Subgroup 01: Office of the Reader Services Librarian, 1890-1984
Scope and Contents
In 1916 the Public Services (Reference) Division was created consisting of the Main Reading Room, Department of History and Genealogy, Edward E. Ayer Collection, and Exhibition Room. Between 1916 and 1961 five librarians administered the Division: Gerald M. W. Teyen (1916-1919), William S. Merrill (1919-1928), Edwin E. Willoughby (1929-1930), John T. Windle (1931-1948), and Ben C. Bowman (1949-1962). In 1962 the Division of Public Services was disbanded and the head of each reading room reported directly to the Librarian (later to the Associate Librarian). In 1986 the Office of the Reader Services Librarian was formed under Cynthia H. Peters (1986-1989) and Hjordis Halvorson (1989).
Includes memoranda, collection inventories, service schedules, departmental and reading room reports, and statistics relating to the operations of the Reader Services Department and its predecessor units. There are also working papers and reports created by the Public Services Self Study group (1983-1984) in anticipation of the Library's renovation.
Dates
- Creation: 1890-1984
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
6 Linear Feet
Arrangement
Organized in three series: Reader Services Librarian's Administrative Files (11/01/01), Reports and Statistics (11/01/20), and Public Services Self Study Project Files (11/01/60).
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