Barlow Medical Library records, 1899-1951

Processed by Pat L. Walter.
Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections Division
History and Special Collections Division
UCLA
12-077 Center for Health Sciences
Box 951798
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1798
Phone: 310/825-6940
Fax: 310/825-0465
Email: biomed-ref@library.ucla.edu
URL: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/biomed/his/hisdiv.htm
©2005
The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.


Descriptive Summary

Title: Barlow Medical Library Records,
Date (inclusive): 1899-1951
Collection number: 93
Creator: Barlow Medical Library
Extent: 3.5 linear feet (7 document boxes) 1 map folder
Repository: University of California, Los Angeles. Library. Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections Division
Los Angeles, California 90095-1490
Abstract: From 1899 a small medical library existed to serve the College of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) and the physicians of the city. In 1906 Dr. Walter Jarvis Barlow, a faculty member of the College of Medicine, deeded to the Los Angeles College Clinical Association (a non-profit holding corporation of the College of Medicine, USC) a new building erected to house the growing collection. The Library was named in his honor, and its governance was entrusted to the Board of Trustees of the Barlow Medical Library Association. In 1932 the collections of the Barlow Medical Library were transferred to the Los Angeles County Medical Association, and in 1992 they came to the University of California, Los Angeles. The collection consists of financial records, correspondence and other documents concerned with the Library's operations, various printed materials, and photographs, all concentrating on the period of 1907-1934.
Physical location: History and Special Collections Division, Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, University of California, Los Angeles
Language of Material: Collection materials in English

Access

The collection is open for research. Contact the History and Special Collections Division, Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, University of California, Los Angeles, for information.

Conditions of Use

Publication Rights

Preferred Citation

[Identification of item], Barlow Medical Library Records (Manuscript collection 93). Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library History and Special Collections Division, University of California, Los Angeles.

UCLA Catalog Record ID

UCLA Catalog Record ID: 3697514 

Acquisition Information

When the Los Angeles County Medical Association dissolved its Library in 1992 and the Barlow collections were transferred to the UCLA Biomedical Library, all the records concerning the Barlow Medical Library that were still available were also transferred. This is the material covered in this collection.

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.

Scope and Content

The collection consists of: financial records, correspondence and other documents concerned with the Library's operations; various printed materials; photographs documenting the history of the Barlow Medical Library up to its transfer to the Los Angeles Country Medical Association (LACMA); building blueprints of the Barlow Library building. Almost all of these records and ephemera relate to the Library after it moved into its own building on Buena Vista Street and before it was transferred to LACMA, thus concentrating on the period of 1907-1934.
The collection is organized into the following series:
  • Series 1. Guest Book of Library. , 1907-1938. 1 folder
  • Series 2. Financial Records of the Barlow Medical Library., 1905-1935. 16 folders
  • Series 3. Library Operations., 1907-1951. 36 folders
  • Series 4. Ephemera., 1914-1945. 3 folders
  • Series 5. Photographs., n.d.. 1 folder
  • Series 6. Miscellaneous Items.. 2 items
  • Series 7. Blueprints.. 1 folder

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects

Barlow Medical Library (Los Angeles)


 

Series 1. Guest Book of Library. 1907-1938

Physical Description: 1 folder
Box 1, Folder 1

Guest book. 1907-1930

Scope and Content Note

Guest book.
 

Series 2. Financial Records of the Barlow Medical Library. 1905-1935

Physical Description: 16 folders
Box 2, Folder 1A

Abstracts of receipts and expenses, Barlow Medical Association. 1907-1929

Physical Description: ledger book
Box 2, Folder 2

Tax receipts and correspondence. 1908-1910

Box 7, Folder 2A

Ledger book, cash accounts, Barlow Medical Library Assoc. 1905-1913

Box 2, Folder 3

Check stubs. 1932

Box 2, Folder 4

Check stubs, checks, and bank statements. 1933

Box 2, Folder 5

Receipts. Jan-Jun 1933

Box 2, Folder 6

Receipts. Jul-Dec 1933

Box 2, Folder 7

Vouchers. 1933

Note

missing April
Box 3, Folder 8

Check stubs, checks, and bank statements. 1934

Box 3, Folder 9

Receipts. Jan-Jun 1934

Box 3, Folder 10

Receipts. Jul-Dec 1934

Box 3, Folder 11

Vouchers. 1934

Note

missing November and December
Box 3, Folder 12

Check stubs, checks, and bank statements. 1935

Box 4, Folder 13

Savings book account with Pacific-Southwest Bank. Aug 1, 1928-Oct 9, 1934

Box 4, Folder 14

Life Membership-Endowment Fund. 1920-1925

Scope and Content Note

small notebook with record of disposal of Endowment Fund
Box 4, Folder 15

Income receipts. 1928-1936

 

Series 3. Library Operations. 1907-1951

Physical Description: 36 folders
Box 5, Folder 16-27

Correspondence. 1907

Note

one folder for each month
Box 5, Folder 28

Subscriptions and exchanges. 1907

Scope and Content Note

includes: "Medical Publications on the Shelves of the Barlow Medical Library," printed in "The Southern California Practitioner", pp. 104-111
Box 5, Folder 28A

Information regarding membership in specialty sections of the Los Angeles County Medical Association.

Scope and Content Note

lists of members, mostly from 1920s; lists of journals on hand and desiderata compiled for various specialties, especially eye, ear, nose and throat; form letter, invitation, receipts
Box 5, Folder 29

Library activities. [1907]-1934

Box 6, Folder 30

Library activities.

Box 6, Folder 31

Barlow Medical Library property deed. 1907-1930

Scope and Content Note

1926 typed copy of W. Jarvis Barlow's deed of property to the Los Angeles College Clinical Association
Box 6, Folder 32

History of the Barlow Medical Library. 1899-1934

Scope and Content Note

miscellaneous articles, letters, photographs
Box 6, Folder 33

Barlow Medical Library dedication. 1907

Scope and Content Note

invitation and dedicatory pamphlet (4 copies)
Box 6, Folder 34

Library operations, notes of Library meetings. 1907-1908

Box 6, Folder 35

Tentative plans for branch libraries. 1907

Box 6, Folder 36

Barlow Medical Library Association finances. 1915

Scope and Content Note

request for financial support from LA County Board of Supervisors
Box 6, Folder 37

Secretary-Treasurer's Report of the Barlow Medical Library. 1923

Note

two copies
Box 6, Folder 38

"Annual Report of the Barlow Medical Library". 1924-1933

Scope and Content Note

missing 1927 and 1929; 2 copies each of 1930-32
Box 6, Folder 39

Property inventory. Oct. 1932

Box 6, Folder 40

Barlow Medical Library Association. 1933-1934

Scope and Content Note

constitution, by-laws, officers
Box 6, Folder 41

Barlow Medical Library Association. 1932

Scope and Content Note

discussions and resolution for transferring the Barlow Medical Library to the L.A. County Medical Association
Box 6, Folder 42

L.A. County Medical Association library building. 1932-1933

Scope and Content Note

correspondence, newspaper clipping
Box 6, Folder 43

George Kress, M.D. correspondence with the Library. 1922-1935

Note

George Kress was Dean, Los Angeles Medical Dept., University of California
Box 6, Folder 44

Institutional relationships of Barlow Medical Library. 1923-1951

Scope and Content Note

documents relating to the University of California and to the Los Angeles County Medical Association
Box 6, Folder 45

Outline of relationship with Los Angeles Medical Dept., University of California. 1951

Scope and Content Note

outline dated Feb. 21, 1951, prepared by Dr. George H. Kress, former dean
 

Series 4. Ephemera. 1914-1945

Physical Description: 3 folders
Box 6, Folder 46

Issues of "The Bulletin of the Los Angeles County Medical Association" ("LACMA Bulletin") with information on the Library. 1923-1943

Scope and Content Note

v. LIII, no.11, June 2, 1923, p.246; v. LXII, no.22, Nov. 17, 1932, p.830-831 (2 copies); v. LXIV, no.5, Mar.1, 1934, p.177; v. LXXIII, no.9, May 6, 1943, p.353; and v. LXXV, no.14, Jul.19, 1945, p.653
Box 6, Folder 47

Issue of "Pacific Bindery Talk". 1932

Scope and Content Note

v. IV, no.9, June 1932, with an item on the Library
Box 6, Folder 48

"Bulletin of the Barlow Medical Library". 1914

Scope and Content Note

issued Oct. 1914

Note

6 copies
 

Series 5. Photographs. n.d.

Physical Description: 1 folder
Box 7, Folder 49

Three mounted photographs.

Scope and Content Note

1) Stanley P. Black, M.D., President of the Barlow Medical Library Assoc. in 1909 and 1916-1921; 2)the Barlow Medical Library Building; 3) the Hendryx Laboratory Bldg. that housed the first library
 

Series 6. Miscellaneous Items.

Physical Description: 2 items
Box 7, Folder item 1

Lantern slides of Barlow TB Sanatorium.

Physical Description: 3½ x 4½" glass slides

Scope and Content Note

seven slides, four in color
Box 7, Folder item 2

Half-tone plates of Barlow Medical Library.

Physical Description: 2½ x 3½ blocks, etched on copper

Scope and Content Note

views of interior and exterior of library building
 

Series 7. Blueprints.

Physical Description: 1 folder
Box map case

Blueprints for Barlow Medical Library, Buena Vista St. (later Broadway), Los Angeles.

Note

these items are housed in the Special Collections Drawer, Map Cabinet, History and Special Collections Dept., Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, UCLA