Biographical Sketch: Martin Marc Cummings (1920- ) medical educator, physician, scientific administrator, and medical librarian, made significant contributions to medical informatics and librarianship. As Director of the National Library of Medicine from 1964 to 1984, he guided the Library into the age of technology while broadening its mission. n 1949 Cummings joined the U.S. Veterans Administration's Department of Medicine and Surgery. He served from 1949 to 1953 as Chief of the Tuberculosis Section and Director of the Tuberculosis Research Laboratory at the V.A.'s Lawson General in Chamblee, Georgia. In 1953 he became Director of Research Services at the V.A.'s Central Office in Washington, D.C., serving until 1959. n 1961 Cummings accepted the position of Chief of the Office of International Research at the National Institutes of Health serving until 1963. Over the next year he served as Associate Director for Research Grants before becoming the Director of the National Library of Medicine in 1964. As Director of the National Library of Medicine Cummings embraced technology to improve the services offered by the Library. He oversaw the improvement of MEDLARS and developed new programs such as the Extramural Programs, Regional Library Network, Specialized Information Services, and the Toxicology Program. In addition, Cummings focused on gaining authority and funds for a Research and Development program which culminated on May 22, 1980 with the dedication of the Lister Hill National Center for Biomedical Communications. Other successes include his involvement with the passage of the Medical Library Assistance Act of October 22, 1965 authorizing the Library to aid the nation's medical libraries in expanding their services to the health community.
From the description of National Library of Medicine (U.S.). Office of the Director, Martin M. Cummings papers 1944-1989. (National Library of Medicine). WorldCat record id: 69672811
