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Finding Aid for the Randall (Josephine D.) Junior Museum records 1880-2014 SFH 692
SFH 692  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Conditions Governing Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Provenance
  • Related Materials
  • Conservation Note
  • Materials Transferred
  • Administrative History
  • Scope and Content
  • Arrangement

  • Contributing Institution: San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library
    100 Larkin Street
    San Francisco, CA 94102
    (415) 557-4567
    info@sfpl.org
    Title: Randall (Josephine D.) Junior Museum records
    Creator: Randall Museum
    Identifier/Call Number: SFH 692
    Physical Description: 7 cartons, 3 oversize manuscript boxes, 1 flat oversize box. (11 Cubic Feet)
    Date (inclusive): 1880-2014
    Date (bulk): (bulk 1956-2002)
    Abstract: Collection contains administrative papers and publications of the Auxiliary of the Josephine D. Randall Junior Museum and later the Josephine D. Randall Junior Museum Society as well as records of the Museum. Also includes records, historical photographs, photo albums, and scrapbooks of the Museum.
    Physical Location: The collection is stored off-site.
    Language of Material: Collection materials are in English.

    Conditions Governing Access

    The collection is available for use during San Francisco History Center hours, with photographs available during Photo Desk hours. Collections that are stored offsite should be requested 48 hours in advance.

    Publication Rights

    All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the City Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Francisco Public Library as the owner of the physical items.

    Preferred Citation

    [Identification of item], Josephine D. Randall Junior Museum records (SFH 692), San Francisco History Center, San Francisco Public Library.

    Provenance

    Collection was received from the Recreation and Park Commission in 2016.

    Related Materials

    Researchers are encouraged to see also San Francisco Recreation Department records (SFH 375), Society for the Preservation and Appreciation of San Francisco Refugee Shacks Collection (SFH 9), and the San Francisco Ephemera Collection (SF SUB COLL).

    Conservation Note

    During processing, the entire collection was re-foldered and re-housed in acid-free folders and boxes. Paper clips have been removed, but some metal staples remain. Photo albums and scrapbooks remain on their original pages.

    Materials Transferred

    Periodicals The Junior Naturalist Vol. 1, no. 1 (Apr. 1938)-v. 1, no. 3 (June 1938); v. 1, no. 6 (Sept. 1938)-v. 14, no. 9 (Sept. 1951) and The Third Dimension were removed from collection and cataloged separately.
    Josephine D. Randall and museum staff panoramic photograph sent to Preservation for flattening.

    Administrative History

    The Josephine D. Randall Junior Museum was the brainchild of Josephine Randall, San Francisco’s Superintendent of Recreation and the city’s first female department head, and Bert Walker, a naturalist at San Francisco’s Camp Mather. Originally named the “Junior Recreation Museum,” it opened in February 1937 on Ocean Avenue, occupying a building at the Old County Jail on Ocean Avenue after the jail relocated in 1934. The Junior Museum was the first recreation center of its kind in San Francisco and the third of its kind in the United States.
    The Junior Museum fostered learning and camaraderie through clubs focused on subjects of interest within arts and sciences with adult leaders as guides. Programs were designed to provide opportunities for children to teach themselves with the Junior Museum eschewing formal classes. Clubs included the Science club, Rockminors club, and the Model Airplane club. The Junior Museum also operated its own print shop where The Junior Naturalist and The Third Dimension were written, printed, and published.
    Having long since outgrown the facilities on Ocean Avenue, the Junior Museum was eventually relocated to its current location at Corona Heights where it reopened on September 23rd, 1951 thanks to the tireless efforts of Josephine Randall. In recognition of her visionary work as the city’s Superintendent of Recreation, the Recreation and Park Commission suspended its longstanding rule against naming buildings after living people and dedicated the new facility as the Josephine D. Randall Junior Museum.

    Scope and Content

    Collection includes papers, scrapbooks, photo albums, flyers, and brochures related to the history of the Randall Museum. Also included are loose photographs and photo negatives.

    Arrangement

    Collection is arranged in 4 series. Series 1: Administrative Papers Series 2: Publications and Press Series 3: Events, Programs, and Exhibits Series 4: Historical Photographs

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    Randall Museum -- Museum
    Recreation -- California -- San Francisco.
    San Francisco (Calif.) -- History -- 20th century.
    San Francisco (Calif.) -- History
    Randall Museum