Albin O. Kuhn Library
UMBC

The Archives of the American Society for Microbiology

HISTORY
ASM  Holdings

In 1935, the Society of American Bacteriologists (now ASM) appointed an Archives Committee to collect and preserve the records of the Society. The first Archivist, Barnett Cohen of Johns Hopkins Medical School, collected some Society records, photographs of past Presidents of the Society, and materials relating to the development of the science of bacteriology in various regions of the United States. Upon Cohen's sudden death in 1952, the materials he had acquired were transferred from Johns Hopkins to Indiana University, under the care of the new Archivist, Leland S. McClung. During McClung's lengthy tenure (1952-1982) the collections grew substantially, both in size and in scope. One major new focus became the book collection, which featured American and European texts from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

In 1978, the book collection moved to the Albin O. Kuhn Library, on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Under an agreement between the ASM and the University, the Society retained ownership of the books, which were incorporated into the University catalog, and housed in the Special Collections Department of the Library. In 1982, when McClung retired from the Archives Committee, the remainder of the archives collections were also deposited with UMBC. Since March of 1997 the Archives Collections and the Book Collection have been housed together in Room 354 of the Kuhn Library.

The holdings of the ASM Archives include Society records (1899-1997); the book collection (approximately 8,000 volumes); photographs, audio and video recordings, vertical file materials and manuscript collections.

The Archives are open by appointment Monday-Friday, 9:00-5:00. Photocopying services are available. To make an appointment, or for further information, contact the Archives.

Jeff Karr, Archivist
ASM Archives
Room 354
Albin O. Kuhn Library & Gallery
UMBC
1000 Hilltop Circle
Catonsville, MD 21250

phone: 410-455-3601
fax: 410-455-1088
E-mail: jkarr@asmusa.org