Bureau of Applied Social Research Records, 1944-1976

Summary Information

At a Glance

Call No.:	MS#0166
Bib ID:	5012632 View CLIO record
Creator(s):	Columbia University. Bureau of Applied Social Research.
Title:	Bureau of Applied Social Research Records, 1944-1976
Physical description:	103 boxes
Language(s):	In English
Access:	This collection is shelved off-site and requires advance notice of intent to use. This collection has no restrictions.  More information »

Arrangement

Arrangement

This collection is arranged into 11 series:

• Series I: Project Index
• Series II: Project Proposals
• Series III: Reports
• Series IV: Masters Essays
• Series V: Doctoral Dissertations
• Series VI: Articles
• Series VII: Personnel Published and Unpublished Materials
• Series VIII: Additional Project Files and Miscellaneous Materials
• Series IX: BASR Library Materials and Publications
• Series X: Center for the Social Sciences
• Series XI: Card Catalog of BASR Library

Return to top

Description

Scope and Content

Project materials, including reports, monographs, books, articles, Masters essays, Doctoral dissertations, foreign publications, and audio-visual materials.

Series I: Project Index

Boxes 1-103.& This Index is intended to show the entire output of each Bureau project. The projects were assigned numbers that were generally chronological, beginning with the year the project began, but became chronologically disordered from B-1000 to B-1038 due to a transition in the numbering system introduced in 1964. For these projects, the year of initiation is given after the project title.

Within projects, publications are listed by type: Reports, Monographs, Books, Articles, Masters Essays, Doctoral Dissertations, Foreign Publications and, in a few cases, Audio-Visual Materials. Within each category, publications are ordered by year and then alphabetically by author. If an author produced more than one publication of a given type in a particular year, a number in parentheses indicates its order in that author's publications for that year.

Projects that were funded through the Bureau and approved by its Board as "Bureau Projects" have numbers preceded by "B." Faculty projects, for which the Bureau provided space or services but that it did not initiate as an organization, are indicated by an "F." Similar student projects are indicated by "S" or "D." The names of the original project directors are given in parentheses after the project title.

Series II: Project Proposals

Eight boxes of material [Boxes 104-111]

Series III: Reports

Boxes 112-134

The BASR Reports were generally delivered to the research sponsor in mimeographed form. In some cases, as noted, the reports were later published as articles or books. Asterisks indicate titles which are not included in the microfiche collection.

Series IV: Masters Essays

All Masters Essays were submitted to the Department of Sociology of Columbia University. For interlibrary loan, contact Interlibrary Loan Service, Columbia University Libraries. For purchase of microfilm or Xerox copies, contact the Photographic Service Department, Columbia University Libraries.

Series V: Doctoral Dissertations

Boxes 135-136. Doctoral Dissertations were submitted to the Sociology Department of Columbia University. All Columbia dissertations are available on interlibrary loan; address requests to Interlibrary Loan Service, Columbia University Libraries. Those available on microfilm are so designated and may be purchased directly from University Microfilms, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Series VI: Articles

Boxes 137-141. The articles are listed chronologically and, within each year, alphabetically by author. Most of them report on research carried out at the Bureau of Applied Social Research or its predecessor, the Office of Radio Research. Those from 1935-1936 and some of the 1937 articles were produced by Paul Lazarsfeld before the creation of the Office of Radio Research, but were always listed by him as the Office's first publications in accordance with his effort to build up the organization. He also encouraged staff members and fellow faculty members to list their publications as "Bureau publications" for the same reason. Wherever possible we have indicated specific project numbers for articles which could be directly attributed to a Bureau research project.

VII: Personnel Published and Unpublished Materials

Not Included In BASR Project Files. 4 boxes- Boxes 142-145

VIII: Additional Project Files and Miscellaneous Materials

Boxes 146-151

IX: BASR Library Materials and Publications

Boxes 152-156

X: Center for the Social Sciences

Boxes 157-163

Return to top

Using the Collection

Offsite

Access Restrictions

 This collection is shelved off-site and requires advance notice of intent to use.

This collection has no restrictions.

Restrictions on Use

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material from the collection must be requested from the Curator of Manuscripts/University Archivist, Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML). The RBML approves permission to publish that which it physically owns; the responsibility to secure copyright permission rests with the patron.

Preferred Citation

Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Bureau of Applied Social Research records; Box and Folder; Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.

Related Material

RBML also holds the "Bureau of Applied Social Research-War Documentation Project Records, 1950-1956" as part of the Bakhmeteff Archive (BA#0064).

Return to top

About the Finding Aid / Processing Information

Columbia University Libraries. Rare Book and Manuscript Library; machine readable finding aid created by Columbia University Libraries Digital Library Program Division

Return to top

Subject Headings

The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.

All links open new windows.

Subjects

Heading	CUL Archives: Portal	CUL Collections: CLIO	Nat'l / Int'l Archives: ArchiveGRID
Berelson, Bernard, 1912-1979.	Portal	CLIO	ArchiveGRID
Bureau of Applied Social Research.	Portal	CLIO	ArchiveGRID
Glock, Charles Y.	Portal	CLIO	ArchiveGRID
Lazarsfeld, Paul Felix.	Portal	CLIO	ArchiveGRID
Merton, Robert King, 1910-2003.	Portal	CLIO	ArchiveGRID
Social sciences--Research.	Portal	CLIO	ArchiveGRID

Return to top

History / Biographical Note

History

The Bureau of Applied Social Research, headed by sociologist Paul Lazarsfeld, was established in 1944 and helped make Columbia a pioneering institution in the social sciences. Through empirical research, ideas regarding the functioning of individuals and groups were developed and tested. Many ground-breaking studies were conducted by Lazarsfeld and his colleagues, among the most important of which was the impact of radio and television on the American public. Through such work, the Bureau become the "birthplace" of mass communication research. Many survey techniques were developed at the Bureau, such as the focused interview and panel interviewing methods. The Bureau was eventually succeeded by the Center for the Social Sciences in 1976.

Return to top