, Vancouver, BC from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Yes. Email your suggestions to medlib@cpsbc.ca.
We will review your request regarding availability and currency and let you know if the title will be included in the library’s holdings.
Library hours of service
Vancouver BC V6C 0B4 Canada
8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.