The collections and reference assistance using them are available from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday, but specific items can be made available at other times by appointment. All materials are library use only, and photocopy permission is reviewed on an item by item basis. When permitted, photocopying is usually performed by the patron.

The Historical Collections of the Health Sciences and Human Services Library are comprised of six separate collections, and include significant materials in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, nursing, and social work. The Crawford Collection, which includes early works on medicine and related fields, was originally the private collection of Dr. John Crawford, an early 19th century Baltimore physician. Following his death in 1813, the University of Maryland School of Medicine purchased the collection from his estate. This purchase represents the founding of the Health Sciences Library and by extension the entire University of Maryland Library System. The Cordell Collection, named for Dr. Eugene Cordell, an early historian of the University and first librarian of the institution, includes imprints in the field of medicine. The collection features works by such notables as John Hunter, Benjamin Rush, Hermann Boerhaave, and others. It also includes a substantial number of writings by early faculty members.

The Grieves Collection contains significant works in the history of dentistry. Outstanding examples are complete sets of the oldest American dental journals, the first dentistry book published in the United States, as well as the volume Practica Medicine by Arnoldus de Villa Nova, published in Venice in 1497. Of particular note is the extensive collection of dental history prints representing the work of numerous renowned artists dating from the 17th to the 19th centuries.

The Pharmacy Collection is rich in herbals, pharmacopoeias, materials on the history of pharmacy, and early pharmaceutical imprints. Notable authors represented include Armand Trousseau, George Urdang, Jacob Bigelow, and Jonathan Pereira.

The Nursing Collection is the smallest, but contains first editions of Florence Nightingale's works, and also includes some of her original handwritten notes. The Social Work Collection began with the purchase of the Marie Stopes birth control collection. It includes significant works by such prominent social workers as Jane Addams, Dorothea Dix, Mary Ellen Richmond, Margaret Sanger, and Marie Stopes herself. Its scope ranges from topics such as birth control and world fertility studies, to child welfare, social settlements and the history of social work.

The Kendall Historical Collection in physical therapy is the most recent addition to our holdings. Comprised of over 100 volumes, this collection was donated to us by Dr. Florence P. Kendall, noted lecturer and author of works that have become core materials in the discipline of physical therapy. The collection includes significant twentieth century texts devoted to the study of anatomical structures, movement, and rehabilitative exercise. Other works offer a variety of studies devoted to orthopedic surgery, muscle function, and sports medicine. Of special interest is Dr. Kendall's own work, Muscles, Testing and Function, published in English and eight foreign language editions.