About the Archive

The Office of NIH History archival collections was establishd to increase historical understanding of the National Institutes of Health and biomedical science among NIH staff, scholars, and the general public. The Office has a commitment to serve as a source of information for NIH history.

The Archives maintains a subject and biographical ready-reference collection. Materials are available include NIH publications, such as Institute annual reports, anniversary publications and resources from the NIH campus. The Office participates with the Internet Archive to digitize materials in the collection for public use. Along with this effort, the Office crawls of the NIH websites using the Archive-It WayBack Machine.

Preserving the visual history of the National Institutes of Health is a key component for the Office. This effort is made by the generosity of the National Library of Medicine for deposit in their digital repository. The Office currently holds the digital files of the NIH photographers of events and visits by dignitaries, celebrities and display everyday life of the NIH. The images, pamphlets and posters in the collection are sent to the National Library of Medicine digital repository. The Office maintains a Flickr site for photographs that can be searched under Search our collections online. Direct reference questions to the Office of NIH History Archivist.