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Finding Aid

University Libraries Records UPB 55

Access to collections is granted in accordance with the Protocols for the University Archives and Records Center.

Summary Information

Prepared by
Theresa R. Snyder
Preparation date
1994
Date [inclusive]
1890-2004
Extent
36.0 Cubic feet

PROVENANCE

The records of the University of Pennsylvania Library were transferred to the Archives in 1972 (2 linear ft. transferred by Bernard Ford, May 31, 1972), 1977 (0.25 linear ft. transferred by Bernard Ford, June 7, 1977), 1986 (29 linear ft. transferred by Bernard Ford, July 15, 1986) and in 1992 (7 linear ft. transferred from Special Collections, June 12, 1992).

ARRANGEMENT

HISTORICAL NOTE

The University Library dates to 1749 with a gift of books from Richard Jackson, a London lawyer and politician. Within a few years, Benjamin Franklin and William Smith donated additional volumes. In 1784 Louis XVI of France presented the Library with 100 volumes. When the University moved from its Fourth and Arch Streets location to its present West Philadelphia address in 1872, the library was housed on the first floor of College Hall. By 1890, the Library’s 55,000 bound volumes were ready for their own building and moved into specially prepared quarters, a building by the famed Philadelphia architect, Frank Furness. Continuing to grow at a steady pace, the Library again recognized a need for expansion and prepared to move, in 1962, across the green to new facilities designed by Harbeson, Hough, Livingston, and Larson.

Constructed from 1958 to 1962, the Van Pelt Library is the general library serving the University community. The second half of the building, named for Daniel W. and H. Richard Dietrich, was completed in 1966. In addition, the library system consists of the following branch libraries: Annenberg School Library, Biddle Law Library, Biomedical Library, Chemistry Library, Dental School Library, Engineering and Applied Science Library, Fisher Fine Arts Library, Lippincott Library of the Wharton School, Math Physics Astronomy Library, Music Library, Museum Library, and Veterinary Library. Presently the University Library holds over three million volumes.

SCOPE AND CONTENT

The records, 1890-1979, for the University of Pennsylvania Library deal primarily with the operation of the Library from the Furness building but also includes information on the fundraising for and construction of the Van Pelt-Dietrich Library. The records include: correspondence with booksellers, 1892-1904; correspondence of the Library Trustee Committee, 1909-1946; budget material, 1909-1927, 1950-1979; annual reports, 1931-1957; ledgers on petty cash, 1903-1960, appropriations, 1897-1939, book funds, 1890-1939; minutes, 1953-1965; annual statistical reports, 1903-1962; library expansion plans of George Wharton Pepper (chair of the committee), 1948-1954; construction and furniture files, 1958-1962; circulation and reference reports, 1946­1957; specifications for the Graduate Library Center for Graduate Studies, 1958-1962.

Controlled Access Headings

Corporate Name(s)
University of Pennsylvania. Library.
Occupation(s)
Booksellers and bookselling–Pennsylvania–Philadelphia.
Personal Name(s)
Pepper, George Wharton, 1867-1961
Subject(s)
Library administration–Pennsylvania–Philadelphia.
Library architecture–Pennsylvania–Philadelphia.
Library materials budget–Pennsylvania–Philadelphia.

Inventory

 

Committees 

Box

Folder

Administrative Group, minutes, 1955-1965 

9

8

Administrative Group, minutes, 1958-1959 

8

2

Administrative Group, minutes, 1966-1967 

18

9

Department Head Meetings, minutes, 1957-1958 

10

6

Haney Foundation Series Committee, 1963 

18

8

Library Administration Meetings, minutes, 1959-1964 

18

6

Service Division Heads, minutes, 1952-1957 

11

5

Service Division Heads, minutes, 1953-1957 

9

9

Tuesday Morning Meeting, minutes, 1946 

18

3

Tuesday Morning Meeting, minutes, 1947-1950 

10

1

Tuesday Morning Meeting, minutes, 1951-1952 

18

1

Tuesday Morning Meeting, minutes, 1953-1955 

18

2

Library Committee of the Board of Trustees 

Correspondence 

1909 

2

1

1910 

2

2

1911 

2

3

1912 

2

4

1913 

2

5

1917-1918 

2

6

1919 

2

7

1920 

2

8

1921-1926 

2

9

 

Correspondence 

Box

Folder

1905-1908 

1

1

1895-1900 

1

2

Letters (book letters), 1900-1901 

1

11

Correspondence of George Wharton Pepper, honorary chairman, 1951-1955 

36

2

Booksellers 

1895-1896 

1

5

1894-1895 

1

6

1900-1901 

1

7

1901-1907 

1

8

1892-1894 

1

12

1896-1897 

1

13

J.C. Rosengarten 

1914-1915 

1

14

1914 

1

15

 

Departmental Records 

Box

Folder

Bound Memoranda, Reserve Dept., 1949-1956 

11

4

Service Division Memoranda A.T. Hamlin, 1945-1949 

19

5

Circulation/Interlibrary Loan 

Book of “Books Borrowed from Other Libraries” 

6

3

Book of Overdue Borrowers and Fines 

6

4

Directory of people associated with the Library (faculty, students, trustees, etc.) with residences, addresses, and library account numbers. 1898-1904. Four volumes. 

6

8

Interlibrary Loans at the University of Pennsylvania, 1944-1954 

8

6

Smith’s Circulation Manual, 1954 

9

7

Trezza’s Circulation Dept. Memo’s and Minutes, 1950-1956 

11

2

Wright’s Circulation Dept. Memo’s and Minutes, 1947-1950 

11

3

Circulation and Enrollment Statistics, 1946-1960 

14

1

Miscellaneous Memoranda – Circulation Dept., 1956 

15

7

Circulation Department Memoranda, 1945-1949 

19

2

 

Directories 

Box

Folder

Faculty and Staff Directories, 1948/9, 1949/50, 1950/1, 1951/2, 1952/3, 1953/4, 1954/5, 1955 

12

1

Students (Registrar’s) Fall, 1955, 1956/7 

12

2

 

Events and Exhibitions 

Box

Folder

Library Endowment Funds Exhibition 

13

4

Plantin–Moretus Exhibition Correspondence 

13

5

Van Pelt Library Award Ceremony Returns 

13

6

Library Bicentennial 

28

1

Convocation 

28

2

Exhibition 

28

3

Dinner and Reception 

28

4

General Correspondence 

28

5

Congratulations Symposium 

28

6

 

Facilities/Buildings 

Box

Folder

Furniture contracts, plans, meetings, orders 

Art Metal Company (shelves, desks, specials, etc.) 

7

1

Blinds and Draperies 

7

2

Cartsonis Furniture List 

7

3

Exhibition Cases-Michaels Art Bronze Company (see Laurence order, group 11, for order) 

7

4

Final Furniture List 

7

5

General minutes, notes, correspondence 

7

6

Cornell Library Furniture, Faculty Club Furniture 

7

7

Annenberg Library Furniture 

7

8

Group I List 

7

9

Group II List (items through Laurence) 

7

10

Group III and IV Furniture Lists 

7

11

Construction Data 

Air Conditioning 

16

1

General, 1958-1962 

16

2

Floor, 1958-1959 

16

3

Budgets, 1958-1962 

16

4

Architects, 1958-1959 

16

5

Bids and contracts, 1959-1964 

16

6

Inspection, 1960 

16

7

Doors, 1960 -1962 

16

8

Booklet on History of Furness Building 

9

1

Program of Functions and Facilities of the Proposed Library for the University, 1958 

16

9

Press Releases, Speeches, 1962 

16

10

Dedication, 1962 

16

11

Dietrich Dedication, 1967 

16

12

Dietrich Financing 

16

13

Van Pelt Library – Proposed Constructor of the Lea and Furness Collections 

16

14

Van Pelt Library/Dietrich Project Program 

16

15

Van Pelt Construction Modification, 1967-1969 

16

16

Van Pelt Library Correspondence and Transactions, 1958-1965 

16

17

Elevators, 1960-1962 

16

18

Van Pelt Library Correspondence and Transactions, 1957-1958 

16

19

Van Pelt Library Dietrich Floor Plan, 1969-1974 

16

20

Library Expansion Building Fund, 1948-1950 

17

1

Library Expansion Building Fund (Revised), 1949-1951, 1940’s, 1952-1954 

17

2

Library Expansion Old Building Renovation Plans, 1953 

17

3

Library Expansion R. h. File First Unit 

17

4

Van Pelt Job Conference Notes, 1960 

23

1

Contract for Van Pelt Heating, Ventilating and Air Conditioning, 1960 

23

2

Contract for Van Pelt Plumbing Construction, 1960 

23

3

Contract for Van Pelt Electrical Construction, 1960 

23

4

Contract for Van Pelt General Construction, 1960 

23

5

Space Requirement for Self-Contained First Unit of Library and Space Requirements for Prospective Second Unit, 1958 

23

6

Visitors, 1962 

24

1

Construction – Interior, Furniture, 1960-1962 

24

2

Inquiries re: Construction, 1957-1963 

24

3

Progress Report, 1962 

24

4

Van Pelt Donations, 1959-1963 

24

5

Construction – Lea and Furness Rooms in Van Pelt 

24

6

Construction – Van-Pelt Stacks, [1958] 

24

7

Construction – Van Pelt Landscaping 

24

8

Construction – Van Pelt Seminar Room, Correspondence 

24

9

Construction – Van Pelt Space Allocation, 1949-1958 

24

10

Phones, Woodwork also State G.S.A. 

24

11

Graduate Library, Architects, Correspondence, 1966-1968 

25

1

Graduate Library, General Correspondence, 1962-1967 

25

2

Graduate Library and Center for Graduate Studies, Bidding and Proposal Instructions, 1963-1964 

25

3

Graduate Library and Center for Graduate Studies Blueprints, General 

25

4

Graduate Library, Costs of Construction, 1963 

25

5

Graduate Library, Specs for General Construction 

25

6

Library Budget Proposals, Annenberg and Medical, 1968-1970 

26

1

Library Budget Proposals, Van Pelt, 1968-1971 

26

2

Library Budget Proposal, University Libraries, 1970-1971 

26

3

Biddle Law Temporary Quarters, 1966 

26

4

Dietrich Job Conference, 1964 

26

5

Dietrich Job Conference, 1965 

26

6

Dietrich Job Conference, 1966 

26

7

Dietrich Job Conference, 1967 

26

8

Dietrich Job Conference, 1962-1963 

26

9

Job Inspection -Graduate Library, 1966-1967 

26

10

Award Ceremony, 1964 

26

11

Lippincott Library Program for the Architects, 1962 

26

12

Penniman, 1961-1966 

26

13

Edgar Fahs Smith Collection, 1963-1966 

26

14

Social Science Center, 1964-1966 

26

15

Union Library Catalogue, 1965 

26

16

Graduate Library and Center for Graduate Studies 

27

1

Specifications for Electrical Construction 

27

2

Specifications for furniture, furnishings, and equipment 

27

3

General Construction 

27

4

General Construction II 

27

5

Heating 

27

6

Ventilation, Air-Conditioning, Construction 

27

7

Plumbing Construction 

27

8

Project Directive 

27

9

Preliminary Plans and Statistics 

27

10

Planning Office – Project Program 

27

11

Architectural plans and correspondence with Furness, Evans and Company, 1916 

36

1

Fund and Building Program, 1951-1955 Photographic prints (two albums) of Van Pelt 

36

3

 

Financial 

Box

Folder

Payroll Accounts Payable, 1901-1902 

1

9

Payroll Accounts Payable, 1903-1904; Letters (misc.), 1900-1901 

1

10

Book of Deposits 

6

2

University Libraries Financial Report, 1946-1950, 1957/8, 1953/4 

13

3

Library Salary Scales and Job Descriptions, 1949-1950 

18

4

NYA 

FERA Student Aid 1934 

7

12

1935-1936 

7

13

1936-1937 

7

14

1937-1938 

7

15

1938-1939 

7

16

1939-1940 

7

17

1941-1942 

7

18

1942-1943 

7

19

Budgets 

1927-1928 to 1928-1929 

2

10

1929-1930 to 1931-1932 

2

11

1932-1933 to 1935-1936 

2

12

1936-1937 to 1939-1940 

2

13

1940-1941 to 1941-1942 

2

14

1942-1943 to 1945-1946 

2

15

1909-1910 

3

1

1910-1911 

3

2

1911-1912 

3

3

1912-1913, 1914, 1915 

3

4

1913-1914 

3

5

1915-1916 

3

6

Budgets, Statements in lieu of budgets kept 

1916-1917 

3

7

1917-1918 

3

8

1918-1919 

3

9

1919-1920 

3

10

1920-1921 

3

11

1921-1922 

3

12

1923-1924 

3

13

1924-1925 

3

14

1925-1926 

3

15

1926-1927 

3

16

Budgets 

Proposed 

1950’s (six of them) 

3

17

Special Projects 1958-1963 

3

18

1959-1968 (6 folders) 

4

9

Biddle Law, 1951-1956 

7

20

Dental, 1952-1956 

7

21

Fine Arts, 1951-1956 

7

22

Education, 1951-1956 

7

23

Medical School, 1951-1956 

7

24

Moore, 1951-1955 

7

25

Museum, 1951-1956 

7

26

Towne, 1951-1956 

7

27

Veterinary, 1951-1956 

7

28

Lippincott, 1951-1956 

7

29

University Libraries, 1951-1952 to 1955-1956 

7

30

Departmental Libraries for the years between 1946 and 1951 

13

1

Ledgers 

1890-1892 Library Funds 

29

1

1897 Appropriation 

29

2

1898-1901 Library Funds 

29

3

1899/1900-1904/05 Books Funds and Current Expense 

29

4

1900 Appropriation 

29

5

1900-1902 Library Funds 

29

6

1904/5-1906/7 Funds Appropriation 

29

7

1901/2-1906/7 Funds Appropriation 

29

8

1903-1924 Petty Cash 

6

6

1905/06-1908/09 Current Expense 

29

9

1906/7-1908/9 Funds 

29

10

1907/8-1908/9 Appropriation 

29

11

1909-1910 Appropriation 

29

12

1909-1910 Current Expense 

29

13

1909-1910 Funds 

29

14

1910 Appropriation 

29

15

1910-1911 Appropriation Vol. 1 

29

16

1910-1911 Appropriation Vol. 2 

29

17

1910-1915 Duplicate Fund 

29

18

1909-1910 Funds Vol.13 

30

1

1911/12 Funds Appropriation Vol.19 

31

1

1912-1913 Funds Appropriation Vol. 20 

31

2

1913-1914 Funds Appropriation Vol. 21 

31

3

1914-1915 Funds Appropriation Vol. 22 

31

4

1915-1916 Funds Appropriation Vol. 23 

31

5

1915-1920 Duplicate Fund 

31

6

1916-1917 Funds Appropriation Vol. 24 

31

7

1916/17-1919/20 Current Expense Vol. 26 

31

8

1917-1918 Funds Appropriation Vol. 27 

32

1

1918-1918 Funds Appropriation Vol. 28 

32

2

1919-1920 Funds Appropriation Vol. 29 

32

3

1919-1921 Foreign Book Purchases Vol. 30 

32

4

1920-1921 Funds Appropriation Vol. 31 

32

5

1920/21-1923/24 Current Expense Vol. 33 

32

6

1921-1922 Funds Appropriation Vol. 34 

32

7

1922-1923 Funds Appropriation Vol. 35 

32

8

1923-1924 Funds Appropriation Vol. 36 

32

9

1920-1924 Duplicate Fund 

32

10

1924-1925 Funds Appropriation Vol. 37 

33

1

1924-1927 Duplicate Fund 

33

2

1924/25-1927/28 Current Expense Vol. 39 

33

3

1925-1926 Funds Appropriation Vol. 40 

33

4

1926-1927 Appropriation Vol.41 

33

5

1926-1927 Funds Vol. 42 

33

6

1927-1928 Appropriation Vol. 43 

33

7

1927-1928 Funds Vol. 44 

33

8

1928-1929 Appropriation Vol. 46 

33

9

1928-1929 Funds Vol. 47 

33

10

1927-1929 Duplicate Fund Vol. 45 

33

11

1928/29-1931/32 Current Expense Vol. 48 

34

1

1929-1930 Appropriation Vol. 49 

34

2

1929-1930 Funds Vol. 50 

34

3

1929-1932 Duplicate Fund Vol. 51 

34

4

1930-1934 Appropriation Vol. 52 

34

5

1930-1931 Funds Vol. 53 

34

6

1931-1932 Appropriation Vol. 54 

34

7

1931-1932 Funds Vol. 55 

34

8

1932-1933 Appropriation Vol. 56 

34

9

1932-1933 Funds Vol. 57 

34

10

1932-1937 Duplicate Fund Vol. 58 

34

11

1932/33-1937/38 Current Expense Vol. 59 

35

1

1933-1934 Appropriation Vol. 60 

35

2

1933-1934 Funds Vol. 61 

35

3

1934-1935 Appropriation Vol. 62 

35

4

1934-1935 Funds Vol. 63 

35

5

1935-1936 Appropriation Vol. 64 

35

6

1936 Funds Vol. 65 

35

7

1936-1937 Appropriation Vol. 66 

35

8

1936-1937 Funds Vol. 67 

35

9

1937-1939 Duplicate Fund Vol. 68 

35

10

1940’s-1960’s, Petty Cash (3 volumes) 

6

1

 

General Administrative 

Box

Folder

Furness Library Organization (1955?) 

2

3

Bound Memoranda, 1940-1953 

11

1

Bound Mimeograph Files, 1946-1956 (8 volumes) 

14

4

 

Library Publications and Newsletters 

Box

Folder

Scrapbook of news articles regarding library 

9

2

Interesting Recent Additions, 1946 -1950 

8

5

Ivy Leaf, vols. 1-16, 1951-1964 

20

1

Ivy Leaf, 1959-1966 

28

7

Memoranda sent to staff 

9

4

Staff Informational Bulletin 

9

5

The Gargoyle, 1948-1951 

8

4

The Gargoyle, 1948-1951 

20

2

University of Pennsylvania Library Record, 1966-1967 

28

9

University of Pennsylvania Library Record, Newsletter Material, 1966 

18

10

University of Pennsylvania Library Staff Association, 1962-1963 

28

8

Information Leaflet 

Nos. 1-52, 1953-1955 

8

8

Nos. 1-60, 1953-1957 

11

6

Nos. 53-65, 1957-1958 

8

9

1953-1955, 1977-1979 

20

3

1957-1966 

28

10

general 

8

3

Manuals 

Service Division Manual 

10

7

Staff Manuals, 1948-1955 

12

4

Manual of University, Vol. I, Administrative Organization, Policies and Procedures 

14

2

 

Reports 

Box

Folder

Director’s Reports, 1946-1947, 1947-1948 

9

3

Director’s Reports, 1946-1961 

10

2

Library Construction, Library Personnel and classification reports, 1949-1950 

36

4

Monthly Circulation Reports, 1898-1946 

19

1

Preparation Division, 1956-1959 

10

5

Reports to the Director, 1947-1950 

8

11

Administrative Division 

1956-1959 

10

3

1959-1965 

10

4

Annual 

Administration Reports, 1946-1954 

8

7

Circulation and Enrollment, 1959/60 

15

2

Circulation Department, 1903-1958 

19

3

Circulation, Reference, and Reserve Departments for 1949-1956 

15

3

Library Administration, 1945-1957 

18

7

Library Annual Report, 1949/50 

15

1

Library Annual Report, 1965/6 

12

3

Preparation Division, 1945-1956 

11

8

Library Administration, 1958-1965 

18

5

Preparation Division, 1945-1957 

15

6

Reference Department, 1930-1952 

8

1

Reference Department, 1961-1965 

18

11

Rental Collection, 1950-1960 

19

6

Reserve Department, 1944-1952 

11

7

Service Division, 1945-1952 

15

5

Service Division, 1945-1957 

19

4

Service Division, 1953-1957 

15

4

Services Division, 1948-1949 

8

10

Services Division, 1954-1957 

9

6

Lippincott Library 

1931-1932 

5

1

1932-1933 

5

2

1933-1935 

5

3

1935-1936 

5

4

1943-1944 

5

5

1944-1945 

5

6

Biennial Report, 1945-1947 

5

7

1947-1948 

5

8

1948-1949 

5

9

1949-1950 

5

10

1950-1951 

5

11

1951-1952 

5

12

1952-1953 

5

13

1953-1954 

5

14

1954-1945 

5

15

1955-1956 

5

16

1956-1957 

5

17

Statistics 

Annual Statistics Reports, 1903-1947 

11

9

Circulation and Enrollment Statistics, 1946-1960 

14

1

Circulation Statistics for Undergraduate Library, 1956-1966 

15

3

College and University Libraries as reported by Princeton University, 1916/1917 – 1951/1952 

4

4

Interlibrary Loan Statistics, notebooks, 1934-1962 

14

4

Ledger of Reference Room Statistics, 1904-1919 

6

7

Library Statistical Reports, 1922/1923 – 1951/1952 

4

5

Departmental Libraries 

1942-1945 

4

1

1945-1948 

4

2

1949-1951 

4

3

Notebook of Annual Statistics, 1953-1968 

6

5

Preparation Division 

1906-1907, 1916-1917 

1

3

1917-1918, 1926-1927 

1

4

1933-1937 

5

19

1938-1939 

5

20

1939-1932 

5

18

1940-1942 

5

21

1943-1948 

5

22

Miscellaneous Library Statistics (largely Preparation Division) 

5

23

Towne School Library 

1906-1911 

4

6

1911-1916 

4

7

1916-1923 

4

8

University Educational Survey, 1958 

Graduate Study and Research in the Arts and Sciences 

21

1

Undergraduate Education in the Arts and Sciences Appendices Volumes I-III 

21

2

Study of Academic Advising 

21

3

Toward and Affirmative Policy; Report of the Study Committee 

21

4

Board of Trustees 

21

5

A Study of the Faculty 

21

6

Wharton School of Finance and Commerce: Report of the Board of Consultants 

21

7

Appendices, unbound 

21

8

University Educational Survey, 1959 

Vol. I Introduction 

22

1

Vol. II Summary Statements about Individual Studies 

22

2

Vol. III Summary Statements about Individual Studies 

22

3

Vol. IV Discussion and Recommendations as to University Policies 

22

4

Vol. V Discussion and Recommendations Continued 

22

5

Confidential Report on Budget Policy 

22

6

 

Friends of the Library 

Box

Folder

Invitations 

1980-1988 

 36

 

1990-1999 

 36

 

2004 

 36

 

n.d. 

 36

 

Pamphlets 

1976-1996 

 36

 

Memorandum 

1993 

 36

 

Miscellaneous 

Non-Library invitations 

 36