History of Medicine Collection Development Policy

Scope

Ruth Lilly Medical Library staff who manage the History of Medicine Collection and Indiana University faculty, staff, students, and members of the general public who may donate materials to the collection.

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Policy Statement

1. Mission: The Ruth Lilly Medical Library’s History of Medicine Collection is committed to supporting the research, learning, and educational success of Indiana University students, faculty, and community members by collecting, preserving, interpreting, and providing access to unique materials documenting the history of medicine; medical education, training, research, and practice; and health and disease treatment and prevention in the state of Indiana and beyond within the global context of the Western medical tradition.
2. Holdings: The History of Medicine Collection includes, but is not limited to, the archival records and papers of Indiana University School of Medicine faculty and alumni, researchers, professional organizations, advocates, and practitioners in the medical and health care professions; a significant number of medical instruments and other artifacts; and rare and early print books, periodicals, and other publications on various subjects including anatomy and physiology, surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, pathology, pharmacology, psychiatry, military medicine, medical ethics, and public health.
3. Donations: The Ruth Lilly Medical Library appreciates the consideration of those who would like to donate materials to the History of Medicine Collection. However, space constraints and the high cost of processing and preserving donated items means we cannot accept all materials. Potential donors to the collection should be aware that the library is usually not able to accept items that are outside the scope of our collecting priorities, are damaged or in poor physical condition, or that duplicate our current holdings.

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Reason for Policy

This policy defines the mission, scope, and collection development policy for the History of Medicine Collection, a non-circulating special collection unit within the Ruth Lilly Medical Library. Its primary purpose is to define the scope of the collection and the conditions under which new materials should be added to the collection.

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Procedures

1. The curator of the History of Medicine Collection should be involved in all donations of materials to the collection and is ultimately responsible for deciding (in consultation with library leadership, if necessary) if specific materials will be accepted based on the above criteria.
2. With the exception of publications, the addition of the materials to the History of Medicine Collection should be documented via a donor agreement form signed by both the donor and a representative of the Ruth Lilly Medical Library.

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Definitions

Donor agreement form – A formal document that transfers legal title, copyright, and literary property rights to the donated contents (as far as the donor holds them) from the donor to the Trustees of Indiana University and grants the Ruth Lilly Medical Library the right to transfer materials to any format or medium developed for preservation and access.

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Additional Contacts

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Forms

Donor Agreement Form

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History

1. Policy created on 01 April 2020.
2. Policy updated with minor cosmetic changes on 04 August 2023.

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