The Library of the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy – Bucharest is an institution that stands out among the Romanian documentary structures both through its history – age, collections and personalities that were at its leadership and through the dimension of its activities that materialize in information services provided for an extended community of users that includes students, teaching staff, researchers, physicians.

Its beginnings are interweaving with those of the Romanian school of medicine. Thus, the library was established in 1857 simultaneously with the National School of Medicine and Pharmacy, a higher education institution which had as main aim to train medical staff for the army and the society needs. It was formed by the gathering of a few collections belonging to smaller libraries. In 1884 it had less than 1,000 volumes (39 in Romanian, 212 in Latin, 160 in French, 28 in Greek and 267 in German). In 1890, when the first catalogue of the library was printed, there were 4,726 volumes, 762 being periodicals.

In 1869, the National School of Medicine and Pharmacy turned into the Faculty of Medicine and the library moved in 1870 in the premises of the University of Bucharest and from there, in 1901, in the premises of the Faculty of Medicine where it functions even today.

Beginning with 1948, the Faculty of General Medicine has formed together with the Faculty of Dental Medicine and the Faculty of Pharmacy, the “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy – Bucharest.

The Honorary President of the University is Prof. dr. George Emil Palade, Nobel Prize winner (1974) who graduated from the Faculty of General Medicine in 1940.

Special collections:

Foreign Old Books (15th – 18th centuries) – includes manuscripts, Romanian books and foreign books. The only incunabula in the Library's collection, the most valuable by its age and rarity, is Koln edition, from 1481, of the medieval encyclopedia “Liber de propertybus rerum”, work of the English Franciscan monk Bartholomaeus (13th century), professor of theology in Paris and Magdeburg.

Carol Davila Collection,The founder of the National School of Medicine and Pharmacy – contains original documents concerning the activity of Carol Davila.

The history of Romanian and world medicine Collection – includes books, articles, brochures, papers presented at medical congresses, reference works in medicine, bibliophile editions.

Old and new medical atlases – editions of old atlases

Nicolae Constantin Paulescu Collection - Romanian physiologist, professor of medicine, and politician, most famous for his work on diabetes, including patenting pancreine (a pancreatic extract containing insulin) – contains books, documents, objects, photos, furniture, painting.

George Emil Palade Permanent Exhibition – includes over a hundred objects which, overall, constitute a valuable and unique collection at national level of awards granted for exceptional performances in medical scientific research: the gold-plated silver replica of the medal of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which George Emil Palade received in 1974 together with Albert Claude and Christian de Duve; the Albert Lasker Prize received in 1966 (nicknamed the "American Nobel"): the necklace and diploma of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences received in 1975; the diploma Foreign Member of the Royal Society received in 1984; The National Medal of Science diploma and medal awarded in 1986 by U.S. President Ronald Reagan; Schleiden Medal diploma by the German Academy of Naturalists Leopoldina in 1985; Passano Foundation Award diploma received in 1964; T. Duckett Jones Award diploma received in 1966; Louisa Gross Horwitz Award diploma received in 1970; Dickson Prize medal received in 1971; The American College of Physicians diploma and medal award received in 1979; the American Society of Electron Microscopy award received in 1980; The First Annual Raymond C. Truex Ph. D. Distinguished Lecturer received in 1980; the Medal of the Edmund B. Wilson Award received in 1981; the diploma of The Gairdner Foundation Special Award of Merit received in 1967; the diploma of The Samuel Weiner Distinguished Visitor Award received in 1979; the Special Lecture at The Annual Meeting of the Japanese Association of Anatomists received in 1966; The Lee Kuan Yew Distinguished Visitor Award received in 1988; The Golden Plate Award Medal received from the American Academy of Achievement in 1975; Cartwright Lectureship Medal received in 1985; The Hudson Hoagland Society Medal received in 1986; The Memorial Sloan Kettering Medal for Outstanding Contributions to Biomedical Research received in 1990

Library today:

• 22 international databases subscribed
• 1 virtual library application (OCLC license)
• 1 software for the management of library activities (Liberty5 - Softlink)
• anti-plagiarism software
• 40 computers
• 7 book scanners
• 71 branch libraries
• 608.386 printed publications
• 23.953 total registered users
• 2.719 new users registered in 2022
• virtual traffic in the library's resources in 2022: 1.465.868