How do I find out if the Library has a book or journal I want?
Choose either title or journal title and type in the full title of the book or journal you are looking for.
You will get a list of results. The title you want may not be the first one so look at all the results.
For more details on how to find a specific title, click here.
How do I find what books or journals you have on a subject?
Type a word or words into the search box. E.g. diabetes new york city
You have the book I want to see. Can I come and look at it?
Yes, we are open to the public by appointment. Please check our hours.
How can I tell if the book I want to see is in the main library or in the rare book collection?
Books that have a class mark of RB or RBS are located in the rare book collection and you must make an appointment to visit the rare book room to see them. Books that are listed as RB followed by a regular call number are part of our current history of medicine collection and may be used in the main library. If you have a question about whether your book is located in the rare book collection, please use the contact information on our hours page to contact a rare book librarian for assistance.
Can I do this from home?
You can look at the catalog to see what we have from anywhere. Go to the Library homepage and click on catalog under Search our Collections. You can call or email us to request an appointment and tell us which books and journals you want to look at.
How do I get the book (or journal) I want?
There are 2 ways:
Can I take a book home?
No, our books do not circulate.
Can I photocopy an article or pages from a book?
We will make copies for you as there are no public copiers. We charge 25¢ a page. If the article is available electronically online we charge 10¢ a page.
In some instances, if an item is too fragile to copy, a member of the rare book room staff will make a pdf and email it to you at a cost of 25¢ a page.
Will someone help me when I get to the Library?
Yes, a librarian is available to help you with your research and getting the books and journals you want.
The NYAM Section on the History of Medicine and Public Health Presents:
The Lilianna Sauter Lecture:
Escaping Melodramas: Historical Thinking and the Public Health Service Studies in Tuskegee and Guatamala
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
5:30PM-7:00PM
The U.S. government has now apologized for Public Health Service studies in both Tuskegee (1932-72) and Guatemala (1946-48). This talk will argue that much of the literature on these studies treats them as object lessons on what not to do, casting the doctors as monsters, and turning the studies into historical relics attributable to "racists" from a distant time and place. Dr. Susan M. Reverby will investigate how we can think of racism, scientific certainty and ethical malfeasance outside a melodramatic framework, if this is even possible.
Learn more about the
Library's renovation project
