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Guide to the Alpine Library Association Records
MS 235
MS 235
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Table of contents
Title: Alpine Library Association Records
Identifier/Call Number: MS 235
Contributing Institution:
San Diego History Center Document Collection
Language of Material:
English
Physical Description:
0.5 Linear feet
(1 box)
Date (inclusive): 1900-1957
Abstract: This collection contains records of the Alpine Library Association, which established and operated the Alpine Public Library
in the first half of the 1900s.
creator:
Alpine Library Association.
Biographical / Historical Notes
The Alpine Library Association was founded in October 1900. According to its Constitution, the purpose of the organization
was to “[establish] a free public library and reading room in Alpine.” For most of its life, the Association and the Alpine
Public Library were housed in the Women’s Club in Alpine, where members met on a quarterly basis. To raise funds for the library
and its collections, the Association put on events and solicited memberships, monetary and book donations. Prominent members
included Beatrice La Force, who served as Secretary and Librarian, Commander Rudolph Oeser, who served as Treasurer, and Lawrence
Wilber, who served as President in the 1940s and 1950s. The Association dissolved in 1957 when the Alpine Public Library was
incorporated with the San Diego County Library.
This collection was donated by Beatrice La Force, who was an Alpine resident for most of her life. She was a historian and
writer who wrote “Alpine, the History of a Mountain Community” in 1971, as well as several mysteries and novels in addition
to writing for Woman’s Day and Reader’s Digest. She was also an award-winning playwright who directed the Alpine Players,
an area theater group.
Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements
Many of the bound ledger pages are tearing away from their bindings. (November 23, 2011)
This collection is open for research.
The San Diego History Center (SDHC) holds the copyright to any unpublished materials. SDHC Library regulations do apply.
Collection processed by Jennifer Ho on November 23, 2011.
Collection processed as part of grant project supported by the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) with generous
funding from The Andrew Mellon Foundation.
Alpine Library Association Records, MS 235, San Diego History Center Document Collection, San Diego, CA.
Items in folders 7-10 were originally contained in a binder, possibly created by Alpine Library Association. Items remain
in original order.
Items arranged by subject, except items in folders 7-10 which are in original order.
The collection contains items from the Alpine Library Association pertaining to the establishment and operations of the Alpine
Public Library, including bound ledgers, record pages and loose items. Ledgers contain governance information such as the
organization’s Constitution and By-Laws, membership information, and circulation laws. Record pages include meeting minutes,
financial reports, and correspondence. Loose items include receipts, invoices, and outreach materials.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Alpine Library Association.
Alpine Public Library.
Darnell, R.W.
La Force, Beatrice, 1908-
McDonnell, F.R.
Oeser, Rudolph
Wilbur, Lawrence
Alpine (San Diego County, Calif.)
Clubs
Libraries
San Diego (Calif.)