William Andrews Clark Memorial Library Institutional Archive, 1934-2010

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Summary

Creators:
William Andrews Clark Memorial Library
Abstract:
Records of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library and the Center for 17th- and 18th-Century Studies from 1934 to the present. Subjects treated by these materials include library acquisitions, academic events, fellowships, Clark buildings and grounds, publicity and press clippings, and library reference and circulation records.
Extent:
159 Linear Feet 369 boxes
Language:
English .
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], William Andrews Clark Memorial Library Institutional Archive, Clarkive Post-1934, William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Background

Scope and content:

This collection consists of the institutional records of the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library and Center for 17th- and 18th-Century Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles, 1934-present. Items include materials related to library acquisitions and purchases, reference queries, fellowships, academic events and faculty, financial and administrative records, annual reports, clippings and publicity materials, building and grounds documentation, visitor records and publications. These records document the history of the Clark Library and Center as operating units at UCLA, and their roles in supporting scholarship and research both at the University and beyond.

The collection is organized into the following series:

  • Series 1. Correspondence and Collection Management, 1934-present
  • Series 2. Fellowships, Programs and Publications, 1945-present
  • Series 3. Administrative Records, 1934-2009
  • Series 4. Clark/Center Personnel, 1880-2010
  • Series 5. Publicity and Clippings, 1947-present
  • Series 6. Building and Grounds, 1945-1997
  • Series 7. Miscellany, 1960-2010

Biographical / historical:

The William Andrews Clark Memorial Library is one of UCLA's major libraries for rare books and manuscripts, with particular strengths in English literature and history (1641-1800), Oscar Wilde, and fine printing. It is located thirteen miles east of campus (about a half-hour drive), in the West Adams District of Los Angeles north of USC. It is administered by UCLA's Center for Seventeenth- and Eighteenth-Century Studies.

The library and its collections were founded by William Andrews Clark, Jr., and named after his father, who had built a mining fortune in Montana. The son, a prominent Los Angeles book collector and philanthropist, had a house at the corner of Adams Blvd. and Cimarron Street, and from 1924 to 1926 he constructed the present library on the same lot. Shortly afterwards he announced his intention to donate the collection, the buildings, and the property to UCLA. When he died in 1934 the deed passed to the University.

The Center, a member of the UCLA Humanities Consortium, provides a forum for the discussion of central issues in the field of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century studies. It organizes academic programs, bringing together scholars from the area, the nation, and the world, with the goal of encouraging research in the period from 1600 to 1800. It seeks to enlarge the Clark Library's holdings in this period in order to enhance research opportunities. The Center's publications program is dedicated to making the results of its conferences known to the larger scholarly public. It provides resident fellowships and scholarships to support research in early modern studies and other areas central to the Clark's collections. In addition it offers a variety of public programs, including chamber music concerts.

Chronology
Date Event
1934
Death of William Andrews Clark, Jr. The library becomes part of UCLA.
1934-1943
Cora Sanders, Librarian/Curator of Collections
1944-1966
Lawrence Clark Powell, Director of Library
1966-1978
William E. Conway, Head Librarian
1966-1981
Robert G. Vosper, Director of Library
1978?-1993
Thomas Wright, Head Librarian
1981-1985
Norman Thrower, Director of Library
1985
Formation of the Center for 17th- and 18th-century Studies
1985-1987
Norman Thrower, Director of the Center and Clark
1987-1991
John Brewer, Director of the Center and Clark
1991-2011
Peter Reill, Director of the Center and Clark
1993-1995
John Bidwell, Head Librarian
1996-2010
Bruce Whiteman, Head Librarian
Processing information:

Processed by Rebecca Fenning, November 2010-February 2011

Physical location:
Clark Library and SRLF
Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

Collection is open for research. Some materials are housed at an offsite storage location. Please contact Clark Library staff at least 2 weeks in advance if you are interested in consulting these materials.

Terms of access:

The Clark Library owns the property rights to its collections but does not hold the copyright to these materials and therefore cannot grant or deny permission to use them. Researchers are responsible for determining the copyright status of any materials they may wish to use, investigating the owner of the copyright, and obtaining permission for their intended publication or other use. In all cases, you must cite the Clark Library as the source with the following credit line: The William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item], William Andrews Clark Memorial Library Institutional Archive, Clarkive Post-1934, William Andrews Clark Memorial Library, University of California, Los Angeles.

Location of this collection:
2520 Cimarron Street
Los Angeles, CA 90018, US
Contact:
(310) 794-5155
clark@humnet.ucla.edu
Website