By Tara Sims, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian. Nothing about a sixteenth-century anthology about gout suggests it should be wearing a page of medieval church music; yet, here we are, discussing a 1592 compilation on podagra, dressed in its Sunday best. This book is wrapped in a single sheet of parchment donning red staff lines, […]
From Box to Browser: The John P. McGovern, M.D. Papers Are Now Fully Discoverable Online
By Tara Sims, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian After nearly three years of sustained archival work, the John P. McGovern, M.D. Papers (MS 115) are now fully processed, described, and searchable through the John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center’s online catalog at the Houston Academy of Medicine–Texas Medical Center Library. Researchers anywhere in […]
De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem: Part Two-Provenance
By Kelsey Koym, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian Introduction This blog post is about the provenance of McGovern Historical Center’s copy of the first edition of Andreas Vesalius’ De Humani Corporis Fabrica Libri Septem (De Humani), or “On the Structure of the Human Body in Seven Books,” published in 1543. Before this investigation, McGovern was […]
The Pocket Physician: Decoding a Bavarian Alchemical Manuscript
By Tara Sims, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian At first glance, this manuscript appears to be a quiet, little book—small, battered, and difficult to read. Located in the Texas Medical Center’s Rare Book Room vault, where the library’s most valuable and rare books are stored, this manuscript had little to no documentation regarding either the […]
Voices in the Archives: Revisiting the Texas Medical Center’s Appreciation Dinner of 1981 Honoring Dr. John P. McGovern
By Tara Sims, Archivist & Special Collections Librarian — National Archives Month, 2025. Rewind In 1981, the Texas Medical Center institutions gathered to celebrate Dr. McGovern’s remarkable contributions to medicine, medical education, philanthropy, and to Houston itself. The occasion was an Appreciations Dinner held on May 5 in the ballroom of The Doctors’ Club of […]
Library Annual Report through Time!
We’re very excited to announce that all library annual and other reports in the archive are now available online!!! You can find the report on the McGovern Historical Center collection site and the Texas Medical Center Library digital repository. The links are provided below: https://archives.library.tmc.edu/ic001-s1 https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/library_annualreports/ The history! The graphics! The themes! You won’t believe […]
TMC Library Historical A/V Watch Party
By Matt Richardson, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian. Continuing our exploration of the films, videos, and sound recordings newly available because of our recent TMC History A/V Digitization Project, we’ve put together a highlight reel featuring some of the most memorable content about the TMC Library itself. Following an in-person premiere for library staff, the […]
The Legacy of Dr. John P. McGovern: An Archival Expedition
![[Dr. McGovern conducting research at Baylor College of Medicine in 1959. MS 115 John P. McGovern, MD Papers, scrapbook box, folder 16, McGovern Historical Center, Texas Medical Center Library.]](https://library.tmc.edu/mcgovern/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/06/ms115-scrapbook-f16-mcgovern1959_banner2-1024x585.jpg)
by Tara Sims, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian. In the sprawling city of Houston, one common thread binds together several attractions and major institutions—the name McGovern. From McGovern Lake to the McGovern Children’s Zoo, the McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science to the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth and the McGovern Historical Center, it’s […]
Texas Medical Center A/V History Video on YouTube
by Matt Richardson, Archivist and Special Collections Librarian. One of the things about digitizing old videotapes is that you never quite know what you’ll find until you’re able to watch them. One of the themes that emerged from our recent A/V digitization project was the importance of audio, video, and network technologies in the evolution […]
Friends of the Texas Medical Center Library records
![[Friends of the Texas Medical Center Library Logo from stationary. IC-090-b1-f33-01, IC 090 Friends of the Texas Medical Center Library records, McGovern Historical Center, Texas Medical Center Library]](https://library.tmc.edu/mcgovern/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2023/04/IC-090-b1-f33-01_banner-1024x585.jpg)
Updated finding aid! The records of the Friends of the Texas Medical Center Library (IC 090) have an updated finding aid available at archives.library.tmc.edu/ic-090. The Friends were incorporated in 1960 to “assist in the development, improvement, and expansion of facilities, services, and functions of the Texas Medical Center Library.” Their collection at the McGovern Historical […]