2) Highlight of a Library of Medicine

Johns Hopkins Sheridan Libraries & University Museums

By: Patrick Corcoran, MLIS candidate, University of Southern Mississippi

"The central second floor lobby, between the East and West Reading Rooms, has areas for 

study or relaxation and hosts displays for the Institute of the History of Medicine."   (Welch, 2015)

   The Johns Hopkins medical institution, headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, maintains, an impressive, four libraries, three regional resource centers, and one museum.  Their specialty library departments include: Center for Educational Resources; Conservation & Preservation; Data Management Services; and, Entrepreneurial Library Program.  The Welch Medical Library is the component of this school which will be highlighted in this blog.
   The Welch Medical Library was built in 1929 and named after the first Dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, William H. Welch.  "On-site stacks hold thousands of books, journals, and other print materials. Additional print materials are maintained off-site and can be requested in-person at the Welch Services Center on the lower level or electronically using the Library Catalog (Catalyst)" (Welch, 2015).  In addition, the library offers interlibrary loan services, classes, electronic resources, and course reserves.
   This library is also the headquarters for the Institute of the History of Medicine. The collection contains around 40,000 volumes, including over 300 journals and over 100 periodicals.  Ten thousand of these materials are considered rare books, dating back to the 16th Century.  This collection can be searched electronically, yet, currently, the search engines are still under construction.
   Forerunners of 20th Century allopathic medicine, like Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, continue to produce cutting edge research, in that field.  As this information glut continues to pile up, becoming 'historic' almost immedietely, repositories such as the Welch Medical Library and the Institute of the History of Medicine, become all the more essential to categorize and preserve this vital knowledge.
 

Bibliography

Welch Medical Library. (2015). Retrieved from http://welch.jhmi.edu/welchone/Welch-Library-Building