Government Shutdown: How It May Affect Access to Medical Information Resources

As the federal government undergoes a shutdown, access to several government-maintained websites and services may be disrupted. This includes some medical and scientific databases that health professionals, researchers, and students rely on for current, evidence-based information.

What’s Affected?
During a shutdown, federal websites like those run by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Library of Medicine (NLM), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may not be fully maintained or updated. While many essential services like PubMed typically remain available, some tools, updates, and support features may be limited or delayed. Grant processing and communications from federal research bodies may also be paused.

How We Can Help
The Stony Brook University Health Sciences Library remains fully operational and is here to support your research and clinical needs. We offer a wide range of alternative and subscription-based medical resources that remain unaffected by the shutdown, including:

• Ovid Medline, Embase and CINAHL for comprehensive literature searches
• Full-text access to thousands of peer-reviewed journals through platforms like Elsevier ScienceDirect, Wiley Online Library, and Springer
• Evidence-based clinical tools like UpToDate, DynaMed, and VisualDx

For more information, our U.S. Federal Government Shutdown: Notification & Information research guide provides an overview of past shutdowns’ impact on libraries, a listing of U.S. agency contingency planning, and alternate access to U.S. government information.

Need Help?
Our librarians are available for consultations, both in-person and virtually. If you encounter a government website that’s down or incomplete, contact us for alternative access options or assistance with locating the information you need at refhsclib@stonybrook.edu.

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Jessica Koos

Director of Health Sciences Library at Stony Brook University Libraries

Jessica is the Director of the Health Sciences Library. She is the librarian for the School of Medicine and the Department of Biomedical Informatics.
email: jessica.koos@stonybrook.edu

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