Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Processing Information
Administrative History
Scope and Content of Collection
Arrangement
Indexing Terms
Bibliography
Descriptive Summary
Title: Santa Clara County Free Library collection
Dates: 1914-1931
Collection number: 2008-004
Creator:
Santa Clara County Free Library
Collection Size:
2 cubic feet
Repository:
Santa Clara County Archives.
Abstract: This collection consists of ten volumes listing accessions of the Santa Clara County Free Library. The volumes range from
1914 to 1931.
Physical location: For current information on the location of these materials, please consult Archives staff.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
Access
Collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
The Archives can claim physical ownership only for some collections. Users are responsible for securing permission of the
copyright holder for publication or quotation.
Preferred Citation
Santa Clara County Free Library collection, Santa Clara County Archives.
Acquisition Information
These records were transferred by the Santa Clara County Library in 2008.
Processing Information
Each book was originally in its own box. The books were consolidated into two Hollinger boxes. They are stored flat on their
sides.
Administrative History
The Santa Clara County Free Library was founded in July 1914 and was located in the Hall of Justice in downtown San Jose,
at the corner of Market St. and St. James St. The original library consisted of three rooms, which quickly expanded to seven
rooms. Within six years twenty-four community branches were established, ranging from Milpitas to Gilroy.
The County Library was tied closely with the local school districts. Under the County Library law of California the school
district gave the County Library its library funds, and professional librarians acquired the books and shipped them out to
the schools. Thus the school children had access to all of the books at the County Library. The County Library was tied with
two school districts in 1914, which expanded to almost all of the seventy-eight school districts in the County by 1922. In
1922 there were 48,000 books and over 14,000 borrowers in the system.
As of 2008 the Santa Clara County Library has seven branches in Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Milpitas, Morgan Hill
and Saratoga.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Santa Clara County Free Library Collection consists of ten accession books. These books were used by the Library to transcribe
the titles, authors, publication dates and prices of newly acquired books. The first seven volumes are in chronological order
and range from 1914 to 1919. The next two volumes record the accessions of books for the School Department and Santa Clara
County Superintendent of Schools. These two books range from 1918 to 1931. The last book is not labeled, and records books
acquired in 1925 and 1926. Most of the titles included in these accessions books appear to be for children's books.
Arrangement
The Collection is organized into one series: books.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Books--1910-1930
Libraries--1910-1930
Libraries--Accession department
Santa Clara County (Calif.)
Santa Clara County (Calif.). Superintendent of Schools
Bibliography
Sawyer, Eugene T.
History of Santa Clara County, California with Biographical Sketches of the Leading Men and Women of the County Who Have Been
Identified with its Growth and Development from the Early Days to the Present.
Los Angeles, CA: Historic Record Company, 1922.