# 22) Mary Holmes - Recounting EMBL's establishment and becoming its first Librarian

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-european-molecular-biology-laboratory-embl-alumni-chats-series-7525543/22-mary-holmes-recounting-embl-s-establishment-and-becoming-its-first-librarian
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-european-molecular-biology-laboratory-embl-alumni-chats-series-7525543/22-mary-holmes-recounting-embl-s-establishment-and-becoming-its-first-librarian.md
Podcast: [The European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) Alumni Chats Series](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-european-molecular-biology-laboratory-embl-alumni-chats-series-7525543)
Published: 2026-05-07T23:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://rss.com/podcasts/the-european-molecular-biology-laboratory-embl-alumni-chats-series/2720981
Audio file: https://content.rss.com/episodes/350256/2720981/the-european-molecular-biology-laboratory-embl-alumni-chats-series/2026_04_10_16_14_53_32ab192c-eb28-44d9-8c7c-c69c0e1dc673.mp3
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Duration seconds: 1457

## Resource

Mary Holmes (EMBL's first librarian, 1974-1998) speaks with Thomas Vaccari (EMBL Predoctoral fellow, 1999-2004) about the establishment of EMBL, the early days of the Szilárd library and the technological advances witnessed in over 20 years. Mary reflects on the impact of her husband, Ken Holmes, and his role in leading EMBL's first site in Hamburg. Ken was awarded the Lennart Philipson Award in 2021 for outstanding contributions in translational research and technology innovation. This interview was recorded in July 2023 Alumni Chat contributors are members of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) community. The opinions expressed are their own and are not necessarily representative of the views of EMBL or any other party. The mere appearance of content on EMBL Alumni media accounts does not constitute an endorsement by EMBL. Production and Editing: EMBL Alumni Relations Content and Interviews: Angus Lamond and Thomas Vaccari Music: Eco Technology by Aleksey Chistilin from Pixabay T hanks to: EMBL Audiovisual and EMBL Design Sponsored by: EMBLEM © European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)

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