The Penn Libraries and Penn Nursing are pleased to announce that Jessica Martucci, PhD, has been named Curator of the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, effective August 28, 2023.

Working closely with recently appointed University Archivist John Bence and colleagues in the Penn Libraries’ Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books, and Manuscripts, Martucci will guide the Bates Center’s teaching and research services, collection strategies, and exhibition programs, fostering engagement with the Center’s archives and bringing together students, faculty, and researchers from Penn and around the world. This inaugural role was created through a partnership between the Penn Libraries and Penn Nursing, driven by their mutual goal to support research and scholarship and advance knowledge in the history of nursing and healthcare.

You can read more about Martucci's new role at the Center here.

This past spring the National League for Nursing and the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing announced that the NLN Collection at the Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing, housed at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, has been expanded.

This extensive archive, which preserves the historical record of the National League for Nursing, the nation’s first nursing association, has been built with generous initial funding from the Philadelphia-based Independence Foundation and matching donations from the NLN Foundation for Nursing Education.

A selection of materials from the entire collection has been digitized by the archival staff at the Barbara Bates Center, under the leadership of Patricia D’Antonio, PhD, RN. Jessica Clark, archivist, led the digitization process. The NLN archive collection is now available to scholars and other stakeholders who study the history of nursing, nursing education, and accreditation of nursing programs that span the spectrum of higher education.

The NLN Collection tells the story of the League’s birth at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago and follows changes and expansion through the following 130 years as the leading voice of nursing education today in the preparation of an outstanding, caring, diverse, and culturally competent nursing workforce to serve the 21st century’s complex, dynamic, global health care environment.

The archival content, much of which may be accessed online as well as in-person at the Bates Center, includes reports and proceedings of annual conventions from 1894-1952; meeting minutes; correspondence detailing milestones and trends; biographical data of early leadership; books and other publications; and a detailed timeline of the League’s history. More than 150 videotapes produced by the League during the decades of the 1980s and ’90s capture keynote addresses and interviews with nursing leaders, as well as offer insights into public health care policies and nursing practice, among a range of topics.

Anyone interested in donating materials for the collection can email the Center at nhistory@nursing.upenn.edu. Fundraising also continues with donations to the NLN Foundation encouraged. For more information, visit NLN.org.

Applications will be available to view November 1, here. Please contact the Center at historyfellowships@nursing.upenn.edu if you have any questions regarding the application process.

During the academic year, the Bates Center hosts prominent scholars from around the globe to provide innovative historical and humanistic perspectives on contemporary issues in health care. The Barbara Bates Center is proud to announce the line-up for the spring 2024 hybrid seminar series:

All seminars will take place 4:00pm - 5:30pm, ET; as always, the seminar series is free and open to the public. More information regarding the seminars can be found here.

The Barbara Bates Center is pleased to announce its Martin Luther King Jr. Day event will be held on February 7, 2024, 12:00pm - 1:30pm.

The event will feature a screening of the WHYY program, Movers & Makers: The Story of Mercy-Douglass Hospital, along with a Q&A with program producer Karen Smyles and scholar Hafeeza Anchrum, PhD, RN.

More details will be available closer to the event, but for now please save the date.

The Barbara Bates Center recently participated in the Kislak Center’s New Acquisitions Showcase: Around the World and Back Again on October 4 at the Kislak Center Class of 1978 Orrery Pavilion. The Bates Center highlighted the recently acquired collection of Doris M. Donovan, a nurse anesthetist in the Army Nurse Corps and the Chief Nurse of the 109th Evacuation Hospital during World War II.

Summer is always a busy time for the Center. In addition to the many researchers who spent time in the Reading Room this summer, the Center also hosted a number of tours for high school students, alumni groups, and interested visitors.

Are you part of a group interested in visiting the Center for a tour? If so, email nhistory@nursing.upenn.edu to learn more.

The Barbara Bates Center offers a number of opportunities for individuals who wish to support Center activities. Individuals can contribute funds, donate personal papers, and volunteer time. Visit our website to learn about the many ways in which you can support the history of nursing.

Have comments, questions, or suggestions for what you would like to see in this newsletter? Email the Center at nhistory@nursing.upenn.edu or fill out our feedback form. Your input is important to us as we move forward.