Guide to the Grolier Club Library Committee Records
Title:
RG4, Series I, Subseries A: Records of the Grolier Club Library Committee
OCLC/RLIN No. (Unique ID):
NYGG05-A10006 / OCLC 78682139
Dates:
1887-[ongoing]
Bulk Dates:
1905-2004
Extent:
10 boxes; 5 linear feet
Abstract:
This collection consists of the records of the Library Committee, including reports from the Librarian, reports to the Council, meeting agenda and minutes, and correspondence relating to the activities and projects undertaken by the Committee.
Access Restrictions:
Access restricted for 10 years after date of material creation. Some exceptions may apply; please contact the Librarian for approval. Copyright restrictions may apply; please contact repository for requests for copying and for authorization to publish, quote, or reproduce the materials.
Preferred Citation:
[Description and date of item], [Box/folder number], Grolier Club Records of the Library Committee, 1887-[ongoing], The Grolier Club of New York.
About the Finding Aid:
This finding aid was prepared by Sophia Dahab in Microsoft Word at the Grolier Club, November 2015.
Provenance:
These materials were generated by the Grolier Club Librarian, members and chairs of the Library Committee, and associated parties during the regular course of activities and operations of the Grolier Club.
Access Points:
Adams, Frederick B. (Frederick Baldwin), 1910.
Austin, Gabriel.
Bender, J. Terry (John Terry).
Cahoon, Herbert. 1918-2000
Davidson, Alexander, d. 1967.
Filby, P. William (Percy William), 1911-2002-
Granniss, Ruth Shepard, 1874-1954.
Hinman, Charlton.
Haber, Louis I.
Horton, Carolyn.
Lada-Mocarski, Valerian.
Lawrence, Richard Hoe.
Scheide, William H., 1914-2014
Wilmerding, Lucius
Grolier Club.
Grolier Club. Library.
Grolier Club. Endowments.
Subjects
Archives. New York (State). New York.
Book collector. Societies, etc. New York (State). New York.
Genres
Minutes. New York (State). New York.
Reports. New York (State). New York.
Scrapbooks. New York (State). New York. 20th century.
Related Collections at the Grolier Club:
Grolier Club Presidential Papers
Grolier Club Records of the Librarian/Executive Director
Grolier Club Records of the Librarian
Grolier Club Records of the Curator
Grolier Club House Committee Records
Biographical/Historical Note:
The Grolier Club was established on January 23, 1884 by a group of nine prominent New York City book and graphic art enthusiasts with the object, as stated its constitution, “to foster the study, collecting, and appreciation of books and works on paper, their art, history, production, and commerce.”[1] As an institution devoted to the history of the book and the book arts, the creation and maintenance of a library was, from the very beginning, of priority. Initially a modest cooperative reference library for use exclusively by members, the library quickly grew into something much greater and larger. Presently, the Grolier Club library boasts more than 100,000 volumes on the history and art of the book, and is home to one of the largest collections of auction and bookdealer catalogs.
The Library Committee was first organized in 1886 to oversee the maintenance and activities of the fledgling – but flourishing – library. At the time, there was no professional librarian employed, and decisions were made by the Honorary Librarian and the Library Committee. The committee disbanded from 1893 until 1903, when it was reestablished, possibly in conjunction with the appointment of the Club’s first Librarian, Henry Watson Kent.
As defined in the Grolier Club constitution the Library Committee,
Working through the Director or the Librarian, the Library Committee shall have oversight of:
(a) the purchase or acquisition, by gift or otherwise, of books, papers, and manuscripts, and for their proper safe-keeping, arrangement, classification, maintenance and repair, and for the proper use of the Library by members and nonmembers who are scholars in fields covered by the Library.
(b) a periodic review of the contents of the Library, and shall arrange for the sale or other disposition of books or other material which it has determined to be surplus or not related to the specialized purposes of the Library, and it shall apply proceeds of sale of any such material to the purchase of other books or in some other manner which in its judgment will most effectively enhance the usefulness of the Library.
(c) programs designed to further the objectives of the Library, including the following:
i) It shall coordinate The Grolier Club Library’s activities with those of other scholarly libraries (to the extent that this may be beneficial and appropriate) to ensure effective application of available scholarly resources, and to make sure that the facilities of the Library are widely known among scholars who might make use of them.
ii) It shall sponsor occasional publications of scholarly works within its specialized fields of interest, and the arrangements for such publications shall, in general, be carried out under the supervision of the Committee on Publications.
iii) It shall sponsor occasional exhibitions designed to illustrate its special fields of interest and to enhance public awareness of the subject matter of the exhibition, and the arrangements for such exhibitions shall, in general, be carried out under the supervision of the Committee on Public Exhibitions or the Committee on Members’ Exhibitions.[2]
Scope and Content Note:
Collection contains materials relating to the activities of the Grolier Club Library Committee, including reports from the Librarian, reports to the Grolier Club Council, minutes, agendas, and correspondence relating to the activities and projects undertaken by the committee. Annual and monthly reports are included, as well as the minutes and agendas of biannual Library Committee meetings. Minutes and reports not present for all years. Annual reports of the Committee are published in the Yearbook of the Grolier Club..
Includes reports and other material created by Librarians, Beverly Chew (1887-1892), Richard Hoe Lawrence (1892-1903), Henry Watson Kent (1903-1905), Ruth S. Granniss (1905-1944), George L. McKay (1944-1958), Alexander Davidson Jr. (1958-1961), J. Terry Bender (1961-1965), Gabriel Austin (1965-1969), Robert Nikirk (1970-1990), J. Fernando Peña (2004-2011), and Meghan Constantinou (2011-). Also: correspondence and other material created by Library Committee chairs Lucius I. Wilmerding (1932-1946), Frederick B. Adams (1951-1954), Valerian Lada-Mocarski (1954-1961), Herbert T.F. Cahoon (1961-1970), and William H. Scheide (1978-1984).
Collection also contains one scrapbook of material relating to Library Committee activities from 1914 to 1917, including the Clubhouse relocation in 1917; correspondence regarding the Hinman Collator; extensive reports and correspondence from bookbinder Carolyn Horton documenting her work on the repair and restoration of the Library collections between 1960 and 1962; documentation on the sale of incunabula to Goodspeed's in 1968; and correspondence between P.W. Filby and various Committee chairs regarding work on the Archives of the Club (ca. 1975-1982)..
Arrangement Note:
All items are arranged chronologically.
List of Librarians and Library Committee Chairs:
Grolier Club Librarians/Directors
1884-1887 A.W. Drake
1887-1892 Beverly Chew
1892-1903 Richard Hoe Lawrence
1903-1905 Henry Watson Kent
1905-1944 Ruth Shepard Granniss
1944-1958 George Leslie McKay
1958-1961 Alexander Davidson, Jr.
1961-1964 J. Terry Bender
1964-1969 Gabriel Austin
1969-1970 Harvey Simmonds
1970-1990 Robert Nikirk
1991-1997 Martin Antonetti
1997- Eric J. Holzenberg (thereafter exclusively Director)
Grolier Club Librarians
2004-2011 J. Fernando Peña
2011- Meghan Read Constantinou
Grolier Club Library Committee Chairs
1903-1904 Samuel Putnam Avery
1905-1906 Bowen Whiting Pierson
1906-1907 Richard Hoe Lawrence
1907-1908 William R. Havemeyer
1908-1909 Richard Hoe Lawrence
1909-1910 Howard Mansfield
1910-1912 E. G. Kennedy
1912-1914 William R. Havemeyer
1914-1920 Howard Mansfield
1920-1923 Arthur H. Scribner
1923-1927 Louis I. Haber
1927-1930 Sherman P. Haight
1930-1932 William B. Osgood Field
1932-1946 Lucius Wilmerding
1946-1947 Thomas W. Streeter
1947-1950 Douglas M. Moffat
1950-1951 Arthur A. Houghton, Jr.
1951-1954 Frederick B. Adams, Jr.
1954-1961 Valerian Lada-Mocarski
1961-1970 Herbert T. F. Cahoon
1970-1972 John R. B. Brett-Smith
1972 Richard E. Priest
1974-1976 James H. Heineman
1976-1978 Gordon N. Ray
1978-1984 William H. Scheide
1985 G. Thomas Tanselle
1986 Gordon N. Ray
1987-1991 William Bond Walker
1992 William L. Joyce
1993-1997 Thomas Peter Kraus
1998-2000 Donald Oresman
2001-2005 William H. Helfand
2006-2010 Eugene Flamm
2010-2012 Mark D. Tomasko
2013-2017 Barbara Shailor
2017- William P. Stoneman
Container List:
|
Box
|
Folder
|
Contents
|
Date
|
|
10
|
1
|
B. Chew Reports & Correspondence
|
1887-1892
|
|
10
|
2
|
R.H. Lawrence Reports
|
1893-1896
|
|
10
|
3
|
R.H. Lawrence Reports
|
1897-1900
|
|
10
|
4
|
H.W. Kent Reports & Accession Lists
|
1901
|
|
10
|
5
|
H.W. Kent Reports & Accession Lists
|
1902
|
|
10
|
6
|
H.W. Kent Reports & Accession Lists
|
1903
|
|
10
|
7
|
H.W. Kent Reports & Accession Lists
|
1904
|
|
10
|
8
|
H.W. Kent Reports
|
1905
|
|
Box
|
Folder
|
Contents
|
Date
|
|
1
|
1
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1905
|
|
1
|
2
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1906
|
|
1
|
3
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1907
|
|
1
|
4
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1908
|
|
1
|
5
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1909
|
|
1
|
6
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1910
|
|
1
|
7
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1911
|
|
1
|
8
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1912
|
|
1
|
9
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1913
|
|
1
|
10
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1914
|
|
1
|
11
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1915
|
|
1
|
12
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1916
|
|
1
|
13
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1917
|
|
1
|
14
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1918
|
|
1
|
15
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1919
|
|
2
|
1
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1920
|
|
2
|
2
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1921
|
|
2
|
3
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1922
|
|
2
|
4
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1923
|
|
2
|
5
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1924
|
|
2
|
6
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1925
|
|
2
|
7
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1926
|
|
2
|
8
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1927
|
|
2
|
9
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1928
|
|
2
|
10
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1929
|
|
2
|
11
|
Call for Donations
|
192-?
|
|
3
|
1
|
Scrapbook containing many duplicates of reports, other correspondence, and some material relating to the move to the new Clubhouse in 1917. 34 cm. FRAGILE
|
1914-1917
|
|
4
|
1
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1930
|
|
4
|
2
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1931
|
|
4
|
3
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1932
|
|
4
|
4
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1933
|
|
4
|
5
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1934
|
|
4
|
5a
|
GC 50th Anniversary
|
1934
|
|
4
|
6
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1935
|
|
4
|
7
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1936
|
|
4
|
8
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1937
|
|
4
|
9
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1938
|
|
4
|
10
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1939
|
|
4
|
11
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1940
|
|
5
|
1
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1941
|
|
5
|
2
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1942
|
|
5
|
3
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1943
|
|
5
|
4
|
R.S. Granniss Reports & Correspondence
|
1944
|
*Reports in folder 5 were separated from the Grolier Club Records of the Librarian/Executive Director collection; duplicate copies of some reports can still be found in that collection.
|
Box
|
Folder
|
Contents
|
Date
|
|
5
|
5
|
G.L. McKay Reports
|
1944-1957
|
|
5
|
6
|
G.L. McKay Correspondence
|
1945-1957
|
|
5
|
7
|
Correspondence (H. Horblitt & F. Adams)
|
1953
|
|
5
|
8
|
McKay/A. Davidson Correspondence
|
1958
|
|
5
|
9
|
Reports & Correspondence
|
1959
|
|
5
|
10
|
Library Rehabilitation Conservation Project (C. Horton Reports and Bills)
|
1959-1961
|
|
5
|
11
|
Reports & Correspondence
|
1960
|
|
5
|
12
|
Reports & Correspondence (including Library Rehabilitation Conservation Project)
|
1961
|
|
5
|
13
|
Reports & Correspondence
|
1962
|
|
5
|
14
|
Library Rehabilitation Conservation Project (C. Horton Reports & Bills)
|
1962-1963
|
|
5
|
15
|
Reports & Correspondence
|
1963
|
|
5
|
16
|
Correspondence re Hinman Collating Machine**
|
1963-1969
|
|
5
|
17
|
Reports & Correspondence (including re Bowyer Ledgers)
|
1964
|
|
5
|
18
|
Reports & Correspondence
|
1965
|
** Charlton Hinman, a textual scholar of Shakespeare, created a machine that assisted in the collation of early printed books.
|
Box
|
Folder
|
Contents
|
Date
|
|
6
|
1
|
Reports & Correspondence
|
1966
|
|
6
|
2
|
Reports & Correspondence
|
1967
|
|
6
|
3
|
Sub-Committee on Disposals
|
1967-1971
|
|
6
|
4
|
Correspondence & Reports
|
1968
|
|
6
|
5
|
Incunabula Sale to Goodspeed’s
|
1968
|
|
6
|
6
|
Reports & Correspondence
|
1969
|
|
6
|
7
|
Sub-Committee on Development of the Library (1 of 2)***
|
1969-1970
|
|
6
|
8
|
Sub-Committee on Development of the Library (2 of 2)
|
1969-1970
|
|
6
|
9
|
Library Policies, Manuals, and other Usage Guides
|
1960s
|
*** The Sub-Committees' mission was to formulate a policy for the Library’s future growth. Material includes analysis of shelf space and report of the Sub-Committee on the Impact of the Tax Reform Act of 1969.
|
Box
|
Folder
|
Contents
|
Date
|
|
7
|
1
|
Reports & Correspondence (incomplete)
|
1970-1978
|
|
7
|
2
|
Sotheby and Swann Appraisals and Sales; Kebabian Mss Appraisal
|
1971-1979
|
|
7
|
3
|
Archives Project; correspondence with P.W. Filby
|
1974-1982
|
|
7
|
4
|
Guide to the Location of Materials (Draft)
|
1978
|
|
7
|
5
|
“A Proposal for the Catalog Collection on the Fourth Floor”
|
1978
|
|
7
|
6
|
Reports & Correspondence
|
1984-1987
|
|
7
|
7
|
Reports & Correspondence
|
1990-1992
|
|
7
|
8
|
Reports & Correspondence
|
1993-1996
|
|
7
|
9
|
Reports
|
1994-1996
|
|
7
|
10
|
Reports
|
1997-1998
|
|
7
|
11
|
Reports
|
1999-2000
|
The materials in box 8 were donated to the Grolier Club by William Helfand in 2012. Originally combined with Helfand’s papers relating to his duties as Club President, the collection was separated. Other Helfand materials can be found it the Grolier Club Presidential Papers.
Biographical Note:
A member of The Grolier Club for over 30 years, William H. Helfand is one of the foremost collectors of medical ephemera in the world. His collections of posters, postcards, and other ephemera are held at many distinguished institutions, including the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the National Library of Medicine, and the New York Academy of Medicine, among others. With degrees in Chemical Engineering and Pharmacy, Helfand enjoyed a long career with Merck & Co., retiring in 1987. Helfand has published a number of books and articles on the history of pharmacy and on prints, caricatures, posters and ephemera relating to the history of pharmacy and medicine and has won numerous awards related to this writing. Helfand has served as a consultant for a variety of institutions including the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the National Library of Medicine. His collections have been featured in a variety of prominent exhibits, including the 2002 Grolier Club exhibit: Quack, Quack, Quack: The Sellers of Nostrums in Prints, Posters, Ephemera and Books. He has been a member of the Grolier Club since 1978. In that time, he has served on the Library Committee (1998-2005), serving as Chair from 2001-2005. He also served on the Publications Committee (1993-1995), the Prints, Drawings, and Photographs Committee (1995-2005), as well as the 125th Anniversary Committee (2008-2009), and the Grolier Club Council (2002-2011). He served as President of the Club from 2006-2010. He lives in New York City.
Container List:
|
Box
|
Folder
|
Contents
|
Date
|
|
8
|
1
|
Preservation Surveys
|
1987, 1995
|
|
8
|
2
|
Grolier Club Print Collection
|
1996-1998
|
|
8
|
3
|
Library Committee Meeting Minutes
|
1998-2006
|
|
8
|
4
|
Library Committee Miscellany
|
1999
|
|
8
|
5
|
Library Committee – Norman Lecture
|
1999
|
|
8
|
6
|
Library Committee Correspondence
|
2000-2005
|
|
8
|
7
|
Library Committee – Policies
|
2001
|
|
8
|
8
|
Library Committee – To Do
|
2001
|
|
8
|
9
|
Conservation Program at Grolier Club
|
2001
|
|
8
|
10
|
Correspondence – Out of Scope Books
|
2001
|
|
8
|
11
|
Library Committee – Members
|
2001-2002
|
|
8
|
12
|
Library Committee - Agendas
|
2001-2002
|
|
8
|
13
|
Library Committee Files – Minutes
|
2001-2004
|
|
8
|
14
|
Grolier Club Library Benefit
|
2002
|
|
8
|
15
|
Folger Shakespeare Library: Shakespeare and Love
|
2002
|
|
8
|
16
|
Center for the Study of the History of Nursing – Conservation Survey Grant Application
|
2002
|
|
8
|
17
|
Clippings
|
2002
|
|
8
|
18
|
Adopt-a-Book
|
2002-2004
|
|
8
|
19
|
Online Catalog Announcement
|
2003
|
|
8
|
20
|
Library Committee – Circulating Library
|
2003
|
|
8
|
21
|
Space Planning
|
2004
|
|
8
|
22
|
Archives Committee
|
2004
|
|
8
|
23
|
Draft of Library Strategic Plan
|
September 27, 2004
|
|
8
|
24
|
Grolier Club Library Report
|
2004-2005
|
|
8
|
25
|
Financial Information
|
2004-2006
|
|
8
|
26
|
“Club Le Grolier de New York” par Jennifer Deschamps, La Revue
|
[2006?]
|
|
8
|
27
|
Business Cards
|
Undated
|
Items in this box 9, with the exception of folder 12, were pulled from a file cabinet in the Grolier Club library maintained primarily by Librarian J. Fernando Pena. Folder 12 received from Meghan Constantinou in 2016
|
Box
|
Folder
|
Contents
|
Date
|
|
9
|
1
|
[Minutes and Reports]
|
1998
|
|
9
|
2
|
[Minutes and Reports]
|
1999
|
|
9
|
3
|
[Minutes and Reports]
|
2000
|
|
9
|
4
|
[Reports]
|
2001
|
|
9
|
5
|
[Reports]
|
2002
|
|
9
|
6
|
[Reports]
|
2003
|
|
9
|
7
|
[Reports]
|
2004
|
|
9
|
8
|
[Reports]
|
2005
|
|
9
|
9
|
[Reports and Agenda]
|
2006
|
|
9
|
10
|
[2007 Annual Report]
|
2007
|
|
9
|
11
|
[Reports]
|
2011
|
|
9
|
12
|
[Agenda – incomplete]
|
2011-2014
|
Digital Files:
Digital copies of recent Library Committee Reports, Minutes, and Agenda can be found in the Archives Dropbox via the following path: Archives Dropbox\Collection Files\G\Grolier Club Institutional Records\RG 4-Collections\Series I. Library\SubsA-Library Committee\Library Committee_Digital Files
This folder was moved directly from the Librarian’s computer in May of 2016, having been maintained by Librarians Peña and Constantinou.
The following is an inventory of files included in that directory as of May 20, 2016:
Folder: Annual Report
Annual report 2006 draft
Annual Report 2012 June 2013_MRC edit
Agenda20040210
Agenda20040511
Agenda20041201
Agenda20050208
Agenda20050519
Agenda20060927
Agenda20070404
Agenda20071025
Agenda20080109
Agenda20081007
Agenda20090511
Agenda20060916
Agenda20111115
Agenda20130506
Agenda20131022
Agenda20140422
Agenda20141015
Meghan Report Fall 2013
Minutes 15 October 2014_MRC edit
Minutes 15November2012_MRC edit
Minutes20011002
Minutes20011129
Minutes20020212
Minutes20020403
Minutes20020521
Minutes20020917
Minutes20021112
Minutes20030107
Minutes20030304
Minutes20030513
Minutes20030923
Minutes20031118
Minutes20040210
Minutes20040511
Minutes20040914
Minutes20041201
Minutes20050208
Minutes20050412
Minutes20050519
Minutes20050927
Minutes20051114
Minutes20060208
Minutes20060927
Minutes20100608
Minutes20100916
Minutes20110615
Minutes20111115
Minutes20120515
Minutes20130506
Minutes20131022
Minutes20140422
Minutes20141015_final
[1] Grolier Club Constitution [Revised July 13, 2015].