University Libraries Special Collections

RG/C-5

UMDNJ-University Libraries
Records, 1961 - Current

UMDNJ-George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences, Newark

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Library of the Health Sciences, New Brunswick

UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Media Library, Piscataway

UMDNJ-Health Sciences Library at Stratford

UMDNJ and Coriell Library, Camden

A Guide to the Collection

UMDNJ Libraries – Special Collections Department
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey
Newark, New Jersey
December 1981
Revised May 2005

Organizational History

The UMDNJ-George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences has its origins in the collection of the Jersey City Medical Center. The New Jersey Medical and Dental Schools were originally incorporated in 1954 as the Seton Hall College of Medicine and Dentistry in leased facilities in the Jersey City Medical Center. The library continued to operate from the quarters at the Jersey City Medical Center after the school was purchased by the state in 1965 and renamed the New Jersey College of Medicine and Dentistry. In 1970, the New Jersey College of Medicine & Dentistry and the former Rutgers Medical School were combined to create the College of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey. In 1981, the College achieved university status and was again renamed as the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ).

In 1966, Phillip Rosenstein assumed the directorship of the library until his retirement in 1990. Under his leadership, the University Library System expanded to include campus libraries in New Brunswick/ Piscataway, Stratford, and Camden. Victor A. Basile who served as University Librarian until his retirement in May 2001 followed him. Judith S. Cohn was appointed Associate Vice President for Scholarly Information/University Librarian in 2002 and currently serves in this position.

The New Jersey Medical School relocated to Newark in 1969 into interim facilities. The library moved 30,000 volumes to Newark to support this school; the dental collection remained in Jersey City. In August 1971, the Library of the Academy of Medicine of New Jersey was merged into the college library when the Academy's Library closed. For many years, the Academy collection had served as the basic resource library for physicians in New Jersey. Through this collection the library added 5,000 periodical volumes and 7,000 monographs.

By 1972, there were four separate libraries operating to support the Medical and Dental Schools:

1.   A central medical library housed in the Newark Interim Facility which functioned as the Library of the New Jersey Medical School; (Also since Audiovisuals had become such an adjunct to the teaching programs, a classroom was converted to a Media Utilization Center, which was under library control.)

2.   A joint dental-hospital library housed at the Jersey City Medical Center, which functioned as the library of the New Jersey Dental School;

3.   A hospital library in the Martland Hospital unit in Newark;

4.   A small nursing library located in the Martland Hospital complex.

Not until 1975, with the completion of the George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences, was the 75,000-volume collection integrated in one unit. In 1978, the Martland Hospital Library and nursing library were phased out. The collections of these libraries were integrated into the George F. Smith Library collection, which today numbers over 168,000 volumes, and the entire University Libraries totals over 250,000 volumes. The Smith Library serves as the main library in the University Libraries system.

In 1978, the Academy of Medicine of New Jersey presented its rare book collection to the George F. Smith Library to be housed in the History of Medicine room in honor of Morris H. Saffron, MD. PhD (now, the Special Collections Department). The rare medical books date from the 16^th to 19^th century; the oldest title is dated 1517.

The Archives of the College of Medicine and Dentistry was established in 1979 and is housed in Special Collections. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, organize and describe, and make available for use the official records of medicine, dentistry and health education in New Jersey. In 1981, an Oral History program was started as part of the archives.

The present library administration has always believed that it was the Library's responsibility to serve: the teaching and research personnel directly connected to UMDNJ, students matriculated at UMDNJ, practicing physicians and medical workers not directly connected with the University, and other libraries, particularly hospital and medical libraries in the state.

Because of this policy, the George F. Smith Library had established various outreach programs that have made the library collection and the skills of the library staff available to the entire biomedical information community around the state.

In 1971, under the sponsorship of the CMDNJ Library, a program, the Library Information Network, was developed to aid the state's hospital libraries. Under the auspices of the Library Information Network, the New Jersey Hospital Library Association, an affiliate of the New Jersey Hospital Association, came into being.

As part of the Regional Medical Program, the CMDNJ Library serves the eleven northern counties of New Jersey, which are Bergen, Essex, Hunterdon, Middlesex, Morris, Passaic, Somerset, Sussex, Union, and Warren, as sub regional library. It does so under a contract from the Regional Medical Library of New York-Northern New Jersey, located at the New York Academy of Medicine, to provide interlibrary loan services.

Today the University Libraries, regarded as one of the leading health science information centers in the east, serves not only as a resource for the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, but also for all of Northern New Jersey.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

The University Libraries records span the years 1961 to the present, with the bulk of the material dating from 1966 to 1985. The majority of records document the George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences. The original arrangement documented seven series: I. Administrative Records of the Director of the Libraries II. Library Publications III. Regional Medical Program IV. Subject Files of the Director of Libraries V. Correspondence of the Director of Libraries VI. Technical Services and Acquisitions, and VII. Blueprints. With an addendum arranged in 1998, five additional series were added to document each library in the University system: VIII. George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences-Newark IX. Robert Wood Johnson Library-New Brunswick X. Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Media Library-Piscataway XI. Health Sciences Library at Stratford, and XII. UMDNJ & Coriell Research Library at Camden.

The Smith Library records primarily document the term of the Director of Libraries, Phillip Rosenstein who had been the Director from 1966-1990. Material in six of the twelve series was transferred from his office.

The collection is strong in the areas of library publications (Series B). Although this series is not complete, it does display broad representation of the publications issued by the library.

The collection is also quite strong in the area of the Subject Files (Series D) and Correspondence Files (Series E) of the Director. The subject files, which consist of business correspondence, reports, newsletters, news clippings and memorandum, cover a wide range of topics concerning the internal workings of the library and University, and the external environment of the surrounding community, including the New Jersey medical community.

The Correspondence Files, which consist of correspondence and memorandum, shows the position of the GFS Library within the medical library community, and the involvement of the Director in various interlibrary projects and activities. The collection is strong in material documenting the Library in Jersey City and Newark, but weaker in documenting the libraries in New Brunswick/Piscataway, Stratford, and Camden campus.

Series G does contain blueprints of the Newark CMDNJ Library and of the proposed CMDNJ Library in Camden.

Size of Collection: 20 l.f.

Series Descriptions & Contents

Series: A Administrative Records of the Director of Libraries, 1969-1980

The contents of this series were received from the Director of Libraries office. There was no provenance. The material is arranged alphabetically according to the subject content. The series contains annual reports, library policy manuals, and library reports. SEE addenda for additional records.

Series: B Library Publications, 1966-1980

The series were received by the Archivist without provenance. The material is arranged in chronological order within the three categories of newsletter, catalogs, and pamphlets. The series includes various newsletters, such as the Library Memoranda: catalogs, such as the Library Periodical Holdings and the Media Catalog, and a number of pamphlets. The bulk of the material dates from 1974-1978. SEE addenda for additional publications.

Series: C Regional Medical Program, 1971-1973

The contents of this series were received as part of the Library Director's Files. The material was without provenance. It includes newsletters issued by the Library Information Network and pamphlets and catalogs published on the Medical Tapes by Phone program. The material dates from 1971-1973. SEE addenda for additional records.

Series: D Subject Files of the Director of Libraries

The series were transferred from the Director's office files to the archives by the Archivist. Provenance was retained. The series was arranged in alphabetical order according to original folder titles with only slight changes made, wherever necessary, in order to make the titles more understandable. The types of material contained include business correspondence, reports, newsletters, news clippings, and memorandum. The inclusive dates are 1961-1978, with the bulk of the material dating from 1968-1976. SEE addenda for additional files.

Series: E Correspondence of the Director of Libraries, 1969-1977

The series consists of correspondence and memorandum of the Director of Libraries. The material was filed in two separate alphabetical files in chronological order; one file contained earlier dates than the other file. The two files were merged into one alphabetical file and placed in chronological order. The inclusive dates are 1969-1977, with the bulk of the material dating from 1971-1977. SEE addenda for additional files.

Series: F Technical Services and Acquisitions Records, 1973-1980

The content of this series was received from the Acquisitions Librarian, Beth Lapow. The material was arranged chronologically in folders labeled Statistics. This arrangement was retained. The material consists of such statistical and financial records as accounting records showing money spent in different accounts; acquisitions meetings reports; acquisitions statistics; and financial reports. The inclusive dates are 1973-1980.

Series: G Blueprints

This sub-series contains nine blueprints of the CMDNJ Library in Newark, the George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences, and five blueprints of the proposed CMDNJ library in Camden. The blueprints are not dated; they are stored in the oversize file.

Library Addendum

Scope & Content Note

In 1998, addendum to the records, which were received after 1981 but not processed, were arranged and sorted within the same series as described above or additional series were created to accommodate the five libraries of the University system: George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences, Robert Wood Johnson Health Sciences Library, Robert Wood Johnson Media Library, Health Sciences Library at Stratford, and the UMDNJ & Coriell Research Library. Records from previously established series date from similar time periods as those described above.

Two additional areas are documented in the Director's files: personnel and the University Academic Computing Committee & Academic Information Technology Advisory Committee (UACC & AcTIAC). Records in the Libraries series addendum generally date after 1981 and continue to the present. The majority of Library specific records are in the category of publications.

Series

Series: A Administrative Records of the Director of Libraries, 1969-current
Series: B University Libraries Publications
Series: C Regional Medical (Library) Program, 1970-1973
Series: D Subject Files of the Director of Libraries, 1961-1979; 1980-current
Series: E Correspondence of the Director of Libraries, 1969-1977
Series: F Technical Services and Acquisitions Records
Series: G Blueprints, 1973, n. d.
Series: H George F. Smith Library of the Health Sciences-Newark
Series: I Robert Wood Johnson Health Sciences Library, New Brunswick
Series: J Robert Wood Johnson Medical School Media Library, Piscataway
Series: K Health Sciences Library at Stratford, 1980-current
Series: L UMDNJ & Coriell Research Library at Camden

CONTAINER LIST
ADDENDUM

ADMINISTRATIVE RECORDS OF THE DIRECTOR (RG/C-5-A)

UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES PUBLICATIONS (RG/C-5-B

GEORGE F. SMITH LIBRARY-NEWARK
PUBLICATIONS (RG/C-5-H)

REGIONAL MEDICAL LIBRARY PROGRAM (RG/C-5-C)

SUBJECT FILES OF THE DIRECTOR OF LIBRARIES (RG/C-5-D)
UL MONTHLY REPORTS

SUBJECT FILES OF THE DIRECTOR OF LIBRARIES (RG/C-5-D)
UL PERSONNEL FORMS

SUBJECT FILES OF THE DIRECTOR OF LIBRARIES (RG/C-5-D):
UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC COMPUTING COMMITTEE &
ACADEMIC INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (UACC & AcTIAC), 1983-1994

SUBJECT FILES OF THE DIRECTOR OF LIBRARIES (RG/C-5-D):
ALPHABETICAL, 1959-1979

SUBJECT FILES OF THE DIRECTOR OF LIBRARIES (RG/C-5-D):
ALPHABETICAL, 1980--

ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON LIBRARY
NEW BRUNSWICK (RG/C-5-I)

ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON MEDIA LIBRARY
PISCATAWAY (RG/C-5-J)

HEALTH SCIENCES LIBRARY
STRATFORD (RG/C-5-K)

UMDNJ & CORIELL RESEARCH LIBRARY
CAMDEN (RG/C-5-L)

SUBJECT FILES OF THE DIRECTOR OF LIBRARIES:
ROSENSTEIN FILES TO 1990 (RG/C-5-D)
(Unprocessed)

For reference service and information contact:

Robert Vietrogoski
Special Collections
vietrora@umdnj.edu
(973) 972-7830
FAX (973) 972-7474

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