University of Pennsylvania Library Staff Association records, 1946 - 1972

Format:

Other

Author/Creator:

University of Pennsylvania. Library Staff Association, creator.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Libraries.

Associations, institutions, etc.

Professional associations.

Library employees.

Work environment.

Genre:

Manuscripts, American -- 20th century.

Newsletters

Bylaws (administrative records)

Physical Description:

3 boxes (0.8 Linear Feet)

Place of Publication:

1946 - 1972

Biography/History:

The University of Pennsylvania Library Staff Association was founded with the objective to "encourage good fellowship among the members, to promote their general welfare, to further a broader understanding of the different departments and libraries, and to set up a program of activities for the stimulation of professional interest and growth" (By-laws). The consititution of the Staff Association is dated January 1946 and the first edtion of the by-laws is dated February 1951. There is evidence in the collection that the association organized communal coffee, hosted staff parties, and promoted staff projects for the library staff at Penn. The staff association no longer exists at Penn Libraries but other universities and colleges still have staff associations which focus on creating lines of communication between administration and staff, creating community, and addressing staff concerns about things like shared spaces.

Summary:

The University of Pennsylvania Library Staff Association records measures 0.8 linear feet and date from 1946 to 1972. The collection contains administrative documents from the association including meeting minutes, receipts, and by-laws. A large part of the collection is comprised of the Ivy Leaf newsletter that was put out by the association. The run of the Ivy Leaf in this collection begins in 1954 with the newsletter's fourth volume. When and how often the newsletter was published varied throughout the years. It changed from every month to every other month to seasonally. Three school years are completely missing, 1955/1956, 1956/1957, and 1957/1958. There may be a few other missing issues but it is sometimes unclear if there is a missing issue or if there never was one produced in the first place. The Ivy Leaf includes staff changes within the library, event reminders, and writings by staff about both work related projects and personal matters that they wanted to share with their coworkers. Part of this collection was in a binder that may have been used by a secretary or executive board member. The sections of the binder were split into folders that maintain the section title from the binder.

OCLC:

1477387177

Online:

Finding aid