{"value"=>"<p>Directed by historian Frank Monaghan, the Research and Library Department was established in June 1936 as a resource for Fair staff. Among other activities, the department operated a translation service and speakers bureau; initiated a publications program; conducted research on past fairs; and produced bulletins containing Fair facts. While Monaghan was forced to abandon his plan to write the history of the Fair, he successfully arranged to donate the Fair Corporation records to the New York Public Library. In the summer of 1939 the department's activities were absorbed into the Public Education Department. The bulk of records here were compiled or created prior to the Fair's 1939 opening.</p>"}