Washingtoniana Scrapbook Collection
Scope and Contents
Collection consists mainly of scrapbooks created and assembled by Washingtoniana Staff. Scrapbooking started within the division in the early part of the twentieth century and was phased out following World War II. The scrapbooks were topically assembled and mainly contain newspaper articles, while some scrapbooks contain photographs, manuscript and ephemeral materials. Additional topical scrapbooks not assembled by Library staff were added to the collection over the years. Scrapbooks have been arranged alphabetically by title.
Dates
- Creation: 1812 - 1966
Creator
- DC Public Library, Special Collections (Organization)
Restrictions
There are no known restriction for this collection.
Biographical / Historical
In 1905 Library Director Dr. George F. Bowerman founded a local history collection, known then as the Washingtoniana Division, with the acquisition of a few books on the history of Washington, DC. and other materials. Since that time, the collection has grown to be one of the largest local history collections housed in a public library in the United States. The Collection consists of books, maps, newspapers and periodicals, ephemeral items, objects, archival collections, photographs, and digital materials of all kinds. Today the department is known as The People’s Archive and is made up of the Washingtoniana, Black Studies, and Peabody Room collections.
Extent
49 Linear feet (147 flat boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Provenance
Most scrapbooks in this collection were created and assembled by staff members of the Washingtoniana Division. Additional scrapbooks were added to the collection over the years from individual donors. Following World War II, scrapbooking of clippings was phased out and replaced with the Vertical File Collection.
Processing Procedure
Basic archival processing procedures were applied to the collection when it was processed. When applicable, buffer sheets were placed on pages containing photographs or other materials to ensure preservation of these items. The Collection was processed without series.
- Title
- Washingtoniana Scrapbook Collection
- Subtitle
- An Inventory to the Washingtoniana Scrapbook Collection
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Guide Prepared by Mark S. Greek, CA
- Date
- 2022-09
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository