Countway Library of Medicine

Established in 1965 as a result of a merger between the Boston Medical Library (founded in 1875) and the Harvard Medical Library (founded in 1782), the Countway Library is a leading center for the study of the history of health care and medicine. The Countway's Rare Books & Special Collections department contains 250,000 volumes of books, approximately 20 million manuscripts (including the archives of the Harvard Medical School and the personal papers of many New England physicians), 30,000 photographs and prints, and small collections of art and artifacts. The Countway also houses the renowned Warren Museum, which contains 15,000 items.