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Creator
Herbert, Rietta Hines, 1911-1973
Call number
Sc Micro RS-6777
Physical description
Microfilm; 2 reels
Language
English
Preferred Citation
[Item], Rietta Hines Herbert papers, Sc Micro RS-6777, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division, The New York Public Library
Repository
Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
Access to materials
Request an in-person research appointment.

Rietta Hines Herbert (1940-1969) (also Rietta May Herbert) was an African American social worker in New York City from 1935-1965. She spent most of her career as a social investigator and supervisor of child welfare in the Harlem offices of the Department of Welfare.

Biographical/historical information

Rietta Hines Herbert (1940-1969) (also Rietta May Herbert) was an African American social worker in New York City from 1935-1965.She spent most of her career as a social investigator and supervisor of child welfare in the Harlem offices of the Department of Welfare. A magna cum laude graduate of Howard University, she also received some graduate credit in accounting from Columbia University. Shortly after her husband's premature death in 1947, she attended Smith College, receiving her M.S.W. in 1951. Fully credentialed, she became a supervisor in 1952, responsible for overseeing the work of child welfare case-workers in one of the Harlem offices. In 1961 she began to work as a senior welfare representative for New York State Department of Social Welfare. In 1965- 1966, she studied elementary education at Hunter College and taught in the New York City Public School system until her death in 1973.

Scope and arrangement

The Rietta Hines Herbert papers, 1940-1969, document the educational and professional development of a black woman in the field of social work and elementary education. The collection contains very little personal material; the emphasis instead is on her career. In addition, there is considerable information relating to social work in general, the New York State Department of Social Welfare, and the New York City Department of Welfare, Children's Placement Division.

The collection has been organized into four series: biographical data, educational files, professional files, and conference files, and arranged chronologically within each group.

Biographical data includes a detailed resume, letters of reference, and a comprehensive job performance rating.

The educational files contain teaching materials, classnotes from Hunter College, and plans for class presentations.

The professional files consist of child placement reports, instructional materials, job performance evaluations, and reference materials, all of which relate to her work with the Department of Welfare.

The conference files combine printed material and Herbert's notes on individual sessions. The printed material consists of conference papers, annual reports, and dedications. A large portion of this series is related to a conference held at the University of Chicago, School of Social Service, in the summer of 1962

The Rietta Hines Herbert papers are arranged in four series:

Administrative information

Source of acquisition

Gift of Ethleen Alexander on 04/01/74.

Processing information

This inventory was one of several prepared as a part of the archival preservation program at the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture. The necessary staff and supplies for this program were made available through a combination of funds and services provided by the Research Libraries, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the State of New York. The collection was processed by D. Carter and S. Sharlin on August 3, 1977.

Using the collection

Location

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Manuscripts, Archives and Rare Books Division
515 Malcolm X Boulevard, New York, NY 10037-1801
Second Floor