This institution, originally the Library of the Surgeon General's Office (U.S. Army), gained its present name and was transferred from the Army to the Public Health Service in 1956. In 1962, it moved to its own Bethesda site after sharing space for nearly 100 years with other Army units, first at the former Ford's Theatre building and then at the Army Medical Museum and Library on the Mall. Rare books and other holdings that had been sent to Cleveland for safekeeping during World War II were also reunited with the main collection at that time. Today, the National Library of Medicine houses the largest collection of print and non-print materials in the history of the health sciences in the United States, and maintains an active program of exhibits and public lectures.

For additional information about the Library's historical collections and exhibits, visit the Web site of the History of Medicine Division.

See: #27 on Area Map.
Nearest Metro Station: 'Medical Center' on Red Line.