From my standpoint as the President of JMLA, the director of a university medical library and a medical doctor as well, I discuss herein the significance of the service to convey medical information to patients and the general public, the role to play and advice to be given thereupon from my experience and also from extensive literature. I especially refer to and emphasize, at present and in the future, what and how indeed “professional” librarians can serve patients and their families, who have a “right to know”, in the hospital and/or medical libraries, especially those who are going to die and to-be-bereaved family thereafter. I also refer to several grave difficulties lying before us in putting them into effect in the present situation, which should be overcome in the near future by our sincere efforts and lawful strategies to establish a library in the hospital and post definite librarians who care about these issues and serve the people described above.
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