by Cynthia Holt, Executive Director, Council of Atlantic University Libraries (CAUL)
All residents of Atlantic Canada now have full access to The Cochrane Library thanks to the Atlantic Health Knowledge Partnership. Led by the Council of Atlantic University Libraries / Conseil des bibliothèques universitaires de l’Atlantique (CAUL-CBUA), this partnership includes post-secondary institutions, health authorities, and hospitals in the Region and was struck with the goal of supporting healthy communities.
The Cochrane Library is a collection of databases in medicine and other healthcare specialties which summarize and interpret the results of medical research and are a key resource in evidence-based medicine. Plain language summaries are also available.
To access The Cochrane Library from within Atlantic Canada, go to https://www.cochranelibrary.com/ and start searching.* Access to The Cochrane Library when outside of Atlantic Canada is possible through your home institution (CAUL-CBUA member, health authority, hospital) or local public library website.
Tutorials, webinars, and guides for using The Cochrane Library are available here: https://www.workcast.com/ControlUsher.aspx?cpak=9621168547619827&pak=5334253650203132
Region-wide access is made possible by financial contributions from Dalhousie University, Cape Breton University, St. Francis Xavier University, Mount Saint Vincent University, the Nova Scotia Community College, Memorial University, the University of Prince Edward Island, the University of New Brunswick, the Nova Scotia Health Authority, Horizon Health Network, Réseau de santé Vitalité, and the IWK.
*When you access the Internet from your home, some Internet Service Providers (such as Bell, Rogers, or Xplornet) assign IPs (Internet addresses) that might be from outside of the Atlantic Region. Your provider usually assigns you a new IP each day, and as a result, some days you may have an IP from the region and other days you may have an IP from outside the region. If you are physically located in the region and are having difficulty getting to the full text of the articles, please go to https://www.iplocation.net/find-ip-address to see if the IP you’ve been assigned that day is from the region. If it is not, you’ll need to access The Cochrane Library through your home institution or local public library website.