The Osler Library of the History of Medicine opened in McGill’s Medical Faculty in May 1929. The library’s history and formation, however, extend back decades earlier. In this talk, I will share observations from archival documents that provide a behind-the-scenes look at how the library came together: from early book purchases and personal correspondence about book collecting, to discussions with McGill administrators about the building of the library. I will present items attesting to Osler’s ideas about his project alongside the library’s administrative record in order to address questions about vision, legacy, and the important role that librarians play as curators (broadly conceived).

This paper will be informative and explorative. It comes out of research I am doing into the history of the library and questions that endure about how best to approach institutional history. As we look forward to celebrations of our centenary, how will we present our past? How does one tell an institutional history in a way that is informative, engaging, and that challenges us to use the positive parts of legacy for inspiration, the difficult parts of legacy for reflection and correction?

The Osler Library is somewhat unique in that the original collection was carefully curated: Osler thought about what he wanted his library to be, he selected its contents with care and discrimination. He articulated his vision in memoranda, in correspondence, and in print. This provides a unique opportunity to interrogate the original collection. To borrow from Osler’s own words, what does his library say about “his fancies and foibles, his strength and weakness, his prejudices and preferences”?

As we approach the 100th anniversary of our opening, we think it important to delve into the library’s history: not only Osler’s prejudices and preferences, but also those of the librarians who have overseen its collection development and activities for the past 100 years.