Institution Type: Archive, Charitable Organization, Church/Mosque/Synagogue/Temple, College/University, Community Organization, Community Service Organization, Cultural Institution, Cultural/Professional Association, Festival Organization, Gallery, Historic Site, Library, Museum, National Organization, Non-profit Organization, Religious Organization, Research Center/Institution, Study Center

Web site: http://www.svmchc.org/

Archives and Collections

Description:
The St. Vincent Medical Center Historical Conservancy was established in 1995 to preserve the long and storied history of St. Vincent Medical Center and of its founders, the Daughters of Charity. In operation (at five different locations) since 1856, St. Vincent Medical Center is the oldest medical institution in Los Angeles, and it has played an integral role in the city's development and in the health care profession. The conservancy operates an archive, research center, and small museum on the St. Vincent Medical Center campus. Consisting of more than one hundred thousand documents and artifacts housed in a three-thousand-square-foot facility, the archive was opened to the public in November 1996. It is home to a large and diverse collection of hospital administrative records; materials related to various outreach and medical programs; and personal papers in a variety of formats, including photographs, textile artifacts, and original artworks. Also available are audio recordings and transcripts of interviews with long-term medical staff members, hospital employees, volunteers, and individual Daughters of Charity which have been gathered under the auspices of the conservancy's oral history project. The reference library and personal and professional papers of one of Los Angeles's most influential and innovative physicians, Travis Winsor, M.D., have generously been donated by the Winsor family, and the records of many of St. Vincent's other prominent physicians are preserved in the conservancy's archive. The conservancy is open to all those interested in the history of medicine, Los Angeles, or the Daughters of Charity.

Type of Materials: Architectural Drawings, Artworks, Audio Recordings, Books, Cultural Artifacts, Materials & Objects, Diaries/Journals/Personal Papers, Directories, Ephemera, Films/Videos/Moving Images, Institutional Publications, Institutional Records, Large Format Papers, Manuscripts, Maps, Memorabilia, Newspaper Clippings, Newspapers, Official Records, Oral Histories, Photographs, Postcards, Press Clippings, Press Releases, Printed Works, Rare Books, Scripts, Slides, Statistical Data, Unprocessed/Unknown, Yearbooks

Time Periods: 1848-1899, 1900-1920, 1921-1949, 1950-1963, 1964-1980, 1981-Present

Languages: English, Japanese, Korean, Latin, Spanish

Sectors of the Population: Clubs/Service/Social Organizations, Community Service Organizations, Education, People with disabilities, Professional, Religious, Seniors, Veterans, Youth, Multiethnic, At or Below Poverty Level, Lower to Middle Income, Middle to Upper Income, Highest Income

Management

Catalog System: Cataloged records/material are processed, arranged and described in finding aids for each collection. The finding aids are maintained on computer. A Guide to all of our collection is in progress. Survey sheets exists for the majority of our unprocessed
Repository/Depository: Yes
Loan To Others: Yes
Exhibited: Yes
Exhibition Frequency: Ongoing
Outreach: Brochures/Flyers/Pamphlets, Class Visits, Community Service, Conferences/Conventions, Exhibitions, Festivals, Internet, Public Lectures & Programs, Publications, Radio/TV/Video, Student Orientations, Telephone, Word of Mouth