Finding aid of the Santa Clara County Free Library Collection

Trista Raezer
Santa Clara County Archives
1875 Senter Road
San Jose, CA 95112-2527
Phone: (408) 755-7895
Fax: (408) 792-1809
URL: http://archives.sccgov.org
Email: Archives@ceo.sccgov.org
© 2008
Santa Clara County. All rights reserved.

Finding aid of the Santa Clara County Free Library Collection

Collection number: 2008-004

Santa Clara County Archives

San Jose, California
Processed by:
Trista Raezer
Date Completed:
July 22, 2008
Encoded by:
Trista Raezer
© 2008 Santa Clara County. All rights reserved.

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.
San Jose, CA 95112-2527
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.

Boxes: 1-2

Series I Books 1914-1931

Physical Description: 2 boxes

Scope and Content Note

This series contains 10 accession books.
Box/folder: 1/1

Accessions. Accessions 1 through 5,000. July 16, 1914 to August 5, 1915

Physical Description: 1 book
Box/folder: 1/2

Accessions, Volume 2. Accessions 5,001 through 10,000. August 5, 1915 to June 30, 1916.

Physical Description: 1 book
Box/folder: 1/3

Accessions, Volume 3. Accessions 10,001 through 15,000. July 6, 1916 to February 13, 1917

Physical Description: 1 book
Box/folder: 1/4

Accessions Volume 4. Accessions 15,001 through 20,000 February 9, 1917 to August 16, 1917.

Physical Description: 1 book
Box/folder: 1/5

Accessions Volume 5 Santa. Accessions 20,001 through 25,000. August 16, 1917 to November 27, 1917

Physical Description: 1 book
Box/folder: 2/1

Accessions Volume 6. Accessions 25,001 through 30,000. July 19, 1918 to October 7, 1919

Physical Description: 1 book
Box/folder: 2/2

Accessions Volume 7. Accessions 30,001 through 40,000. July 19, 1918 to October 7, 1919

Physical Description: 1 book
Box/folder: 2/3

Accessions (School Dept.) Accessions through 1,000 July 16, 1924 to September 21, 1925

Physical Description: 1 book
Box/folder: 2/4

Accessions Number 1. Accessions 1 through 5,000. Santa Clara County Supt. of Schools March 27, 1918 to June 15, 1931

Physical Description: 1 book
Box/folder: 2/5

Unlabeled. Accessions 100,001 through 102,100 November 1925 to July 26, 1926

Physical Description: 1 book