HSLIC News

October is American Archives Month! This annual event highlights the critical role archives and archivists play in collecting, preserving, and making available records of enduring value. 

To celebrate, New Mexico archivists are participating in several special events. On Monday, October 20, the New Mexico Archives & Archivists Special Interest Group of the New Mexico Library Association is holding its second annual Archives “Bizarre” at Meow Wolf in Santa Fe from 4:30pm-7pm. This free event, Archival Oddities: Misfits and Mysteries in Collections, brings together a dozen archival repositories from northern and central New Mexico to share mysterious, odd, and unique items from their collections. To reserve your ticket, click here (please note that this ticket does not include admission to Meow Wolf’s exhibits).  

The Border Regional Archives Group (BRAG) will be holding their Border Archives Bazaar in Las Cruces on Saturday, October 18, 10am-4pm, at the New Mexico Farm and Ranch Heritage Museum. The theme this year is Voices Through Time/Voces a travéés del tiempo. Admission is $3 and covers access to the museum's indoor and outdoor exhibits. This fun event will include original historical documents, photographs, maps., and films from over a dozen cultural heritage institutions in southern New Mexico and far West Texas. The Border Archives Bazaar is now in its ninth year! 

Local archivists are also participating in an online series, Ask an Archivist: How to Care for Indigenous Materials. The next session is on Monday, October 20 at 11am. Click here to register. Possible discussion topics include how to care for Indigenous materials with respect, creating appropriate metadata, access based on community protocols, and building relationships with Indigenous communities. For more information, please contact Cassandra Osterloh.  

And be sure to visit the HSLIC Special Collections webpage to learn more about our holdings, services, and online content.

An important part of the Resources, Archives, and Discovery (RAD) unit is Special Collections, which contains rare and unique sources about the history of health and healthcare in the state and the Southwest. Types of materials in our holdings include oral histories, archival collections, rare books, photographs, artifacts and monographs. Collecting strengths include the history of tuberculosis treatment, the UNM Health Sciences Center, public health, New Mexico's medical providers, and the oral history collection.  

Special Collections is open to all researchers and students are especially welcome - you do not need prior archival experience! Physical holdings are available for use in the Library during research appointments, which can be made by contacting the archivist. The archivist can also provide reference support and ideas for and guidance about research/class projects. 

In addition to physical archives, Special Collections has a variety of materials digitized and available to view online, including oral histories, images, and other historical documents. Access guides to our processed collections here. 

To learn more about using Special Collections, please visit our guide. 

This July 26th marks the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a piece of civil rights legislation that fundamentally reshaped our nation. Signed into law in 1990, the ADA was a hard-won victory of the disability rights movement, which, much like other civil rights movements, fought for decades to dismantle systemic barriers and challenge discriminatory practices. As we celebrate this milestone during Disability Pride Month, we reflect not just on the letter of the law, but on its spirit. This spirit champions equity, inclusion, and the inherent dignity of every individual.

The Original Intent: A Foundation for Equity

The ADA was designed to be a "clear and comprehensive national mandate for the elimination of discrimination against individuals with disabilities". Its purpose was to ensure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, and transportation. The act was born from the understanding that society had historically isolated and segregated individuals with disabilities, and that these forms of discrimination were a "serious and pervasive social problem". The initial focus was often on visible barriers: the ramps, accessible restrooms, and telecommunications relays that were sorely needed.

Evolving Understanding: From Visible to Invisible

A crucial question to ask is whether the ADA was intended to be as broadly applied as it is today. While the original text was comprehensive, the cultural conversation has evolved significantly, especially in our recognition of "invisible disabilities." These can include everything from chronic illness and mental health conditions to neurodiversity and sensory processing disorders.

The law itself evolved to reflect this growing awareness. In 2008, the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) was passed to broaden the definition of disability, pushing back against narrow court interpretations and ensuring protections for a wider range of individuals, including those with episodic conditions. This evolution acknowledges a profound truth: barriers to access and inclusion are not always physical or visible.

This journey is beautifully symbolized in the Disability Pride Flag. Its design includes distinct colors to represent different experiences within the community: red for physical disabilities, gold for neurodiversity, blue for psychiatric disabilities, green for sensory disabilities, and a white stripe specifically for invisible and undiagnosed disabilities.

Disability Pride: A Movement of Identity

This brings us to the heart of Disability Pride Month. First officially celebrated in July 2015 to mark the ADA's 25th anniversary, this observance is about shifting the narrative from one of overcoming deficits to one of celebrating identity. It challenges ableism and the notion that people with disabilities should conform to a non-disabled world. It is a powerful declaration that every person’s experience is valid and worthy of respect.

Here in New Mexico, this spirit is alive and well. Organizations like Disability Pride New Mexico are dedicated to "championing disability pride through community engagement, inclusive leadership, awareness, celebration, and advocacy". Their work, along with local events like the inaugural Santa Fe Disability Pride Parade, demonstrates the living legacy of the ADA in our communities.

HSLIC’s Commitment: Living the ADA’s Values

At the UNM Health Sciences Center and here at HSLIC, these principles are not just abstract concepts; they are central to our mission. 

Our commitment extends to:

• Assessing and identifying opportunities to improve accessibility within all of HSLIC’s physical and online spaces.
• Aligning our efforts with the broader Health Sciences Center to build a more inclusive culture for our patrons and employees.
• Ensuring our collections and resources provide opportunities for growth and success for all members of our diverse community.

By championing equitable access to health information and creating an environment where everyone feels they belong, HSLIC strives to embody the core values of the ADA. We believe that fostering health equity and celebrating Disability Pride are inextricably linked. As we honor the 35th anniversary of the ADA, we recommit to this vital work, celebrating the rich diversity of our community as one of its greatest strengths.

Photo caption: Train stop at Valmora, New Mexico. Valmora Industrial Sanatorium records. 

Tomorrow is National New Mexico Day! 

This holiday celebrates the Land of Enchantment, its people, and history. On this holiday, New Mexicans and visitors are encouraged to explore the state (especially its parks and cultural heritage sites) and shop local businesses. 

One way to discover more about our state’s history is by exploring some of our online Special Collections resources or making a research appointment to view our collections in person. 

Special Collections documents the history of health and healthcare in New Mexico and the Southwest by collecting and preserving materials that include oral histories, organizational records, rare books, photographs, artifacts and a monograph collection. Areas of focus include the history of tuberculosis treatment, the UNM Health Sciences Center, public health, New Mexico's medical providers, and the oral history collection. 

Some collections important to New Mexico history are:

New Mexico Medical Society records

Valmora Industrial Sanatorium records

UNM Health Sciences Center Institutional records

Oral history collection

To view more online resources or learn more about Special Collections, please visit our website. 

Today, April 22, is Earth Day! This annual holiday celebrates environmental protection and promotes environmental awareness efforts.  Earth Day started in 1970 and is observed in countries around the world. 

Special Collections contains archival collections and other resources that help document environmental activism in New Mexico since the 1960s. Some of these sources include: 

• Albuquerque Environmental Health Department collection (reports, guides, newsletters, and ephemera)
• Albuquerque Earth Day Coalition collection (newsletters)
• Larry Gordon papers
• Health and Environment Department resource directory, 1978-1983 
• Environmental Problems, 1969 
• Focus on Environmental Epidemiology in New Mexico, 1983 
• Proceedings of the First Governor's Conference on Environmental Health Planning for the State of New Mexico, 1966 

• Focus on Environment, 1978

March is Women’s History Month and this blog post explores the career of Dr. Marion Hotopp (1900-1976). 

Born in New Jersey, Hotopp graduated from Cornell in 1934 with her MD and later received a master’s degree in public health from Harvard. After graduation, she completed an internship at the Medical Center of Jersey City and residencies at three hospitals. Following these experiences, Hotopp moved to New Mexico during the 1940s after accepting the position of director of the Maternal and Child Health Division of the New Mexico Department of Health. She was one of eight founding members of the New Mexico Pediatric Society, which was created in 1945. 

Based in Santa Fe, Dr. Hotopp significantly improved infant mortality rates and maternal health by stressing the importance of breastfeeding and nutrition for mothers. In particular, she recommended pregnant women supplement their diets with pinto beans for extra protein and rosehips for additional vitamin C. 

She received several grants during her long career in New Mexico, including a 1958 grant from the National Institute of Health that resulted in the project “Changing Public Health Approaches in Work with Spanish-Americans.” This project explored communication between primarily English-speaking health workers and Spanish-speaking residents in rural New Mexico. The work also involved collecting information about community health beliefs and later focused on nurse-patient communications. This research produced the publication Nurse-Patient Communication: A Manual for Public Health Nurses in Northern New Mexico. 

After her 1967 retirement from the New Mexico Department of Health, Dr. Hotopp did medical work in Central America. She passed away in 1976. 

Sources in Special Collections related to Dr. Hotopp’s career include:

• Oral history collection
• New Mexico Rural Health Survey records
• Nurse-Patient Communication: A Manual for Public Health Nurses in Northern New Mexico

Almost sixty digitized pamphlets and trade cards advertising patent medicines and food items from the George and Ruth Eisenberg collection of pediatric antiques are now available to view online via New Mexico Digital Collections. Dr. George Eisenberg was a pediatrician who later moved to New Mexico and joined the UNM School of Medicine in 1968. He and his wife Ruth stared collecting artifacts and images related to pediatrics during the 1940s.

The patent medicine and food product trade cards in the Eisenberg collection date from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth centuries. The collection includes advertisements for products such as Burdock Blood Bitters, Dr. Jayne's Tonic, and the notorious Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup, which was marketed for infants and children and sometimes included deadly amounts of morphine and alcohol. 

The term patent medicine described pre-packaged medicines sold without a doctor’s prescription. They became very popular by the mid-nineteenth century. Patent medicines were often heavily marketed, faced little to no regulation, and could be lucrative businesses. Unfortunately, sometimes these “medicines” contained dangerous ingredients. 

Some regulation of patent medicines (now known as over-the counter medications) began in the U.S. in 1906 with the Pure Food and Drugs Act.  Additional laws were passed in 1912 and in 1938 with the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to help protect consumers. 

To view pediatric artifacts from the Eisenberg collection, please visit the exhibit on the main floor of the Domenici Center. 

Last summer, the UNM College of Nursing transferred almost one hundred class composites (print and digital) to HSLIC Special Collections. 

The digital images - going back to the first graduating class (1959) - are now available to view online via New Mexico Digital Collections. 

These images help document the history of the UNM College of Nursing and are an important part of the UNM Health Sciences Center institutional archives. 

For more information about resources in Special Collections on the history of nursing in New Mexico, please check out our research guide. 

The UNM College of Nursing recently transferred over ninety digitized class composites to HSLIC Special Collections. These images date from 1959 (when the first class graduated) to Summer 2024 and help document the history of the College of Nursing, which started in 1955. The images are currently being added to New Mexico Digital Collections and will be available to view online in the near future. Here are some examples of class photos over the years.

One of the richest resources in Special Collections about the history of health and health care is the oral history collection. The program began in 1982 as part of an effort to document New Mexico health history due to the New Mexico Medical Society’s 100th anniversary in 1986. 

The collection contains almost 170 interviews with New Mexican providers and health administrators. Unrestricted oral history transcripts are available to view here. Topics covered in the interviews include nursing, rural health care, midwifery, tuberculosis treatment, rural health care, and the history of the UNM School of Medicine. 

The complete list of oral histories is available here.