This category includes abstracts, indexes, and national, subject, and personal bibliographies, both recurring and monographic.

NLM attempts to acquire bibliographic works sufficient to provide access to biomedical and public health literature from around the world. The Library bases its selection decisions on criteria such as comprehensiveness, uniqueness, and usefulness for research and scholarship.

NLM generally does not collect subsets or abridgements of bibliographic works. The Library does not collect national bibliographies (except for selected titles required for historical research), as the Library of Congress takes national responsibility for collecting and preserving such works.