By Lauren Fink

What is hemochromatosis?

Do children get migraines?

Why is sleep loss linked with obesity?

What are the holiday blues? And do I have them?

Finding valid answers to these medical questions is easier, and closer to home, than you might think…

Over 15 years ago, a government grant allowed the University of Cincinnati to create the Ohio Valley Community Health Information Network (OVCHIN) which later evolved into NetWellness.  NetWellness, then a collaboration between UC, The Ohio State University, and Case Western Reserve University, is a non-profit consumer health website devoted to high quality, unbiased, scientifically sound information. Professionals from all three universities create and evaluate all of information found on the website and offer an “Ask the Expert” feature, as well as descriptions of and links to myriad health and research topics.

NetWellness is one of the first and most respected organizations of its kind, nationwide. And, as of last week, its unique history is catalogued and viewable in the Archives and Rare Books Library. The Library’s new collection includes publications by and about NetWellness, photographs of special events, correspondence, and case studies – just to name a few. Additionally CDs, cassette tapes, and VHS tapes contain virtual tours, demos, discussion groups, press conferences, news broadcasts, and more. The finding aid for this collection is now available on the OhioLINK Finding Aid Repository.

To browse any of the Archives and Rare Books Library’s other holdings, visit our website at http://www.libraries.uc.edu/libraries/arb.   And to learn about anything from African American Health to Myasthenia Gravis, visit the Netwellness website at http://www.netwellness.org.