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COLLECTION Identifier: UAIII 50.8.113.3.2

Harvard College Library Catalogue Department subject files: Thomas Franklin Currier, 1894-1952

Overview

Thomas Franklin Currier (1873-1946), Harvard A.B. 1894, began his career as an assistant in the Harvard College Library's Catalogue Department in 1894, and was placed in charge of cataloging in 1902. Currier organized the Library catalog in preparation for the opening of Widener Memorial Library in 1915 and continued to refine the classification process throughout his career, uniting the tasks of shelf classification and cataloging. This collection is comprised of correspondence, a card catalog index, rules and documentation, and other material produced or kept by Thomas Franklin Currier as part of the Catalogue Department at the Harvard College Library.

Dates

  • Creation: 1894-1952

Creator

Researcher Access

The Harvard College Library Catalogue Department subject files: Thomas Franklin Currier are open for research with the following exceptions: Harvard University records pertaining to individuals in this collection are restricted for 80 years from the date of creation. Specific restrictions are noted in the inventory.

Access to fragile original documents may be restricted. Permission of the University Archives is required for photocopying or publishing.

Extent

16.98 cubic feet (45 document boxes, 4 card boxes, 1 pamphlet binder)

This collection is comprised of correspondence, a card catalog index, rules and documentation, and other material produced or kept by Thomas Franklin Currier as part of the Catalogue Department at the Harvard College Library. Most dates are approximate, based on Currier's term at Harvard. Material is arranged alphabetically.

Biographical Note

Thomas Franklin Currier (1873-1946), Harvard A.B. 1894, began his career as an assistant in the Harvard College Library's Catalogue Department in 1894, and was placed in charge of cataloging in 1902. Currier organized the Library catalog in preparation for the opening of Widener Memorial Library in 1915 and continued to refine the classification process throughout his career, uniting the tasks of shelf classification and cataloging. In 1913 he was appointed Assistant Librarian, and in 1937 he was named Associate Librarian, a position which he held until his retirement in 1940.

Arrangement

This collection is arranged in three series according to previously grouped records (superseded call numbers noted below). Files are arranged alphabetically within series.

  1. Subject files, [1894-1940]
  2. Index to correspondence file, [1894-1940]
  3. Cataloging Rules, 1914-1952

Acquisition information

The documents in this collection are University records and were presumably acquired in the course of University business.

Related Materials

Collections in the Harvard University Archives:

  1. Currier, Thomas Franklin, 1873-1946. Papers of T. Franklin Currier, 1735, 1852-1973 (HUGFP 136): http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.ARCH:hua20002
  2. Harvard College Library. Harvard College Library Order Department letters, 1881-1976 (UAIII 50.8.116): http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.ARCH:hua25016
  3. Harvard College Library. Harvard College Library bills and lists of books purchased, 1877-1971 (UAIII 50.15.88.3): http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.ARCH:hua36016

Separated Materials

In the Harvard University Archives:

  1. "Permanent file" - letters to which reference is made in the Official Catalogue (UAIII 50.8.113.2.1)
  2. T.F. Currier General files:
  3. ___1913-1925 (UAIII 50.8.113.2.2)
  4. ___1926-1935 (UAIII 50.8.113.2.3)
  5. ___1935-1939 (UAIII 50.8.113.2.4)
  6. Departmental correspondence and papers, 1937-1952 (chiefly 1939-1945) (A-Z) (UAIII 50.8.113.3.3)
  7. Index to the correspondence of T.F. Currier (on cards) (UAIII 50.8.113.3.4)
  8. Correspondence with Harvard classes about publications of members. Classes of 1894-97. (UAIII 50.8.113.3.5)
  9. Special gifts correspondence, c. 1922-1946 (A-Z) (UAIII 50.8.113.3.6)
  10. Correspondence regarding jobs in the Library, 1918-29, 1930-1946 (UAIII 50.8.113.3.7)
  11. Correspondence with staff members, 1929-1946 A-L, M-Z (UAIII 50.8.113.3.8)

References

  • Bentick-Smith, William. Building a Great Library: The Coolidge Years at Harvard. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1976.
  • Carpenter, Kenneth E. The First 350 Years of the Harvard University Library: Description of an Exhibition. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 1986.

Inventory update

This document last updated 2016 July 1.

General note

People
  1. Currier, Thomas Franklin, 1873-1946.

General note

Groups
  1. Harvard College Library.

General note

Topics
  1. Academic librarians.
  2. Academic libraries--Massachusetts--Cambridge.
  3. Cataloging.
  4. Classification.
  5. Harvard University--Libraries.
  6. Library employees.
  7. Universities and colleges--Libraries.

General note

Places
  1. Cambridge (Mass.)

General note

Formats and genres
  1. Administrative records.
  2. Catalog cards.
  3. Correspondence.

Processing Information

The processing of this material involved a survey of legacy data about this collection; intellectual arrangement, including integration of two child collections (see superseded call numbers); and the creation of this finding aid. Material was not examined. Titles transcribed by the archivist from legacy data.

This finding aid was created by Leah Edelman in June 2016.

Preservation and description of the Harvard College Library Catalogue Department subject files: Thomas Franklin Currier was supported by the Harvard Library's Hidden Collections initiative.

Title
Harvard College Library. Harvard College Library Catalogue Department subject files: Thomas Franklin Currier, 1894-1952: an inventory
Author
Harvard University Archives
Language of description
und
EAD ID
hua30016

Repository Details

Part of the Harvard University Archives Repository

Holding nearly four centuries of materials, the Harvard University Archives is the principal repository for the institutional records of Harvard University and the personal archives of Harvard faculty, as well as collections related to students, alumni, Harvard-affiliates and other associated topics. The collections document the intellectual, cultural, administrative and social life of Harvard and the influence of the University as it emerged across the globe.

Contact:
Pusey Library
Harvard Yard
Cambridge MA 02138 USA
(617) 495-2461