McGovern Historical Center

The John P. McGovern Historical Collections and Research Center (McGovern Historical Center) is the Special Collections department of The TMC Library. We house, provide access, and preserve rare books, manuscripts collections, and institutional records relating to the Texas Medical Center (TMC) and medical history. Our notable historical collections document the foundations of the medical specialties, Texas medicine, rheumatology, and North American public health. The archival collections focus on the development of the institutions and hospitals in the TMC in Houston, the careers of Houston physicians and biographical information on Texas physicians.

The McGovern Historical Center has collections in two locations.

The Archives, located at the Historical Research Center at 2872 El Rio, suite 190, holds personal papers of medical personnel, institutional records of health care institutions, medical-related photos, graphic arts and objects. The Historical Research Center also houses several rare book collections, including the Mading collection on public health, the Dow collection about dentistry, and the Menninger collection about mental health.

The McGovern Rare Book Collections is located in The Texas Medical Center (TMC) Library, which is in the Jesse Jones Library building located between Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Texas McGovern Medical School. The McGovern Rare Book Collections houses the John P. McGovern History of Medicine Collection, including the works of Sir William Osler, and the Burbank/Fraser Collection of Arthritis, Rheumatism and Gout. Visiting the Rare Book Room is BY APPOINTMENT ONLY.