Identifying the Need for EIM: an AIIM Chapter Education Program (93-846)
Mixed Materials 1, Folder 1
Search Results
IRENE FARKAS-CONN HISTORICAL AND RESEARCH FILES
The IRENE FARKAS-CONN HISTORICAL AND RESEARCH FILES series (3.5 linear feet) is made up of research materials compiled by Irene Farkas-Conn for her book on the history of ASIS, From Documentation to Information Science: The Beginnings and Early Development of the American Documentation Institute-American Society for Information Science (New York: Greenwood Press, 1990). Farkas-Conn was a past officer of ASIS and an information and management consultant. The series consists of original ASIS documents, various photocopies, and Dr. Farkas-Conn's notes.
In the course of her research, Farkas-Conn acquired a substantial amount of very early, original ADI/ASIS records, spanning the 1930s through the 1960s. She also received small batches of related materials from individuals involved in ASIS (past leaders including Watson Davis, Vernon Tate, Cloyd Dake Gull, and Karl Heumann). Those records considered to be the most vital (such as articles of incorporation, early Council minutes, correspondence of ASIS founders and officers, etc.), and for which no other copy exists, have been put back into something approximating their original context. In some cases, however, original documents have been left within the Farkas-Conn research files, especially when they have been annotated by Dr. Farkas-Conn and grouped by her according to a particular subject.
A small amount of materials was photocopied from the archives of other institutions, including the Smithsonian Institution Archives, the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan, the Library of Congress, and Harvard University Archives. Permission to quote from or reproduce these documents must be obtained from these repositories.
Some of the material in this series pertains to Science Service and its daughter agency Bibliofilm Service, both of which were early predecessors of ADI. Science Service was an organization founded by the newspaper publisher E.W. Scripps and originally aimed at the betterment of society through the popularization of science. When Watson Davis became director of Science Service in 1933, he shifted its focus toward international scientific cooperation, publication, and bibliography. Davis established Bibliofilm Service in 1934 as an arm of Science Service that would specialize in the use of microfilm to fulfill interlibrary loan requests. Another facet of Science Service was its Auxiliary Publication Service, begun in 1936, which also sought to harness the potential of the emerging microphotography technologies. A small number of other documents pertaining to Science Service, Bibliofilm Service, and Auxiliary Publication Service can be found throughout the collection, particularly in the Related Organizations and Subjects series, but the bulk is in this series.
The Irene Farkas-Conn Research and Historical Files are divided into seven subseries: People, Committees and Administration, Related Groups, Topics, Chronological, Book Sections, and Research Files. The People subseries contains materials (both original and photocopied) by and about ASIS leaders, plus Farkas-Conn's notes. Committees and Administration refers to ADI/ASIS work and achievements. Related Groups comprises materials by and about groups affiliated with ASIS or performing similar missions, such as the International Federation for Documentation (FID). The Topics subseries and the Chronological subseries both focus on the 1930s and 1940s, with special attention paid to ADI's wartime activities. The Book Sections subseries is divided according to Farkas-Conn's planned structure for her book. In each numbered section can be found source materials, notes, and partial drafts. Also included are some of Farkas-Conn's dissertation materials and background resources. The rest of the series is comprised of the Research Files, which contain material that is more generally or loosely organized. It consists mainly of Farkas-Conn's notes, photocopies, and a small number of original documents (correspondence, reports, pamphlets, etc.).
Materials in this series span the 1930s through the 1970s. Most of Farkas-Conn's notes are undated, but appear to date from the 1970s and 1980s. In all of the subseries, an attempt was made whenever possible to retain Farkas-Conn's original folder headings. However, sometimes it was necessary to make slight changes; for example, combining multiple headings, glossing abbreviations, guessing at illegible text, and supplying missing headings.
John G. Gannt papers, 1951-1973
1 linear foot
Papers of John Gantt, microfilming pioneer and head of Photoduplication at the University of Michigan Graduate Library, including reference file on products and equipment used in the microfilming and other reproduction processes.
The John Gantt papers consist of product literature, equipment brochures and manuals, reports, articles, and scattered correspondence. A small amount of material concerns the work of the Photoduplication Service, but the bulk of the collection is a reference file on products and equipment relating to microfilming and other copying processes. Included is information on developing machines, printers, enlargers, film processors, exposure controls, cameras, readers, cabinets, boxes, filters, films, microfiche, and document retrieval systems.
Some of this material is arranged by company and some by subject.
Lester O. Kruger Papers, 1956-2005 (majority within 1974-1990)
3 linear feet
Lester O. Kruger was a long-time 3M employee and a leader in the micrographics industry. As an active member of the National Micrographics Association and Association for Information and Image Management, Kruger helped develop national and international micrographic standards. This collection documents Kruger's career and involvement with Filmsort/3M, NMA, and AIIM.
The Lester O. Kruger Papers are divided into 8 series: National Micrographics Association (NMA), Association for Information and Image Management (AIIM), 3M, Personal, Photographs, Microforms, Printed Material, and Realia. Largely consisting of professional papers, the collection documents Kruger's work in micrographics, imaging, and standards. Included are correspondence and memoranda between colleagues, organizational correspondence and information, meeting reports and resolutions, drafts of proposed standards, presentation drafts, photographs, and microfiche. The collection contains a smaller amount of more personal material, pertaining to Kruger's career and achievements. These include: awards, plaques, a scrapbook, photographs, ephemera, and a small quantity of personal correspondence with professional colleagues. Realia related to micrography, including microfilm viewers and a medallion from an NMA conference, make up the final series in the Kruger Papers.
National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Files,, 1966-1995
57.5 linear feet
The National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Files subgroup is divided into six series: Correspondence, Commission Meetings, Task Forces, Related Agencies/Organizations, Subject Files, and UNESCO.
National Commission on Libraries and Information Science Records, 1966-1995 (majority within 1979-1989)
69 linear feet — Photographs located in Boxes 22, 47, 52, 55, and 69. — Visual Material located in Boxes 23, 30, and 53. — Audio Material located in Boxes 4-5, 7-9, 19-20, 22-24, 26-30, 43-45, 50-53, 55, 61-52, 64, and 68-69.
Materials relating to the work of the National Commission on Libraries and Information Science and the 1979 and 1991 White House Conferences on Libraries and Information Services. Includes correspondence, committee files, clippings and subject files.
National Microfilm Association records, 1944-1989 (majority within 1944-1973)
76.5 linear feet (ca. 153,000 pp.) in 79 boxes
The records of the National Microfilm Association concern the work of the organization between 1944 and 1973, with scattered materials documenting some activities as late as 1990. The materials consist of correspondence, constitutions, by-laws, handbooks, meeting minutes, membership lists, biographical information, financial records, company publications, and articles and scholarly presentations.
In December 1982, Dr. Vernon Tate donated a large collection of manuscripts and publications documenting the history of microphotography and his own career as a historian, archivist, librarian, and microfilm pioneer to The University of Michigan Libraries. This donation provided the impetus for the creation of the Power Collection for the Study of Scholarly Communication and Information Transfer in the Special Collections Library. The Power Collection is named in honor of Dr. Tate's long-time friend, Eugene B. Power, the founder of the micropublishing firm University Microfilms, Inc.
Dr. Tate's donations to the Power Collection contain over 140 linear feet of manuscripts, including his own personal and professional papers, an extensive collection of records of the National Microfilm Association (NMA), and the Microfilm Pioneers Collection which contains the papers of several of Dr. Tate's colleagues concerning microphotography and the activities of NMA. In addition, Dr. Tate donated an extensive collection of serials and monographs relating primarily to the fields of photography, microphotography, and archives.
The earliest records concern a meeting held in 1944 to discuss the creation of a microfilm trade association and the subsequent NMA founding convention held in Cleveland, Ohio, in March 1945. Included in the collection is the correspondence of Franklin Morgan, one of the organizers of these two meetings and the first president of NMA, covering June 1944 to October 1945.
Morgan resigned as president in October 1945 and vice president Eugene Power succeeded him. At about the same time the board of directors hired Wilfred Knighton as secretary. He served in this position until September 1946, when the board replaced him with Vernon Tate.
The records covering the first years of NMA's existence are fairly substantial. For these years the files contain extensive correspondence of the presidents and secretaries of the organization, along with minutes of annual meetings and board meetings and scattered materials on committees and finances.
After the first few years, NMA declined in strength and activity and the quantity and quality of the records reflects this. There apparently were no annual meetings after 1946 and no board meetings after 1947. The president and secretary continued an active correspondence through 1948, although many of the letters from 1947 and 1948 concern attempts to revitalize the organization.
Between 1949 and 1951, NMA was completely dormant. The only records consist of occasional letters inquiring about the organization or specific questions on microfilming techniques. Vernon Tate continued to answer letters addressed to NMA, even though the organization was inactive.
With the revitalization of NMA after a meeting at the Library of Congress in 1952, extensive files on all aspects of the organization's work appear once again. One major difference in the records, however, is that the correspondence file no longer contains a complete record of the president's correspondence. It consists of letters received and sent by executive secretary Vernon Tate, with occasional copies of presidential letters sent to Tate for his information.
The records grew in quantity and complexity as the years passed, especially during the 1960s when NMA underwent tremendous growth in membership and activities. It was at this time that the organization established much of its committee structure, founded state and regional chapters, and began a Fellows organization for individuals who had been awarded that honor.
In 1969, NMA hired a professional executive vice-president who took over some of Vernon Tate's duties. The following year the organization moved its headquarters from a building owned by Tate in Annapolis, MD, to Silver Spring, MD, closer to Washington. The files for succeeding years reflect Vernon Tate's increasingly limited role and no longer include the files generated by the headquarters staff.
Tate left his positions with NMA at the end of 1973 and the scattered materials in the collection dating from later years relate mainly to his continuing role with the Fellows organization. Included are correspondence and minutes of Fellows meetings.
Researchers should be aware that some NMA-related materials also appear in Tate's Personal and Professional Papers. Included in that collection is Tate's correspondence concerning the organization for the years 1944 to 1946, before he became an officer, and scattered correspondence from the years after Tate left his positions with NMA in 1973.
Additional materials on NMA appear in the Microfilm Pioneers Collection. Several officers of the organization donated their papers to that collection.
Special Collections Library
Power Collection for the Study of Scholarly Communication and Information Transfer
The University of Michigan
(Forms part of the Vernon D. Tate Archive of Micrographics Collection)
National Microfilm Association Subject File, 1964-1984
The NMA Subject File series includes correspondence, minutes, newsletters, financial reports, press releases, and publications concerning Harmon's work on several N.M.A. Committees and the operation of N.M.A. during his service as a board member and president. Topics include board meetings; chapters, especially the New England chapter; committees, especially those concerning awards; Standards Board, particularly COM [i.e., computer output microfilm] format and coding standards; education; public relations; quality considerations of permanent record microfilm (studying the problem of microscopic blemishes); services for the handicapped; and conventions and finances.
NMA
The National Micrographics Association (NMA) (roughly .2 linear feet) consists primarily of correspondence and NMA's "Manual for Standards Committee Chairmen". This series offers a glimpse into the work of several committees Kruger participated in. Some of Kruger's ISO and ANSI work is represented here.
Proposals
The Proposals series (boxes 1-2) are grant proposals that organizations submitted to TOP. The notation "App. no" in the finding aid represents the number assigned by TOP to the grant proposals. The 9-digit-plus-letter I notation (nn-nn-Innnnn) in the Proposals series represents the initial grant number assigned to the organization. This initial grant number differs only by the inclusion of the letter I from the grant numbers (nn-nn-nnnnn) in the other series. The grant proposals are not a complete set of the grant proposals submitted to TOP.