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Creator
New York Public Library. Central Administration. Director's Office
Call number
MssArc 4951
Physical description
3 linear feet (7 boxes, 1 volume)
Language
English
Preferred Citation

Ralph A. Beals Records, The New York Public Library Archives, The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations.

Repository
New York Public Library Archives
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.Restrictions apply

Records from the office of Ralph A. Beals, Director of the New York Public Library from 1946-1954.

Biographical/historical information

Ralph Albert Beals, the director of the New York Public Library from 1946 to 1954, was born in Deming, New Mexico, on March 29, 1899. He completed an A.B. at the University of California in 1921 and received an M.A. from Harvard in 1925. On June 12, 1928, he married Alice B. Stone, with whom he had one daughter, Mary Druitt.

After graduating from Harvard, Beals initially pursued a career in education. From 1926 to 1933 he taught English at Harvard University and New York University. In 1933 he took a position as assistant director of the American Association for Adult Education. During his tenure there he edited the Journal of Adult Education and prepared for publication two books relating to adult education.

Beals began his library career in 1940, when he was hired as the assistant librarian at the Washington D.C. Public Library. Two years later he accepted a position as Professor of Library Science and Director of Libraries at the University of Chicago. He became Dean of the Library School there in 1945.

In 1946, Beals was recruited as director of The New York Public Library. During his years as director, he attempted to revitalize the library following several years of diminished funding resulting from World War II. For example, Beals immediately raised employee salaries, introduced merit raises, reorganized many of the administrative units of the library, and increased the library's acquisition budget. To help support these changes he sought increased financial support from corporations, and participated in a lobbying effort that resulted in state funding for local libraries.

Beals' tenure as director ended with his death on October 14, 1954, which followed an illness that kept him away from his office for several months. A number of the procedural and structural changes that were studied and considered during his directorship, such as the adoption of a library-wide job classification system, were implemented by his successor, Edward G. Freehafer.

Scope and arrangement

Records document Ralph A. Beals' term as director of the New York Public Library, from 1946 to 1954. They also include some files relating to the directorships of his predecessor, Franklin F. Hopper, and his successor, Edward G. Freehafer. The collection consists of appraisals, bulletins, correspondence, legal documents, memoranda, notes, reports, and telegrams mostly relating to library functions such as acquisitions, donor relations, fund raising, and reference services. The records provide detailed information about a number of projects with which Beals was directly involved, including the proposal for a regional research library, the creation of a new job classification system for The New York Public Library, and the efforts to obtain state funding for public libraries. There is also material that relates to Beals' membership on the U.S. National Commission for UNESCO and the Yale University Library Council.

There is additional material from the directorship of Ralph A. Beals in the Lydenberg, Hopper and Beals General Correspondence, also held by NYPL Archives.

The Ralph A. Beals records are arranged in two series:

  • Series I. Subject Files
    1947-1954
    2 boxes, 1 volume, 1 oversize folder

    Arranged alphabetically by subject. The records consist mostly of correspondence, internal memos, notes, and reports on subjects relating to the administration of the New York Public Library, such as Long Range Proposals, Overdue Procedures, and Public Services.

  • Series II. Correspondence
    1946-1953
    5 boxes

    Series consists mostly of correspondence with persons who were not employees of The New York Public Library. Most of the correspondence is with publishers, potential donors, and other librarians. The primary topics of these letters are employment, donation of books or materials to the NYPL, financial contributions to the NYPL, and press coverage of library activities. Much of the correspondence in these files was addressed to or answered by Paul Rice North, Chief of the Reference Department. There are also internal memos and other documents relating to this external correspondence. Incoming and outgoing letters are arranged in alphabetical order by subject or by the name of the correspondent. However, only the files between "tib" and "zy" are extent. In addition, there is one folder of unsorted complaint letters that criticize library policies and services.

Administrative information

Processing information

Compiled by Richard Hollinger; machine-readable finding aid created by Jim Moske.

Related Material

Using the collection

Location

New York Public Library Archives
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, New York, NY 10018-2788
Brooke Russell Astor Reading Room, Third Floor, Room 328

Conditions Governing Use

All rights reserved. Permission to quote must be obtained in writing from the New York Public Library

Access restrictions

Access to the collection is restricted to qualified scholars and researchers through the Office of Special Collections, Room 316.