John Boynton Kaiser papers, 1928-1971

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Series I: Library Administration, Personnel and Teaching Records, 1928-1958


Subseries I.1: Library Administration, Personnel, 1943-1947



Box 1 Folder 1 Newark Public Library Position Classification and Salary Survey, 1943-1945

Notes, memos, pamphlets and papers for the survey.


Box 1 Folder 2 Survey - Correspondence

Letters from E.W. McDiarmid, librarian of the University of Minnesota and others.


Box 1 Folder 3 Survey - Personnel forms of the Newark Public Library and of the state of New Jersey Civil Service Commission

Personnel numbers used in Newark Public Library classifying.


Box 1 Folder 4 Survey - Columbia University School of Library Service Colloquium, on "Highlights and Chronology of Procedure; Speech notes for an Informal Discussion" about the survey, October 22, 1945

Correspondencewith Ernest J. Reece, Dean of the Library School.


Box 1 Folder 5 "Sample Program for 1945 Institute on Personnel Administration"

A letter from C.B. Joeckel, Dean, University of Chicago School of Library Service and a letter from E.W. McDiarmid, librarian, University of Minnesota concerning the Program.


Box 1 Folder 6 Personnel problems - Bibliography

Notes and lists


Box 1 Folder 7 Miscellaneous notes and materials concerning the legal aspects oflibrary administration and about post-war librarianship


Box 1 Folder 8 Miscellaneous addresses and Iectures

Some are: "Perspective", lecture outline, University of California Library School, April 26,1937; "Our Common Task," speech outline, May 17, 1943; "A Practitioner Views his Profession," outline of an informal talk at the assembly of the Columbia University School for Library Service, November 29, 1944; "Why Printing Week Should be Observed," talk at a meeting of the Club of Printing House Craftsmen, January 15, 1945; and "The Principles and Practice of Public Library Publicity," lecture outline.


Subseries I.2: Teaching Records, 1928, 1938-1940, 1945, 1950



Box 2 Folder 1 Letter from Sydney B. Mitchell, Director, University of California School of Librarianship, and an outline of lectures for the course in public library administration, October 24, 1928


Box 2 Folder 1 Letter from John O. Henderson, California State Library, and an outline for the course in municipal library administration, February 15, 1938


Box 2 Folder 2 University of California School of Librarianship, "Librarianship 207: Municipal and County Library Administration" Course outline and reading list, 19 pages

2 copies


Box 2 Folder 3 University of Chicago Graduate Library School "Course 384: Library Administration" Topic outline, 1939, 2 pages


Box 2 Folder 4 University of California School of Librarianship, "Librarianship 234: Public Library Administration" Class Cards, schedules, memos, forms, notes, student assignments, 1940


Box 2 Folder 5 Librarianship s234: Loose leaf notebook kept by Kaiser as instructor of the course, 1940, 85 pages


Box 2 Folder 6 Columbia University School of Library Service, "Course 323: Library Personnel Problems Seminar." Correspondence: Ralph Munn, Ernest J. Reece, C.S. Gosnell, 1945


Box 2 Folder 7 Course s323: Loose leaf notebook kept by Kaiser as instructor of the course, 1945, 144 pages


Box 2 Folder 8 Course s323: Various course outlines and reading lists, 1945


Box 2 Folder 9-9a Course s323: Student assignments and class work, 1945


Box 2 Folder 10 Course s323: Kaiser's class lecture notes, class calendar, memos and notes, list of students, 1945


Box 2 Folder 11 Course s323: Charts used in course, 1945


Box 2 Folder 12 Course s323: Students comments of the Newark position classification and salary survey, 1945



Box 3 Folder 1 Columbia University School of Library Service "Course s280: Library Administration." Correspondence with Robert Leigh, Dean of Library School; Darthula Wilcox, School of Library Service Librarian; Donald Coney, Director of University Library at Berkeley; Lee Ash, editor of Library Journal, 1958, 20 pages


Box 3 Folder 2 Course s280: Memos, notes, and expense records, 1958


Box 3 Folder 3 Course s280: A loose leaf notebook kept by Kaiser as instructor, 1958


Box 3 Folder 4 Course s280: Course outline and reading lists, 1958


Box 3 Folder 5-5a Course s280: Students' assignments and term papers, 1958


Box 3 Folder 6 Course s280: Correspondence with students and instructor's evaluation of students, 1958


Box 3 Folder 7 Miscellaneous booklets about administration and personnel, 1958

Series II: Oakland Public Library and Newark Public Library

This box consists of speeches, letters, reports and memoranda produced by John Boynton Kaiser while he was director of public libraries in Oakland, California, 1927-1943, and director of the Newark public library 1943-1958. The materials in this box dealing with personnel, budget and public relations, sheds light on the operation of these two library systems. Most of the documents were produced by Kaiser in his official capacity as director of the libraries. There are however, three folders of material relating to the "power of print", an article published in Overland monthly and Outwest Magazine (1931). In this article and in speeches he gave throughout his career, Kaiser argued that the librarian, by opening up the world of print, would provide his patrons with access to a storehouse of knowledge that would enrich all spheres of their lives.

Unfortunately, that material in this box relating to the operations of the Oakland and Newark public library systems is incomplete. There is only three folders of Oakland material all of which were produced between 1933 and 1938. For material produced between 1927-1933 and 1938-1943 researchers will have to go to Oakland. Even for the 1933-1938 period there is obviously much material missing that might be found on the West coast. Similarly, the Newark material also has huge gaps, particularly after 1950. Many items that are missing from this collection probably can be located at Newark.



Box 4 Folder 1 The Oakland Public library, 1923-1936

This folder contains a miscellaneous collection of reports and memoranda, library building […] outside […] that influence public library […] calls, […] questions asked at the reference desk. There is also a transcript of a radio broadcast (March 20, 1933) "The Library Serves."


Box 4 Folder 2 Budget Problems, the Oakland system, 1936-1937

This folder includes memoranda speeches and letters. There is a copy of the library budget, 1936-1937, and an article "Problems of Library Finance," which was written for the University of Chicago Library Institute (August 1932).


Box 4 Folder 3 The Oakland Public Library, miscellaneous printed material, 1933-1943

This folder includes a copy of an article entitled "Civil Service and the Oakland Public Library History and Appraisal, 1916-1938" ALA Bulletin (June 1938).


Box 4 Folder 4 Newark-War and post war problems, 1943-1945

This folder includes speeches, letters and lectures dealing with problems of war and post war library service, service to veterans and questions on post war planning. The folder includes a speech "Our Job as Librarians," delivered before New Jersey chapter of ALA (January 21, 1943).


Box 4 Folder 5 Intellectuals, the Library and World War II, 1943

Speech based on Archibald MacLeish "A Time to Act," argues that the intellectuals were Hitler's first victims.


Box 4 Folder 6 Public Relations-Newark Transcript of radio program "The Branches," produced by Viola Hutchinson for WAAT (Newark), May 13, 1943


Box 4 Folder 7 Public Relations speeches, Newark Public Library, Spring 1943

"The place of the library in state and local government."

"Our Common Task."

"What are our Jobs as Librarians."


Box 4 Folder 8 Poems, 1943

"A Librarian's Faith," "After Sunset," an anonymous poem dedicated to John Boynton Kaiser.


Box 4 Folder 9 Speech before the Newark High School Men's Association: "Our Job as Librarians", October 1943


Box 4 Folder 10 The Newark Public Library: Progress and problems, circulation, number of borrowers, civil service, 1943-1944


Box 4 Folder 11 The R.C. Jenkinson collection of Fine Arts Printing, donated February 8, 1945

Includes descriptive catalog


Box 4 Folder 12 Boston Conference "Interpreting the Library through good public relations", November 22, 1945

Includes relevant correspondence


Box 4 Folder 13 Personnel and civil service problems: memoranda and printed materials, 1948-1949


Box 4 Folder 14 Goals and […] of the Newark Public Library: miscellaneous files and some printed material, 1948-1949


Box 4 Folder 15 "The […] of the Library" Bloomfield, New Jersey, 1949

This folder includes the organization's constitution, and some correspondence with Kaiser.


Box 4 Folder 16 Miscellaneous Newspaper clippings, 1949


Box 4 Folder 17 The Power of Print: a 1950 revision of a 1931 manuscript, 1950


Box 4 Folder 18 The Power of Print: speeches and correspondence, 1950

In this material, Kaiser compares the effectiveness of various methods of learning. The folder includes excerpts from Gloria Waldron's The Information Film A Report of the Public Library Inquiry of the Social Science Research Council.


Box 4 Folder 19 The Power of Print: copyright problems, correspondence, 1950


Box 4 Folder 20 The Power of Print: correspondence with Robert H. Land and John Pomfret of William and Mary College, asking for information on Bacon's Rebellion, 1950


Box 4 Folder 21 The Roseville Branch speech, March 31, 1952


Box 4 Folder 22 Speech before the Ironbound Citizen's Council honoring Mayor Corbin of Newark as a "friend of the Library", June 9, 1955


Box 4 Folder 23 Miscellaneous printed public relations material prepared for the Newark Public Library


Box 4 Folder 24 The Library and Television, memoranda and reports, 1950-1955


Box 4 Folder 25 Speech at the Joseph Conrad Centennial, sponsored by the Polish Arts club of "[…] extolls Polish contribution to American Life", October 4, 1957

This folder includes relevant correspondence.


Box 4 Folder 26 Miscellaneous printed material


Box 4 Folder 26 Newark Public Library News, 1945-


Box 4 Folder 26 Program for Conference on Eastern College Libraries, Columbia University, November 30, 1946


Box 4 Folder 26 Invitation to the UN's 11th anniversary celebration


Box 4 Folder 26 Report on the heading "Habits of Business Executives"

Series III: Other Institutions and Associations, 1945-1949

The present collection of John Boynton Kaiser's Papers at Columbia is only a partial one, representing but some of the highlights in the career of a man whose Interests ranged from stamp-collecting, to roses to books, and, of course, to libraries. It was with the latter that the major portion of his career was concerned.

Director of the Newark Public Library for fifteen years, from 1943 to 1958, and involved prior to that with library work in California, he wrote, spoke and lectured on all the ramifications of library administration, library personnel and library school training. An annotated bibliography of his published works was produced upon his retirement from the Newark Library. How ever much of his professional papers and lectures remained unpublished. Series III of the Columbia collection provides some insight into the manner in which Mr. Kaiser went about preparing his lectures, and in many instances outlines and rough drafts of parts of his speeches.

There is nothing of a personal nature in this series, with the exception of one very brief scrap memo from his son with respect to bibliography for one of his speeches (See Folder 5c, Item 7/5c) which would indicate that he maintained a paternal as well as professional relationship there. One letter, to the President of Bambergers Store in the same folder (33/5e) speaks of visiting a rose display there with his wife, indicating that she traveled with him, and giving evidence in the letter itself of the inherent courtesy of the man, considerate enough to write complimenting the manager of a store in another country. This same consideration is reflected in other letters in this collection, wherein he wrote to managers of various hotels, expressing appreciation of the accommodations afforded him.

The major concerns reflected in Series III are, however, professional. He was intensely interested in the problems of library personnel in all its aspects, and this is reflected in his letters, memoranda as well as speeches. It is also interesting to note his meticulous care of spending library funds, a matter clearly shown in his own expense sheets — he even kept his railroad tickets!

N.B. Although there are probably many pictures available of Mr. Kaiser in Newark, the only one in this collection is in a newspaper article, Series III in which the demeanor appears to be one of intellect and restraint.



Box 5 Folder 1 Library Institute at University of Chicago, July 25, 1945

Correspondence; Chicago University lodging forms, personal memo.


Box 5 Folder 2a-2c Drexel Institute of Technology Speech, May 13, 1948

2a: 9 sheets of correspondence, numbered 1/2a-9/2a.

2b: 24 sheets of three memoranda to Mr. Kaiser's staff in the Newark Public Library with respect to matters of library school training, personnel, etc., to be used in connection with the speech at Drexel, and the replies. Numbered 1/2b to 24/2b.

2c: 10 handwritten notes for speech, numbered 1/2c to 10/2c; 10 leaves of typed notes for speech, numbered 11/2c to 20/2c; Bibliographic references for speech, consisting of 4 mimeographed sheets, numbered 21/2c to 24/2c; 1 typed sheet, numbered 25/2c and 7 pamphlets.


Box 5 Folder 3 New Jersey Special Libraries Association speech: New Jersey Library Association and the Newark Library, December 07, 1948

2 record units - 8 sheets of correspondence and memoranda, numbered 1-8/FL.8 leaves of typewritten notes


Box 5 Folder 4a-4d Western New York Library Association Speech: Current Library Personnel Problems, February 07, 1949

4a: 16 sheets of memoranda and/or notes for the speech, numbered 1/4a to 16/4a; 5 sheets of questionnaires, numbered 17/4a to 22/4a; 1 pamphlet, numbered 23/4a.

4b: 4 sheets of handwritten outlines for the speech numbered 3/4b to 4/4b; 2 sheets of typewritten outline for speech, with differing notations, numbered 5/4b and 6/4b.

4c: Rough draft notes of various parts of the speech -13 typed pages numbered 1/4 c to 13/4c.

4d: Correspondence.


Box 5 Folder 5a-5e McGill University Speech, April 22, 1949

5a: 46 typed topical notes for speech numbered 1/5a to 46/5a; 4 handwritten memoranda, numbered 47/5a to 50/5a; 2 newspaper clippings pertinent to subject matter of the speech, numbered 51/5a and 52/5a.

5b: Handwritten outline notes for speech, numbered 1/5b to 11/5b; One typewritten outline, numbered 12/5b; 3 mimeographed sheets of outline numbered 13/5b to 15/5b.

5c: Bibliography and memoranda re bibliography numbered 1/5c to 8/5c; index cards for individual monographs numbered 9/5c to 29/5c; 3 mimeographed papers of lists of books numbered 30/5c to 32/5c; 2 typed lists of titles numbered 33/5c to 34/5c.

5d: 10 pamphlets of reference material for speech.

5e: Correspondence re speech and Canadian trip, miscellaneous; Correspondence Grace Reynolds, Secretary McGill Library School 3/23/1948 to 5/16/1949; Correspondence with John Donovan re publishing speech. Memorabilia: railroad schedule to Canada.


Box 5 Folder 6a Eastern Regional Conference of Civil Service Assembly, 1946

Correspondence Henry J. McFarland, Director, New York State Dept. of Civil Service 2/25/1946; Correspondence William Summers, Assistant Manager, Princeton Inn 1/31/1946


Box 5 Folder 6b Social Research, 1948

Correspondence with Dr. Burleigh B. Gardner, Executive Director of Social Research August 9, 1948; Sundry articles and pamphlets; All of the above numbered 1/6b to 12/6b


Box 5 Folder 6c Library Trends in library administration, 1958

Correspondence with Ernest Reece 2/14/1958; re article on current trends in library administration Numbered 1/6c to 5/6c


Box 5 Folder 7 Miscellaneous

7 handwritten notes on short yellow pages; 3 pamphlets

Series IV: Alumni Advisory Committee of the Columbia University School of Library Service, 1946-1959

This series contains materials dealing with John B. Kaiser's work with the Alumni Advisory Committee of the Columbia University School of Library Service. The period covered is between the years 1946 and 1959. However, since Kaiser did most of his work in this connection between 1952 and 1957, the bulk of the papers fall between these years.

The Alumni Advisory Committee was organized in 1952. It was a committee of five appointed by the New York State Library Association executive committee to serve as a two-way channel between the alumni group of the Albany Library School (1887-1926) and the Graduate School of Library Service of Columbia University, founded in 1926. Its first five members (its membership would vary in later years) were: Alice Jewett, Librarian, Mt. Vernon Public Library; Flora B. Ludington, Librarian, Mt. Vernon Public Library; Paul North Rice, New York Public Library; John S. Richards, Librarian, Seattle Public Library; and John Boynton Kaiser, Librarian, Newark Public Library, and Chairman of the Committee.

The papers contained in Series IV relate to Kaiser's work with the Alumni Advisory Committee and his long affiliation with the School of Library Service of Columbia University. The Series consists of Polders I-XX in two boxes. It can generally be divided into three main types of papers: correspondence, 7 folders; professional papers, 12 folders; pamphlets and memorabilia, 1 folder.

The overall arrangement is a chronological one, since a good deal of the papers are correspondence with Committee members and other professional people in many different libraries, papers that are relevant to a particular year's correspondence are in a folder adjacent to that correspondence! It seemed important to keep the order a chronological one in order to follow logically the activities of the Alumni Advisory Committee and its resulting accomplishments. And to some extent the order is a classified one in that events revolving around a particular activity take place in rapid succession within a limited period of time.

Much of the work of the Alumni Advisory Committee in the mid-50's involved preparation for an accreditation survey of the School of Library Service conducted by the American Library Association. By keeping the papers in their natural order, one can see the progress the Committee made towards the survey, beginning with the formation of a Survey Advisory Committee and ending with the completed report of the American Library Association and the accreditation.

Following is a listing of Folders 1-20 and their contents. The one exception is item 17, which is a black binder too large to be in a folder. It is numbered so as to keep the papers in their natural order in the box. A complete list of correspondents would be enormous and of little use. For a listing of the most important of Kaiser's correspondents, see Series III.



Box 6 Folder 1 Correspondence, 1946-1948

1 piece 1946 correspondence to Dean Carl M. White; 6 pieces correspondence, 4/14/1947-1/22/1948. Concerning proposals for S. L. S. program

In chronological order.


Box 6 Folder 2 3 issues of Personnel Reporter, 10/30/1948, 12/7/1948, 1/28/1949

Mimeographed sheets. An interoffice publication of Newark public Library.

In chronological order.


Box 6 Folder 3 Papers and correspondence relating to the Alumni Association dinner in Atlantic City, June 17, 1948

Includes program, lists of officers and directors of the Alumni Association, miscellaneous handwritten notes, May 1948 copy of Library Service News.


Box 6 Folder 4 Correspondence, 1/7/1953 - 12/30/1953

Kaiser as Chairman of the Alumni Advisory Committee. Pertains to plans for a survey of placement practices at S.L.S.

In chronological order.


Box 6 Folder 5 Other papers involving A.A.C. activities, 1953

Includes results of the placement survey, memoranda on A.A.C. meetings, miscellaneous handwritten notes, post card responses.


Box 6 Folder 6 Correspondence, 1/4/1954 - 12/21/1954

Kaiser as Chairman of A.A.C.

In chronological order.


Box 6 Folder 7 Other papers involving A.A.C. activities, 1954

Includes minutes of meetings, membership lists, memoranda.


Box 6 Folder 8 Papers specifically relating to proposed survey of S.L. S. for A.L.A. accreditation, 1954

Final copy and rough draft of suggested questions for the survey.


Box 6 Folder 9 Correspondence, 2/25/1955 - 12/15/1955

Kaiser as Chairman of A.A.C. Beginnings of the Survey Advisory Committee to supervise the A.L.A, survey.

In chronological order.


Box 6 Folder 10 Other papers involving A.A.C. activities, 1955

Includes a news release on gifts to S.L.S., memoranda on proposed A.L.A. survey.


Box 6 Folder 11 Correspondence, 1/3/1956 - 12/21/1956

Kaiser as Chairman of A.A.C. Relates to A.L.A. survey, getting relevant materials together, plus usual A.A.C. activity.

In chronological order.


Box 6 Folder 12 Working papers relating to preparation for the A.L.A. survey, 1956

Memoranda on objectives and general pattern of the S.L. S. program. Revision of the S.L.S. program.


Box 6 Folder 13 Correspondence, 1/2/1957 - 12/12/1957

Kaiser as Chairman of A.A, C. Relating to the A.L.A. survey, preparation and discussion of results.

In chronological order.


Box 6 Folder 14 Correspondence and papers, 1952-1957

Correspondence and papers compiled in 1957 on the origins of the Alumni Advisory Committee with cumulation of minutes of all meetings, 1952-1957, and lists of all members, 1952-1957


Box 6 Folder 15 Other papers, 1957

5 pieces only. Miscellaneous.


Box 6 Folder 16 Exhibits used in A.L.A. accreditation survey, 1957

Includes memoranda, 2 S.L.S. Bulletins, 1956-1958, papers reflecting general activities, conditions, recent changes at S.L.S. just prior to 1957. Copy of Statement of Interpretation to accompany Standards for Accreditation adopted by A.L.A. April 1952.


Box 6 Folder 17 Black binder: Library School Report Form, April 10, 1957

Includes various forms filled out by S.L.S. faculty and administration and returned to A.L.A. along with other exhibits (see Folder 16).


Box 6 Folder 18 Final report on Accreditation of Columbia University School of Library Service, issued by A.L.A., August 1957

Summary report, preliminary results of the survey, A.L.A. summation and vote of accreditation.


Box 6 Folder 19 Correspondence, 1958-1959

6 pieces. Miscellaneous.

Arranged chronologically.


Box 6 Folder 20 Pamphlets and Memorabilia, 1948-1957

3 miscellaneous newspaper clippings; menu from Curtis Hotel in Minneapolis, 6/20/1954; 1 pamphlet on revision of S.L.S. program, 1948-1949; 3 copies of S.L.S. Bulletin, 1952-1953, 1954-1955, 1956-1957; 2 reports of Dean Carl White on S.L. S., 1954 and 1967; 1 copy of Bulletin of New York Library Club, 2/1948; 3 issues of Library Service News, 5/1948, 12/1954, 6/1955; 3 Bicentennial publications (1754-1954) relating to S.L.S.

Series V: New York State Library School Association, Inc.

The correspondence, minutes, memoranda, printed materials, etc. of John B. Kaiser, president of the alumina association of the Hew York State library School, deal with meetings, conventions, bequests, the American Library Association, and his membership in the advisory council of the Columbia University School of library Service (which the Kew York State Library School had become in 1926).



Box 7 Correspondence, minutes, memoranda, printed materials, etc., 1956-1961



Box 8 Correspondence, minutes, memoranda, printed materials, etc., 1962-1965



Box 9 Correspondence, minutes, memoranda, printed materials, etc., 1966-1971