Rare Book Collections
Bernard Becker Medical Library (initially the Medical School Library) has maintained a rare book collection devoted to scholarship and teaching since 1912. This history of medicine section of the Library has developed significantly since its inception, and presently holds nine distinct rare book and journal collections, totaling approximately 26,000 volumes. The strengths of the collections include ophthalmology, neurology, anatomy, ENT, dentistry, obstetrics and gynecology. Managed together with the Medical School archives, Becker Library’s rare medical collection is the largest and oldest in the region. All nine collections are open to the public. In addition to reference service and research assistance, the rare book program offers courses in the history medicine, features exhibitions, a lecture series, and regularly welcomes queries from scholars throughout the United States and from abroad.
The rare book catalog records have been accessible through the World Wide Web for several years. In 1999, outmoding the photocopier, our digitization service started providing digital copies, mostly within an hour of receiving a request. The next step is to offer the entire text of selected rare books on the Web – for virtually anyone interested. With digitization we aim to bolster scholarly research and the educational use of historical materials. With the aid of this unique rare book resource at Becker Medical Library and the digital technology we also aspire to support cooperation between experts, collections, and institutions across the globe.
The Collections:
- Bernard Becker Collection in Ophthalmology and Optics (ca. 460 vols. 15th-19th c.)
- CID-Max A. Goldstein Collection in Speech and Hearing, (ca. 920 vols., 15th-20th c.)
- Henry J. McKellops Collection in Dental Medicine (ca. 765 vols., 16th-20th c.)
- H. Richard Tyler Collection of the American Academy of Neurology Library Collection (ca. 7,000 volumes, 15th-20th century)
- Robert E. Schlueter Paracelsus Collection (ca. 500 vols., 15th-20th c.)
- Classics of Medicine Collection (ca. 1,460 volumes, 15th-19th century)
- James Moores Ball Collection (ca. 2,600 vols., 16th-20th century)
- Monuments of Medicine Collection (ca. 5,400 vols., 19th-20th century)
- Rare Medical Periodicals Collection (ca. 11,500 vols., 18th-20th century)
Digital collections and exhibitions featuring rare books from the Becker Library include:
- Rare Books @ Becker
- Bernard Becker Collection in Ophthalmology and Optics
- Deafness in Disguise
- Gems of Italian Medical History
- Powerful Grace Lies in Herbs and Plants
- Student’s Guide to the Pelvis and Perineum
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