Journal Article

Only for “purely scientific” institutions: the Medical Library Association's Exchange, 1898–1950s

Connor, Jennifer J

2011

Overview

Centralized exchanges of scientific materials existed by the late nineteenth century, but they did not include medical publications. North American medical leaders therefore formed an association of institutions to run their own exchange: the Medical Library Association (MLA). After providing background to the exchange concept and the importance of institutional members for MLA, this article examines archival MLA correspondence to consider the role of its Exchange in the association's professional development before the 1950s. MLA's membership policy admitted only libraries open to the medical profession with a large number of volumes. But the correspondence of the MLA Executive Committee reveals that the committee constantly adjusted the definition of library membership: personal, public, sectarian, commercial, allied science, and the then-termed \"colored\" medical school libraries all were denied membership. Study of these decisions, using commercial and sectarian libraries as a focus, uncovers the primary justification for membership exclusions: a goal of operating a scientific exchange. Also, it shows that in this way, MLA shadowed policies and actions of the American Medical Association. Finally, the study suggests that the medical profession enforced its policies of exclusion through MLA, despite a proclaimed altruistic sharing of medical literature.

• Publisher: Medical Library Association,University Library System, University of Pittsburgh
• Subject: 19th century / Altruism / American Medical Association - history / Associations / Clinical medicine / Collections and collecting / Committees / Donations / Drug Industry / Exact sciences and technology / Health care libraries / Health sciences / History / History, 19th Century / History, 20th Century / Information and communication sciences / Information economics. Information policy / Information science. Documentation / Justification / Libraries / Libraries, Medical - history / Libraries, Medical - organization & administration / Library and information science. General aspects / Management / Medical decision making / Medical libraries / Medical Library Association, USA / Medical literature / Medical personnel / Medical practices / Medical schools / Medicine / Membership / Museums / Political aspects : cooperation, coordination, standardization / Professional development / Professional training / Public schools / Scholarly periodicals / Science / Sciences and techniques of general use / Sectarianism / Services / Societies - history / Trade / United States