Early Days Exhibit - Medical Library Photographs, 1969-1979

Early Days of the Medical School at Memorial University: Memorial University Medical Library Photographs, 1969-1979

The Medical Library was originally set up in the Temporary Buildings on the Memorial University of Newfoundland campus. June Leath Huntley, consultant in residence, and Dr. K. B. Roberts, associate dean of medicine and head of physiology, were instrumental in the development of the library, ensuring that it met standards that led to its official recognition as a Medical Library in 1969.

In 1975, the Medical Library moved into the Health Sciences Centre the week of February 3, becoming operational one week later on Monday, February 10. The library increased its mandate when it assumed responsibility for library services to Memorial University School of Nursing in 1977. That summer, books and journals relating to nursing were moved from the main university library to the Medical Library. Shortly after these changes the name Medical Library was replaced with Health Sciences Library in recognition of its expanded role in providing library services to a broad range of health sciences disciplines.

Today, the Health Sciences Library collection includes material on medicine, nursing, pharmacy, dentistry and allied health. In addition to students and faculty in the health sciences, the Health Sciences Library also acts as a resource centre for all health practitioners in the province, with electronic resources provided through the Newfoundland and Labrador Health Knowledge Information Network (NLHKIN). The K.B. Roberts Historical Collection includes important scholarly analyses of the history of medicine and the health sciences, reprints of classics in the health sciences, and "working" materials such as medical textbooks and other primary historical sources that are exemplary of past medical practice and thought. The Faculty of Medicine Founders' Archive, an archival repository established in 1999 for the Faculty of Medicine, is also located within the Library. The collection includes material such as the papers of the first and second deans of the Medical School and other faculty members, several photograph and slide collections, videotapes, artworks, and research material. The archive, as a part of its outreach program, has also created virtual exhibits and completed a number of digitization projects.

Partnership
Health Sciences Information and Media Service (HSIMS), Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, kindly agreed to be a partner in the creation of this exhibit.