The Abner Wellborn Calhoun Medical Library was established in 1923 with a $10,000 gift from the Calhoun Family to support the Emory University School of Medicine. In 1924, M. Myrtle Tye was selected as the first full-time librarian and tasked with building and maintaining the library collections. Following Tye’s death in 1933, a $175 gift from her family established the Tye History of Medicine book collection which continues to this day.
Beginning during World War II and continuing until the early 1980s, the library additionally served as a designated regional medical library. In support of local and community health initiatives, hospitals, and physicians, these regional library efforts were part of a network that has since come under the National Library of Medicine. In 1987, the library moved to its current location at 1462 Clifton Road. Following this move, the library incorporated the Stephen W. Foster Dental Library collection and was renamed the Robert W. Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library. In 1988, the library dedicated the Alice Kydd Davis Nursing Collection, which is now incorporated into the larger library holdings.
The current WHSC Library serves a diverse health science population including the School of Medicine and Allied Health Programs, Schools of Nursing and Public Health, the Graduate Division of Biomedical and Biological Sciences, and the Emory Healthcare system. Locations include the main campus library, still housed at 1462 Clifton Road, and four hospital branch libraries at Emory University Hospital, Grady Hospital, Emory Midtown Hospital, and Emory Saint Joseph’s Hospital.
As the Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library looks to celebrate its 100-year history, look out for spring semester events in late April highlighting future directions and fall semester events in late October showcasing the rich history of the health sciences library at Emory. Follow the library on Twitter to get snapshots of historical events and upcoming programming throughout the year.
—by Kim Powell, research impact informationist, Woodruff Health Sciences Center Library
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