Research Catalog
Catalog Preservation Project Records
- Title
- Catalog Preservation Project Records, 1942-1983.
- Author
- New York Public Library. Research Libraries. Preparation Services Division.
- Supplementary Content
- Finding Aid
Details
- Description
- 4.16 linear feet (10 boxes).
- Summary
- The Catalog Preservation Project Records pertain to the rehabilitation and preservation of the Public Card Catalog of The Research Libraries of The New York Public Library.
- Subjects
- Library catalogs
- Catalogs, Divided
- Dictionary catalogs
- Card catalogs
- Book catalogs
- Library catalogs on microfilm
- Library catalogs > Automation
- Library catalog management
- Libraries > New York (State) > New York
- New York Public Library > Central Administration > Systems Analysis & Data Processing Office
- New York Public Library > Research Libraries > Preparation Services
- Henderson, James W (James Wood), 1917-
- Terms of Use (note)
- All rights reserved. Permission to quote must be obtained in writing from the New York Public Library.
- Source (note)
- Technicial Services Division.
- Biography (note)
- The Public Card Catalog of the Research Libraries of the New York Public Library (NYPL), which was closed in 1971, is a dictionary catalog of author, title, and subject entries dating from the Library's founding in 1895.
- Indexes/Finding Aids (note)
- Unpublished finding aid available at repository and on Internet.
- Linking Entry (note)
- The history of the Research Libraries is described separately.
- Processing Action (note)
- Processed.
- Call Number
- MssArc 5446
- OCLC
- NYPW04-A245
- Author
- New York Public Library. Research Libraries. Preparation Services Division.
- Title
- Catalog Preservation Project Records, 1942-1983.
- Terms Of Use
- All rights reserved. Permission to quote must be obtained in writing from the New York Public Library.
- Biography
- The Public Card Catalog of the Research Libraries of the New York Public Library (NYPL), which was closed in 1971, is a dictionary catalog of author, title, and subject entries dating from the Library's founding in 1895.By the 1960's, the Public Catalog contained approximately 8 million cards, many of which were in poor condition from heavy handling by staff and readers. A project to rehabilitate and preserve the Public Catalog began in 1963. Several studies of the matter led to decisions to close the card catalog, replace or refurbish the deteriorated cards and publish the rehabilitated card catalog photographically in book form (the retrospective catalog), and to produce future catalogs in book form from a store of machine-readable data (the prospective catalog).Creation of the prospective catalog involved a coordinated effort between the Preparation Services department and the Systems Analysis & Data Processing Office (SADPO). The development work for the automated system was completed in October, 1971, when a preliminary edition of the computer-produced, photo-composed dictionary book catalog was issued. The new catalog system was officially introduced in January 1972.The creation of the retrospective catalog was referred to as Project RETRO. Work on rehabilitation of the cards began in earnest in 1977. Twenty staff members updated and restored the cards so that they could be photographed and microfilmed, at a cost of $3.3 million. The card catalog was then published in book form, in 800 volumes, under the title Dictionary Catalog of the Research Libraries of the New York Public Library - 1911-1971. The first volumes were published in 1979, and the last appeared in 1983. James W. Henderson, the Chief of the NYPL Reference Department from 1963-1972 and the Andrew W. Mellon Director of The Research Libraries from 1972-1977, came out of retirement to become the Director of Project RETRO in 1978 and oversaw the project through its completion in 1983.
- Indexes
- Unpublished finding aid available at repository and on Internet.
- Linking Entry
- The history of the Research Libraries is described separately.
- Connect to:
- Research Call Number
- MssArc 5446