Subgroup 02: Committees of the Board of Trustees Records, 1892-1946
Scope and Contents
In 1887, the Newberry Library was started by Newberry estate trustees E. W. Blatchford and W. H. Bradley. On April 13, 1892, the Library was organized under Illinois law with a governing board of thirteen trustees, who met April 25, 1892, and formally accepted the Charter of Incorporation. The new Board took seriously its role as delineated in the Bylaws to administer the Library and oversee book selection. Originally elected for life, the self perpetuating Board met monthly. As Trustee involvement in daily library administration decreased, the Board met less frequently (quarterly by 1936). During the 1960s and 1970s Bylaws revisions codified the transfer of administrative responsibility from the Board of Trustees to the President and Librarian, increased the number of trustees to twenty five, limited terms to five years (renewable), set retirement ages, and changed the title of the President of the Board of Trustees to Chairman. Presidents and Chairmen of the Board include E. W. Blatchford (1892-1914), E. L. Ryerson (1914-1928), Horace S. Oakley (1928-1929), Alfred E. Hamill, (1929-1953), Everett D. Graff (1953-1964), Hermon Dunlap Smith (1964-1975), Edward F. Blettner (1975-1979), Chalkey J. Hambleton (1979-1982), Harold Byron Smith (1982-1988), Charles C. Haffner, (1988-2012).
Dates
- Creation: 1892-1946
Creator
- From the Collection: Newberry Library (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
The Newberry Library Archives are open for research in the Special Collections Reading Room; 1 box at a time (Priority III).
Unprocessed records are available by appointment only. Advance notice is necessary, particularly for administrative files, so that files may be screened for personnel records that are removed when records are processed.
Files containing personal or confidential information about individuals (including individual files on members of the Board of Trustees, individual donor files and records reporting the donations of an individual, personnel records, payroll records, and individual accepted fellows files) are closed for 30 years.
Extent
16.6 Linear Feet (7 boxes and 142 volumes)
Arrangement
Organized in 6 series: Committee on Administration (02/02/01), Committee on Books (02/02/02), Committee on Buildings (02/02/03), Building Committee (02/02/04), Committee on Investments and Finance (02/02/05), and Committee on Audit (02/02/06).
Repository Details
Part of the The Newberry Library - Modern Manuscripts and Archives Repository
60 West Walton Street
Chicago Illinois 60610 United States
312-255-3512
reference@newberry.org