Our Founder: Louise M. Darling

In many minds Louise Darling's name is synonymous with the UCLA Biomedical Library. Although she protests heatedly when this is suggested, countering with the explanation that the library's innovative and pioneering accomplishments in library automation, training for medical librarians, and regional extension service are due to the quality of its staff, no one would deny that a dynamic and visionary leader is a prerequisite for any institution or program judged to be truly exceptional.

Louise founded the Biomedical Library in 1947, when she was summoned back from U.S. Army Library Service in Hawaii and the Philippines by then-University Librarian Lawrence Clark Powell. Her assignment: to build the best biomedical library of its kind--"from scratch." That she has fulfilled this assignment in the fullest sense of the word is no mean feat, and in the process she has trained and inspired many librarians who now hold key positions throughout the country.

The Library's preeminent collections bear witness to Louise's personal interest in collection development. But her primary concern throughout her long career has been people: library users and especially the staff who provide service to them. Because of this interest, a bronze plaque has now been placed at the entrance to the Biomedical Library. It contains the following quote from Louise:

"...The character of the staff as an entity is intangibly, but nonetheless indelibly, reflected in the service the library gives."

Louise Darling's influence on the course of medical librarianship has been profound; it is best exemplified by the Medical Library Association's Marcia C. Noyes Award for outstanding achievement, presented in 1974. The UCLA Alumni Association's Award of Distinction in 1977 recognized Louise's contributions to the profession at large and to UCLA in particular.

Gloria Werner, University Librarian, 1979