Overseeing the collections
A large part of the Archives’ Library materials is comprised of the records and papers of the Library’s leadership and staff. These materials document the many roles played by these individuals at Harvard as well as in the wider scenes of American higher education and librarianship. These records are also an invaluable resource for the social history of Boston and Cambridge, documenting the many individuals who have worked at the Library. Of particular note, are the employment records’ documentation of women's entry into the field of librarianship.
Librarians and Directors
The papers and records of the Librarians and Directors of the late 19th and early/mid 20th centuries document a time of tremendous change to the Harvard Library. In step with the development of the University itself, these records reflect a dramatic growth in collections, the replacement of Gore Hall by Widener Library, and the professionalization of librarianship.
- John Langdon Sibley (Librarian, 1825-1877)
- Papers of John Langdon Sibley, 1802-1936. [Call number: HUG 1791.xx]
- Records of the Harvard College Library maintained by John Langdon Sibley. [Call number: UAIII 50.28.56]
- Sibley's library journal. [Call number: UAIII 50.28.56.2]
- Justin Winsor (Librarian of Harvard University, 1877-1897)
- William Coolidge Lane (Librarian of Harvard University, 1898-1928)
- Records of the Harvard College Library: William Coolidge Lane general files. [Call number: UAIII 50.8.10.2]
- Papers of William Coolidge Lane, 1887-1931. [Call number: HUG 1511.5510]
- William Coolidge Lane diary, 1900. in the Chest of 1900. [Call number: HUA 900.11, Box 2]
- NOTE: Lane’s contribution to the Chest of 1900 time capsule project was a diary in which he recorded his day-to-day work at the Library.
- Alfred Claghorn Potter (Librarian of Harvard University, 1928-1936)
- Archibald Cary Coolidge (Director of the Harvard University Library, 1910-1928)
- Robert Pierpont Blake (Director of the University Library, 1928-1937)
- Keyes Metcalf (Librarian of Harvard College and Director of the Harvard University Library, 1937-1955)
Library correspondence
The following are two large collections of correspondence produced by Harvard librarians and staff regarding the routine business of the Library including facility conditions, acquisitions, finances, reference services, borrowing privileges, and staff management.
Library employees
Employment and personnel information can be found in multiple places within the Library’s records, including the records of the Librarians and Directors listed above. (See, for example -- Staff file on women, 1898-1917. In: Records of the Harvard College Library: William Coolidge Lane general files. UAIII 50.8.10.2). Payroll records offer one centralized series in which employment information can be found. Please note that University records pertaining to individuals, including student and employee records, are closed for a minimum of 80 years.
- Library payroll, 1856-1899 [Call number: UAIII 50.15.115.2, Box 1]
- Library payroll, 1881-1905 [Call number: UAIII 50.15.115.3, Box 1]
- Library payroll cards, 1910-1924 [Call number: UAIII 50. 15.115.4, Boxes 1-2]
- Library payroll cards, 1920-1961 [Call number: UAIII 50.15.115.4.10, Boxes 1-14]