Monthly Archives: June 2011

Wellcome Unit Library closed for re-wiring: 25 July-1 September

The Wellcome Unit buildings will be undergoing electrical re-wiring work throughout the summer vacation this year. From Tuesday 5th July until the end of September, visitors to the Unit should be aware that they may encounter noise, mess and disruption due to this.

The library itself will be closed for re-wiring work on the following dates, with no access to the collections:

Tuesday 5th July

Monday 25th July – Wednesday 31st August (inclusive)

If you know of a book that you will need during this period and that is not available elsewhere in Oxford, then please contact the librarian-in-charge, as far in advance as possible, and we will try to arrange alternative access.

Many apologies for any unavoidable inconvenience this work may cause.

Saving Oxford Medicine: archives from the Medical Sciences Division

Saving Oxford Medicine is an 18-month special collections project, running from early 2011, to survey personal papers of current and retired members of Oxford University’s Medical Sciences Division, and to catalogue medical archives already held in the Bodleian Library. The Medical Sciences Division is one of the foremost centres for medical research and teaching in the world. The project aims to record key sources for the recent history of medicine in Oxford. This website will highlight collections as they are discovered and report on interesting items found as cataloguing progresses.

Cataloguing is going to begin with papers relating to Ida Mann (1893-1983), a pioneering opthalmologist, and the papers of Edith Bulbring (1903-1990), a pharmacologist and physiologist.

Full details of the project are available via their webpage and there is also a companion blog for all the latest news on discoveries, acquisitions and cataloguing during the project.

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Medicine in the Americas, 1619-1914: A Digital Library

Medicine in the Americas is a digital library project that makes freely available original works demonstrating the evolution of American medicine from colonial frontier outposts of the 17th century to research hospitals of the 20th century.

Drawing on the collections of NLM’s History of Medicine Division and including works from the United States, Latin America, the Caribbean and Canada, this initial release of Medicine in the Americas encompasses monographs dating from 1610 to 1865. Additional titles, dating up to 1920 and drawing further upon NLM’s comprehensive collection of early American printed books and journals, will be available on an ongoing basis in the future.

Bethlem Royal Hospital Archives & Museum Services

The Bethlem Royal Hospital Archives and Museum was established in 1967 as the Archives Department of the Bethlem Royal Hospital and the Maudsley Hospital.  It now houses art and historical collections spanning many centuries which are of unique interest and importance in the field of mental health.  These include the archives of Bethlem Hospital (the original ‘Bedlam’, founded in 1247) and the Maudsley and Warlingham Park Hospitals; an outstanding collection of paintings and drawings, including works by Richard Dadd, Louis Wain, Jonathan Martin, and William Kurelek; the statues of ‘Raving and Melancholy Madness’ from the gates of 17th century Bethlem; and many other documents and artefacts of historic and artistic significance.

The website is under continuous development.  Its aim is to make the collections more accessible, and to provide accurate information to help in their interpretation.

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