In 1957, the government decided to build a first medical school outside Bangkok with the cooperation of the U.S. Government. The U.S. Government agreed to provide half of the construction costs, American professors for a period of six to eight years, educational materials, and funds for Thai physicians to study in the United States. The Thai Government provided the land for construction and architects for planning.

The purpose of building the rural medical school was to provide better medical care to the people in the northern part of Thailand, to raise the educational level of people, to provide preventive measures in public health to the rural people and to improve the local economy.

In 1958, a preclinical student for Chiang Mai Medical School was accepted under the University of Medical Sciences in Bangkok, it had 65 premedical students for its first class studied at Siriraj Medical School.

The Library was also firstly situated in the Medical Technology Building at the Siriraj Medical School. Under a non-professional librarian, Mrs. Nuanyai Panasamphol, who ordered medical textbooks and subscribed 65 journals and sending them to the new medical school in Chiang Mai by the suggestion of Miss Uthai Tuttiyapothi, Chief Librarian of Siriraj Medical School at that time. In 1960, the first class of medical students entered Chiang Mai Medical School and also, the Library was moved from Siriraj to the administrative building which is now the building near the Saundok Gate Square.

In 1961, the Library was moved to the first floor of the nursing dormitory, the T shape building which has the circle in front. The Library’s site was at the right side of the entrance, now they are the nursing students recreation room. It was temporarily situated until the Seven Storeyed Building was built in 1972. During 1962-1970, the Library was much improved and received grants and assistantships from both the Illinois Medical Project Aid and the China Medical Board of New York. Textbooks and back issues of journal's titles were bought and found toward 1950. Moreover, the first and the second librarian of this Library (Mrs. Suparp Suchinda and Mrs. Ratchanee Vinijchaikul) were also granted to study the master degree at Emory University. Miss Wilma Troxel, an American professor in librarianship from the University of Chicago supported by the Illinois Medical Project Aid to Chiang Mai, was sent and had spent her 4 months during November 1964 – February 1965 giving suggestion in arranging the collection and improving the services.

In June 1972, the Library was moved to the first floor of the Seven Storeyed Building of the Faculty which in near the Dean’s Office and totally air conditioned; it had been very convenient for user’s accessibility. The reading room space was about 442 square meters separated from the working room which was about 332 square meters. The Library provided comfortable 100 reading seats and necessary books in medical field and its allied sciences. It had 25,000 volumes of general circulated, reference and reserved books in English, 10% in Thai. The section of periodicals consisted of 550 subscribed current English titles and 70 subscribed current Thai periodicals. All books and journals including bound journals were shelved on open stacks and were available to readers. In 1975, Mrs. Ratchanee Vinijchaikul has resigned and Mrs. Suchada Chotikanont has returned from the United States and in nominated by Dr. Charn Satapanakul, Dean of the Faculty at that time to be head librarian instead. The Library, since then, started to gain more and more recognitions of its services duringthis period.

According to the Fifth National Development Plan (1982-1986), chief librarian had proposed the Library Development Project in 1979 and was granted a nine storeyed building, the premedical science students’ lecture rooms also included. This nine storeyed building was built up in 1984 and was finished in September 1986. The Library site is from the fifth to the eighth floor and has about 5,000 square metres. The Library was moved to the new site and opened rendering its services on October 1, 1986.

Directory of Chief Librarians of The Library, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University.

Assoc. Prof. Suparp Suchinda

Mrs. Ratchanee Vinijchaikul

Mrs. Suchada Chotikanont

Mrs. Ousanee Tharavichitkul

Ms. Kanyamas Saiprasert

Mrs. Paichit Leeungurasatien

Mrs. Chompunuch Saravudecha

Mrs. Peangkobfah Punyaphet