The Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology (WLM) is committed to preserving artifacts and documents from throughout anesthesiology’s history. The Library-Museum’s dedicated collections facility is a testament to this commitment, providing a stable and carefully managed home for over 20,000 artifacts and 5,600 linear feet of archives. The Library-Museum is proud of the care it takes in maintaining these materials for the edification of future generations and encourages you to learn more about the collection facility below.
Note that this space is not available to the general public. For more information, visit the Location section below.
Background
Since its founding in 1933, the WLM has never owned the space where its collections have been stored, necessitating numerous moves over the year as previously utilized facilities became unavailable. To address this, the WLM purchased a 20,000+ square foot building in 2022 to serve as a more permanent home for its expansive collection of artifacts and documents. Renovation of the facility began on August 21, 2023, following the WLM strategizing around and refining its plans for the space. The core of these renovation efforts were caried out over the next eight months and the facility was approved for temporary occupancy on April 23, 2024, with its active use beginning at the same time. Following approval of its occupancy, the WLM began transferring its collections from its temporary, off-site storage space to the new facility. In October 2024, the Library-Museum celebrated receiving approval for its permanent occupancy of the new collections facility.
Current Space & Future Renovations
Of the 20,000+ square feet comprising the collections facility, 10,000 feet have been renovated to suit the current needs of the WLM and its collections. To best meet these needs, as well as those of visiting stakeholders and researchers, the Library-Museum will continue to assess how to develop the remaining space available. The additional 10,000 square feet is anticipated to meet the WLM’s space and utilization needs for the foreseeable future, and the WLM will proceed with phased renovations based on its ongoing assessments.
Artifact & Archive Collection Care
This space was planned and renovated in keeping with modern collections space environmental and fire suppression levels, as well as humidity and temperature control, to ensure that the compiled pieces of anesthesiology’s history are safely preserved. The archives are stored in acid-free folders and boxes. Artifacts are similarly well-kept, stored in acid-free ethafoam lined shelves, or within acid-free boxes wrapped in acid-free tissue paper, and held on high-density rolling shelves to allow for optimal storage-space utilization. This combination of precautions helps maintain the condition of the Library-Museum’s collection, safely housing the artifacts and documents and minimizing degradation.
Examples of the materials housed at the collections facility are as follows. For a more complete catalogue of these items, visit the WLM’s dedicated Museum and Archive webpages.
Example Artifacts
Example Archive Collections
Cost
Overall, the cost for the building that would become the collections facility as well as the subsequent renovations to meet the necessary care levels and intended usages totaled over $5.4 million. Budgeting for this expense was carefully considered by the WLM’s Board of Trustees and staff leadership, and it is their firm belief that establishing a long-term home for the Library-Museum’s robust collection and adhering to the highest level of care in its maintenance will ensure that future generations are able to benefit from these materials. This exceptional level of care is only possible thanks to the generosity of the WLM’s donors.
The WLM hopes that all those who believe in its mission to advance anesthesiology by preserving and sharing its heritage and knowledge will consider a donation to the Library-Museum. Your gift will help support work like that carried out around and through the collections facility, preserving pieces of anesthesiology’s history for years to come.
DONATE TO THE WOOD LIBRARY-MUSEUM OF ANESTHESIOLOGY
Location
The collections facility is located in Schaumburg, IL, approximately a five-minute drive from the WLM’s shared headquarters with the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA). The facility’s proximity allows for ease of access by WLM staff in the interest of consistent, expert care for the materials housed within.
As a reminder, this space is not open to the general public. Access to the collections facility is available by appointment only and restricted to WLM stakeholders, Paul M. Wood Fellowship in Anesthesiology awardees, and researchers. If you are interested in accessing the collections facility, please contact [email protected] for more information.
Visitor Access & Usage
While the WLM Collections Facility is not open to the general public, to follow are accepted usages and visitor types (by appointment only and at the Library-Museum’s discretion).
Please note that the archives are considered closed stacks. Some of the archival collections housed at the facility are restricted, and those that are available to visitors will be pulled upon request and brought to the researcher by WLM staff. Visitors are not permitted to freely browse and access archived documents as they would a library.
- WLM stakeholders and leaders are offered tours of the facility, with the machines pictured above a particular highlight for many.
- Paul M. Wood Fellowship in Anesthesiology recipients are provided financial support for up to two weeks of scholarly and historical research at the WLM’s collections facility, library, and rare books collection pertaining to the specialty of anesthesiology.
- External researchers not directly involved with the WLM may request access to the facility in the interest of referencing archival records in their work or supplementing their research with available artifacts.
Exhibit Space, Library, & Rare Books Collection
The WLM houses the vast majority of its catalogue of artifacts in its dedicated collections facility. However, the Library-Museum’s primary exhibit space, library, and rare books collection are housed at the headquarters of the American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) at 1061 American Lane, Schaumburg, IL 60173.
Similar to the collections facility, access to the exhibit space, library, and rare books collection are available by appointment only. Please contact [email protected] for more information or to schedule a tour of the exhibit space.
