Outside of Main: Collections of Other Northwestern Libraries

Location:	Chicago Campus - Ward Building
Architect:	James Gamble Rogers
Date Built:	1926
Collection Size:	280,000 volumes
Library Head:	James Shedlock

The mission of the Galter Health Sciences Library is to meet the research, education, and clinical information needs of its users -- the faculty, staff, students, and alumni of Northwestern University and its affiliated institutions in the McGaw Medical Center. The library's holdings focus on the basic medical sciences, clinical medicine, physical therapy, orthotics, and prosthetics. An extensive collection of rare books, journals, and manuscripts, along with instruments, etchings, and photographs, are available in the library's Special Collections.


NU Chicago Campus circa 1930 with the Ward Building (left), Wieboldt Hall (right), and the Palmolive Building in the background.

From 1927 to 1990, the Galter Library was known as the Archibald Church Medical Library. Dr. Church was associated with the Medical School for 25 years, first as a professor and then as chair of nervous and mental diseases and medical jurisprudence. His name is now given specifically to the library's historical and rare book collection. In addition to the Church collection (totaling some 5,000 volumes) the Galter's Special Collections also contain the A. D. Black History of Dentistry Collection (1,390 volumes) and the Kretschmer collection on urology (175 volumes). Particular strengths include works by William Harvey, Ambrose Pare, Thomas Browne, John Hunter, Joseph Fox, and selected figures in Chicago medicine and dentistry. The collection also contains incunabula -- books printed from movable type before 1501 -- including Thomas Aquinas (1483), Albertus Magnus (1488, 1495), and Pietro d'Argellata.(1499).


Eyeglasses from the collections of the Galter Health Sciences Library, 18th century.		Valentine Greatrakes. A brief account of Mr. Valentine Greatrak's, and divers of the strange cures by him lately performed. London: J. Starkey, 1666.

Chair of Library Exhibits Committee