Identity elements
Reference code
Name and location of repository
Level of description
Collection
Title
HIV/AIDS Houston collection
Date(s)
- 1951-1995 (Creation)
Extent
3 cubic feet (6 boxes)
Name of creator
Administrative history
The McGovern Historical Center (MHC) is the historical and special collections department for The TMC Library. The MHC maintains rare book and archival collections. Artificial collections have been created to provide access to materials without clear provenance in order to increase discoverability.
The earliest acquisition records for the books in the MHC are found in the Houston Academy of Medicine’s (HAM) Library Committee reports for 1935 and 1936. Thirty Fellows of the Academy raised $300 to purchase a collection of 275 French medical books published between 1730 and 1830. In 1949, HAM and Baylor College of Medicine combined their medical libraries. In anticipation of the completion of the Jesse H. Jones Building for the library, the MD Anderson Foundation purchased the rheumatology collection of a New York physician, Dr. Reginald Burbank. This purchase was followed by a gift from the Cora and Webb Mading Foundation of more than 1,000 titles on sanitation and communicable diseases. After the 1954 dedication of the library building, many physicians donated books or historical pamphlets to be stored in a very small, locked room on the second floor. Soon after his arrival in Houston, Dr. McGovern became one of the Library’s most staunch supporters, annually supplying funds for the purchase of rare books and travel support for the librarians to attend meetings of the American Association for the History of Medicine. In 1977, The Library formed a new department with new quarters to collect historical materials and to enhance the rare book collections. In 1982, Dr. McGovern donated his personal collection of rare and historical books to the Library. In 1996 the Library’s Board of Directors named the historical department in his honor.
Content and structure elements
Scope and content
The HIV/AIDS Houston collection consists of 6 boxes that contain newspaper clippings, reprinted articles, correspondence, speeches, guidelines, printed material, and newletters that document the early research of AIDS and the impact of AIDS in the Houston area. The collection has several issues of HIV Treatment and RITA! (Research Initiative, Treatment Action) ranging from 2001-2007. The collection encompasses 1951 – 1995 with earlier materials related to studies on the spread of diseases, such as encephalomyelitis in mice. The collection is in fair condition with some water damage.
System of arrangement
Conditions of access and use elements
Conditions governing access
Unrestricted. Material is open for research.
Physical access
Technical access
Conditions governing reproduction
Languages of the material
- English
Scripts of the material
- Latin
Language and script notes
Finding aids
Generated finding aid
Acquisition and appraisal elements
Custodial history
Deed-5
Immediate source of acquisition
Acquisition of this collection is unknown. It is assumed that the materials have been grouped into an artificial collection on AIDS/HIV in Houston. Future accruals will follow this assumption.
Appraisal, destruction and scheduling information
Accruals
There may be accruals in the futrue for this collection.
Related materials elements
Existence and location of originals
Existence and location of copies
Related archival materials
MS 208 The Joyce E. Yost, PhD papers; MS 138 AIDS Practice Manual; IC 004 Harris County Medical Society
Related descriptions
Notes element
Specialized notes
- Citation: HIV/AIDS Houston collection; IC 072; John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center, Houston Academy of Medicine-Texas Medical Center Library. Please cite the box and folder numbers where appropriate.
- Processing information: Original Order of the collection has been maintained. The folders are arranged as they were received. The folder headings are those already assigned.
Alternative identifier(s)
TARO
Description control element
Rules or conventions
Describing Archives: A Content Standard (DACS)
Sources used
Archivist's note
Processed by Traci Patterson, February 30, 2017.
Access points
Subject access points
Place access points
Name access points
- Center for AIDS Information and Advocacy, Houston, Texas (Subject)
- AIDS Foundation Houston (Subject)
- Montrose Clinic (Subject)
- RITA! (Subject)