A History of the Special Collections and Archives of Teachers College in Two Parts

A History of the Special Collections and Archives of Teachers College, Part II: 1962-2024

This second part of the history of the Special Collections and Archives follows the unit's development from the early 1960s through to the present day.

Teachers College Library

After Eleanor M. Witmer retired, Dr. Sidney Forman became the next librarian of Teachers College in July of 1962. Forman was a historian, librarian, archivist, and educator with over sixteen years of experience in libraries and archives [1]. Prior to taking on the role at Teachers College, Forman served as head of the United States Military Academy library systems and served as the Academy’s archivist and historian [2]. In his 14 years at Teachers College, Forman established several new policies and collections which allowed the library to flourish. He created new research collections for the study of English as a foreign language; he spearheaded the library’s move to join the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) to make library records machine readable; and he applied for several grants to fund the processing, arrangement, and preservation of archival materials [3].

_{Sidney Forman. Proof Of Photograph, Taken in The Librarian's Office. Teachers College. (1962)}

During his tenure, Sidney Forman standardized many of the archival practices at the Teachers College Library. Records indicate that Dr. Forman and his immediate assistants met with faculty to appraise potential archival collections [4]. Dr. Forman and his assistants assessed collections’ research value and worked with donors to establish restrictions on collections as needed [5]. During this time, he also instituted the use of accession sheets, making it easier to track donations, transfers, and acquisitions while also describing acquired items or entire collections [6]. This is evidenced in the accession records from the early 1960s, which establish the criteria for internal records. Each accession sheet details the date and source of acquisition, provides a brief description of the collected materials, lists the dates covered, and lists types of materials in the collection [7]. Accession records show that the library acquired the following collections in the 1960s: David Eugene Smith’s letters in 1965; John Marquard’s letters in 1966; Norton L. Beach’s papers in 1967; William Heard Kilpatrick’s papers in 1967 (with further accessions in 1980 and 1997); Sophia Blanche Lyon Fahs’s papers in 1967; Karl Bigelow’s papers in 1968 (with further accessions in 1978 and 1979); and Eugenia K. Spalding’s papers in 1968 [8].

From 1972 to the end of Sidney Forman’s tenure in 1976, the Teachers College Library acquired several new archival collections. In 1972, the college acquired Henry Harap’s papers and in 1973 Robert Bruce Raup transferred his papers to the library’s archive [9]. In 1974 the college received Myron Frederick Rosskopf’s notebooks, the papers of the class of 1926, Robert L. Thorndike’s papers, and Godfrey Dewey’s papers (which were transferred to Columbia University’s Rare Books and Manuscripts Library in 2007) [10]. In 1975, the library acquired the Board of Education of the City of New York Records, Anna Stieffel’s kindergarten training materials, president Hollis Caswell’s papers,  R. Freeman Butts’ papers, as well as the National Council for the Social Studies Records [11]. The Board of Education Records were transferred to the New York City Municipal Archives in 2003, but while they were in the custody of Teachers College Archives, Sidney Forman secured a grant from the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Brothers Fund to preserve, organize, arrange, and catalog the collection [12]. By the time Sidney Forman stepped down in 1976, the library had expanded its archives immensely.

 Jane P. Franck became Library Director in 1977. In 1979, she officially established the Special Collections Department, formalizing the archives and creating several new positions to support the ongoing work [13]. These new positions included a conservator to repair and preserve manuscripts and documents; a manuscripts curator to process, organize, and describe collections; and a Head of Special Collections to set policies and manage the collections holistically [14]. Franck and the new Head of Special Collections, David Ment, defined the Special Collections as:

encompass[ing] manuscripts, Teachers College Archives, printed material relating to Teachers College and affiliated institutions, rare books, and photographs, films, and audiotapes. The collection is built around the broad subject of education in the United States but also includes substantial holdings in international education. [15]

This definition solidified the mission of the Special Collections and Archives and allowed for more targeted collection development. For instance, Franck’s 1978 Report of the Librarian sketched out the special collections’ plans for growing its holdings and enhancing its services, noting that the staff endeavored to seek out retiring professors’ papers and work to obtain oral histories from faculty, alumni, staff, and others affiliated with Teachers College [16].

In the establishment of the Special Collections, the library saw enhanced processing and preservation work. In 1977, archivist Arline Schneider worked to organize and establish intellectual control over new collections. Using the funds from the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Ford Foundation secured by Dr. Forman, Schneider inventoried, arranged, and described several collections, including the Board of Education Records [17]. Her efforts culminated in the creation of finding aids, which allowed researchers to better access materials. Additionally, staff undertook serious conservation and preservation efforts for the special collections. These efforts included the formation of a conservation laboratory, where the conservator microfilmed materials, dry mounted photographs, placed documents into acid free folders or mylar sleeves, duplicated damaged materials, repaired bindings or tears, and cleaned materials [18]. The Special Collections staff identified several books in the Darton Collection in need of preservation, placing damaged and fragile books in protective boxes and making repairs where possible [19]. In the late 1970s through the mid-1980s, this work was primarily overseen and completed by the library’s first conservator, David Webster.

_{Photograph: Library Conservator Cleaning a Manuscript. RG 17: Development and External Affairs. Photographs, Box 1 of 2, Folder: Library Photos - General- 1982, photographer Manny Warman.}

During the late 1970s, Jane Franck also oversaw a major renovation of the library, which left the storage of the special collections in flux, however, storage uncertainties did not stop the Special Collections and Archives staff from acquiring new collections. During the renovation project, which spanned from 1977 to 1982, the library acquired the following collections: In 1977 and 1978 the Special Collections acquired Eleanor Witmer’s autograph collection, records from the Office of the Dean, Arthur E. Bestor’s papers, a Survey-study of Teacher Training Colleges in India, Diane Ravitch’s papers, oral history tapes and other archives from the Nursing Department, Rita Morgan’s papers, and letters from Florence Nightingale and Clara Barton [20]. 1979 saw the accession of James Earl Russell’s papers, William F. Russell’s papers, historical library records, student affairs files, George S. Counts’ papers (with further accessions in 1990), I. Ignacy Goldberg’s papers, Phil C. Lange’s papers,  and papers from the Institute of Administrative Research [21].

In 1980, the library acquired Grace Dodge’s papers with further accessions in 1987, Pauline Schwartz’s notebooks, and the Hope Indian Boarding School Manuscripts from 1883-1889 [22]. 1981 saw the acquisition of the Children’s Village Records (formerly the New York Juvenile Asylum), which were transferred to Columbia University’s archives in 2006 [23]. That same year, the library also acquired Rachel Louise McManus’s papers as well as Maggie J. Cassidy’s writings. In 1982, just before the library’s renovations were completed, the Special Collections received further papers from the Board of Education, further papers from Rachel Louise McManus, as well as Erling Hunt’s papers and Edward L. Thorndike’s test files and other papers [24].

Milbank Memorial Library

 When the renovation project was completed in 1982, the library was dedicated as the Milbank Memorial Library. The renovation provided space and facilities for the storage and maintenance of the Special Collections and Archives, which were housed on the first floor of Russell Hall [25]. The new space allowed for further acquisitions and collection development. In 1983, the Special Collections and Archives received the Psychological Consultation Center Collection, George Z.F. Bereday’s papers, the New College Collection, the Amherst Project Records, as well as Sybille K. Escalona’s papers [26]. In 1984, the library received Eleanor C. Lambertsen’s papers, Elizabeth McNeely’s costume drawings, the Federico Castellon Memorial Print Collection, as well as several historical photographs of Teachers College [27]. In 1985 archives received Alice R. Rines' papers, while the Lincoln School Collection was acquired in 1986 [28]. 1987 saw the acquisition of Willard J. Jacobson's papers  and in 1988 Lois Bloom’s Child Language Archive was acquired [29].

From the late 1980s and into the late 1990s, the Special Collections gained items files from the office of external affairs, Sloan Wayland’s papers, records from the Nursing Education Alumni Association, Hazel Hertzberg’s papers, Paul Monroe’s papers, Lawrence A. Cremin’s papers (which are now at Columbia University), Goodwin Watson’s papers, Joan Dye Gussow’s papers, Esther McDonald Lloyd-Jones’ papers, David E. Smith’s papers, A. Harry Passow’s papers, Maxine Greene’s archive (with later additions in 2002), Teachers for East Africa and Teacher Education in East Africa records, Afghanistan Project records, Citizenship Education Project records, as well as various papers from Public Relations, the Office of the President, and the Office of the Dean [147]. Additional accessions included Passow’s Israeli Children’s Peace Art, Edwin Ziegfeld’s Collection of International Children’s Art, artwork of the students of Arthur Wesley Dow, and a manuscript notebook of a student nurse from 1897 [30].

Apart from acquiring new archival collections, the Special Collections staff undertook several projects to process, arrange, and preserve the collections. After the James Earl Russell Papers were acquired in 1979, the staff spent the next 9 years processing, arranging, organizing, and describing the collection [31]. The papers required concerted conservation efforts, in-depth archival processing and arranging into series, research and the writing of a descriptive guide. Additionally, under the library’s conservators, Miranda Martin and Melanie Martin, over 15,000 items received physical treatment and repairs from 1989 to 1991 [32]. This work was aided by grants from Ferris Booth, the State Education Department of New York, and the Hewlett Mellon Foundation [33]. Conservation and preservation work was carried out on several rare book collections, including 19th century American textbooks, . This conservation and preservation work was aided by the incorporation of bindery procedures, which were managed by Miranda and Melanie Martin. They established regular relations with Ocker and Trapp Library Bindery, a family run commercial and fine bindery operation in Emerson, New Jersey. 

With David Ment heading the Special Collections, new services were also provided to researchers. The Special Collections unit provided reference services using archival materials, manuscripts, and finding aids to assist researchers [34].  Special Collections staff were also responsible for instruction, conservation workshops, and exhibitions [35]. During the 1980s and 1990s, the Milbank Memorial Library held several exhibitions which showcased the collections. Manuscript curator Bette Weneck organized and curated an exhibition of the James Earl Russell Papers, an exhibition of historical children’s literature titled “The Children’s Favorite,” and an exhibition of the historical testing collections titled “Testing: An Historical Collection” [36]. Additional exhibitions included “Lessons of Food: An Exhibition of Cookbooks and Works on Food”, an exhibit of textbooks produced in Afghanistan, and an exhibition detailing the relationship between Teachers College and China in the 20th century [37].

_{RG: 17 Public Relations. Photograph: Professor Thurston A. Atkins and David Ment at the library’s Afghanistan Textbook Exhibit, 1984.}

Gottesman Libraries

In 2002, President Arthur Levine and the library’s new director Gary Natriello made the difficult decision to close the Special Collections unit [38]. While several archival groups, such as the Society of American Archivists protested this action, fiscal concerns, library renovations, and restructuring of the library meant that the Special Collections could no longer operate as it once had. Improving the library’s electronic resources, enhancing reference services, and a renovation project were prioritized. Partly fueled by Dr. Ruth Gottesman’s $6.5 million gift to the library to “establish the Library of the Future,” Natriello and library staff turned to the possibilities of digital archiving with the digital repository PocketKnowledge. This system continued to grow after the library was dedicated to Gottesman in 2004. For more on Natriello's views on digital technologies in higher education and the impacts of digital technologies on the Gottesman Libraries, see  his book Digital-Age Innovation in Higher Education : A Do-It-Yourself Approach.

In 2020, Jennifer Govan became Library Director. After assessing the needs of the Teachers College Community and working to meet changing  library standards, Govan reinstated the Special Collections and Archives unit as the Digital and Special Collections unit. In 2022, after 20 years without a Special Collections unit or a Special Collections Librarian, Conrad Lochner was hired to take on the role, overseeing the retirement of PocketKnowledge and the implementation of the Teachers College Digital Collections. Victoria Santamorena also joined the Special and Digital Collections staff in 2022, first as a library associate and then as a processing archivist. With two additional library associates hired in 2023, Samie Konet and Aofie Smith, the Digital and Special Collections Unit have worked to enhance the digital collections, process a backlog of collections, preserve materials, and provide reference services for researchers. We have begun to curate exhibits once again, and hope in the coming years to make physical and digital materials more accessible to researchers.  

Notes:

[1] RG 17: Office of Public Relations: Faculty Files, Fitzpatrick- Foshay, box 15, folder: Sidney Forman.

[2] Typescript of press release by Joseph Deitch, 17 June, 1962, RG 17: Office of Public Relations: Faculty Files, Fitzpatrick- Foshay, box 15, folder: Sidney Forman, 2.

[3] Franck, Jane P. “An Almanac for the First Century,” 1988, Milbank Memorial Library; Sidney Forman, Faculty File.

[4] Typescript Memo by Sidney Forman, 10 June 1970, RG 10: Library Records, Unprocessed Library Records, Box 1 of 1, Folder: Dr. Ben Wood, 1.

[5] Ibid.

[6] Accession Records. Admin. Papers – Historical Collections & Archives, folder:  Manuscripts and Archives, ACCESSIONS 1959-1977.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.

[12] RG 17: Office of Public Relations: Faculty Files, Fitzpatrick- Foshay, box 15, folder: Sidney Forman.

[13] “An Almanac for the First Century,” 1988.

[14] A Guide to the James Earl Russell Papers. Milbank Memorial Library, New York, 1988, 5 and 33; Franck, Jane P. “Annual Report of the Librarian, September 1, 1977 to June 30, 1978,” (unpublished manuscript, 1978) typescript, 33.

[15] Teachers College Library Handbook, 1981-1983, Milbank Memorial Library, New York,  RG 10: Library Records, TCANA Vertical Files, Box 9: Industrial Arts/ Manual Training – Library Publications, folder 138: Library Publications, 23.

[16] Franck, “Annual Report of the Librarian, September 1, 1977 to June 30, 1978,” (unpublished manuscript, 1978) typescript, 35.

[17] Schneider, Arline. Preliminary Checklist to the Records of the Board of Education of the City of New York. New York: Teachers College Library, Archives, Columbia University, 1977. Print.

[18] Franck, “Annual Report of the Librarian, September 1, 1977 to June 30, 1978,” (unpublished manuscript, 1978) typescript, 33.

[19] Ibid., 34.

[20] Library Accession Records.

[21] Ibid.

[22] Ibid.

[23] Accession Records. Admin. Papers – Historical Collections & Archives; Children’s Village Records.

[24] “An Almanac for the First Century,” 1988; Library Accession Records.

[25] Teachers College Library Handbook, 1981-1983, Milbank Memorial Library, New York,  RG 10: Library Records, TCANA Vertical Files, Box 9: Industrial Arts/ Manual Training – Library Publications, folder 138: Library Publications, 23

[26] “An Almanac for the First Century,” 1988; Library Accession Records.

[27] Ibid.

[28] Library Accession Records.

[29] “An Almanac for the First Century,” 1988.

[30] “The Milbank Collections: A Two Year Review 1989-1991,”1992, Library Records: Ephemera, RG 1- RG 20. Folder: RG 10: Library (Handbooks and Services), 13-15; Library Accession Records.

[31] Library Accession Records.

[32] A Guide to the James Earl Russell Papers, 33.

[33] “The Milbank Collections: A Two Year Review 1989-1991,”1992, Library Records: Ephemera, RG 1- RG 20. Folder: RG 10: Library (Handbooks and Services), 24.

[34] “An Almanac for the First Century,” 1988.

[35] Teachers College Library Handbook, 1981-1983, Milbank Memorial Library, New York,  RG 10: Library Records, TCANA Vertical Files, Box 9: Industrial Arts/ Manual Training – Library Publications, folder 138: Library Publications, 24.

[153] Ibid.

[36] “The Milbank Collections: A Two Year Review 1989-1991,”1992, Library Records: Ephemera, RG 1- RG 20. Folder: RG 10: Library (Handbooks and Services), 19.

[37] Library Records: Ephemera, RG 1- RG 20. Folder: RG 10:: Library (Special collections).

[38] TC Today: The Newsletter of Teachers College, Columbia University. New York, N.Y: Office of Public Relations, Teachers College, Columbia University, 2002.