1880The University of Southern California founded.1885The College of Medicine of the University of Southern California founded.
Dean of the Faculty: Dr. J. P. Widney.1895The College located on Buena Vista Street (later renamed Broadway) in a
3-story building, the Founders' Building. Original faculty included Doctors M.M.
Bovard, J. P. Widney, Joseph Kurtz and A.F. Darling (father of Louise
Darling).1897Population of Los Angeles about 86,000; 303 registered physicians in LA
County.1899January 6, 1899, Dr. Wilbur A. Hendryx presented to the College of
Medicine an "admirably arranged and equipped two-story building, designed by
Prof. Stanley P. Black, for the Department of Pathology." The Hendryx
Pathological and Bacteriological Laboratory included a room designated for a
library. "The Library is designed to hold about 7000 volumes. There is already a
nucleus of more than 1000 volumes. It is hoped to throw this room open to the
general profession as well as to our own students."18971906Dr. Milbank Johnson appointed librarian. He actively acquired materials
for the library, buying and donating some himself; others were gifts.1906Dr. Walter Jarvis Barlow, a faculty member of the College of Medicine,
had erected a library building on Buena Vista Street, just opposite the
Founders' Building, which he deeded to the Los Angeles College Clinical
Association (a non-profit holding corporation of the College of Medicine,
USC).1907The building was dedicated to the medical profession of Southern
California and of the Great Southwest. Dr. Milbank Johnson, President of the
Board of Trustees, accepted responsibility for the collection. Control and
management of the Library vested in Board of Trustees of the Barlow Medical
Library Association, with support coming from subscribing patrons who paid
$25.00 per year. In 1907 there were 53 patrons and about 5000 volumes.1909The maintenance of the medical school had become more and more expensive
and the University of Southern California was already spending most of its
income in support of its College of Liberal Arts. Thus in 1909 the College of
Medicine changed it affiliation and became part of the University of California,
with the buildings including the Barlow Library building deeded to the
University of California. The Barlow Medical Library Associates continued to run
the Library and retained ownership of its books and journals.19091932The Library grew to over 18,000 volumes. The pattern of mixed support
continued. Monies came from: the Barlow Medical Library Association, the Los
Angeles Medical Department of the University of California (paid the Librarian's
salary), and the Los Angeles County Medical Association.1932On November 7, 1932, the Board of Trustees of the Barlow Medical Library
Association adopted resolutions providing for the transfer of the collections of
the Barlow Medical Library to the Los Angeles County Medical Association. The
Board members were: Dr. George Dock, President; Dr. A. Elmer Belt,
vice-president; other Trustees were Dr. W. Jarvis Barlow and Dr. George H.
Kress.1934By December the Library was installed in its new quarters at 634 South
Westlake, Los Angeles.1951UCLA Medical School opened with a Freshmen class of 25 students. Louise
Darling continued building the Biomedical Library collections.1958Sale of Barlow Medical Library building, with proceeds used to create an
endowment, the "Walter Jarvis Barlow History of Medicine Collection" fund, for
the purchase of materials in the history of medicine by the UCLA Biomedical
Library.1992On June 18, 1992 the Barlow Trust was transferred from the Los Angeles
County Medical Association to the Regents of the University of California.
Non-rare volumes originally from the Barlow Medical Library were moved to the
History and Special Collections Division of the UCLA Louise Darling Biomedical
Library on September 18, 1992.From the guide to the Barlow Medical Library Records, 1899-1951, (University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections Division)