libraryheader-short.png

History

The Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library has served as a hub of research, information exchange, and learning for the CDC community since the establishment of the Communicable Disease Center in 1946. While it has gone through many transformations (including separate libraries housed within each campus location, to a centralized library on the Roybal campus connected to four branch locations throughout the United States), it remains a heavily used resource for CDC researchers, scientists, and public health professionals.

Legacy of Stephen B. Thacker, MD, MSc

Image of Stephen B. Thacker

On July 11, 2014, the Public Health Library and Information Center (PHLIC) was renamed the Stephen B. Thacker CDC Library to honor Dr. Thacker’s extraordinary legacy of leadership and 37 years of service at CDC. Dr. Thacker is widely recognized as a preeminent public health advisor, mentor, and important contributor to the field of epidemiology and public health science. He was a prolific writer who published more than 240 articles and books and served as an editor of scientific papers and journal supplements on a broad range of public health topics. Dr. Thacker was a retired Assistant Surgeon General in the U.S. Public Health Service who served with distinction in key CDC positions throughout his career. Dr. Thacker was a recent Director of the Office of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services, the previous organizational home of the PHLIC.

 

Organizationally, the CDC Library resides in the Office of Science (OS).