Descriptive Summary
Administrative Information
Collection History
Scope and Content
Separated Material
Related Material at the Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research
Descriptive Summary
Title: 20th Century Organizational Files,
Date (inclusive): 1912-1980s
Collection number: MSS 077
Creator:
Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research
Extent:
49 legal archival document boxes;
16 linear feet
Repository:
Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research
Abstract: An assembled collection of 20th century papers and ephemera from nearly 800 social action organizations, primarily based and/or
active in Los Angeles and Southern California.
Language:
English.
Administrative Information
Access
The collection is available for research only at the Library's facility in Los Angeles. The Library is open from 10 a.m. to
4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Researchers are encouraged to call or email the Library indicating the nature of their research
query prior to making a visit.
Publication Rights
Copyright has not been assigned to the Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research. Researchers may make single
copies of any portion of the collection, but publication from the collection will be allowed only with the express written
permission of the Library's director. It is not necessary to obtain written permission to quote from a collection. When the
Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research gives permission for publication, it is as the owner of the physical
items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], 20th Century Organizational Files, Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research,
Los Angeles, California.
Provenance
Assembled by Library founder Emil Freed.
Collection History
The materials in the collection were assembled by Library founder Emil Freed. He gathered the papers and ephemera of organizations
dedicated to human rights, social justice, peace and working people to preserve a record of 20th century social activism.
Scope and Content
The collection contains documents from 795 organizations. There is a broad spectrum of material types including: fliers, programs,
pamphlets, newsletters, newspapers, fact sheets, circular letters, speeches, and reports. While the document dates span most
of the 20th century, the majority date from the 1950s through the 1970s. Many of the organizations are Los Angeles or Southern
California based. In the case of national organizations, the materials derive predominantly from local or regional offices
in the Los Angeles area. The amount of material varies for each organization. In general these documents do not reflect administrative
activities, but are the instruments the organizations used to raise public awareness of issues and actions to be taken in
the interest of promoting social justice.
Arrangement
There are no series in the collection.
Arrangement
The files are arranged alphabetically by organization name.
Separated Material
Organizational newsletters or newspapers found in the collection were placed in the Library's Periodicals Collections, in
instances when the Library already had significant runs of these publications.
Related Material at the Southern California Library for Social Studies and Research
Title: Periodicals Collection
Physical Description:
20,000+ titles, 700+ Los Angeles related
Title: Pamphlet Collection
Physical Description:
25,000+ items
Title: Union Files Collection,
Date (inclusive): 1920s - 1980s
Physical Description:
10 linear feet
Title: Contemporary Heritage Files,
Date (inclusive): 1990 - and collecting
Physical Description:
vertical file