Collection Guide
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Barnett-Briggs Medical Library Records
SFGH.2015.001
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Contributing Institution:
Barnett-Briggs Medical Library, San Francisco General Hospital Medical Center
Title: Barnett-Briggs Medical Library Records
Creator:
Barnett-Briggs Medical Library
Identifier/Call Number: SFGH.2015.001
Physical Description:
1.25 Linear Feet
1 carton, 1 OS folder
Date (inclusive): 1951-2005 (bulk 1950s, 1990s)
Abstract: This collection contains materials relating to the creation of the Barnett-Briggs Medical Library in the 1950s and organizational
records from the 1990s. It includes correspondence, meeting minutes, statistics, plans, and hospital publications.
Language of Material:
English
.
This collection contains documents regarding the establishment and operations of the Barnett-Briggs Medical Library. About
one-third of the documents date from the 1950s and 1960s, while two-thirds date from the 1990s. The earlier records document
the establishment and early needs of the library and include correspondence from some of the major advocates for the library,
most notably Dr. Norman Sweet. The later records contain statistics and information about library services, including the
introduction of increased technological services in the library.
This collection has been arranged into two series: 1) Library Committee, and 2) Miscellaneous Records
Collection is open for research.
Copyright has not been assigned to the ZSFG Library and Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from material
must be submitted in writing to the ZSFG Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the ZSFG Library and
Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which
must also be obtained by the researcher.
[Item], Records of the Barnett-Briggs Medical Library, ZSFG Library and Archives.
Processed by Griffin Burgess in 2015.
The San Francisco General Hospital Barnett-Briggs Medical Library provides information services for faculty, staff, students,
and patients at SFGH, with a focus on programs and services to support patient care, education, research, and clinical decision
making.
SFGH is a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of California San Francisco, and the Barnett-Briggs Medical Library
and the UCSF library participate in a cooperative relationship. The library is named after Dr. George Barnett, Chief of the
Stanford Medical Service at SFGH from 1926 to 1945, and Dr. LeRoy Briggs, Chief of the University of California Medical Service
at SFGH during the same period. The naming of the library reflects the fact that SFGH was supported by both Universities
until 1959, when Stanford moved to Palo Alto.
The library was established in 1951 with a small collection of books stored in a pool room on the second floor of the Administration
Building on the SFGH campus. In 1964 and 1966 the library received donations of funds from the then Dean of the University
of California Medical School, Dr. John Saunders, which allowed it to move to its current location on the first floor of Building
30.
In 1976, members of the Library Committee, led by Dr. Norman Sweet and Dr. Delmer Pascoe, applied for and received a federal
grant to improve the library. In 1979, the library expanded to include wards 31, 32, hallway rooms, meeting rooms, a solarium,
and a basement storage area. At the time, the library was one of the largest hospital libraries in the Bay Area.
As computer and internet technology improved, more and more library services moved online. Increased digital access to journals
and interlibrary loans allowed the library to reduce its physical holdings, and the library's physical space was reduced to
occupy only the first floor of Building 30.
In 1996, the library opened its Microcomputer Training/Access Center with all new technology, including a multimedia projection
system, fifteen computer stations, and a color scanner. With the addition of the Microcomputer Center, the library offered
classes in internet usage and database searching.
In 2003, the library added a Reference Center to improve access to multimedia health sciences resources. The Reference Center
included two workstations, a clinical workstation, and a scanner workstation with a color scanner and imaging software.
In 2004, the Robert N. Ross Patient Education Research Center (PERC) moved to the library. PERC's mission is to provide health
education consultation and resources to patients, staff, and the community with a wide collection of materials in many languages
and literacy levels. Its move to the Medical Library allowed the library to enhance its collections for use by the public
and provide additional information resources to the community.
The library continues to provide information services to the SFGH community, including interlibrary loan, patient and staff
classes, online access to digital books and journals, and reference services.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Medical Libraries -- Hospital Libraries -- California -- San Francisco