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Reynolds

Historical

Library

Visitor & Contact Information

Hours

Monday - Friday 9:00 am - 5:00 pm.

The library is free and open to the public. If you would like to schedule a guided tour or plan on doing research, please call ahead to arrange a time. (205.934.4475)

Location

Located on the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus in downtown Birmingham, the Reynolds Historical Library is on the third floor of Lister Hill Library of the Health Sciences, 1700 University Blvd.

Directions & Parking Information

Contact Information

Phone: (205) 934-4475

Fax: (205) 975-8476

Email: flannery@uab.edu

Mailing Address: (Note: Different than street address!)

Reynolds Historical Library

UAB Lister Hill Library 301

1530 3rd Ave South

Birmingham, AL 35294-0013

History of the Reynolds Historical Library

Dr. Lawrence Reynolds (1889-1961), a native of Ozark, Alabama, formed the library's original collection. In his youth, Reynolds accompanied his father, a blind physician, on house calls, reading to him from various medical writings en route. This experience encouraged an early appreciation for both books and medicine. After receiving his B.S. degree from the University of Alabama in 1912, Reynolds attended medical school at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Reynolds worked as a radiologist in Detroit, Michigan, until his death in 1961.

It was in Baltimore that Dr. Reynolds began collecting books important to the history of medicine, a pursuit he continued throughout his life. Motivated by his roots in Alabama, Dr. Reynolds donated his valuable collection of about 5,000 volumes to the University of Alabama School of Medicine and, on February 2, 1958, the Reynolds Historical Library officially opened. Since acquiring the collection, the Library has more than doubled in size.

Mission

The mission of the Historical Collections (of which the Reynolds is a part) is to promote the history of the health sciences on the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, in the state of Alabama, and in the nation as a whole. It seeks to do this through the collection and preservation of books, papers, and artifacts relative to the history of medicine and its allied sciences. In addition, it seeks to actively encourage and contribute to historical scholarship through lectures, publications, and teaching activities when and where appropriate.

Last updated February 20, 2008 by the Web Site Manager.