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College of Physicians of Philadelphia Office of the Executive Director records
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Held at: Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The Office of the Executive Director is the lead office in the general administration of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The College of Physicians is not an academic organization, as the name suggests, but a not-for-profit educational and cultural institution dedicated to advancing the cause of health and upholding the ideals and heritage of medicine. It was founded in 1787 by twenty-four prominent Philadelphians, including John Redman (1722-1808), elected first president of the College; John Morgan (1735-1789), founder of America's first medical school; and Benjamin Rush (1745-1813), a signer of the Declaration of Independence and vigorous advocate of many humanitarian and social causes. The current administration of the College stems from Benjamin Rush’s original proposed method of governance, which consisted of the Council, President and the Board of Trustees. It is the goals and mission set forth by this governing body that the Executive Director is expected to achieve.
Governance of the College is facilitated by a number of committees, the council (or board of trustees), and a board of advisors that are composed of fellows of the college and nominated into their positions. The Office of the Executive Director oversees the general mission of the College, as well as its staff, the College’s strategic plan, and budget. It also evaluates all of the College of Physicians’ activities, ensuring that the policies established by the College of Physicians’ governing board are upheld.
The Executive Director oversees the Historical Medical Library, the Mütter Museum, and the Francis Clark Wood Institute. The Historical Medical Library at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia collects books and information regarding medical history and related topics. The Mütter Museum collects items relating to the history of medicine and medical anomalies. The Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine’s goal is to promote the historical resources of the College of Physicians to the academic community. It provides funds for memberships and a scholar in residence program, and sponsors conferences, seminars, and travel grants to researchers. The Executive Director also oversees the institutional advancement, the finance department, communications, and membership of the College.
More specifically, the Executive Director builds and maintains relationships with donors, potential donors, and fellows of the College. The Executive Director’s responsibility is to foresee that the College and staff are operating to achieve the strategic plan as well as facilitate the creation of educational programs and services that fulfill the College’s mission statement. The Executive Director also oversees the creation of successful programs and events at the College, such as lectures, discussions, and seminars. Past Executive Directors include William F. Chaveas, John M. O’Donnell and Marc Micozzi.
William F. Chaveas was Executive Director at the College of Physicians from 1975 to 1985. Prior to his position at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Chaveas was an Associate Professor and Dean of Administration at the Burlington County College in Pemberton, New Jersey. He also worked a variety of positions at Radio Corporation of America, including manufacturing management, management systems, and administration.
John M. O’Donnell replaced William F. Chaveas as Executive Director in 1986 and ended his own term as Executive Director in 1995. Prior to his position at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, John M. O’Donnell was the Director of the Office of Alumni Relations at the University of Delaware and the Director of Development and Public Relations at the Delaware American Heart Association. He also served as a Development Associate for the College of Physician's 150th Anniversary Capital Campaign. O’Donnell earned a M.A. degree in American History from the University of Delaware and a Ph.D. in American History from the University of Pennsylvania.
Marc Micozzi was the Executive Director of the College of Physicians from 1995 to 2002. He was a former member of the College of Physicians Board of Advisors. Micozzi was both a physician and an anthropologist and received his M.D., M.Sc., and Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania. His past experience included serving as the Director of the National Museum of Health and Medicine and as a Senior Investigator for the National Cancer Institute in Maryland. His career focus was on advancing the use of complementary and alternative medicine.
Bibliography
Portions of this Historical Note are taken directly from the College of Physicians of Philadelphia website: http://www.collphyphil.org/ERICS/cpphistory.htm (accessed July 15, 2010).
The Office of the Executive Director is the lead office in charge of administering the business of the College of Physicians. The Executive Director oversees the activities of the College of Physicians staff, including the staff of the Historical Medical Library, the Mütter Museum, the Francis Clark Wood Institute, and the Finance Department. The Executive Director also oversees the College functions of institutional advancement, the finance department, communications, membership, and programs and special events.
The records of the Office of the Executive Director are divided into six series. The first three series are the files of specific executive directors: “William F. Chaveas” (1951 to 1985 [bulk 1978 to 1985]), “John O’Donnell” (1984 to 2002 [bulk 1987 to 1990]), and “Marc Micozzi” (1976 to 2002 [bulk 1990 to 2002]). The fourth series, “Office Records” (1954 to 1995 [1975 to 1995]), contains general offices files from the Executive Director’s office. All four of these series are structured in the same manner and are divided into the following subseries: “Administration,” “Facilities,” “Historical Medical Library,” “Mütter Museum,” “Personnel,” “Financial,” “Governance,” “Correspondence,” “Outside Organizations,” “Programs and Special Events,” “Subject Files,” and the “Francis Clark Wood Institute.” The last two series in the collection include “Executive Director Search” and the “Health Sciences Library Consortium (HSLC).” The latter contains the records created by the College of Physicians during its participation in the creation of that group from 1987 to 1992.
Material within the collection largely comprises printed documents, typed correspondence and emails, reports, memoranda, minutes, agendas, brochures and information booklets, and financial statements. It also includes some photographs, a cassette, bound volumes, plaques and pins.
The Executive Director records offer a top-down overview of the College’s activities, especially its finances, grants, programs, employees, and general operation. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia Office of the Executive Director records is an excellent collection for those studying the history of non-profit management or the history of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia. The records document the tremendous amount of influence that the Executive Director has over the organization’s functioning. Researchers studying the College of Physicians’ Francis Clark Wood Institute records, the Historical Medical Library records, and the Mutter Museum records will find the Executive Director’s records to be complementary.
Please refer to individual series scope and content notes for more information.
The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project.
This collection was minimally processed in 2009-2011, as part of an experimental project conducted under the auspices of the Philadelphia Area Consortium of Special Collections Libraries to help eliminate processing backlog in Philadelphia repositories. A minimally processed collection is one processed at a less intensive rate than traditionally thought necessary to make a collection ready for use by researchers. When citing sources from this collection, researchers are advised to defer to folder titles provided in the finding aid rather than those provided on the physical folder.
Employing processing strategies outlined in Mark Greene's and Dennis Meissner's 2005 article, More Product, Less Process: Revamping Traditional Processing Approaches to Deal With Late 20th-Century Collections, the project team tested the limits of minimal processing on collections of all types and ages, in 23 Philadelphia area repositories. A primary goal of the project, the team processed at an average rate of 2-3 hours per linear foot of records, a fraction of the time ordinarily reserved for the arrangement and description of collections. Among other time saving strategies, the project team did not extensively review the content of the collections, replace acidic folders or complete any preservation work.
People
Organization
- College of Physicians of Philadelphia. Library.
- College of Physicians of Philadelphia.
- Francis Clark Wood Institute for the History of Medicine.
- Mid-Eastern Regional Medical Library Service.
- Mütter Museum.
Subject
- Publisher
- Historical Medical Library of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid prepared by Finding aid prepared by Megan Atkinson and Becky Koch
- Finding Aid Date
- 2010-07-15
- Sponsor
- The processing of this collection was made possible through generous funding from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, administered through the Council on Library and Information Resources’ “Cataloging Hidden Special Collections and Archives” Project. This collection was minimally processed to the folder level.
- Access Restrictions
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Access to much of this collection is restricted. Please contact the College of Physicians Historical Medical Library for more information.
- Use Restrictions
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Copyright restrictions may apply. Please contact the College of Physicians of Philadelphia Historical Medical Library with requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote or reproduce the material.
Collection Inventory
William F. Chaveas (1922-) was Executive Director at the College of Physicians from 1975 to 1985.
The “William F. Chaveas” series dates from 1951 to 1985, with the bulk of the records dating from 1978 to 1985. The subseries within this record group are: “Administration,” “Facilities,” “Financial,” “Historical Medical Library,” “Governance,” “Programs and Special Events,” “Outside Organizations,” “Correspondence,” and “Subject Files.”
The “Administration” subseries dates from 1979 to 1980. A significant portion of the "Administration" subseries is composed of general files, which contain memoranda, correspondence, agendas, minutes, reports and other records. The records are organized chronologically by month.
The second subseries, “Facilities,” contains a large amount of information regarding building and development plans and renovations for the College. There are also records on computer upgrades within the College. The “Facilities” subseries dates from 1977 to 1985 and is organized chronologically by year.
Next is the “Financial” subseries which dates from 1978 to 1985 and is arranged chronologically by year. The records concern accounts, asset reports, operating reports, as well as fund revenues and expenditures. The “Historical Medical Library” subseries dates from 1978 to 1984 and is organized chronologically by year. It contains numerous grant proposals for the Library that fulfill a variety of needs, including reorganizing journals, repairing water-damaged materials, and enhancing the catalog.
The “Governance” subseries is large and includes records about the Board of Advisors, the Committee on Budget and Finance, Council meeting information, the Committee on Fellowship, the Fellow’s Room Committee, the Committee for Funding, the Committee on the Institute for the History of Medicine, the Committee on Library, the Committee on the Mütter Museum, the Nominating Committee, the Committee on Planning and Development, the Committee on Public Health and Preventative Medicine, the Committee on Scientific Affairs, and the Women’s Committee. The records are arranged as they are listed above, and are arranged chronologically within the individual committee groupings. Records in “Governance” mostly include correspondence, minutes, agenda, memoranda, meeting files, attendance sheets and reports. The records date from 1958 to 1985, with the bulk of the records dating from 1978 to 1985.
Of note in the “Governance” subseries is the extensive documentation on the Committee on Public Health and Preventative Medicine as well as the Committee on Public Health and Preventative Medicine’s Hypertension Symposium. Many of the committees in the Chaveas’ “Governance” subseries appear to have been disbanded or changed after 1985, including the Committee on Library, the Committee on the Mütter Museum, Committee on the Institute for the History of Medicine, and the Fellow’s Room Committee.
The “Outside Organization” subseries consists of information regarding programs and institutions outside the College of Physicians. These files contain correspondence, invitations to events, annual reports, ephemera, and information about specific institutions. The organizations included in the “Outside Organization” subseries include the Greater Philadelphia Organization for Clinical Trials, the Philadelphia Association for Clinical Trials, and National Library of Medicine. The records date from 1978 to the 1980s. This is a particularly small subseries, consisting of only three folders.
The next subseries, “Correspondence,” is the largest in this series. Researchers should note that correspondence was kept in its original order, and as a result, it is arranged in a number of ways. There are three general groups of correspondence which overlap significantly in date. The first group of correspondence files is organized chronologically by month from 1980 to 1982. The next group, which dates from 1980 to 1986, is arranged alphabetically. At the end of the subseries, correspondence is arranged by subject.
The “Programs and Special Events” subseries contains a large amount of information on the College’s Continuing Education Program, which include topics such as coronary heart disease, cardiac arrhythmias and consumer attitudes regarding physicians. The records date from 1968 to 1986 and are arranged alphabetically.
Finally, the “Subject File” subseries encompasses all records that do not readily situate themselves into one of the established subseries. Of interest is the College’s award artwork drawn by Morris M’Cool, which consists of illustrated examples of awards that the College gives to fellows. The series also contains information on T. Grier Miller, founder and first chief of the Gastroenterology section at the University of Pennsylvania; acquisition information on The Dermatology Collection; and acquisition information about Philadelphia General Hospital.
John M. O’Donnell (1945-) replaced William F. Chaveas as Executive Director in 1986 and completed his term as Executive Director in 1995.
The “John M. O’Donnell” series spans the years 1987 to 1991. The series is divided into the subseries: “Administration,” “Facilities,” “Historical Medical Library,” “Mütter Museum,” “Governance,” “Outside Organizations,” “Programs and Special Events,” “Subject Files,” and “Francis Clark Wood Institute.”
Of note in the “Administration” subseries are the controller’s office records, which evidence a search for a new controller. The records also contain information about institutional advancement and public relations. Proxy votes for a special meeting and official ballots (1990) make up a large part of the Administration subseries. Records regarding the controller search, proxy votes, and official ballots are restricted; researchers should contact the archives for more information.
The “Facilities” subseries, the “Historical Medical Library” subseries, and the “Mütter Museum” subseries contain general reports and records about the operation of those college departments. The “Facilities” subseries dates from 1987 to 1991 and is arranged chronologically by year. The “Historical Medical Library” subseries includes memoranda, information on public services and the reference department, and information on the gifts and donations included in the Historical Medical Library’s historical collection. The Mütter Museum subseries holds correspondence regarding the Mütter Museum’s historical collection, information on donations and gifts, and other records regarding the general operation of the Mütter Museum.
The records from the “Governance” subseries include records on the Ad Hoc Committee on Governance, Bicentennial Committee, the Committee on Budget and Finance, the Building Committee, Council, the Committee on Fellowship, Greater Philadelphia Committee for Medical Pharmaceutical Sciences, the Nominating Committee, Committee on Publications, the Committee on Public Health and Preventative Medicine, the Committee on Scientific Affairs, the Section on Medical History, and the Women’s Committee. The records are arranged as they are listed above, and the records are arranged chronologically within the individual committee groupings. The “Governance” subseries records largely include correspondence, minutes, agendas, memoranda, meeting files, and reports. The records date from 1986 to 1990. Of note in the “Governance” subseries is the large number of Council meeting files. They are organized chronologically by month (with some gaps throughout) from 1985 to 1989. Gaps in the meeting files can be filled in by reviewing the Council Meeting files housed in the “Office Records” series.
Finally, the last four subseries, “Outside Organizations,” “Programs and Special Events,” “Subject Files” and the “Francis Clark Wood Institute,” hold little information for the years that John O’Donnell served as Executive Director. Of note, in the “Subject File” subseries are the records of the New Century Fund, a fundraising campaign. The “Francis Clark Wood Institute” files contain a large number of administrative records, including memoranda, correspondence, and reports. Researchers should note, that information not found within these subseries is likely available in the collection’s fourth series, “Office Records.”
Marc Micozzi (1995-2002) began serving as the Executive Director of the College of Physicians in 1995. He was a former member of the College of Physicians Board of Advisors.
The “Marc Micozzi” series dates from 1976 to 2002, but the bulk of the records date from 1992 to 2002. The records of Marc Micozzi consist of the subseries: “Administration,” “Facilities,” “Historical Medical Library,” “Mütter Museum,” “Personnel,” “Financial,” “Outside Organizations,” “Programs and Special Events,” “Subject Files,” the “Francis Clark Wood Institute,” and “Personal Files.” These subseries hold similar content to the records housed in the previous series, which contain the records of Micozzi’s predecessors.
The “Administration” subseries is comprised of general files, containing memorandum, reports, emails, minutes, and other office files. Of note in the “Administration” subseries is "A Needs Assessment Study" by Wallace, Roberts, and Todd (1992), which offered a building and technological evaluation for the Historical Medical Library’s physical facilities.
The “Facilities” subseries contains information on building renovations from 2000 and 2001 and information on changes in the building’s heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems.
The “Historical Medical Library” subseries houses administrative and policy records regarding the History of Medicine Digital Library and a folder on collection development, among other topics. The History of Medicine Digital Library project was developed to share the Historical Medical Library’s collection digitally. These records date from 2001 to 2002.
The records housed in the “Personnel” subseries are particularly robust, in comparison to the records of other executive directors. The records consist of correspondence, memos, and other office files that detail information on the College of Physicians’ personnel. The subseries also contains employee handbooks and an organizational chart that details the position of all personnel in the College of Physician’s employment hierarchy (1998). The records date from 1990 to 2001. Many of the records in this subseries are restricted.
The “Financial” subseries contains a grant proposal for the C. Everett Koop Community Health Information Center (CHIC). CHIC was established by the College in 1995 to provide information resources to the public about health (especially medicine), disease prevention, health care service, and to establish better patient-physician relationships. The “Financial” subseries also contains a detailed report of Mütter Museum admissions statistics from 1997 to 1998. The records of the “Financial” subseries date from 1992 to 2000 and are arranged alphabetically.
The “Outside Organizations” subseries contains programs and organizations not directly affiliated with the College of Physicians, which were most likely collected for reference. These files contain correspondence, invitations to events, annual reports, ephemera, and information about specific institutions. The organizations included are largely located in the Philadelphia region and are usually scientifically or medically based, such as hospitals or medical associations. Micozzi’s collection of outside organization materials consists of records that predate his tenure at the College and most likely came from his own personal files. They are arranged alphabetically by organization name and date from 1987 to 2002.
The next subseries is entitled “Programs and Special Events” and pertains specifically to the Lewis and Clark Dinner and Symposium held in 1997.
The “Subject Files” subseries contains a variety of information including correspondence with individuals regarding the Mütter Museum calendar and information on artwork held by the College of Physicians.
The “Francis Clark Wood Institute” subseries contains reports and reviews of the Francis Clark Wood Institute.
Unlike other Executive Directors, the “Marc Micozzi” series includes personal files that were filed within his records at the College of Physicians and predate his tenure. These records include correspondence with The Woolly Mammoth Theatre regarding their production of the "The Cockburn Rituals" and information about the Franklin Institute’s Interactive Video Science Consortium Health Disc. The records are arranged alphabetically by title and date 1976 to 1998.
The “Office Records” series houses the records affiliated with the Office of the Executive Director, rather than the records of the Executive Director himself. The records date from 1954 to 1995, with the bulk of the records dating from 1985 to 1995. The “Office Records” series has thirteen subseries: “Administration,” “Facilities,” “Historical Medical Library,” “Mütter Museum,” “Personnel,” “Financial,” “Governance,” “Correspondence,” “Outside Organizations,” “Programs and Special Events,” “Subject Files,” “Francis Clark Wood Institute,” and “Miscellaneous.” They are arranged in the order listed above.
The “Administration” subseries includes files on the president, the treasurer, and the secretary for the years 1988 to 1992. Of note in this subseries are numerous appointment books from when John O’Donnell was the Executive Director and files for an Executive Director search that resulted in the selection of Marc Micozzi. Much of this subseries is restricted; researchers who wish to view these records should contact the librarian.
The “Facilities,” “Historical Medical Library,” and “Mütter Museum” subseries contain general information, similar to what is found in other series (Chaveas, O’Donnell and Micozzi). Of note in the “Facilities” subseries is correspondence with the firm Mirick, Pearson, Ilvonen, and Bathcheler about the College of Physicians’ restoration projects from the years 1977 to 1979. Also of note in the “Historical Medical Library” subseries is a strategic planning project for 1988 and a folder describing the library’s historical collections from 1975 to 1976. The “Mütter Museum” subseries is small and holds two general files containing memoranda, correspondence, and reports dating from 1987 to 1988.
The “Financial” subseries contains a rich amount of information on a fundraising campaign held between 1975 to 1977 and includes information on the establishment of the Third Century Program, a fundraising campaign. There is also a small amount of information on contributors to the College of Physicians, the Mütter Museum fund, and a variety of office files and correspondence relating to the finances of the college. Much of this subseries is restricted; researchers who wish to view these records should contact the librarian.
“Governance” is the largest subseries within “Office Records.” This subseries documents the governance of the college, including the Ad Hoc Committee on By Laws, the Ad Hoc Committee on Expansion Alternatives, the Committee on Administration, the Committee on Audit, the Committee on Budget and Finance, the Council, the Committee on Development, the Executive Committee, the Committee on Fellowship, the Committee on Growing Healthy, the Ad Hoc Committee on Interdisciplinary Colloquia, the Ad Hoc Committee on Investment Policy, the Committee on Investment, the Ad Hoc Committee for Katherine B. Sturgis Memorial, the Committee on Nominations, the Committee on Planning and Development, the Committee on Program, the Committee on Public Health and Preventative Medicine, the Committee on Scientific Affairs, and the Women's Committee. Committee records are arranged as listed above and then by date. The records document the years 1978 to 1994, with the bulk of the records dating from 1987 to 1994. The records include volunteer job descriptions, meeting files, correspondence, minutes, attendance sheets, and member lists.
The next subseries, “Correspondence,” dates from 1973 to 1979 and 1991. Correspondence is largely arranged chronologically by month, but several folders are arranged by year or by subject. The files arranged by subject include correspondence with the Boy Scouts of America in 1991 and the Pennsylvania Industrial Board in 1976.
The “Outside Organizations” subseries consists of information regarding programs and institutions outside the College of Physicians. Researchers should note that “Outside Organizations” files were kept in their original order, and as a result, the arrangement is not consistent. There are three general groups in the subseries which dates from 1986 to 1992. The records are organized alphabetically within their groupings. Researchers will note that these files are first arranged in alphabetical order by the title of the organization, and then the alphabetical order restarts at the letter “A” once again, indicating the beginning of the second section of records. The final section of records are also arranged alphabetically, but individual organizations are grouped in a single folder by letter. These files contain correspondence, invitations to events, annual reports, ephemera and information about specific institutions. The organizations included are largely located in or around Philadelphia and are usually scientifically or medical based, such as hospitals or medical associations.
Some organizations that are covered extensively include the American Association for the History of Medicine, International Arts-Medicine Association, and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitor's Bureau. The files of the American Association for the History of Medicine consist of correspondence and materials that suggest exchanging ideas to improve the programs of both institutions. The International Arts-Medicine Association records contain information on collaboration with the College, the publication of materials, and information on a potential lecture series. The files about the Philadelphia Convention and Visitor's Bureau include the College’s attempt to advertise at their conventions, the College’s participation in their events, correspondence, and other information.
Office Records' “Programs and Special Events” subseries includes numerous files about some of the many programs and events of the College of Physicians. The records date from 1976 to 1998 and there is a gap between the years 1977 to 1982. The programs and events include College lectures, College Night, High Tea, and The Japan-U.S. Scientist Program. The lectures are about specific medical topics, including “AIDs: Considerations for the 21st Century” and “The Cover Art of JAMA: Its Relationship to the Art of Medicine.” Many of these lectures are filed individually and contain information such as resumes of speakers, correspondence, brochures, photos from publications and of speakers, transcripts of the lectures, advertising information, guest lists, agendas, expense reports, and invitations. The records are organized alphabetically by lecture title or name of lecturer. College Night is organized by year and consists of lectures and programs offered to college students. High Tea, organized chronologically, is an event hosted by the Women’s Committee of the College and offered programs, food, exhibits, and entertainment including the exhibit of Whitfield J. Bell’s “The College of Physicians of Philadelphia: A Bicentennial History,” and the Savoy Company performing songs by Gilbert and Sullivan. The Japan-United States Visiting Medical Scientist Program was a significant event, the purpose of which was to “support and encourage excellence in medicine” and to foster relations between medical professionals within the two countries. The records about the Japan-U.S. visiting scientist program consist of the expenses and many efforts taken by the College of Physicians to make the program function.
The “Subject Files” subseries dates from 1974 to 1991. Much like in other series, this subseries contains documents that do not readily fit into established subseries. “Subject Files” contain a large amount of information on numerous funds, including the Independence Hall Fund. It also contains records created by the governance boards of the Mid-Eastern Region Medical Library Services (MERMLS). MERMLS is part of a network of eleven Regional Medical Libraries (RML) and is supported by the National Library of Medicine. MERMLS programs are designated to support the development and growth of health sciences library services in Pennsylvania and Delaware. Other programs within MERMLS include document delivery, on-line search orientations, consultation and training services, and a monthly newsletter for health science librarians.
The last two subseries are the “Francis Clark Wood Institute” and the “Miscellaneous” subseries. The “Francis Clark Wood Institute” subseries dates from 1969 to 1992 and contains information about the Francis Clark Wood Institute reorganization, annual reports, and research files. The “Miscellaneous” subseries dates from 1954 to 1989 and contains award plaques, visitor registration books, and books of remembrance.
The “Executive Director Search” series documents the College of Physicians’ search for an executive director following the resignation of Marc Micozzi. The selected candidate was Mark Hochberg. The records, which date 2002, include the minutes, agendas, memos, and correspondence related to the search for the executive director. The records also include information about numerous search firms utilized in the search for an executive director; as well as curriculum vitas and correspondence with particular candidates and the College of Physicians. The records of the candidates are restricted. Researchers should contact the librarian for more information regarding access.
Health Sciences Library Consortium (HSLC) is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the sharing of health information resources to its members. HSLC’s founding members included the College of Physicians, Penn State University and the Hershey Medical Center, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and the University of Sciences in Philadelphia. It is located at the University City Science Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Members of HSLC add software and information from their universities, and this is shared with other members of the HSLC. Software is also developed by commercial publishers, pharmaceutical companies, medical school professors, and medical school students. At the time of its initiation, HSLC included MEDLINE, and On-line Library Public Access Catalog, a Collection Development Database, a Union List of Serials, Document Delivery Services, email, and bulletin board systems.
The records of the Health Sciences Library Consortium housed in this collection document the important role of the College of Physicians in the establishment of HSLC. The records consist of business plans, by-laws and guidelines, reports, and finances and budgets. There is a signifigant number of correspondence between the Board of Directors, as well as meeting minutes and agendas. There are also a large number of files relating to various smaller taskforces of the HSLC including the Interlibrary Loan Taskforce, the Medline User’s Group, and the Computer Assisted Instruction Taskforce. The records also include many of the facility materials used in establishing HSLC, which include proposals for items such as computers, printers, and internet service. The records date from 1987 to 1992.