John Boynton Kaiser papers, 1928-1971

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

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.

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 How ever much of his professional papers and lectures remained unpublished.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.

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.

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).