The US National Library of Medicine, on the campus of the National
Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, has been a center of
information innovation since its beginnings in the early 19th century.
The world's largest medical library and a federal government agency, it
maintains and makes publicly available a diverse and world-renowned
collection of materials dating from the 11th to the 21st centuries, and
it produces a variety of electronic resources that millions of people
around the globe search billions of times each year. The library also
supports and conducts research, development, and training in biomedical
informatics and health information technology, and it coordinates the
National Network of Libraries of Medicine that promotes and provides
access to health information in communities across the United States. As
the library anticipates its third century of public service, this book
offers a visual history of its development from its earliest days
through the late 20th century, as the institution has involved
generations of visionary leaders and dedicated individuals who
experienced the American Civil War, the world wars, the Cold War, and
the dawn of the information age.