ACRL News Issue (B) of College & Research Libraries


6 8 8 /C&RL News

P re v ie w  of the p a st: The A m erican  L ib ra ry  
A sso ciatio n  A rch iv e s
The University o f Illinois at Urbana-Cham- 
paign (UIUC) Archives is the major North 
American research center for the study of the 
history of librarianship. Central to these re­
sources is the ALA Archives, which contains 
nearly 2,000 cubic feet, or the equivalent of 
1,125 file drawers, of the official records, per­
sonal papers, and publications o f the Ameri­
can Library Association (ALA).

In addition, the UIUC Archives includes 
materials on librarianship with its holdings on 
the University of Illinois 
Library and the Gradu­
ate School of Library 
and Inform ation Sci­
ence. Complementing 
the strength of these re­
sources are other asso­
ciation archives: the 
American Association 
o f Law Libraries, the As­
so ciatio n  for Library 
and Inform ation Sci­
e n c e  Edu cation, the 
G e o scie n ce  Inform a­
tion Society, the Health 
Sciences Librarians of 
Illinois, and the Map 
and Geography Section 
o f the Special Libraries Miss J .  A. R athbone at the ALA C on feren ce

in  Colorado, 1 8 9 5 .Association.

A rchives ex p a n d
Last year the ALA Archives expanded by nearly 
70 cubic feet. Among the more important re­
cent accessions were the additions to the Ex­
ecutive Director, RASD, and ASCLA subject 
files; ALISE and GODORT files; and the 
Sanford Berman Papers. There are also six 
new records series: Public Information Office 
Photographs, the National Library Power Pro­
gram Files, RASD Occasional Papers and the 
Douglas M. Knight Papers, Lester Asheim 
travel diaries, and the Cargill/ALA Partners for 
Family Literacy Project Files.

ALA materials date from the first American 
library convention in 1853. They include for­
mal proceedings, reports, correspondence, 
subject files, financial records, publications,

papers, and scrapbooks. The University of 
Illinois Library and library school archives 
date from the school’s founding in 1893, 
and of special interest are course materials 
and alumni files dating from those early 
years.

The formats are numerous. Materials are 
in the form of manuscripts, typescripts, pho­
tographs, slides, filmstrips, motion pictures, 
videos, audio recordings, postcards, and 
posters. Major strengths include the activi­

tie s  o f SRRT, the 
W ashington O ffice, 
and the International 
Relations O ffice, as 
well as the histoiy of 
library education and 
cataloging.

Y o u r p ap ers a re  
w an te d
ALA members are in­
vited to contribute to 
the continued growth 
of this unique research 
collection. The UIUC 
Archives is interested 
in receiving publica­
tions, photograp hs, 

 p o s tc a rd s , s c r a p ­
books, personal pa­

pers, and the archives of other groups, associa­
tions, and organizations that deal with 
important aspects o f the history o f librari­
anship. For further information, please con­
tact the University o f Illinois archivist: Wil­
liam J. Maher, University of Illinois Archives, 
19 Main Library, MC-522, 1408 W. Gregory 
Dr., Urbana, IL 61801; phone: (217) 333- 
0 7 9 8 ; fa x : ( 2 1 7 )  3 3 3 - 2 8 6 8 ; e -m a il: 
illiarch@uiuc.edu.

For more information on the ALA Ar­
chives, you can examine a selection of ALA 
Archives holdings on the Internet through a 
connection on the ALA homepage or directly 
at the W orld W ide W eb URL: http:// 
www.library.uiuc.edu/archives.— E lizabeth  
R. C ard  m an. University o f  Illinois at U rbana- 
C h am p aig n

mailto:illiarch@uiuc.edu
http://www.library.uiuc.edu/archives.%e2%80%94Elizabeth