“Health in the Time of Marcel Proust,” currently on exhibit in the Dennis G. Pappas Historical Collections Gallery in Lister Hill Library, can now be explored virtually through a partnership between the Historical Collections and Digital Services departments in UAB Libraries.
Viewers can walk virtually step by step through the exhibit, which chronicles the story of health and medicine in late 19th and early 20th centuries and its connections to celebrated French novelist Marcel Proust.
To begin exploring the virtual exhibit, users click the lock symbol on the gallery doors, then click and drag their mouse to rotate their view of the exhibit. Users also can click through interactive versions of each display case and kiosk, using the scroll function on their mouse to zoom in and out.
“UAB reach is global, and it’s important for us to provide opportunities for online students, alumni, and other folks who aren’t local to Birmingham to experience this great exhibit,” said Jason Byrd, associate dean for Historical Collections.
The Pappas Gallery is the exhibition home to the Alabama Museum of the Health Sciences, the Reynolds-Finley Historical Library, and the UAB Archives, and “Health in the Time of Marcel Proust” features items from each of their collections — from World War I nursing uniforms, to letters written from inside the warzone itself, to a first edition of the first volume of Proust’s most famous work, “In Search of Lost Time.”
“We’re glad to be able to leverage our expertise in providing digital access to materials to work with Historical Collections to bring this exhibit into a virtual space,” said Aaron Pahl, digital curation librarian for Digital Services.
“Health in the Time of Marcel Proust” will close in August 2026; the virtual walkthrough will remain available for users to explore.
The Pappas Gallery, located on the second floor of Lister Hill Library, is free and open to the public noon-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.
Take the virtual tour!
See "Health in the Time of Marcel Proust" in this virtual 360-degree tour created by the Historical Collections and Digital Services teams in UAB Libraries.