Barlow Medical Library

Chronology

• 1880: The University of Southern California founded.
• 1885: The College of Medicine of the University of Southern California founded. Dean of the Faculty: Dr. J. P. Widney.
• 1895: The 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).
• 1897: Population of Los Angeles about 86,000; 303 registered physicians in LA County.
• 1899: January 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."
• 1897 - 1906 : Dr. Milbank Johnson appointed librarian. He actively acquired materials for the library, buying and donating some himself; others were gifts.
• 1906: Dr. 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).
• 1907: The 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.
• 1909: The 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.
• 1909 - 1932 : The 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.
• 1932: On 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.
• 1934: By December the Library was installed in its new quarters at 634 South Westlake, Los Angeles.
• 1951: UCLA Medical School opened with a Freshmen class of 25 students. Louise Darling continued building the Biomedical Library collections.
• 1958: Sale 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.
• 1992: On 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)