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Williams (Dr. Robert J.) California State Normal Schools
Collection
URB.CSNS
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Contributing Institution:
Special Collections & Archives
Title: Dr. Robert J. Williams California State Normal Schools Collection
Creator:
Williams, Dr. Robert J.
Identifier/Call Number: URB.CSNS
Extent:
2.00 linear feet
Date (inclusive): 1881-1943
Abstract: When California State University,
Northridge was established in 1957 Dr. Williams came to the Northridge Campus as its first
Dean of Admissions, bringing the Normal School Collection with him. The origins of the
Normal School in California date back to 1857, when the City Normal School was established
in San Francisco. Their purpose was the education of future primary and secondary teachers
for the public school systems. The collection is composed of printed catalogs, bulletins,
announcements and reports on the State Normal Schools in California from
1881-1930.
Language of Material: English
California State University, Northridge was established in 1956 as a satellite of Los
Angeles State College, later becoming an independent campus known as San Fernando Valley
State College. Dr. Williams came to the Northridge Campus as its first Dean of Admissions,
bringing the Normal School Collection with him. From 1957 until his retirement in 1986, Dr.
Williams served as Dean of Admissions, Head of High School and Jr. College Relations.
Williams also served as a counselor in the Student Counseling Center.
Normal schools in California date back to 1857, with the establishment of San Francisco's
City Normal School. Sessions were held weekly on Monday evenings until the first State
Normal School opened its doors in July 1862, at San Jose. This was the fourteenth full-time
State Normal School established in the United States. In July 1862, only eight out of the
thirty-four states had normal schools. An Act of the California State Legislature on May 2,
1862 appropriated $3,000 for the establishment of State normal schools and support for five
months. The primary purpose of normal schools was to educate primary and secondary teachers
for public school systems.
The normal school system in California went through a series of name changes. They were
known as State Teachers Colleges from 1921 to 1935, when their name was shortened to State
Colleges. Several of the original normal school campuses joined the California State
University system in the early 1970s.
The
Dr. Robert J. Williams California State Normal Schools
Collection
is composed of printed catalogs, bulletins, announcements and reports on
the State Normal Schools in California from 1881-1930. Included in these materials are Board
of Trustee and Campus Presidents' Reports to the Governor, curriculum requirements, class
schedules, budgets, and special announcements concerning a variety of local campus subjects.
The collection also has printed material on the University of California, Berkeley, College
of Agriculture and Columbus High School, Columbus, Indiana. It has been divided into three
series:
California State University System Normal Schools Annual Reports
to the Governor
(1881-1910),
California State University Normal
Schools Catalogs, Circulars, and Announcements
(1885-1929), and
Non-CSU Normal Schools (1913-1930.)
Series I,
California State University System Normal Schools Annual
Reports to the Governor,
consists of two subseries:
Annual
Reports to the Governor of California
(1882-1888) and
Publications (1894-1896). Annual Reports to the Governor of California consists of
reports submitted by various boards of trustees in compliance with California State Law
requiring the Trustees and Presidents to give an annual report on the general physical and
financial condition of the State Normal Schools. Some of the reports are hard bound, while
the rest have paper covers. Publications consists of two publications written by Edward T.
Pierce, Ph.D., Principal of State Normal School, Los Angeles on teaching and the Normal
Schools.
Series II,
California State University Normal Schools, Catalogs,
Circulars, and Announcements,
consists of early publications and other documents
from seven state normal schools, each of which had been made a distinct subseries within the
collection: Fresno Normal School, Los Angeles Normal School, San Diego Normal School, San
Francisco Normal School, San Jose State Normal School, San Luis Obispo California
Polytechnic School, and the Santa Barbara State Normal School. Materials are filed
alphabetically.
Series III,
Non-CSU Normal Schools, consists of early
publications and other documents from the University of California, Berkeley's College of
Agriculture from 1913-1933 on such topics as the bee industry, and olive cultivation in
California, as well as early publications from Columbus Senior High School in Columbus
Indiana, especially the Honors program, Foreign Language curriculum, and other
materials.
Series I: California State University System Normal Schools Annual Reports to the Governor,
1881-1888
Subseries A: Annual Reports to the Governor of California, 1882-1888
Subseries B: Publications, 1894-1896
Series II: California State University Normal Schools Catalogs, Circulars, and
Announcements, 1885-1943
Subseries A: Fresno State Normal School, 1916-1918
Subseries B: Los Angeles Normal School, 1885-1916
Subseries C: San Diego State Normal School, 1901-1910
Subseries D: San Francisco State Normal School, 1901-1943
Subseries E: San Jose State Normal School, 1886-1923
Subseries F: San Luis Obispo State Normal School, 1916-1917
Subseries G: Santa Barbara State Normal School, 1916-1930
Series III: Non-CSU Normal Schools, 1913-1930
Subseries A: College of Agriculture Circulars, University of California, Berkeley,
1913, 1933
Subseries B: Columbus Senior High School, Columbus, Indiana
The collection is open for research use.
Copyright for unpublished materials authored or otherwise produced by the creator(s) of
this collection has not been transferred to California State University, Northridge.
Copyright status for other materials is unknown. Transmission or reproduction of materials
protected by U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) beyond that allowed by fair use requires
the written permission of the copyright owners. Works not in the public domain cannot be
commercially exploited without permission of the copyright owners. Responsibility for any
use rests exclusively with the user.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Dr. Robert J. Williams, 1957
For information about citing items in this collection consult the appropriate style
manual, or see the
Citing Archival
Materials
guide.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Documents