A History of Medical Libraries and Medical Librarianship: From John Shaw Billings to the Digital Era: Medical Library Association Books Series Michael R. Kronenfeld Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

A History of Medical Libraries and Medical Librarianship

From John Shaw Billings to the Digital Era

A History of Medical Libraries and Medical Librarianship

From John Shaw Billings to the Digital Era

Description

A History of Medical Libraries and Librarianship in the United States: From John Shaw Billingsto the Digital Era presents a history of the profession from the beginnings of the Army Surgeon General’s Library in 1836 to today’s era of the digital health sciences library. The purpose of this book is not only to make this history available to the profession’s practitioners, but also to provide context as medical librarians and libraries enter a new age in their history as the digital information environment has undercut the medical library’s previous role as the depository of the print based KBI/information base.
The book divides the profession’s history is divided into seven eras:
1. The Era of the Library of the Office of the Army Surgeon General and John Shaw Billings – 1836 – 1898
2. The Era of the Gentleman Physician Librarian – 1898 to 1945
3. The Era of the Development of the Clinical Research Infrastructure (NIH), the Rapid Expansion in Funded and Published Clinical Research and the Emergence of Medical Librarianship as a Profession – 1945 – 1962
4. The Era of the Development of the National Library of Medicine, Online digital Subject Searching (Medline) and the Creation of the National Health Science Library Infrastructure– 1962 – 1975
5. The Medline Era – A Golden Age for Medical Libraries – 1975 – 1995
6. The Era of Universal Access to Information and the Transition from Paper to Digitally Based Medical Libraries – 1995 – 2015
7. The Era of the Digital Health Sciences Library – 2015 –
Each era is reviewed through discussing the developments in the field and the factors which drove those developments. The book will provide current and future medical librarians and information specialists an understanding of the development of their profession and some insights into its future.

Acknowledgements
Preface
Chapter 1 – The Era of the Library of the Office of the Army Surgeon General and John Shaw Billings – 1836 – 1898
Chapter 2 - The Era of the Gentleman Physician Librarian – 1898 to 1945
Chapter 3 - The Era of the Development of the Clinical Research Infrastructure (NIH), the Rapid Expansion in Funded and Published Clinical Research and the Emergence of Medical Librarianship as a Profession – 1945 – 1962
Chapter 4 - The Era of the Development of the National Library of Medicine, Online digital Subject Searching (Medline) and the Creation of the Health Science Library Infrastructure– 1962 – 1975
Chapter 5 - The Medline Era – A Golden Age for Medical Libraries – 1975 – 1995
Chapter 6 - The Era of Universal Access to Information and the Transition from Paper to Digitally Based Medical Libraries – 1995 – 2015
Chapter 7 - The Era of the Digital Health Sciences Library – 2015 –
Bibliography

Product details

Published	15 Aug 2023
Format	Paperback
Edition	1st
Extent	364
ISBN	9781538183618
Imprint	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Illustrations	40 b/w photos; 23 tables;
Dimensions	230 x 153 mm
Series	Medical Library Association Books Series
Publisher	Bloomsbury Publishing

This work is exhaustive in its scope but is also meticulously researched. It is a solid choice for a medical librarianship graduate-level class... This book will prove absorbing to any aspiring or actual medical librarian; the content is essentially a ringside seat to America from 1836 to the modern day as seen through the lens of medical librarianship with its ties to medical and societal change. This reviewer takes away a new appreciation for the ground covered by her profession, but also a respect for the formidable challenges that lay ahead. It is clearly a work of great meaning for both authors and is a welcome addition to the other chronicles that explore our world.

Journal of the Medical Library Association
A History of Medical Libraries and Medical Librarianship shows that decades of work, and substantial public investment, went into developing the information infrastructure we now use every day. The book is an excellent historical resource, though limited by its exclusive focus on the United States. A global history of medical libraries and librarianship would also be welcome.

Medical Reference Services Quarterly
The book is extensively researched, and the authors make good use of primary source material in presenting the history of the profession. Despite the broad timespan covered, the information is presented clearly and is structured in a way that is easy-to-understand and follow. The authors passion for this topic is clear and I would recommend this book for anyone with an interest in the history of the MLA, NLM and the growth of medical librarianship as a profession.

Journal of the Canadian Health Libraries Association
A History of Medical Libraries and Librarianship in the United States: From John Shaw Billings to the Digital Era is a comprehensive survey of the intertwined history of the National Library of Medicine, the Medical Library Association and medical librarianship. From the 134 item catalog of the Surgeon General’s collection of 1840 to the expanded mission of the Network of the National Library of Medicine, NLM has consistently evolved to meet the needs of its users with innovative services and programs designed to promote and advance a national agenda for excellence in medical education and biomedical research.

Readers with an interest in the history of the National Library of Medicine, and the Medical Library Association, will find this an invaluable resource for understanding the relationships between these organizations, support for a national agenda on biomedical research and the profession of medical librarianship.

Susan M. Harnett, medical information services librarian, Borland Library, University of Florida
The Kronenfelds’ book documents the rich history and promising future of medical libraries and librarians. It was edifying to consider my own career in a broader context, and to be reminded of the impact of legislation and leadership at the national level on the development of the profession. Reading this book provides an opportunity to be proud of our origins; to get a little nostalgic for the pre-Internet, ‘Golden Age’, when medical librarians were the gateway of access to published biomedical information; and to look forward to a data driven health care future in which librarians skilled in data management will provide information solutions in a digital environment.

Gale G. Hannigan, PhD, MPH, MLS, AHIP, Research Professor, University of New Mexico Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center
A thorough and well-researched look at the history of health sciences libraries and the evolution of health sciences librarianship. Obviously a labor of love by Michael and Jennie Kronenfeld!

M.J. Tooey, MLS, AHIP, FMLA, associate vice president, Academic Affairs (she/her), executive director, Health Sciences and Human Services Library, director, National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Southeastern Atlantic Region, director, National DOCLIN