The Texas Medical Center Library

The Texas Medical Center (TMC) Library is a health sciences library located in the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston, TX. It serves as the primary medical and scientific library for the entire 1,345 sq. acre TMC campus and its non-profit institutions. The library offers librarian services, provides biomedical information for education and research, and offers study space for students to maintain their accreditation.

For the past twenty-five years, the TMC Library has been the home site for the National Network of Libraries of Medicine – South Central Region (NN/LM SCR), securing the contract from the National Library of Medicine under the National Institutes of Health.

The TMC Library was founded in 1915 to serve the physicians of the Harris County Medical Society (HCMS). In 1946, when Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) arrived, the library combined its collections with HCMS to better serve the physicians and educational programs. The library became an independent tax-exempt organization under the jurisdiction of the Houston Academy of Medicine (HAM). Later, The University of Texas Health Science Center and Texas Woman's University joined, forming a consortium.

In the early 1950s, a separate facility was built with funds from major foundations and philanthropists, including a personal gift from Jesse H. Jones. The building was dedicated as the Jesse H. Jones Library Building in 1954. As the campus grew, the library expanded with a new addition in 1974, funded by Houston Endowment Inc., M.D. Anderson Foundation, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Over the years, the library underwent several name changes and is now officially known as the Houston Academy of Medicine – Texas Medical Center Library, operating under the DBA as The TMC Library.

In the 90s, during the digital age, the library adapted to the changing times.