Stephen Greenberg, PhD

Stephen Greenberg is an historian, photographer, rare book librarian, teacher, and writer originally from New York City, but now based in Maryland. He holds a number of degrees, including a Doctorate in History from Fordham University, and a Master’s Degree in Library Service from Columbia University. He spent 29 years working at the National Library of Medicine, where he served as Section Head for Rare Books and Early Manuscripts in NLM’s History of Medicine Division before retiring in 2021.

The pioneering pathologist William Henry Welch is often quoted as saying that the publication of systematic, quality-filtered indices to the world’s medical literature, was “America’s greatest contribution to medical knowledge.” The library that produced, and still produces, these indexes, has been called by many names since its founding in 1835: the Surgeon-General’s Library, the Army Medical Library, and the Armed Forces Medical Library, to name just a few. Since the 1950s, it has been part of the National Institutes of Health, and is now known as the National Library of Medicine. Starting as a single shelf of books in the Army Surgeon-General’s small office, it has grown to be the world’s largest medical library. There have been many physical moves and changes of focus and direction along the way. This presentation will examine the history of the NLM, and considers what its future might hold in the rapidly changing world of information technology.

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