Historical Collection Gets New Home

After nearly two years of planning, the Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library has opened a new facility just south of the Texas Medical Center. The site serves as a repository for the extensive manuscript collections and institutional archives held by the John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center.

“Just a few miles away, near the intersection of Holly Hall and Almeda Road, access to the new Historical Research Center is easy and parking is free,” said Elizabeth Eaton, Ph.D., HAM-TMC Library executive director.

Materials available for research consist of archives from more than 70 Houston-area medical institutions, including newsletters and scrapbooks, the manuscript collections of prominent local physicians and researchers involved with the Atomic Bomb Casualty Commission, the NASA Space Life Sciences Archive, and other information on the history of medicine in Texas.

Materials range from medical school yearbooks to old nursing caps. Some of the more unusual items include a tooth belonging to William Seybold, M.D., an obstetrician and one of the Kelsey-Seybold clinic founders; a sword contributed by Ruth Hartgraves, M.D., another Houston physician; and an assortment of artificial eyes and other surgical and dental instruments from the Autrey Collection, named for the distinguished Houston dentist.

The McGovern Center, one of the HAM-TMC Library departments, suffered extensive damage to its materials last year as a result of Tropical Storm Allison floodwaters. The need to remove all material from flood level, as well as the anticipation of future acquisitions that would lead to a space crunch, resulted in the decision to open this separate location.

Prior to the move, the McGovern Center staff and collections were spread among three separate floors of the Jesse H. Jones Library building. Flood-damaged materials were processed and stored on the second and third floors, while the street level housed the majority of the archival collections.

The new Historical Research Center features 9,000 square feet of space for archival collections, effectively solving storage problems that existed within the library. An additional 2,000 square feet consists of staff offices, client workspaces, and a conference room.

The client work area, complete with Internet-accessible computer and photocopy/scanner/fax capabilities, is available for any researcher needing to access the collections. The conference room, also computer-equipped, is available by appointment and provides an alternative for those in need of a small meeting space.

The rare book and photograph collections will remain in the Rare Book Room at the HAM-TMC Library.

The Historical Research Center is located at 8272 El Rio, Suite 190, and is open to the public Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or by special appointment. For more information, e-mail hrc@library.tmc.edu call (713) 799-7135. Maps, collection guides, and further information are available through the center’s Web site at http://mcgovern.library.tmc.edu.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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