David Bishop, University Librarian and Associate Professor of the History of the Health Sciences, UCSF was a native of Newfoundland, Canada (naturalized in 1966). He graduated with a BA in Economics from Dalhousie University, Nova Scotia (1952) and a MSLS cum laude from Columbia University School of Library Service (1958).

Mr. Bishop had an outstanding career in biomedical librarianship, beginning with his appointment at the Los Angeles County Medical Association (LACMA) Library. In 1961 he went to the UCLA Biomedical Library, where he designed and acquired the collection for the new UCLA dental school, and as serials librarian he helped design one of the first batch-mode computer-based serials control systems in the country. In 1965 Mr. Bishop became the "founding librarian" for the new medical school at the University of Arizona in Tucson. where he planned both a library facility and the collection and services of a new academic health sciences library.

When David Bishop took the position of Medical Librarian at McGill University in Montreal (1971), his goal was the development of a Life Sciences Area Library from seven independent libraries. This accomplished, in late 1973 he returned to the U.S. as director of the Library of Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha. When he accepted the position of University Librarian at UCSF (1977), his top priorities were planning the new library facility with extended services, and working toward new computer-based systems for the UCSF Library in a UC-wide context. His work at UCSF included directing a statewide AHEC library program, extending online search training to UCSF faculty and staff, and working with the School of Medicine to introduce computer-based information systems into the medical curriculum.

The author of some two dozen articles or book chapters in the library literature, he served as the associate editor of the 4th edition of the official Handbook of Medical Library Practice for which he received the Medical Library Association's President's Award in 1989. He served on the MLA Board of Directors from 1971 to 1974 and presented the prestigious Janet Doe Lecture in 1976.

As a consultant to the National Library of Medicine in various areas 1968-87, he served eleven years as a selection consultant for Index Medicus.He was a member of the American Library Association, American Society for Information Sciences, Association of American Medical Colleges (personal member), Bay Area History of Medicine Club, Northern California and Nevada Medical Library Group, Society for the History of Technology, and University of California Press Associates.