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