1600s/1700s
1600s Luzerne Co Medical Society library founded (Wilkes-Barre PA)
1735 Norfolk Co library founded
1772 Chattanooga-Hmilton Co library founded
1787 Library, College of Physicians of Philadelphia founded
1798 Worcester Medical Library founded

1800s
1805 Boston Medical Library started
1827 Bexar Co library founded
1832 Hennepin Co library founded
1830 Med Chi library founded
1845/6 County Kings Library, Booklyn founded
1846 AMA library founded
1847 New York Academy of Medicine Library founded
1870 LACMA library started
1879 RI Medical Society Library founded
1889 Shawnee Co library founded
1893 Denver Medical Society library founded
1897 Ramsey Co library founded
1899 St. Louis Co library founded

1900s
1900 Tulsa Co library founded
1909 Mecklenburg Co library founded
1912 C. Perry Fischer, CPP, MLA President
1913 Hawaii Medical Society Library founded
1915 Alameda Contra Costa library founded
1917 Spokane Co library founded
1920 Texas Medical Society library founded
1920s ACS library started
1930 Del. Acad. Med. Library founded; Winnebago Co. library founded
1933/4 Marcia Noyes, Med Chi, MLA President
1934 Co Queens library founded
1937/9 James Ballard, Boston, MLA President
1946/7 WB MDaniel II PhD, CPP, MLA President
1948/9 Janet Doe, NYAM, MLA President

1950s
1951 Denver Medical Society Library hosts reception at MLA meeting
1952 First officers - Anna Kennedy, Alameda Contra Costa, Chair, Mary Post, Ramsey Co, Secretary; first year group, first program, first published papers from program
1952 First proposed group project: E Morse suggests survey of historical collection 52-63
1952/3 First Canadian officer, Marian Patterson, Toronto, Secretary
1954 First program on consumer health
1955 First survey, GM Clark: BMLA 43:193-8, 1955
1955 Wesley Draper, Co King Brooklyn, MLA President
1956 First published full symposium from meeting BMLA 44:397-423, 1956
1958/9 Isabelle Anderson, Denver, MLA President
1959 First program on outreach
1959 First mention of possible loss of 3 major libraries - need to know how to survive

1960s
1960 Boston Medical Library merges with Harvard medical library
1961 Gertrude Annan, NYAM, MLA President
1961 APA library founded
1962 First officer from national organization - Susan Crawford, AMA; first program discussing programs of national libraries (AMA and APA)
1963 International Congress - no meeting held
1964 Second survey of medical society libraries, BMLA 53:178-95, 1965 (first complete survey)
1965/6 Alfred Brandon, NYAM, MLA President
1966 First discussion of automation by group at their meeting
1967 First Janet Doe Lecture by Gertrude Annan (both med society librarians from NYAM)
1967 Merger of Academy of Medicine, Brooklyn & SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn
libraries to form the Medical Research Library, Brooklyn, was the focus of talk and discussion at annual meeting.
1967 Third survey of medical society library, BMLA 55:191-200, 1967 (Committee on Surveys and Statistics, MLA)
1969 Elliott Morse, CPP, MLA President
1969 Directory of Health Science Libraries in US published by AMA
1969 According to minutes, MLA bylaws did not allow "types of libraries" groups.
1969 ACOG library founded
1960s MLAA funded, RML network forms; CPP and NYAM selected as RMLs

1970s
1970s JCAH requirements for hospital library services
1970s MSLS Libraries that closed: Mobile Co AL; San Diego; Santa Barbara; Stanislaus Co Modesto); WeldCo CO; Hillsborough Co FL; Muscatine Co IA; Shawnee Co KS; Worcester MA; Jackson Co MO; Hall Co NE; Broome Co NY; Westchester Co NY; Rowan-Davie Co NC; Cleveland; Toledo & Lucas Co; Tulsa Co OK; Pennsylvania; Chattanooga-
Hamilton Co TN; Knoxville TN; Norfolk VA.
1970/1 Donald Washburn DDS, ADA, MLA President
1971 Group asked Susan Crawford to prepare a directory- she indicated that survey results might substitute.
1972 Fourth survey published; BMLA 60(Suppl):38-45, 1972
1973 Group sent letter to society/association libraries encouraging membership (poor response)
1973 AAP library founded
1974 Mary Post reviews history of group to date at annual meeting
1974 First discussion of disbanding group?
1977 Last dinner meeting - henceforth groups to meet exclusive of meal hours
1978 Program includes a discussion of evolving roles for medical society libraries: 1) hospital library consortium with society libribraries, 2) the resurgence of medical society libraries after decreasing support between 1965 and 1975, 3) finding a niche for medical society library services for physicians not served by medical schools or Regional Medical
Libraries, e.g. being circuit rider librarians (Cleveland as a model).
c.1978 Libraries begin to offer online search service (see 1978 Denver flyer)
1979 Group plans for implementation of Section Council. First bylaws committee for section.

1980s
1980 Group votes to become a section
1980 Joseph Jensen, Med Chi, coordinates fifth survey of society libraries (survey was sent
with section ballot)
1980 Second discussion of role of medical society libraries in meeting consumer needs
suggesting working with public libraries
1981 First Section Council Representative (Brett Kirkpatrick, NYAM) and first Section Council
Meeting
1981 Second discussion of directory - MLA office has no accurate membership list for section
Joe Jenson and Susan Crawford will develop directory from results of their surveys
1981 Discussion of trends in society libraries - small libraries can no longer function as separate libraries (see Barber - King Co - as one model; role of state/local funding; many library closings)
1982 Section voted to start newsletter; Mary Westermann, Nassau, volunteered to edit it.
1982 AAMC IAIMS report released
1983 First section newsletter; section voted to continue and to collect dues.
1983 AAO library founded (from split with AAOO)
1984 June Fulton, CPP, elected Section Council Chair; Barbara Hamilton, MGMA, reported on informal meeting of association librarians
1985 First section dues collected 1985 One of section's objectives is to investigate closer relationships with the informal group of Association Librarians withing MLA through dialogue with leaders of that group and through special invitation to members of the group to attend the Section's annual meeting in New York City.
1986 ACHE library founded
1986/9 ACOG receives Planning Phase and Model Phase IAIMS grants
1987 First officer from a national specialty society, Pamela Van Hine, ACOG, Chair
1987 Low membership in Section; consider disbanding
1988 Section responded to MLA strategic plan
1988/9 Eloise Foster, AHA, MLA President
1989 First section dues collected by MLA (54 members)

1990s
1990s MSLS libraries closed or downsized: AMA, AAFP, Ramsey Co, LACMA, GHAA
1990 Virginia Speer, AAP, Chair, suggested doing survey of members, focusing on consumer information and other services

1991 AAMC Reference Center founded
1992 10% of NLM outreach grants were given to society libraries (DAM, ACOG, AAFP)
1992 Pat Sullivan, Maricopa Co, conducts sixth survey of medical society libraries
1992 Survey of society libraries' participation in LoanSomeDoc
1993/4 June Fulton, CPP, MLA President
1994 First year sections are responsible for most programming at annual meeting (Pamela
Van Hine, ACOG, NPC Section Council Liaison)
1996 First electronic distribution of newsletter
1996 ACHE survey of 40 selected society libraries prepared for proposal for
Collaborative National Resource Center for Health Services Administration
1996 Kathie DeGeorges, AWHONN, and Pamela Van Hine, ACOG, conducted seventh survey of medical society libraries
1996 Section voted not to disband (Recent trends in membership: 32-55 (93), 47 (94), 49-51 (96)

2000s
2001 Medical Society Libraries Section changes name to Health Association Libraries Section
2001 First Section Website
2004 First Section Discussion List

Last Updated 6/30/2004