Chronology of Lane Medical Library

1882

The blueprints for the new Cooper Medical College building show the entire fourth floor devoted to a library, periodical room, and museum.

1883

At faculty meeting Dr. Lane moves that the fine for the failure of a faculty member to attend meetings be used for purchase of books for the library.

1884

Library committee is appointed to determine most needed items. At end of year, committee reports purchase of about 200 books for $900.00 and the total books in library 334 volumes. Faculty and physicians are encouraged to donate books to the library and such donations are regularly and gratefully acknowledged by the faculty.

1890

Professor Johnson, chairman of Library Committee, reports 776 volumes in library. Of these, 413 are locked up and 320 available to students without aid of custodian.

1891

Dr. Charles Steele, chairman of the Library Committee, reports library numbers more than a thousand volumes. Class of 1891, at the suggestion of Emmet Rixford, donates a fine set of books on diseases of the skin to the library.

1893

Dr. Charles Steele, chairman of Library Committee, suggests cataloging by Army Medical Library system.

1895

Dr. Adolph Barkan contributes $100.00 to start journal subscriptions, and Dr. J. O. Hirschfelder matches this sum.

1895

Dr. Rixford is appointed chairman of Library Committee. He is very active in securing donations from other libraries, from faculty members, and other individuals. Emphasizes the importance of collecting historical materials, early Californian medical journals and ephemera such as broadsides, pamphlets.

1896

Beginning of accession book and book catalog for library. Library becomes a circulating one in which students were allowed to check out books overnight.

1897

First salaried library assistant is hired. Library is now open daily from 8AM to 5PM.

1898

The beginning of paid professorships in Pathology and Physiology creates the need for a more complete library and more journal subscriptions. Professors Barkan and Hirschfelder each again donates $100.00 for journals.

1901

Faculty adopts resolution first proposed in 1891, making the library a public medical library available to physicians of San Francisco and vicinity for an an annual fee of $5.00.

1902

Dr. Lane dies leaving his entire estate to his wife, who dies six months later and left one third of the estate to Cooper Medical College for the Library. This is all that is permitted under the laws of this time; the remainder is left to the then president of the College. Dr. Lane's library of about 2,000 books, many of which were classics, is left to the College.

Sept. 1902

President of College is given authority to purchase site for future Lane Library building.

1903

Site for Library is purchased and Lane Medical Library Fund is established.

Aug. 1906

Lane Medical Library is established by the directors of Cooper Medical College, with an endowment from Dr. Levi Cooper Lane.

1906

Cooper Medical College Board of Directors arranges for the purchase of the duplicates resulting from the merger of the New York Hospital Library with that of the New York Academy of Medicine, about 28,000 volumes. These include many complete runs of early journals and prized early medical works.

1907

Arrival of the books purchased from New York Academy of Medicine brings the Lane holdings to about 35,000, making it the largest medical library west of Chicago.

1908

Cooper Medical College becomes the Medical Department of Stanford University. Stanford promises to erect a medical library as a memorial to Dr. Lane.

Aug. 1910

Lane Medical Library is formally transferred to Stanford University, and the management of the library was assumed by the University Librarian.

1911

Board of Trustees of Stanford University sets aside $80,000 for the constuction of a library building.

1911

Directors of Cooper Medical College appropriate $20,000 from the reserve fund to enable Stanford to erect a suitable library in honor of Dr. Lane on the site purchased in 1903.

Aug. 1911

Dr. Adolph Barkan informs the Board of Directors of Cooper Medical College that he had given $5,000 to Stanford University, which together with his earlier gift of $5,000 known as the Teachers' Fund, is to be utilized as an endowment for a section of Lane Library devoted to ophthalmology and otology.

Sept. 1912

Library moves to new building at the corner of Sacramento and Webster Streets in San Francisco. Miss James is Medical Librarian.

Nov. 1912

The first Lane Medical Library building (in San Francisco) is officially dedicated. The dedication address is published in the December 6, 1912 issue of Science magazine.

1913

Collection increases to nearly 40,000 volumes which are available to anyone for use in the library. For those not affiliated with Stanford, the privilege of withdrawing books is available for $5.00 per anum or $100.00 for the privileges for life.

1913

Classification of the collection using a modification of the Library of Congress scheme begins and catalog cards are being ordered from the Library of Congress and the John Crerar Library.

1914

Louise Ophüls becomes Medical Librarian.

1919-20

Dr. Adolph Barkan, advised by Dr. Karl Sudhoff, the Director of the Institute for the History of Medicine at the University of Leipzig, decides to begin a library of the history of medicine (instead of one limited to that of ophthalmology and otolaryngology) for Lane Medical Library. He requests support from the Board of Trustees and the University Librarian.

1921

The Board of Trustees promises $1,500 per year over the next three years to which Dr. Barkan would add $1,000 per year for the next three years.

1922

Dr. Karl Sudhoff recommends the purchase of the private library of Dr. Ernst Seidel, a collection strong in ancient medical authors, mid-eastern medicine, Persian and Arabic manuscripts, and even including a few incunabula. Stanford agrees to the purchase of some 4,500 volumes.

1923

The top floor of Lane Library, which had been occupied by the Sutro Library, is redecorated and new stacks added to house the collection of the History of Medicine and the Natural Sciences.

1924

Dr. Barkan calls a meeting in San Francisco of all physicians interested in the history of medicine. Plans are made for the foundation of a society, and a number of articles are written, but the society never becomes a reality.

1924

Dr. Sudhoff at the Institute for the History of Medicine in Germany continues for the next ten years to advise Dr. Barkan and to systematically purchase books to augment Lane Library's History of Medicine Collection. For this purpose a complete file of Lane's history collection is maintained at the Institute.

1925

Medical Librarian reports collection has grown to 59,460 volumes. Dr. Barkan has given $500.00 for the purchase of some rare editions of Vesalius and other early writers.

1927

Dr. Barkan endows the History of Medicine Collection with the sum of $10,000 to be used in the purchase of rare books and manuscripts.

1931

Classification and cataloging of History of Medicine Collection is completed.

1932

Dedication of History of Medicine Collection with Professor Henry Sigerist of the Institute of Historical Medicine in Leipzig as speaker.

1944

Library has over 103,000 volumes.

1944

Director of University Libraries restricts stack access to library staff members in an effort to reduce book and periodical losses. These privileges are restored in 1948 after Clara Manson becomes Medical Librarian.

1945

School of Medicine alumni and members of the community help Lane by donating books during the war.

1948

Professor Charles D. O'Malley is appointed to position of Director of the Department of History of Medicine and the Natural Sciences. He is responsible for recommending purchases to the librarian and in other ways increasing access to the collection and stimulating its use. He holds this position until 1959.

1948

Librarian inaugurates student orientation tours of the library.

1959

Dr. Arthur L. Bloomfield is appointed Director of of the History of Medicine and the Natural Sciences.

1959

Stanford University School of Medicine and the Lane Medical Library move from San Francisco to new buildings on the Stanford campus. Library has spacious new quarters on two floors of Lane Building. History of Medicine Collection occupies room on main floor.

1961

Library has over 151,000 volumes and subscribes to 200 journals.

1971

Library has over 211,000 cataloged books and journals.

1971

Clara Manson retires, Peter Stangl becomes director of Lane Library.

1971

Online searching of National Library of Medicine database, Medline, begins.

1973

Library outgrows premises, and books from 1851 to 1924 are moved to storage. Bulk of History of Medicine collection is moved to locked cage on ground floor.

1976

Classification system is changed from modified Library of Congress system, which had been used since 1913, to regulation Library of Congress call numbers.

1977

BALLOTS System (Bibliographic Automation of Large Library Technical Services) is used for cataloging materials.

1980

Installation of first banks of compact shelving to enable all journals to remain on library premises.

1982

Lane Medical Library offers its first end-user search class (Dialog, with 6 people in attendance).

1987

Lane's catalog goes online and becomes LOIS (Lane's Online Information System).

1987

Return to Library of space originally intended for expansion makes possible plans for a new History of Medicine and Archives Facility.

1987

Dr. John L. Wilson's retirement provides the opportunity for him to develop a plan for the archiving the records of Stanford University Medical School.

1988

Working closely with the Director of the Library and Stanford University Archivist, systematic transfer and processing of records from Stanford University School of Medicine to Lane Medical Library begins under the direction of Dr. Wilson.

1989

Dean David Korn establishes the Lane Medical Archives.

1990

History of Medicine Collection and Archives Collection moves to new climate controlled quarters and shelved in compact shelving.

1990

Processing of archival and manuscript materials including online catalog records and in house search capability of these records.

1990

Dr. John L. Wilson is appointed Honorary Curator of Archives and Special Collections.

1990-1995

Systematic acquisition of records from Stanford University Hospital, Stanford University Clinics, Children's Hospital at Stanford and Medical Center News Bureau.

1993

Lane offers access to its first electronic journal, the Online Journal of Current Clinical Trials (OJCCT).

1994

Lane Medical Library's first home page goes onto the Internet.

2000

Dr. John L. Wilson publishes his seminal digital book, Stanford University School of Medicine and the Predecessor Schools: An Historical Perspective.

2003

Lane Medical Library replaces its old carrels and stacks with wired tables and soft seating, and establishes wireless access throughout the library.

2006

Lane Medical Library celebrates its 100th birthday.

2006

In the summer of 2006, Jeremy Norman, a specialist in rare books and manuscripts on the history of science, medicine and technology, evaluated the collection's role in establishing the European medical tradition in California.

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