1.17.2 Correspondence with others, 1948-1970

File — Box: 2

Scope and Contents

From the Series: The collection contains records from 1948-1981, encompassing Morse's career at the Library of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, primarily as Librarian. The contents of some boxes of records in this collection were haphazard; many boxes, however, had clear indications of Morse's filing system, and where discernible, this arrangement was preserved.

The collection contains a great deal of information on Morse, who appears as a conscientious administrator, a librarian dedicated to cooperation among institutions, and an active, reliable member of professional organizations. The collection also reveals much about the daily workings of the Library of the College of Physicians through the presence of library statistics, personnel records, grant applications, correspondence with donors, materials concerning the relationship between the Library and its parent institution, and materials associated with the Library's support of the Mid-Eastern Regional Library Service. Because of Morse's long commitment to inter-library cooperation, the collection also provides information on other medical libraries in the mid-Atlantic region and on the Medical Library Association, both locally and nationally.

The collection is arranged in the following series:

I. Correspondence (1948-1981) Correspondence comprises roughly one-fifth of the collection. Following Morse's arrangement, the correspondence is divided into two chronological periods, within which correspondence is filed alphabetically by correspondent. Correspondents include other medical librarians (academic and corporate, local and long-distance), members of the College's Library Committee, publishers, staff members of professional organizations such as the American Medical Association, and government employees.

II. Library Administration (1956-1982) The majority of this series, another one-fifth of the collection, consists of subject files named and arranged alphabetically by Morse. These files include materials dealing with interactions with officers of the College, fundraising through gifts, the Library's budget, the Library Committee, MED LINE, the Philadelphia Regional Medical Library Committee, and borrowing records. Files in this series not included in the alphabetical arrangement include memoranda concerning library policy and administration, and manuscript notes taken by Morse in various meetings.

III. Medical Documentation Service (1970-1979) The Medical Documentation Service, founded by the wife of a Fellow of the College in 1953 and taken under the auspices of the Library in 1956, offered clients scanning, indexing, abstracting, and translating services for journal articles. Most of the records in this series, which include memoranda, meeting notes, policy statements, and correspondence with clients, are arranged chronologically. Financial records are a separate subseries, also arranged chronologically. One file contains various versions of a pamphlet listing MDS services and prices.

IV. Grants (1965-1980) The Library of the College of Physicians applied for numerous grants, mostly from public sources, but also a few private ones, in hopes of obtaining funds for research projects, physical improvements, and library operations such as cataloging. The series is arranged alphabetically by granting organization, and the records include applications, correspondence, and reports. Approximately half of the grant applications are to the National Library of Medicine. Grants associated with the Practice-Related Educational Program and the Regional Medical Library Program are filed separately in the series containing the records of those services.

V. Personnel (1950-1981) (RESTRICTED) Personnel records constitute about one-fourth of the collection. Their original arrangement, which has been preserved, consisted of three subseries: ex-staff 1950-1964, personnel records 1960-1969, and personnel records 1970-1981. To the end of this series have been added the personnel records for MDS, which had been kept separate from other Library personnel records. In each of these subseries, files are arranged alphabetically. To save processing time, the Library personnel records have not been refoldered and relabeled, but have been divided into subseries on the finding aid. Access to the personnel records is restricted. Please consult the College Archivist.

VI. Practice-Related Educational Program (1973-1979) In 1974, the College of Physicians obtained a grant from the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare to develop the Practice-Related Educational Program (PREP), a regional continuing education program for primary care physicians. As part of the grant, the College contracted to provide library services to the program. This series is arranged chronologically except for publications and includes grant applications and reports, memoranda concerning personnel and budgetary issues and Library policies for PREPrelated work. The publications include two articles by Francis L. Bowler, who was project director for PREP.

VII. Regional Medical Library Program (1966-1979) After years of preparation and months of working through the application process, the Library of the College of Physicians was designated one of the National Library of Medicine's regional medical libraries in 1968. Mid-Eastern Regional Medical Library Service (MERMLS) was the name given to the Library's regional operations. Morse's records concerning this service include grant applications, together with associated correspondence and reports; chronological files, which consist primarily of correspondence with NLM and other regional medical libraries, College memoranda, and manuscript notes taken during meetings; materials from Morse's participation in the national discussions and meetings dealing with the regional libraries as a group; materials concerning the governance ofMERMLS in particular; and regional statistics.

VIII. Associations (1947-1981) Associations are arranged alphabetically. The majority of association files concern the forerunners and the origin of the National Library of Medicine; Philadelphia General Hospital, whose library was evaluated and disposed ofby the Library of the College of Physicians when the hospital closed; and the Union Library Catalog of Pennsylvania, which evolved into PALINET.

IX. Building Plans and Fundraising (1948-1955; 1967-1979) This series brings together one folder of materials associated with the 1956 book stack construction and another folder of materials from later evaluations of space and building issues between 1967 and 1979.

X. Morse Retirement (1981-1984) Morse retired as Librarian on December 31, 1981. This series includes College mailings concerning Morse's retirement; letters of congratulations to Morse from College administration, staff, and Fellows, and from correspondents outside the College; notes for an acceptance speech; and an oral history interview conducted at the time of his retirement.

XI. Publications (1956-1980) Publications are divided into those by Morse and those by others. Morse's publications are arranged alphabetically by title. The publications by others are again divided into publications of the College of Physicians, publications about the College of Physicians, and other general library-related publications, with the publications arranged alphabetically by title in each grouping.

XII. Miscellaneous (1955-1980) College of Physicians records not directly related to the Library make up the bulk of the Miscellaneous series. These include form letters to fellows, schedules of events, a staff list, and an agenda and minutes from a staff association meeting. Other papers in the series include a newspaper clipping and notes.