Dr. Lindberg to retire

Posted by Cathy Burroughs on November 7th, 2014 Posted in: News from NLM, News From NNLM PNR

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Pictured from left to right, Dr. Donald Lindberg witnesses the Semiahmoo blessing of NLM’s totem with Whatcom County Executive Pete Kremen and Chairman of the Lummi Nation Cliford Cultee in September of 2011.

Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg, Director of the National Library of Medicine (NLM) since 1984, has announced he will retire at the end of March 2015.

The Medical Library Association named Dr. Lindberg as an honorary member in Spring 2014, noting: “Health professionals, health information practitioners, and the general public have benefitted immeasurably from enhancements to the databases, products, and services developed at NLM under Lindberg’s exceptional leadership.”

This week, Dr. Francis Collins, Director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) issued a statement  (http://www.nih.gov/about/director/11062014_statement_lindberg.htm) about Dr. Lindberg’s innumerable contributions as NLM’s distinguished director.

As noted, his support and interest in expanding the scope of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM) has resulted in important partnerships with minority serving institutions, tribal and community-based organizations, and the public health community. As one example, NLM commissioned Master Carver Jewell Praying Wolf James, a member of the House of Tears Carvers of the Lummi Indian Nation, located in Bellingham, Washington, to carve a healing totem, which was transported on a truck across the United States, stopping for tribal blessings on reservations in 13 states.  Its permanent home is now at the NLM.  The totem was a dramatic focal point of the exhibition, Native Voices: Native People’s Concepts of Health and Illness, which opened to the public October 6, 2011, and will be traveling to each region of the NN/LM beginning in December.