Ask a Librarian

October 14th: Ask an Archivist & Rare Book Room Open House

Feature image for Ask an Archivist and Rare Book Room Open House in October 2025.
Posted on by Sandra Yates

By Sandra Yates, Head of McGovern Historical Center

We have some exciting events during the week of October 13 – 17, 2025. Join us for:

  • Ask an Archivist Booth will be in the TMC Library on Tuesday, October 14, 10am-2pm. Archivist from the McGovern Historical Center will be on hand to answer all the questions you have about archives, archivists, and the amazing archival collections we have in the Texas Medical Center. 
  • Rare Book Room Open House is scheduled on Tuesday, October 14, 11am-1pm. As a special treat we offer you a tour of the Rare Book Room featuring notable volumes in the collection. 
  • #AskAnArchivist Day is on Thursday, October 16. After speaking with us in-person at the Ask an Archivist Booth, go to your nearest social media platform and talk with archivists around the country. Follow #AskAnArchivist 

Ask an Archivist Booth: 10 AM – 2 PM

From 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM, Archivists from the McGovern Historical Center will be in the main library to share interesting materials from the TMC Library’s special collections. Drop by and ask us questions. We’re looking forward to talking with you.

Matt Richardson and Tara Sims welcome questions at the Ask an Archivist Booth in the TMC Library in October 2023. They sit behind a table exhibiting collection items. Table cloth reads The TMC Library, McGovern Historical Center.
Matt Richardson and Tara Sims welcome questions at the Ask an Archivist Booth in the TMC Library in October 2023. Ask an Archivist Day is an opportunity to share interesting items from the special collections and talk archives. What will the archivists have on the table this year?

Rare Book Room Open House: 11 AM – 1 PM

From 11 AM to 1 PM, we invite you to the Rare Book Room for an Open House! Join us and roam the shelves of books, some dating back to the 16th Century. Tara Sims, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian, will talk about the collection and showcase a selection of volumes.

Rare Book Room in the TMC Library, Jesse Jone Building. Images shows a seating area, reading room table, shelves, books, and portraits of Drs. Bertner and Osler.
The McGovern Rare Book Collections is located in The Texas Medical Center (TMC) Library, which is in the Jesse Jones Library building located between Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas McGovern Medical School. The McGovern Rare Book Collections houses the John P. McGovern History of Medicine Collection, including the works of Sir William Osler, and the Burbank/Fraser Collection of Arthritis, Rheumatism and Gout. Join us for the Open House or make an appointment to see items in the collections.

#AskAnArchivist Day: October 16th

On Thursday, October 16, check out #AskAnArchivist Day online. After speaking with us in-person at the Ask an Archivist Booth, go to your nearest social media platform and talk with archivists around the country. Follow #AskAnArchivist.

Give2History in October

The TMC Library is celebrating Archives Month with our Give2History & Adopt a Box campaign. You can help the McGovern Historical Center secure the history of the Texas Medical Center by adopting a box. During October, every tax-deductible gift of $50 or more will get your name permanently inscribed on an actual collection box in the archives. 

Andy, our life-size Vesalius "Muscle Man," holds a sample Give2History box. You can adopt a box with a donation of $50 or more.
Andy, our life-size Vesalius “Muscle Man,” holds a sample Give2History box. You can adopt a box with a donation of $50 or more. Give2 History Today! https://library.tmc.edu/make-a-gift. [Andy is from De humani corporis fabrica [Structure of the human body] (1543) by Andreas Vesalius]. The TMC Library has a 1543 First Edition of the Fabrica in McGovern Historical Center Rare Book Collection.]

Social media graphic. Give 2 History: Secure the Past. Help the McGovern Historical Center secure the history of the Texas Medical Center. Give Today! Donors of $50 or more will have their name permanently inscribed on an archival box label. https://library.tmc.edu/make-a-gift/
Social media graphic. Give 2 History: Secure the Past. Help the McGovern Historical Center secure the history of the Texas Medical Center. Give Today! Donors of $50 or more will have their name permanently inscribed on an archival box label. https://library.tmc.edu/make-a-gift/

The Texas Medical Center Library.
1133 John Freeman Blvd, Houston, TX 77030