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Membership

The Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) is made up of organizations of all kinds that are engaged in health and wellness in their communities - our Members provide health information resources and services to health professionals, academic communities, and the general public. If you are providing health information through a library, information center, public health department, K-12 school, university, hospital, or other organization, please consider joining the Network of the National Library of Medicine!  

Benefits of Network membership include a certificate of recognition, training opportunities, eligibility for project funding, document delivery services, emergency preparedness planning and response, and partnerships with other NNLM members. The outreach efforts of the NNLM assure that researchers, health professionals, the public health workforce and the public are aware of and have access to quality health information available from NLM and the NNLM.

Who Can Join?

Membership is free but there are some requirements to participate. Each NNLM member institution must agree to make these basic contributions:

  • To designate an individual as the local contact person (the "NNLM Liaison") for network information/communications.
  • Be listed in the public NNLM Membership Directory. Once the membership application has been processed, new organizations will be added to the directory.
  • To keep their institution record up-to-date by reviewing it annually and whenever organization changes occur.

Membership is institutional, and each Member organization will have liaison(s) listed. Liaisons' contact information will be visible in the Membership Directory and will receive emails and other communications from NNLM. Any staff can create free user accounts to access training and receive information from the Network.

How to Make the Most of your NNLM Membership

Membership FAQ

Find answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about NNLM Membership and related programs.

Please refer to our map for more information on the NNLM Region serving your area.

No! Any organization in the United States that has health information access as part of its work is eligible to become a Network member. Members include public libraries, community colleges, health departments, community based organizations, clinics, associations, K-12 schools, and more.

To become a member, fill out the form on the Join the Network page. Enter contact information for the NNLM Liaison for your organization. Member organizations are asked to keep their institution record up-to-date by reviewing it annually and whenever organization changes occur.

No, Membership is at the institutional level, so individuals may not become members.

Yes! Individuals can create an NNLM account to register for classes.

The NNLM Liaison is designated as the local contact person for the Network. The Liaison is also responsible for keeping their institution record up-to-date by reviewing it annually and whenever organization changes occur.

Yes, the Liaison’s contact information, including email address, will be listed in the Membership Directory. The Membership Directory allows other network members to find local contacts, and the Liaison is designated as the local contact person for their organization.

NNLM Membership is free!

No, Membership does not expire. However, we do ask the Liaison to keep their institution record up-to-date by reviewing it annually and whenever organization changes occur.

NNLM memberships can take 2-3 weeks to process.

Contact your Regional Medical Library to ask for assistance.

Contact your Regional Medical Library to ask for assistance.

DOCLINE is a resource sharing program open to health sciences libraries or health related information centers. DOCLINE Membership and NNLM Membership are not interdependent. Visit https://docline.gov/ for more information about the requirements for DOCLINE.

Contact the NLM Support Center to request support for your DOCLINE account.

last updated: 12/03/25 11:00