Library closures on 2/14: Most libraries, along with other University operations, will close on Friday, February 14 due to the logistical and transportation impacts of the Eagles Parade. The Goldstein Undergraduate Study Center and study facilities of the Holman Biotech Commons will be open, but all other services and events are suspended. See our Services Alerts for details. Go Birds!

Biomeditations

International Women’s Day: Frances Roberts Houston

For International Women’s Day, Holman Biotech Commons would like to recognize the University’s first medical librarian, Frances Roberts Houston.

Frances Houston Portrait

Frances Roberts Houston (1892-1970) was the University’s first medical librarian for Perelman’s School of Medicine. Houston was the medical librarian for the university for 49 years (1918-1967), helping students with finding information and assisting with their research. In 1967, she was named the medical librarian emeritus. After retiring from the medical library, she continued to be part of Penn as an executive secretary of the University’s Medical Alumni Association. Frances “Frankie” Houston was the face of health sciences and medical librarianship at the University of Pennsylvania for half a decade.

Further Reading: The Legend of Frances Houston . (2017, December 20). The Pennsylvania Gazette. https://thepenngazette.com/the-legend-of-frances-houston/

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March 8, 2024

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