Newsletters and newspapers may represent a unique historical chronicle of health related issues. They often contain the most current information on health topics, research and policy. Newsletters may focus on emerging areas of research or health care before such fields are adequately represented in the primary journal literature.

NLM collects selected newsletters with an emphasis on those issued by major U.S. and international professional health organizations. Of particular collecting interest are those that focus on contemporary health issues and concerns, represent emerging health areas, or document health outreach efforts to populations at risk. NLM collects newsletters with original content or commentary rather than those that contain digests of articles reprinted or abridged from other publications. Newsletters that represent non-traditional treatment philosophies or specific health issues of topical interest to scholars or U.S. health professionals are collected selectively.

Foreign newsletters are collected very selectively with an emphasis on those published by major organizations on topics of particular concern to U.S. health professionals.

Medical newspapers written for a national audience are collected if they contain substantive health related information that is probably not duplicated elsewhere or are published in a country for which little medical information is available.

In collecting newsletters and newspapers, NLM takes into account the availability of comparable information in the journal literature.