The U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), the world's largest medical library, is celebrating its 175th anniversary this year. A website has been created with links to anniversary events, a historical time line, and descriptions of the accomplishments of NLM. A component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NLM was established in 1836 as the library of the U.S. Army Surgeon General. To increase NLM's visibility and services there are international centers, while at a U.S. local and regional level, there is a system of regional libraries.

To medical libraries and librarians worldwide, NLM has served as a model and leader, and not just for its services and collections. Through NLM and its partnerships within NIH, in the publishing world, and others, NLM has initiated and collaborated on various projects and spearheaded the creation of many information resources and initiatives, such as PubMed (MEDLINE), PubMed Central, MedlinePlus, the disaster health information website, and many more.

Over the years, the Galter Health Sciences Library has received grants from NLM or its regional library (RML) for Region 3 and has hosted a traveling exhibit. Library staff have attended many training and update sessions, while several librarians have been recipients of fellowships. Attendees at the Medical Library Association's annual meeting in Minneapolis, MN (May 13-18) will join NLM staffers in celebrating the National Library of Medicine's 175th anniversary, one of many similar celebrations scheduled throughout the year.