Description
Seymour Lubetzky (1898-2003) was a professor in the UCLA School of Library Service (1960-69) and a descriptive cataloging
theorist. The collection consists of subject and correspondence files, lecture notes, and audio tapes from the 1930s through
the 2000s related to Lubetzky's work in cataloging and classification in the Library Information Science discipline.
Background
Seymour Lubetzky was born in a small village, in what is now known as Belarus, on April 28th, 1898. It was there that he studied
literature and languages and worked as a teacher before immigrating to the United States in 1925. Lubetzky studied languages
at UCLA, receiving his bachelor’s degree in 1931. In 1932, the University of California, Berkley awarded Lubetzky a master’s
degree in German languages and library science. After graduation, Lubetzky worked as a cataloger at UCLA and began regularly
publishing articles on cataloging principles. In 1943, Lubetzky was hired at the Library of Congress to help process a backlog
of books needing to be cataloged. His questioning of the existing cataloging system led to his publication of several articles
including Rules for Descriptive Cataloging and Cataloging Rules and Principles. Principles from these articles carried into
standards for the field and are still used in libraries across the world today, including the Library of Congress. Lubetzky
worked as a professor in the UCLA School of Library Science from 1960-1969, but continued to be active in the field long after
his retirement. His works earned him honors from the American Library Association including the Melvil Dewey Medal in 1977
and an honorary lifetime membership in 2002. Seymour Lubetzky was 104 when he died on April 5th, 2003.
Extent
11.2 linear ft.
(8 record cartons and 8 document boxes)
Restrictions
Property rights to the physical object belong to UCLA Library Special Collections. Literary rights, including copyright, are
retained by the creators and their heirs. It is the responsibility of the researcher to determine who holds the copyright
and pursue the copyright owner or his or her heir for permission to publish where UCLA Library Special Collections does not
hold the copyright.
Availability
Open for research. STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF. Advance notice is required for access to the collection. Please contact UCLA Library
Special Collections for paging information.