The ordering of materials for the Newberry Library collections has been the responsibility of the Librarian (1887-1894); the Business Office (1894-1919); a separate order department (1919-1930, 1937-1958, 1962-1965); and the Technical Services Department and its predecessors (1931-1936, 1959-1962, 1965-present). William F. Poole, the Newberry's first Librarian, supervised ordering until his death in 1894. Noah Brooks and Jesse Moss, Financial Agents, handled ordering from 1894 to Nov. 12, 1919, when it was transferred, along with files dating from 1917, back to the Librarian who formed a Book Selection, Ordering and Receipt Department headed by Pierce Butler. From 1931-1936, the Technical Departments with Esther Paul as Head Order Librarian handled ordering. In 1937, Mabel Erler, Head Order Librarian since 1936, was made head of a separate Order Department which excluded book selection. From 1942-1959, Erler headed a department responsible for both ordering and book selection. Erler retired in 1965, when her department was merged in a newly created Processing Department (now Technical Services).

Includes booklists, accession and order records, order correspondence, book invoices and financial reports.