Library exhibit celebrates 50 years of CONHI
Head up to the sixth floor of The University of Texas at Arlington’s Central Library to travel through time and view the evolution of nursing firsthand.
In honor of the College of Nursing and Health Innovation’s (CONHI) 50TH anniversary, Special Collections is hosting the new exhibit, A Tribute to Nurses: UTA and Beyond. It is on display now and open for visitors from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday through Sept. 15.
The exhibit offers a holistic view of CONHI, which has roots dating to 1890, alongside the history of the nursing profession in Tarrant County, said Michael Barera, university and labor archivist at UTA Libraries.
Along with themed photo displays, visitors will get a look at the tools nurses had at their disposal, including uniforms, medication and instruments spanning the decades. One artifact is a sealed can of U.S. government-issued drinking water from around 1950. Nearly all the artifacts are on loan from the personal collection of Christine Roberts, clinical assistant professor in CONHI.
“Seeing these artifacts makes me thankful for how far we have come as a profession, and I’m very appreciative of where we are now,” Roberts said.
A Tribute to Nurses was two years in the making. The exhibit was first scheduled for spring 2020 to coincide with the World Health Organization’s designation as the International Year of the Nurse and Midwife. After COVID-19-related delays, the display is now open and dedicated to all nurses who have been serving on the pandemic’s front lines.
“As we have all learned during the pandemic, nurses are incredibly important,” Barera said. “It’s really important to celebrate them and recognize what they do. This exhibit is a great way to reflect on the history of the profession and see its evolution.”
Many of the images on display can also be viewed online through the UTA Libraries Digital Gallery, which contains over 90,000 images from Special Collections.
“This collection highlights the connection that current nursing students have to the history of nursing, particularly at UTA,” said Alexandra Pirkle, editorial services coordinator with UTA Libraries. “They are part of a legacy of nursing that comes from being a Maverick.”