Overview

"An exploration of the historical interest in medical books, libraries and librarianship. It provides an overview of the Medical Library Association from its conception as a resource for libraries to its role as a national, professional organization. The ""genesis"" of the Medical Library Association is demonstrated through analysis of ""its origins, culture, and fraternal relationships"". The MLA began as an independent national society for the exchange of duplicated, historical medical publications for physicians and students of medicine. However, in the second half of the 20th century, medical educators wanted graduates to be properly equipped to keep up with trends throughout their careers. As a result, the medical library became a place to access these changes. American medicine was changing rapidly and ways of presenting medical information had to be designed, distributed and organized in new ways. Indexes were researched and written helping to standardize massive amounts of information. Jennifer Connor demonstrates how librarians of the time, mostly women, dedicated their professional lives to making this information available for public use."

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9780810834705

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Reviews

The book should be read by anyone interested in the Medical Library Association and the forces that influenced its growth. Journal Of Hospital Librarianship Guardians of Medical Knowledge draws on published literature, oral histories, and archival documents on conversations and personal connections to offer a colorful study of the motivations and actions of the MLA's founders and early leaders from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. [This book] will be of interest to all MLA members as a key to the past that helps us understand the present and plan for the future. It will be equally appropriate for library and information studies collections, health science libraries, and for history and sociology collections dealing with turn-of-the-century issues and the formation of early twentieth century social organizations. The Library Quarterly Connor, a widely published scholar on library culture and medical history, presents this history though a wealth of narrative detail and provides broader perspectives by placing it in the context of the social history of the medical profession... JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association For anyone interested in the detailed early history of the MLA...this will be a fascinating book...concise and clear in drawing out the essential themes and characterizing the major players of the early years. Journal Of Documentation For those who have ever wondered about the association-how it was founded, who were the people who began it, and how has its focus changed since its beginning-this book is a must read. Medical Reference Services Quarterly ...thorough and well-researched...this work offers an interesting perspective on the medical profession, and its attitudes to its history, culture, and books...this is a useful addition to existing literature on medical librarianship and the history of medical history. Canadian Bulletin Of Medical History Overall, the book serves as an exemplar for its use of primary source documents and the meticulous analysis. The author went to great lengths to track down and scrutinize old memoranda, letters, MLA records, interview transcripts, and forgotten journal articles. Some chapters incorporate material from well over one hundred sources, and more are listed in a useful Bibliographic Essay. Connor explicates both major trends and their less conspicuous undercurrents. The book should be especially useful for students, instructors, and scholars in the areas of medical library history, health information services, women's studies, the sociology of professions, and the history of medicine. We are indebted to Connor for giving us a definitive history of the MLA and the North American medical library movement. Libraries and Culture ...a succinct , yet detailed, history of the Medical Library Association...The book is clearly and eloquently written, and will appeal especially to those with an interest in medial libraries, the history of medicine or the library profession in general. Biblioteca Medica Canadiana, vol. 22 no. 4 (2001)

The book should be read by anyone interested in the Medical Library Association and the forces that influenced its growth. Journal Of Hospital Librarianship Guardians of Medical Knowledge draws on published literature, oral histories, and archival documents on conversations and personal connections to offer a colorful study of the motivations and actions of the MLA's founders and early leaders from the late nineteenth century to the mid-twentieth century. [This book] will be of interest to all MLA members as a key to the past that helps us understand the present and plan for the future. It will be equally appropriate for library and information studies collections, health science libraries, and for history and sociology collections dealing with turn-of-the-century issues and the formation of early twentieth century social organizations. The Library Quarterly Connor, a widely published scholar on library culture and medical history, presents this history though a wealth of narrative detail and provides broader perspectives by placing it in the context of the social history of the medical profession... Jama For anyone interested in the detailed early history of the MLA...this will be a fascinating book...concise and clear in drawing out the essential themes and characterizing the major players of the early years. Journal Of Documentation For those who have ever wondered about the association--how it was founded, who were the people who began it, and how has its focus changed since its beginning--this book is a must read. Medical Reference Services Quarterly ...thorough and well-researched...this work offers an interesting perspective on the medical profession, and its attitudes to its history, culture, and books...this is a useful addition to existing literature on medical librarianship and the history of medical history. Canadian Bulletin Of Medical History Overall, the book serves as an exemplar for its use of primary source documents and the meticulous analysis. The author went to great lengths to track down and scrutinize old memoranda, letters, MLA records, interview transcripts, and forgotten journal articles. Some chapters incorporate material from well over one hundred sources, and more are listed in a useful Bibliographic Essay. Connor explicates both major trends and their less conspicuous undercurrents. The book should be especially useful for students, instructors, and scholars in the areas of medical library history, health information services, women's studies, the sociology of professions, and the history of medicine. We are indebted to Connor for giving us a definitive history of the MLA and the North American medical library movement. Libraries and Culture ...a succinct , yet detailed, history of the Medical Library Association...The book is clearly and eloquently written, and will appeal especially to those with an interest in medial libraries, the history of medicine or the library profession in general. Biblioteca Medica Canadiana, vol. 22 no. 4 (2001)

Author Information

Jennifer Connor holds graduate degrees in English literature and a doctorate in library and information science. She has been research fellow in the history of medicine at both McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario and the University of Toronto. In addition to having edited several scholarly journals, she publishes widely in print and library culture, medical history, and technical communication.

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