• Patrons are asked to set up an appointment in advance of their visit.
• Patrons are required to register on their visit and to present a photographic identification.
• Patrons may bring paper, pencils and personal computers. Other such personal items such as briefcases, purses, and backpacks must be stored in the lockers provided. Hand-held scanners are not permitted.
• Eating, drinking, and smoking are not allowed in the research room.
• A staff member will speak with you about your research interest and will obtain material for you; patrons are not allowed to pull material. All material must be used in the research room and may not be removed for any reason. Patrons will be provided a limited amount of material at a time, and staff will monitor use of all material.
• Patrons should exercise the greatest of care in the use of materials by not marking, tearing, or otherwise damaging them. Material may not be leaned on, written on, folded, traced over, or handled in any way that may cause damage. Library patrons are required to use book cradles for fragile items.
• Always use a pencil when conducting research – pencils can be provided.
• Before leaving the research room, patrons should return all material to the staff.
• Patrons must read and complete a duplication request form before duplicating any materials.
• The staff will make all photocopies at the fees detailed below and will show patrons how to tag material for copying. Some items may not be copied based on their condition or other legal restrictions; the final determination in such cases rests with the staff. Copies may not always be available on the day requested.
  • Photocopies: $0.25 per page for UAB affiliates; $0.50 per page for non-UAB affiliates.
  • Photographs: Patrons are permitted to take photographs of materials for their own personal research use, as long as the images are not further distributed in violation of copyright law and/or published without completing the permission agreement process.
  • Digital Scans: $2.00 per page; no charge for UAB use [The library does not provide any warranty to the quality of the images produced. Decisions regarding the quantity of scans requested are at the discretion of staff.]
• Permission to publish images will require the completion of a separate permission agreement processed through the University’s legal office. Ask staff for details.
• All material used should be credited appropriately to the “Reynolds-Finley Historical Library, University of Alabama at Birmingham.” Proper citation forms can be provided for publication.
• In granting permission to use materials, the University of Alabama at Birmingham does not waive any proprietary rights in the material. The patron takes full responsibility for securing permission from the owner of the copyright or literary right in the event of publication. The patron also assumes responsibility for obeying any privacy or legal regulations regarding the use of the material.

Dr. Lawrence Reynolds (1889-1961), a native of Ozark, Alabama, formed the library's original collection. In his youth, Reynolds accompanied his father, a blind physician, on house calls, reading to him from various medical writings en route. This experience encouraged an early appreciation for both books and medicine. After receiving his B.S. degree from the University of Alabama in 1912, Reynolds attended medical school at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. In Baltimore, Dr. Reynolds began collecting books important to the history of medicine, a pursuit he continued throughout his life. Dr. Reynolds worked as a radiologist in Detroit, Michigan, until his death in 1961. Motivated by his roots in Alabama, Dr. Reynolds donated his valuable collection of about 5,000 volumes to the University of Alabama School of Medicine on February 2, 1958, and the Reynolds Historical Library officially opened. Since acquiring the collection, the Library has more than quadrupled in size.

On November 14, 2014, it was announced that a gift from Sara J. Finley and Randall W. Finley that honors their father, Dr. Wayne H. Finley, would form an endowment for the continued enhancement and expansion of the medical historical collections. In recognition of this significant gift, and of Dr. Finley's longstanding commitment to medical history at this university, the Reynolds Historical Library is renamed the Reynolds-Finley Historical Library, and the Reynolds Historical Lectureship is renamed the Reynolds-Finley Historical Lectureship. In particular, Dr. Wayne H. Finley, professor emeritus in the Department of Genetics at the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, is recognized for his contributions to the growth and development of the library’s collection as well as the lectureship in medical history.