Scope and arrangement
The Special Libraries Association, New York Chapter records, dating from 1927 to 2019, document over ninety years of this chapter's advocacy on behalf of information professionals representing the specialized fields of law, medicine, government, business and finance, education, and other subjects. The collection includes by-laws, correspondence, financial documents, memorandums, membership records, photographs, photographic slides, publications, and audio-visual materials. The collection is arranged into four series comprising Administrative Files; Events and Programs; Printed Matter; and Committees.
The Special Libraries Association, New York Chapter records are arranged in four series:
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1925-2019
Series I focuses on the internal operations of the organization and includes their guidelines, by-laws, histories, minutes, annual reports (limited), financial records, officers, committee lists, and manuals. The committee member lists held here reveal the names of the individuals, most of whom were women, that played a central role in the development and organization of SLA-NY. The publication entitled, SLA at 100, by Guy St. Clair, documents the history of the organization.
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1927-2015
Events and Programs reflect endeavors that the SLA-NY developed or participated in, which includes a list of events dated from 1927 to 1939. A date gap in the files exist from the early 1940's. World War II most likely affected their ability to hold events and maintain records.
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1928-2001
Series III holds a wide range of SLA-NY publications created for its members and patrons at their library. Publications include the now defunct Special Libraries Directory of New York, and the New York Chapter News, which is remains an active publication. New York Chapter News features messages from the SLA-NY President, information on upcoming events, community news, awards, and announcements.
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1937-2019
Series IV, the largest series, documents how the organization created committees for events and specialized topics. Some examples are the long-standing Advertising and Marketing Group, the Affirmative Action Committee, Archives Committee, the Librarian School Liaison Committee, the Long-Range Planning Committee, and the Professional Development Committee.