About Levy Library: History of the Library

Thank you to the Arthur H. Aufses, Jr., MD Archives for providing many of the items on this timeline. 

Learn more about the Library in the book Teaching Tomorrow's Medicine Today: The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 1963-2003 (cited as TTMT)

1879: A patient library room is created with 1,200 books to help the patients pass the time. There had been a book collection prior. (Ann. Report for 1879, p.17) 

1883: Medical library established; Alfred Meyer (H. Staff 1877) a driving force 

1885: Library Committee of Medical Board established. Library contains nearly 10,000 volumes. (See Meyer- J. Mt. Sinai Hosp.-3:295-307,1937)   

1906: Dr. Julius J. Hertz is appointed to the new position of librarian.  (Annual Report, p. 47)  

1910:  Library named for Dr. Abraham Jacobi; bust by Jo Davidson presented April 23 to honor him 

1923; Management of the Jacobi Library part of the duties of the Secretary for Medical I Instruction (Annual Report, 1923, p.27) 

1946: First full-time trained librarian at Mount Sinai Hospital  

1967: Jacobi Library receives National Library of Medicine grant for $18,970 to establish a branch library for the School in Basic Sciences Building  

1968:  The Jacobi Library expanded with the opening of the Medical School; a branch opened in Basic Sciences Building with space for 73 readers; Library staffed by 8 professionals and 27 full and part-time staff. (Annual Report, 1968, p.26) 

1974:  The main and branch libraries are merged over the summer, closing the library in the Basic Sciences Building. Nov. 22: The Gustave L. and Janet W. Levy Library is dedicated on Annenberg 10/11th with Rachael K. Goldstein, Library Director [TTMT, p. 39] highlighting computer terminals for new automated literature searches.

1983: Lynn Kasner Morgan becomes Director  

1988: Preparing for the 25th Anniversary of the School, the Library staff identified and researched 4,007 physicians who had graduated from Hospital and Medical School training programs between 1935-1978.    

1990-91: Library Director Lynn Kasner Morgan created a division of Academic Computing in the Library.  

1994: Implemented computer-assisted instruction programming for the school  

1995: Associated Alumni provided funds to establish the Electronic Information Center in Levy Library.  [TTMT  p. 63) 

2001: WebCT supported by library staff “access course materials from any site, any time” 

2006:  November 13:  the Levy Library creates its first blog post  

2018: 10th floor renovation to 24-hour study space and 11th floor transitioned from bookstacks to shared learning spaces  

2019: The Library launches the Levy Library Press, publishing the open access Journal of Scientific Innovation in Medicine 

2022: Scholars Portal (scholars.mssm.edu) launched  

2023: Educational Technology rejoins the Library and partners fully with the Medical Education ASCEND curriculum transformation.  

We welcome additions to this timeline.