DIVISION INFORMATION

Officers 2009

Chair: Judith Blaine
Chair Elect: Margaret Basket
Past Chair: Christine Geluk
Secretary: Alexander Feng
Treasurer: Bob Kowalski

History

On June 12, 1947, nineteen librarians formed a separate Pharmaceutical Section within the Science-Technology Division of SLA. This separate Section was created to meet the special needs of corporate, hospital, research, government, technical, and academic information professionals in the field of pharmaceuticals. Early projects included two publications: Unlisted Drugs and a Union List of Periodicals in Pharmaceutical Libraries.
In 1966, the Section was designated an official Division of SLA. A Biopharmaceutical Roundtable became an official subgroup in 1995. Members attending the 1996 annual business meeting voted to change the group's name to include "Health Technology." The new name recognizes the growing constituency drawn from medical device, diagnostics, and biotechnology industries. In 2005, our global membership includes over 13 countries and more than 726 members, making us the 7th largest Division (out of 39) within the Special Libraries Association.