WPIC Library Timeline1940'sThe Early YearsSeptember 1942 - Western State Psychiatric Hospital opens under the direction of Dr. Grosvenor B. Pearson who declared "The building was essentially finished but unkept and unfurnished. Equipment stood open and unpacked, partly crated and uncrated, in most of the thousand rooms. There was not a book in the library, not a dinner knife or fork in the dining room, not a piece of wood nor a tool in the carpenter shop." Fall 1942 - The Library opened under the direction of librarian Mary M. Moss with the intention of providing reference for and research in the field of psychiatry. The first books were chosen by Dr. Pearson. Not only were clinical and research needs met but also the recreational reading needs of the patients. 1944 - Although it was difficult to secure books during wartime, the library continued to grow. As the report to the Pennsylvania Secretary of Welfare stated "The collection is made up of over eighteen hundred technical books (Psychiatry, Psychology, Nursing, Neurology, etc.) and over six hundred books for patients. Fifty-five periodicals are received on subscription, the majority of which are related to Psychiatry and Psychology. Two hundred sixty three bound journals and approximately two hundred as yet unbound complete the picture." 1945 - Western State Psychiatric Hospital is renamed the Western State Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. 1946 - The Library grew to include two 2 full-time librarians, 4800 volumes and 96 journals, eight of which were paid for by friends of the institute. Bibliotherapy was an encouraged form of treatment and 800 books were available in the patient section. 16 millimeter films were being acquired for teaching purposes. 1947 - Library established a collection of motion picture films in psychiatry, psychology and neurology. 1948 - The Library kept growing with 5,000 volumes in the library's psychiatric collection, 85 professional journals and 27 films. This was the first time that the library had achieved national acclaim. As Superintendent Pearson wrote "It was a great pleasure when distinguished guests like Ackerly, Overholser, Diethelm and Zilboorg praised the Library, and Yakovlev found in our Willis data he needed but had not been able to find in Boston, New Haven, and New York." 1949 - The Institute's proximity to the University of Pittsburgh and the schools of the health sciences, along with mutual needs for closer ties and support, led to enabling legislation transferring management responsibility for operation and program development to the Board of Trustees of the University of Pittsburgh. Pennsylvania's Governor Duff signed Act 496 in May 1949 leasing the Institute to the University for one dollar per year. 1950'sA Time for Growth1950 - Henry Brosin, M.D. comes to Pittsburgh to chair the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh Summer 1950 - The Library began cataloging books using the Library of Congress classification system. The patient's library collection, formerly housed in the Library, was divided among the patient floors. Library use was extensive with 4,717 patrons borrowing 4,198 book and journals.  Dr. Mirsky  Dr. Spock 1951 - Dr. Arthur Mirsky accepted the appointment to head the research divison of Western Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Benjamin Spock, also agreed to join the University of Pittsburgh with appointments in the Department of Pediatrics at Children's Hospital, the Pittsburgh Child Guidance Center, and the Graduate School of Public Health. Late 1951 - Space problems plagued the Library. In addition to the lack of reading and study space, reference books were piled on tables and window sills. The Library staff, albeit smaller than in the 1940's, hired a cataloger to initiate the task of cataloging the collection. Dr. Brosin believed the library, although not well organized, was exceptional. "I have no little pleasure." he said, "that we have acquired a number of books, and we now have not only a good library but a top one." Early 1952 - The use of the Library was the highest to date,with 10,000 people using 15,000 items, and borrowing over 6,500 books. Psychiatric tests and journals represented a large portion of the collection, but books were also added from the fields of psychosomatic medicine, psychology, sociology, literature, religion, philosophy and science. The Newbury Audio-Visual Library was created, making mental health films available to educators and professional and civic groups.
Late 1952 - WPIC Director Brosin set Library expansion as a top priority. Fifty percent more space was added, with new lighting, shelving and equipment. According to librarian Mary E. Tincovitch, "there were skeptics who would point to a few shelves which were not already filled to bursting as evidence that the capacity of our present structure has not yet been reached." 1953 - Dr. Spock founded the Arsenal Nursery to study and observe healthy children. With twenty eight children enrolled, the school began to provide training opportunities for medical and public health students, and Health Department physicians and nurses. 1955 - The Library held about 10,900 volumes, 200 periodicals, and 39 films. An up-to-date collection was maintained in psychiatry, psychoanalysis, neurology, child psychiatry, psychology, psychiatric nursing, psychiatric social work, mental hygiene, occupational recreation, and music therapy. The Library was becoming a valued asset to the entire University center. 1959 - The new second floor library, begun in 1952, was completed! 1960'sWorld Renown1961 - Over 32,000 patrons utilized the WPIC library. 1962 - Jeremiah O'Mara was appointed the Chief Librarian of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic and Adjunct Assistant Professor of Bibliography, School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Library and Information Science. 1964 - Visiting scholars from Europe, as well as local hospital administrators praised the library for its excellent equipment, staff, and collection. The collection surpassed 20,000 volumes. 1965 - The Newberry Audiovisual Education program of the Library held its 14th annual film forum. The collection included 76 16mm films, 34 records, and 12 filmstrips. Requests for the use of the Newberry Collection were made by more than 100 groups in the greater Pittsburgh area. 1967 - Through Dr. Brosin's support of the Library, the collection reached 30,000 volumes. Represented in the library were all branches of psychiatry, psychoanalysis, neurology, psychometric medicine, mental hospital administration, clinical psychology, and psychiatric nursing. Substantial collections were present in anthropology, sociology, linguistics and the humanities. Prized acquisitions included a reproduction of a Gutenberg Bible and a boxed sheets of galley proof sheets by Dr. Sigmund Freud. 1968 - The last phase of the reorganization effort included a reclassification from the obsolete Cummingham scheme to the National Library of Medicine classification system. In addition, an IBM system of catalog card production and improved methods of record keeping were introduced.
1968 - 1969 - Borrowing privileges were extended to all persons employed in a professional capacity in state hospitals and in treatment facilities under the jurisdiction of Pennsylvania's Department of Public Welfare. The Newberry Audio-Visual Library continued to grow and over 100 films were available. 1969 - The new patient library was formally opened on the fifth floor of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. 1970'sContinued Growth1972 - The library secured funding from the National Library of Medicine for continued automation of the library's technical processing system. The library modernized its cataloging and labelling equipment. Also during this year Dr. Bertram D. Lewin contributed over 2200 classical works in psychiatry and neurology, one of the finest single gift of books received. Dr. Thomas Detre is appointed Director of WPIC and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry.
1974 - Jeremiah O'Mara, Director of the Library since 1962, died. He was known for his thorough knowledge of the contents of the WPIC Library and phenomenal memory. 1974-1975 Ellen Detlefsen served as Acting Chief Librarian. 1975 - Lucile Stark is named Library Director, a position she held until 1985. 1975-76 - WPIC is a training site for medicine, nursing, psychology, social work, rehabilitation counseling, counselor education, special education, the non-diplomat health professions, industrial engineering, and business administration students. 1976 - The Library expands its services to include online bibilographic searching of databases such as Medline and Psychological Abstracts 1975-77 - The Library began cataloguing videotapes produced in WPIC's Audio Visual program. The collection expanded due to a grant from the National Library of Medicine. 1979 - The expanded facility of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic Library was made possible by contributions from:
This new addition would free up clinical space in the WPIC building , triple the size of the Library and expand the audiovisual center. 1979 - The Benedum Audiovisual Center grew to 400 video and 800 audio tapes and includes a conference room, and five individual audiovisual carrels for reviewing videos. The Center gave WPIC one of the largest nonbroadcasting video facilities in Pittsburgh. 1980'sTri-State Resource1980 - Patients Librarian Meliza Jackson initiates Project Literacy. This program matches illiterate adult outpatients referred by their clinicians with volunteer tutors for biweekly individualized reading development. 1981 - After 6 months in temporay housing the library moves into its expanded and re-modeled facilities. 1982 - 83 - Under the direction of Library Director Lucile Stark, the WPIC grew with the expanding needs of Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. More than 45,000 volumes and 750 journals served about 500 patrons a day. The Library served as a resource center for physicians, mental health agencies and hospitals throughout Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio. 1982 - The ten story addition to WPIC, devoted to education and research, is complete. 1983 - Dr. Detre left the Department of Psychiatry to become Associate Senior Vice-Chancellor for Health Sciences. Dr. David Kupfer was selected to succeed him as chairman. 1985 - Barbara Epstein is named Director of the WPIC Library. 1987 - The audiovisual library grows to 1,000 videotapes and 1,600 audiotapes, offering the most extensive collection dedicated to psychiatry in the United States. PittCat, The University of Pittsburgh online library catalog, is introduced. 1988 - WPIC Library Microcomputer Lab is opened with the gift of ten computers from Zenith Data Systems. 1989 - WPIC Library was awarded a Library Services and Construction Act. (LSCA) grant from the State Library of Pennsylvania to place telefacsimile machines in 15 Libraries in state facilities. PsycLit, a CD-ROM version of Psychological Abstracts, becomes available in the Library. 1990'sContinuing Success1990 - Library hosts a reception honoring faculty and staff in the Department of psychiatry who have written or edited books during the previous three years. Library statistics for the year include:holdings of 58,884 volumes and 541 journal subscriptions; visits by 148,110 patrons; 16,905 books circulated and 5,910 videos viewed. Over 100 insitutions in ten states are institutional members of the Library. The staff included 5 Librarians and 6 paraprofessionals. 1991 - Reference Librarians performed 3000 electronic searches, spending 525 hours online. 1991 - 1994 - Library receives LSCA funding to develop a Model Outpatient Vocational and Health Information Library in the WPIC Schizophrenia Center at 3501 Forbes. 1992 - WPIC celebrates its 50th Anniversary. Renovated and relocated Computer Lab is opened, housing 14 computers donated by AT&T/NCR and three Macintosh computers. Additional equipment included a laser printer, color printer, document scanner, slide maker and LCD projector panel. 1993 - PsycLIT, a CD-ROM database providing access to psychology journal literature, becomes available to multiple users in the PC Lab. The Patients' Library is relocated to newly remodeled quarters on the fourth floor. 1994 - Online video catalog is introduced to provide access to the video tape collection. The PC Lab sponsors a "WPIC Loves Computers" Fair to demonstrate a variety of clinical and library software, as well as Internet gopher resources. 1995 - Barbara Epstein, WPIC Library Director, accepts the position of Associate Director at the Falk Library of the Health Sciences. The Health Sciences Library System is formed and administration of the WPIC Library is transferred to Falk Library in order to enhance coordination of all HSLS library activities, and to position Pitt's health sciences libraries to take advantage of rapid advances in information access and delivery. The WPIC Library Web site is introduced, offering information on library services and access to selected library resources. APEL, the American Psychiatric Electronic Library, becomes available in the WPIC Library PC Lab. APEL provides online access to 10 full-text psychiatry journals and nine full-text psychiatry reference books. 1999 - A major space reconfiguration project began in March. Approximately 1800 square feet on the Library's upper floor is remodeled and most of the Libraries book collection is weeded. Journals are consolidated on the first floor, and the Reference Desk and Reference Collection are moved near the Library entrance. The PC Lab is permanently closed to provide additional stack space to accommodate the journal collection.
2000The New Century2000 - A reception and Open House was held to celebrate the completion of renovations and space reconfiguration that began in March 1999. Approximately 1800 square feet of the library's upper floor was remodeled. Other changes include a relocated reference area and a consolidated journal collection. On May 22, 2000, a reception was held in the WPIC Library to celebrate the dedication of Thomas Detre Hall of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic. The WPIC Library hosts the Association of Mental Health Librarians 35th Annual Meeting, September 22-24, 2000. ________________________________________
Credits Fran YargerRebecca Abromitis Heather Miller John Nguyen Schachner, Marcia K., Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of the University of Pittsburgh: Its Years of Research, Teaching and Service. University of Pittsburgh (dissertation) 1984. Moss, M., . The Library of the Western State Psychiatric Institute and Clinic,. Pitt (Autumn 1946): 45-46. 
All HSLS libraries are closed today, Tuesday, February 9, due to the weather. News & AnnouncementsHistorical Public Health Book Exhibit"Falk Library is now exhibiting books from the Historical Collections, with an emphasis on public health." More »» This Week at HSLSHSLS classes for the week of February 1–February 5, 2010. New Clinical Search ToolClinical Focus is a new clinical tool designed to quickly locate diagnosis, drug and EBM information. It also provides patient education information and medical calculators. Information on H1N1 FluRecent information on all aspects of H1N1 Flu. |
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