Description:

Galter Library is hosting the exhibit, Care & Custody: Past Responses to Mental Health, on loan from National Library of Medicine, February 9-March 21, 2026 in the library atrium. It explores the treatment of people with mental health conditions throughout history, especially in the United States, bringing to light the tension that has existed between care and custody. Physicians, advocates, families, and government agencies have all contributed to the shaping of mental health policies. Care and Custody examines this history to understand how the country has moved away from custodial forms of treatment, toward more inclusive approaches, and worked to protect the rights of people with mental health conditions.

Make sure to see the companion exhibit curated by Galter staff, Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back: The Continued Struggle to Treat Mental Illness in America, on display at in the Eckenhoff Reading Room February 9-July 31, 2026.