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This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.
Size | 99.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 76800 items) |
Abstract | Prior to 1850 the university library was a very small collection of books. The student debating societies, the Dialectic and Philanthropic societies, each maintained a larger library made up of volumes purchased by the student members. Not until 1885-1886 were the society libraries incorporated into the university library. Until 1901 the responsibility of operating the library was assigned to a faculty member, who worked in cooperation with members of the Dialectic and Philanthropic societies. Louis Round Wilson, who was university librarian from 1901 to 1932, was the first librarian to devote his full time to maintaining and developing the library. Even in Wilson's day, however, the collections were not centralized. Because of space constraints in the main library, numerous departmental libraries grew up. Two of these, the Law Library and the Health Sciences Library, became administratively separate. Today the University Librarian oversees the main and special library collections and co-administers a number of departmental libraries. Records include correspondence and other files relating to the development and administration of the university's library collections as well as to facilities for housing them, particularly the Robert B. House Undergraduate Library and the Walter Royal Davis Library. Also included are files pertaining to library staff, library automation, and other matters. University librarians whose correspondence figures prominently include Louis Round Wilson, Charles Everett Rush, Jerrold Orne, and James F. Govan. |
Creator | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Office of the University Librarian. |
Curatorial Unit | University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. University Archives. |
Language | English |
Processed by: University Archives Staff, October 1988, March 1992, June 1992, January 1993, May 1995, December 1995, September 1997, March 1998, February 2000, January 2001
Encoded by: ByteManagers Inc., 2008
Updated by: Jennifer Coggins and Gergana Abernathy, March 2016; Jennifer Coggins, Alex Japha and Gergana Abernathy, April 2016; Jennifer Coggins and Laura Smith, June 2017 and December 2018; Tierra Thomas and Laura Smith, October 2019; Nancy Kaiser, October 2020
Back to TopThe following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.
Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.
The library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill grew from a small collection of books donated to the university by interested citizens of the state and from the collections of the Dialectic and Philanthropic societies, which were purchased and maintained by the student members of those societies. Prior to 1850, the university library was housed in various locations on the campus, including a room in South Building, and at one time, a room in the president's residence. The societies kept their libraries in the spaces assigned to them, first in separate rooms in Old East, and eventually in their new quarters on the top floors of New East and New West.
In 1850 the Smith Building (now the Playmakers Theatre) was built to house the university's library collection, but it was not until 1885-1886 that the libraries of the two literary societies were transferred to Smith. Ownership of the volumes remained with the societies, however, and the books were shelved separately from each other and from the university's book collection. In 1907 a new library building (later named Hill Hall) was erected with funds donated by Andrew Carnegie. Matching funds were contributed by alumni and friends of the university for the purchase of books. At the same time, title to the volumes in the Dialectic and Philanthropic libraries was transferred to the university and the three library collections were finally merged.
The Carnegie Library housed the library's collections until 1929, when a new central library (Wilson Library) was built. The latter, named for Louis Round Wilson in 1956, became the special collections library in 1984, after the opening of Walter Royal Davis Library as the main library serving the university community.
Until 1901 the duties and responsibilities of operating the library were assigned to various members of the faculty who worked in cooperation with students from the Dialectic and Philanthropic societies. In 1901 Louis Round Wilson was appointed university librarian, a position he retained until 1932. Wilson was the first librarian to devote himself solely to the growth and development of the library, though other members of the faculty had held that title.
The persons who have served as university librarian since 1901 are as follows:
1901-1932 | Louis Round Wilson |
1932-1938 | Robert Bingham Downs |
1938-1940 | Carl White |
1940-1941 | Olan Victor Cook, Acting |
1941-1954 | Charles Everett Rush |
1954-1957 | Andrew Harliss Horn |
1957-1972 | Jerrold Orne |
1972-1973 | Louise McGwigan Hall, Acting |
1973-1992 | James F. Govan |
January-May 1987 | Joe A. Hewitt, Acting |
1993-30 June 2004 | Joe A. Hewitt, Associate Provost for University Libraries and Director, Academic Affairs Library |
1 July-19 September 2004 | Larry P. Alford, Interim |
20 September 2004-31 December 2016 | Sarah Michalak, Associate Provost for University Libraries and University Librarian |
1 January 2016-14 August 2017 | Carol Hunter, Interim |
15 August 2017-30 May 2022 | Elaine Westbrooks, Vice Provost for University Libraries and University Librarian |
1 June 2022-29 January 2023 | María R. Estorino, Interim |
30 January 2023- | María R. Estorino, Vice Provost for University Libraries and University Librarian |
Records include correspondence and other files relating to the development and administration of the university's library collections as well as to facilities for housing them, particularly the Robert B. House Undergraduate Library and the Walter Royal Davis Library. Also included are files pertaining to library staff, library automation, and other matters. University librarians whose correspondence figures prominently include Louis Round Wilson, Charles Everett Rush, Jerrold Orne, and James F. Govan.
Back to TopThis series includes the files of the librarian that do not relate directly to any of the departments or divisions of the library. They are general files reflecting the duties and responsibilities of the librarian in relation to the Administrative Board of the Library, the administrative officials of the university, and other administrative units within the university. The series also contains the librarian's records pertaining to organizations that are external to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. It is divided into nine subseries.
These records contain the librarian's files relating to the standing and special committees of the faculty.
Box 1:18 |
Committee on Real Property, 1976-1977(see also Buildings: Davis Library in Series 1.1.) |
Visiting Committee, [1911]; 1944-1947; undated |
This series includes the librarian's records related to library planning and development. Among them are planning reports, especially the twenty-year plan, 1973-1974, and the files pertaining to the Friends of the Library and to individuals who have given gifts to the library.
Box 2:1 |
Planning, 1944; [1955]; 1967-1971; 1973 |
Five-Year Plan (for 1975-1980), 1974 |
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Twenty-Year Plan, 1973-1975; undated(see also Buildings: Davis Library and Self-Study in Series 1.1.) |
See also the Records of the Friends of the Library, in the University Archives.
This series includes files related to the library budget, travel, and trust funds. There are also a few records relating to the physical plant.
This series includes the librarian's records on the departments of the library that were administratively responsible to the associate librarian for public service, as specified in the administrative manual of 1976. It also includes records related to various departments of the library that previously served in a public service capacity but are no longer functional.
Box 4:1 |
General Correspondence: Brock, Clifton, 1969-1982 |
General Correspondence: Seibert, Karen S., 1985-1991 |
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General Correspondence: Search Committee, 1981-1982 |
See also Business Administration, School of, in Series 1.2.; Commerce Library in Series 4.5.; and Documents Department, Series 4.6, below.
See also Series 4.2., Business Administration and Business Administration/Social Sciences Reference Department.
See also the Extension Division of the university in Series 1.8.
Box 4:5 |
Correspondence, 1920-1957 |
Annual Reports, 1934-1954 |
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Monthly Reports, 1934-1954 |
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Quarterly Reports, 1954-1957 |
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Extension Publications, 1950-1957 |
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Radio, 1939-1942(see also Radio, Television and Motion Pictures, Department of, in Series 1.2.) |
Box 4:5 |
Correspondence, 1952-1954 |
Box 4:5 |
Correspondence, 1939-1956; 1973-1992 |
Annual Reports, 1928-1989 |
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Quarterly Reports, 1947; 1954-1959 |
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Bibliographic Aids, 1928-1934(see also General Education Board in Series 1.9.) |
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Search Committee for Head, 1984-1986 |
Box 4:6 |
Correspondence, 1934-1950; 1954; 1956 |
Faison Study, 1945-1950 |
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Interlibrary Service: A History, 1924-1955 |
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Interlibrary Center: Correspondence, 1957-1964; 1966-1989 |
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Interlibrary Center: Annual Reports, 1950-1983 |
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Interlibrary Center: Statistics, 1959-1967 |
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Interlibrary Center: International Interlibrary Loan, 1958 |
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Interlibrary Center: North Carolina Interlibrary Loan Program, 1941(see also General Administration: Interlibrary Development for Public Institutions in Series 1.1.; and North Carolina State University, and Duke University-University of North Carolina Cooperation: Interlibrary Loan in Series 1.9.) |
Box 4:6 |
Correspondence, 1930-1963; 1965-1980 |
Annual Reports, 1941-1971 |
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Monthly Reports, 1957; 1960 |
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Quarterly Reports, 1954-1959 |
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Filming Foreign Newspapers, 1938-1949 |
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Filming Newspapers, 1937-1956 |
Box 4:6 |
Correspondence, 1928-1950 |
Annual Reports, 1949; 1965-1968; 1975-1976 |
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Quarterly Reports, 1954-1958; 1962-1965 |
Box 4:7 |
Correspondence, 1958-1993 |
Annual Reports, 1962-1986; 1991 |
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Cameron Associates, 1963-1969 |
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Dent, Maggie, Library Fund, 1995 |
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Honors Program, 1963 |
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Long-Range Planning, 1984-1986 |
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Media Center Collection, 1967-1986 |
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Extra Oversize Paper Folder XOPF-40047/1-6
XOPF-40047/1XOPF-40047/2XOPF-40047/3XOPF-40047/4XOPF-40047/5XOPF-40047/6 |
New Building Plans, 1958-1966 |
Box 4:7 |
Residential College Libraries, 1968 |
Search Committee for Head, 1975 |
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Textbook Reserve Program, 1984; 1988 |
This series includes the files of the university librarian related to the library's special collections and to the departmental libraries that, as of 1981, reported to the associate librarian for special collections.
Box 5:1 |
Correspondence, 1941-1956; 1970-1985 |
Annual Reports, 1942-1946; 1960-1988 |
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Quarterly Reports, 1958-1969 |
Box 5:1 |
Correspondence, 1973-1980 |
Annual Reports, 1943-1964; 1973-1983(see also Library Science, School of in Series 1.2.) |
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Quarterly Reports, 1960-1963 |
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Search Committee for Head, 1980; 1984 |
Box 5:2 |
Correspondence, 1933-1964; 1974-1982; undated |
Annual Reports, 1983-1989 |
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Army Maps, 1945-1950 |
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Denoyer-Geppert Company, 1962(see also Correspondence: Cumming, William P. in Series 1.1.; and Correspondence with or about: Jacocks Map Collection in Series 5.7.) |
(see also Buildings: 1952 Addition, in Series 1, Subseries 1)
This series includes the librarian's records related to the staff of the university library. It includes correspondence and committee files on academic status for librarians, correspondence with the University Personnel Department, records concerning the Staff Association, and some records concerning student assistants during the period 1934-1951.
This series includes the librarian's files related to the departments and divisions of the library that were administratively responsible to the associate librarian for technical services, as specified in the administrative manual of 1976. They include correspondence with and about Acquisitions, Bibliographic Services, Cataloging, and Serials.
Box 7:1 |
Correspondence, 1948; 1957-1958; 1975-1988 |
Annual Reports, 1957-1958; 1975-1983 |
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Search Committee for, 1974-1975 |
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Technical Services Committee, 1973; 1975-1980(includes Climate Control Subcommittee) |
This series includes the university librarian's files related to the system librarian's areas of responsibility: developing and implementing new computer applications and equipment, upgrading online search capabilities, and managing the university's various library network associations. See also related records under Triangle Research Libraries Network (TRLN) in Series 1.9.
Box 8:1 |
Correspondence, 1988-1990 |
Annual Reports, 1987-1990 |
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Broadband Installation, 1986-1988 |
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Status Reports, 1988-1990 |
Acquisitions Information: RT 20160419.1.
Weldon Thornton served as the chair of the Administrative Board of the Library from February 1970 to February 1973. These records document Thornton's involvement in the Administrative Board of the Library and collection development for the Library in the 1960s and 1970s. Included is correspondence with and related to University Librarian Jerrold Orne and his departure in 1972.
Acquisitions Information: RT 20181220.1.
Three scrapbooks of photographs and ephemera documenting the people and activities of the Library, particularly Technical Services staff.
Box 10 |
Scrapbooks, 1970s-1990s |
Acquisitions Information: RT 20190808.1.
This addition consists of files created or maintained by Joe Hewitt as Associate University Librarian for Technical Services and as Associate Provost for University Libraries.