The School of Pharmacy traces its origin to the founding of the Maryland College of Pharmacy in 1841, yet there is no indication of a library at the school's founding. A library was, however, included in the design of the 1886 pharmacy building, and in 1891 the alumni association donated library cases and volumes to the collection. It is believed that some of the volumes from this early pharmacy collection are part of the current historical collection. Additional volumes were added in 1941 through a donation by Blanche A. Kach, wife of August Kach, Maryland College of Pharmacy Class of 1882.

The Pharmacy Collection contains influential pharmacy and medical texts, as well as dispensatories, pharmacopoeias, botanicals, and herbals from around the world. The volumes date from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries.

The Pharmacy Collection is open and growing through donations and transfers from the Library's circulating collection.

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A more detailed description of the collection and its holdings can be found in the Library’s Digital Archive.