Please visit the Melvin Sabshin, M.D. Library and Archives virtually or in Washington, D.C., to learn about the history of Psychiatric News in a new exhibit commemorating 60 years of the publication.
In addition to being a transformative decade for the United States, the 1960s were a time of accelerated momentum for the American Psychiatric Association. The APA’s Library expanded from a single room to an official Museum and Library in 1966, shortly after the Association’s member news service transitioned from a simple “mail pouch” to the pilot issue of Psychiatric News in September 1965. Decades later, Psychiatric News and the Library and Archives have become institutions of the APA. The two continue to serve the field, working hand in hand to preserve the history of the APA while adapting to technological developments and educating members on the latest scientific information in psychiatry. Hardbound copies of every issue of Psychiatric News ever published are stored in the Archives.
The Library and Archives serve as a resource not only for researchers within the U.S., but globally. Mia Pohtola, Ph.D., a recent doctoral graduate of the University of Helsinki, relied upon the Library and Archives for the primary source materials that informed her dissertation. “The APA has a lot of important history in the Archives that cannot be found elsewhere,” said Dr. Pohtola, whose thesis explored the evolution of the professional identity of American psychiatry between the mid-19th century and the present.
“As a historian, I valued having open access to the digitized Psychiatric News issues, which allowed me to analyze and highlight the Association’s central role and importance in American psychiatry,” said Dr. Pohtola. “Psychiatric News was absolutely one of my main sources, serving a different purpose than the American Journal of Psychiatry. It reported broader newsworthy developments affecting psychiatry – from politics and media to culture and pressing professional issues.” During unprecedented events over the decades – from 9/11 to the COVID-19 pandemic – Psychiatric News continued to be published on schedule, offering timely information to the APA membership when they needed it most and maintaining a record of consistency and high quality.
Artifacts and former APA leaders affiliated with the Library and Archives are highlighted in a monthly Psychiatric News column, but long before that, a column titled “History Notes” served a similar purpose. The column was popular among readers, spurring many members to share their memories through letters to the editor, and was written on a volunteer basis for over 30 years by Lucy D. Ozarin, M.D., M.P.H., who is featured in the Psychiatric News exhibit. Other featured APA members in the exhibit include current and former editors-in-chief of Psychiatric News: Adrian Preda, M.D., Jeffrey Borenstein, M.D., Carolyn Robinowitz, M.D., and James Krajeski, M.D.
Former Executive Editor Cathy Brown, who dedicated over 40 years of her professional life to Psychiatric News, remembers her team’s reciprocal relationship with the Library and Archives staff fondly. “Back in the pre-digital age, the staff of the Library and Archives were very important to our work because they would have on hand or obtain journal articles we wanted to report on and to fact check articles before publication,” said Brown.
“Today, Deena herself is an important resource,” said Brown of Deena Gorland, M.S.L.I.S., associate director of the Library and Archives since 2018. “She gave us story ideas and worked with reporters to spread the word about important documents donated to the library. Without Deena, Psych News would have never been digitized and posted on our website, which made psychiatry’s and APA’s rich history from the mid-1960s on available to researchers, students, the public—anyone—at no cost.”
To chart a course for the future wisely, we must reflect on where we’ve been. The joint work of Psychiatric News and the Library and Archives over the past six decades provides us with the roadmap we need to continue leading the field of psychiatry at home in the U.S. and around the world. Visit the library exhibit online or in person today at APA’s headquarters in Washington, D.C.!