It is highly possible that medicine could be practiced today without the aid of any medical literature other than that inThe Journal.1However, for a really high level of practice, advances in the field must be followed through many books and journals, and advice on puzzling cases and unusual diseases must be sought for in print. For all of these a medical library, like a spare tire on a car, is very comforting to have around, even though it is used only occasionally; like that spare tire, the medical library, when needed, is needed immediately. The physician, therefore, might well be concerned with the status of his local medical library. PRESENT STATUS OF MEDICAL LIBRARIES The number of medical libraries now in existence in the United States is not definitely known, but some 400 such libraries are members of the Medical Library Association, a professional organization international in