For many years, the hospital’s early annual reports, a worn hardbound book, had been hiding in a cabinet in the Health Sciences Library for on-site consultation only. On the heels of the Herzl’s centennial exhibit, the JGH Archives just finished the digitization and rebinding of the whole volume which is now accessible to the public just a click away.
Spanning from 1936 to 1949, this series consists of 14 reports with the 1936 issue the first printed annual report of the JGH since its founding in 1934. It records the hospital’s financial performance, major operational activities and achievements, and provides a list of its staff and senior management team members. Readers will also find a section for the Women’s Auxiliary, which opens a window to its past and describes the different and creative ways the organization has helped raise funds for the benefit of the JGH and its patients. There is also a complete list of donors for each year, making it an invaluable resource for fundraising as well as a lasting tribute paid to those who helped found, grow and shape the hospital in its early years.
This is but one of many digital initiatives undertaken by the Archives aiming to provide the public with quick and easy access to the cultural and historical heritage of the JGH.
* The digitization was performed by the Library Technology Services of McGill University; initial assessment, outsourcing and post-processing tasks were handled by the JGH Archives.
