Title 42, The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73not60

§286b–5 Grants for Establishing, Expanding, and Improving Basic Resources of Medical Libraries and Related Instrumentalities

Title 42 › Chapter 6A— PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE › Subchapter III— NATIONAL RESEARCH INSTITUTES › Part D— National Library of Medicine › Subpart 2— financial assistance › § 286b–5

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

Gives money or materials to public or private nonprofit medical libraries and similar groups to help them start, grow, or improve their main medical library resources. Grants can pay for buying books, journals, photos, films, and similar items; paying for cataloging, binding, and other processing; buying equipment like copiers, fax machines, projectors, and recording gear; and adding new technologies for medical libraries. The federal official in charge (the Secretary) decides how much each library gets by looking at how big and wide its services are compared with the people it serves. The Secretary will consider things like how many students and health professionals use it, support staff, the faculty and hospital or clinic staff it is linked with, and the area it serves and nearby medical libraries. Grants are set by rules to help ensure other funding continues during and after the grant, and no grant can be more than $1,000,000 in any fiscal year.

Full Legal Text

Title 42, §286b–5

The Public Health and Welfare, Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Secretary shall make grants of money, materials, or both, to public or private nonprofit medical libraries and related scientific communication instrumentalities for the purpose of establishing, expanding, and improving their basic medical library or related resources. A grant under this subsection may be used for—
(1)the acquisition of books, journals, photographs, motion picture and other films, and other similar materials;
(2)cataloging, binding, and other services and procedures for processing library resource materials for use by those who are served by the library or related instrumentality;
(3)the acquisition of duplication devices, facsimile equipment, film projectors, recording equipment, and other equipment to facilitate the use of the resources of the library or related instrumentality by those who are served by it; and
(4)the introduction of new technologies in medical librarianship.
(b)(1)The amount of any grant under this section to any medical library or related instrumentality shall be determined by the Secretary on the basis of the scope of library or related services provided by such library or instrumentality in relation to the population and purposes served by it. In making a determination of the scope of services served by any medical library or related instrumentality, the Secretary shall take into account—
(A)the number of graduate and undergraduate students making use of the resources of such library or instrumentality;
(B)the number of physicians and other practitioners in the sciences related to health utilizing the resources of such library or instrumentality;
(C)the type of supportive staffs, if any, available to such library or instrumentality;
(D)the type, size, and qualifications of the faculty of any school with which such library or instrumentality is affiliated;
(E)the staff of any hospital or hospitals or of any clinic or clinics with which such library or instrumentality is affiliated; and
(F)the geographic area served by such library or instrumentality and the availability within such area of medical library or related services provided by other libraries or related instrumentalities.
(2)Grants to such medical libraries or related instrumentalities under this section shall be in such amounts as the Secretary may by regulation prescribe with a view to assuring adequate continuing financial support for such libraries or instrumentalities from other sources during and after the period for which grants are provided, except that in no case shall any grant under this section to a medical library or related instrumentality for any fiscal year exceed $1,000,000.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

1993—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 103–43 substituted “$1,000,000” for “$750,000”. 1988—Subsec. (b)(2). Pub. L. 100–607 substituted “$750,000” for “$500,000”.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

42 U.S.C. § 286b–5

Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60