Beginning in November, 1919, the responsibility for book ordering at the Newberry Library was transferred, along with current files, from the Business Office under Jesse Moss, to the Librarian, who created a Book Selection, Ordering, and Receipt Department to handle ordering transactions. Since 1919 ordering has been supervised by Pierce Butler, Esther Paul, Mabel Erler, and the Technical Services Librarian.

Correspondence (foldered, bound, letterpress) concerning the purchase of books, periodicals, etc., dating from 1917. Primarily correspondence with book dealers and bookshops, but also records of European buying trips (1949-1963) and memoranda (1952-1968) from Library book selectors including Bill Aydelotte, Hans Baron, Felix Borowski, Stanley Morison, Stanley Pargellis, and John Tedeschi.