Photography and the Graphic Arts Visual materials related directly to medical practice and public health are normally offered to NLM in accordance with standing procedures. Documenting the impact of disease on society and societal reaction to disease, however, falls within the scope of the established LC collection policies. The Prints and Photographs Division of LC endeavors to acquire a wide selection of photographic materials depicting events of national political, historical, or cultural impact on American life and history in support of its research collections in other formats. From depictions of specific physical effects of the infection to broad metaphorical images of the epidemic, the variety in artistic response to the disease has expanded as rapidly as print information. The Prints and Photographs Division serves as the LC custodial unit for the above-mentioned materials.
Older material is retained for historical research.
NLM recognizes that while it is possible to assemble a collection which addresses all topics in biomedicine, it is impossible even for a national library to gather a complete, worldwide collection of all biomedical materials in all formats. Older material is retained for historical research. It is intended to include all important reference works and a wide selection of specialized monographs, as well as a very extensive collection of journals and major indexing and abstracting services in the field. Older material is retained for historical research. It includes a wide range of basic monographs, complete collections of the works of more important writers, selections from the works of secondary writers, a selection of representative journals and the reference tools and fundamental bibliographical apparatus pertaining to the subject.