Since the Library's founding, the Technical Services Department has undergone numerous restructurings. The functions of cataloguing, classification, ordering, and book selection have been configured independently and together. In 1892 three departments existed: Order and Accession; Cataloguing; and Classification and Reference. By 1915, with the conversion to a card catalogue, Accessions, Classification, Author Catalogue, and Recataloguing departments had been formed. Starting in 1919, two departments were created: Cataloguing and Classification, and Book Selection and Ordering. This division lasted until 1931, when a unified Technical Department was formed. Between 1937 and 1965, there were further splits and reunions, with book selection moving in and out of the ordering sphere. By 1965, the Department assumed its current shape, including cataloguing and classification, ordering, and serials, and excluding book selection.

Includes records of the Technical Services Department, its constituent sections, and predecessor divisions and departments.