Preserving History, Amplifying Legacy

The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses (AACN) had long discussed preserving its historical archives, but the organization’s 50th anniversary provided the momentum to finally bring the idea to life. Now, AACN is partnering with the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Nursing to safeguard its records and make them accessible to researchers and others interested in the evolution of the nursing profession. 

As the largest specialty nursing association in the world, AACN has amassed an extensive collection of paper and digital documents, audio and visual recordings, and other assets that chronicle the development of critical care nursing. The collection stretches back to the organization’s founding as the American Association of Cardiovascular Nurses in 1969 and includes early seminar brochures, member scrapbooks, association awards and a gavel engraved with the initials of AACN’s past presidents—items that could easily be lost to time without intentional preservation. 

AACN is working with Penn Nursing’s Barbara Bates Center for the Study of the History of Nursing to preserve and steward the collection. It will be among the largest holdings housed at the center, which encompasses more than 3,000 linear feet of archival materials, supporting its mission to deepen understanding of nursing as a pathway to improving health and advancing health equity worldwide. 

Please select this link to read the complete article from Associations Now.