Collection is open for research.
Bertha Brandon Hallam was born in Excelsior, Minnesota, in 1895. In 1912, she moved with her family to Portland, Oregon. In 1919, she became the first librarian at the University of Oregon Medical School, now known as Oregon Health & Science University. In 1931, she earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Oregon. She was a longtime member of the Medical Library Association, and was elected its president in 1956. She retired in 1965. Hallam died in 1982.
Sources: Vital records on Ancestry.com; information provided by Hallam in her oral history interview.
Oral history interview with Bertha B. Hallam, by Linda S. Dodds, SR 9444, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.
This oral history interview with Bertha B. Hallam was conducted by Linda S. Dodds in Portland, Oregon, in two sessions, on December 20, 1979, and January 3, 1980, as part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library's oral history program. A transcript is available. At the time of the interview, Dodds' name was Linda S. Brody.
In the first interview session, conducted on December 20, 1979, Hallam describes how she became the first librarian at the University of Oregon Medical School in 1919. She talks about the library building that was constructed in 1939, about her involvement with the Medical Library Association, and about articles she wrote.
In the second interview session, conducted on January 3, 1980, Hallam reflects on her accomplishments as a librarian. She closes the interview by talking about her retirement activities.
Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA,