For International Women’s Day,  Holman Biotech Commons would like to recognize the University’s first medical librarian, Frances Roberts Houston.

Frances Roberts Houston (1892-1970) was the University’s first medical librarian for Perelman’s School of Medicine. Houston was the medical librarian for the university for 49 years (1918-1967), helping students with finding information and assisting with their research. In 1967, she was named the medical librarian emeritus. After retiring from the medical library, she continued to be part of Penn as an executive secretary of the University’s Medical Alumni Association. Frances “Frankie” Houston was the face of health sciences and medical librarianship at the University of Pennsylvania for half a decade.

Further Reading: The Legend of Frances Houston . (2017, December 20). The Pennsylvania Gazette. https://thepenngazette.com/the-legend-of-frances-houston/