Dissertation Information for Pamela Richards NAME: - Pamela Richards
- (Alias) Pamela Spence Richards
DEGREE:
- Ph.D.
DISCIPLINE:
- Library and Information Science
SCHOOL:
- Columbia University (USA) (1978)
ADVISORS: - Phyllis Dain
COMMITTEE MEMBERS: - Terry Belanger
MPACT Status: Fully Complete
Title: THE NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY LIBRARY: A HISTORY, 1804-1978
Abstract: At the time of its founding in 1804, the New-York Historical Society was, with the Massachusetts Historical Society, the only organization in the United States primarily concerned with the collection of the records of American history. After early financial difficulties, the New-York Historical Society's growing Library became accessible on a daily basis in 1841, when it was installed in the New York University building. In 1857 the Society erected a building on Second Avenue and Eleventh Street. With historian George Henry Moore as its Librarian, the Society was a leader among other organizations of its kind. After Moore's departure in 1876, the Society entered a period of decline, due to the availability of richer general library collections in the city, the migration of the membership uptown , and the preoccupation of William and Robert Kelby, the de facto librarians with genealogy, When the society moved into its new building on Central Park West in 1908, it had become less a center for historical research than a meeting place for the city's hereditary patriotic societies.
A membership revolt in 1917 focused on the Society's inattention to public service. When Alexander Wall became Librarian in 1921, efforts were made to modernize the Library's practices. The receipt of a $4 million bequest in 1935-42 allowed Wall to departmentalize the Society's functions and expand the Library staff. At this time the position of Librarian was changed to that of Director, and a self-perpetuating Board of Trustees was created. With only slight disruption during World War II, the Library staff continued to grow under the Directorship of R.W.G. Vail (1944-1959) until it reached a peak of seventeen people by 1953.
The growth of graduate degree programs in the 1960's brought sharp increases in use of the Library, particularly because of the unprecedented expansion of enrollment at the City University of New York. Under the administrations of Director James Heslin (1960-) and Librarian James Gregory (1966-) efforts were made to meet growing user demands: a campaign was begun to speed up the retrospective cataloging of the collection according to American Library Association standards, and to rid the Library of its perpetual backlog in the cataloging of current acquisitions. This campaign was hampered by financial constraints. Despite its relatively large endowment, the New-York Historical Society was seriously affected by the economic down-turn of the 1970's: the Library staff was reduced, the building was closed on Mondays, and a dollar fee was imposed on readers who were not members. In 1978 the Library remains a highly specialized one, unsuited to general use or to popularizing outreach programs. However, expansion of graduate studies in the United States has so increased the ranks of advanced researchers that the Society's Library at the end of the 1970's serves a potentially enormous public.
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MPACT Scores for Pamela Richards A = 2
C = 7
A+C = 9
T = 2
G = 1
W = 2
TD = 2
TA = 0
calculated 2010-05-24 14:38:15
Advisors and Advisees Graph
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