{"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bdate_range%5D%5B%5D=1998\u0026f%5Blevel%5D%5B%5D=Series\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Alexandria+Library","next":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bdate_range%5D%5B%5D=1998\u0026f%5Blevel%5D%5B%5D=Series\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Alexandria+Library\u0026page=2","last":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog.json?f%5Bdate_range%5D%5B%5D=1998\u0026f%5Blevel%5D%5B%5D=Series\u0026f%5Brepository%5D%5B%5D=Alexandria+Library\u0026page=2"},"meta":{"pages":{"current_page":1,"next_page":2,"prev_page":null,"total_pages":2,"limit_value":10,"offset_value":0,"total_count":13,"first_page?":true,"last_page?":false}},"data":[{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6_c01","type":"Series","attributes":{"title":"Annual reports, historical facsimiles, instructions/rules, and miscellaneous ephemera","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6_c01#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6_c01","ref_ssm":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6_c01"],"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6_c01","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6","parent_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6","parent_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["James E. Foley Railroad Collection (MS405)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["James E. Foley Railroad Collection (MS405)"],"text":["James E. Foley Railroad Collection (MS405)","Annual reports, historical facsimiles, instructions/rules, and miscellaneous ephemera","box 1"],"title_filing_ssi":"Annual reports, historical facsimiles, instructions/rules, and miscellaneous ephemera","title_ssm":["Annual reports, historical facsimiles, instructions/rules, and miscellaneous ephemera"],"title_tesim":["Annual reports, historical facsimiles, instructions/rules, and miscellaneous ephemera"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1869-2002"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1869/2002"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Annual reports, historical facsimiles, instructions/rules, and miscellaneous ephemera"],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"collection_ssim":["James E. Foley Railroad Collection (MS405)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":0,"level_ssm":["Series"],"level_ssim":["Series"],"sort_isi":1,"date_range_isim":[1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002],"containers_ssim":["box 1"],"_nest_path_":"/components#0","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:11:00.906Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/ALEX/repositories_2_resources_6.xml","aspace_url_ssi":"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/6","title_ssm":["James E. Foley Railroad Collection (MS405)"],"title_tesim":["James E. Foley Railroad Collection (MS405)"],"unitdate_ssm":["1869-2002"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1869-2002"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MS405"],"text":["MS405","James E. Foley Railroad Collection (MS405)","Potomac Yard (Va.)","Amtrak.","Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company. ","Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. ","Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company.","Chessie System, Inc.","Norfolk and Western Railroad Company","Norfolk Southern Railway Company.","Pennsylvania Railroad.","Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad.","Seaboard Air Line Railway Company","Southern Railway (U.S.)","Railroad trains.","The collection is organized at the box level, with box one containing annual reports, historical facsimiles, instructions/rules, and miscellaneous train related ephemera from 1869-2002. Box two contains time tables for various railroads from 1937-1991. Box three contains rules/regulations, contracts, and miscellaneous ephemera for railroads and Potomac Yard employees from 1911-1988.","James F. Foley was an employee in various positions with the RF and P Railroad beginning in 1966. After CSX merged with RF and P, and closed Potomac Yards in 1992, he moved to Jacksonville where he worked as a manager in customer service for the CSX Clearance Bureau. He retired in 2003. He is the author of Potomac Yard: The Gateway Between the North and the South (2013).  ","The collection centers around the Richmond, Fredericksburg \u0026 Potomac (RF\u0026P) Railroad Company, which linked Richmond to Alexandria, and connecting railroad lines (i.e. B\u0026O Railroad, C\u0026O Railroad, Southern Railroad, Atlantic Coast Line, and the Seaboard Airline Railroad). The material largely consists of annual reports, time tables, rules and regulations, historical facsimiles, and miscellaneous ephemera. The collection ranges in date from 1869 to 2002, but is predominantly from the first half of the 20th century.","Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Foley, James E.","English \n.    "],"unitid_tesim":["MS405"],"normalized_title_ssm":["James E. Foley Railroad Collection (MS405)"],"collection_title_tesim":["James E. Foley Railroad Collection (MS405)"],"collection_ssim":["James E. Foley Railroad Collection (MS405)"],"repository_ssm":["Alexandria Library"],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"geogname_ssm":["Potomac Yard (Va.)"],"geogname_ssim":["Potomac Yard (Va.)"],"creator_ssm":["Foley, James E."],"creator_ssim":["Foley, James E."],"creator_persname_ssim":["Foley, James E."],"creators_ssim":["Foley, James E."],"places_ssim":["Potomac Yard (Va.)"],"access_subjects_ssim":["Amtrak.","Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company. ","Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. ","Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company.","Chessie System, Inc.","Norfolk and Western Railroad Company","Norfolk Southern Railway Company.","Pennsylvania Railroad.","Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad.","Seaboard Air Line Railway Company","Southern Railway (U.S.)","Railroad trains."],"access_subjects_ssm":["Amtrak.","Atlantic Coast Line Railroad Company. ","Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. ","Chesapeake and Ohio Railway Company.","Chessie System, Inc.","Norfolk and Western Railroad Company","Norfolk Southern Railway Company.","Pennsylvania Railroad.","Richmond, Fredericksburg and Potomac Railroad.","Seaboard Air Line Railway Company","Southern Railway (U.S.)","Railroad trains."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["1.29 Cubic Feet 3 boxes"],"extent_tesim":["1.29 Cubic Feet 3 boxes"],"date_range_isim":[1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection is organized at the box level, with box one containing annual reports, historical facsimiles, instructions/rules, and miscellaneous train related ephemera from 1869-2002. Box two contains time tables for various railroads from 1937-1991. Box three contains rules/regulations, contracts, and miscellaneous ephemera for railroads and Potomac Yard employees from 1911-1988.\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The collection is organized at the box level, with box one containing annual reports, historical facsimiles, instructions/rules, and miscellaneous train related ephemera from 1869-2002. Box two contains time tables for various railroads from 1937-1991. Box three contains rules/regulations, contracts, and miscellaneous ephemera for railroads and Potomac Yard employees from 1911-1988."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eJames F. Foley was an employee in various positions with the RF and P Railroad beginning in 1966. After CSX merged with RF and P, and closed Potomac Yards in 1992, he moved to Jacksonville where he worked as a manager in customer service for the CSX Clearance Bureau. He retired in 2003. He is the author of Potomac Yard: The Gateway Between the North and the South (2013).  \u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["James F. Foley was an employee in various positions with the RF and P Railroad beginning in 1966. After CSX merged with RF and P, and closed Potomac Yards in 1992, he moved to Jacksonville where he worked as a manager in customer service for the CSX Clearance Bureau. He retired in 2003. He is the author of Potomac Yard: The Gateway Between the North and the South (2013).  "],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[item identification], James E. Foley Railroad Collection, MS405, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[item identification], James E. Foley Railroad Collection, MS405, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection centers around the Richmond, Fredericksburg \u0026amp; Potomac (RF\u0026amp;P) Railroad Company, which linked Richmond to Alexandria, and connecting railroad lines (i.e. B\u0026amp;O Railroad, C\u0026amp;O Railroad, Southern Railroad, Atlantic Coast Line, and the Seaboard Airline Railroad). The material largely consists of annual reports, time tables, rules and regulations, historical facsimiles, and miscellaneous ephemera. The collection ranges in date from 1869 to 2002, but is predominantly from the first half of the 20th century.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Content Description"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The collection centers around the Richmond, Fredericksburg \u0026 Potomac (RF\u0026P) Railroad Company, which linked Richmond to Alexandria, and connecting railroad lines (i.e. B\u0026O Railroad, C\u0026O Railroad, Southern Railroad, Atlantic Coast Line, and the Seaboard Airline Railroad). The material largely consists of annual reports, time tables, rules and regulations, historical facsimiles, and miscellaneous ephemera. The collection ranges in date from 1869 to 2002, but is predominantly from the first half of the 20th century."],"names_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Foley, James E."],"corpname_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library"],"names_coll_ssim":["Foley, James E."],"persname_ssim":["Foley, James E."],"language_ssim":["English \n.    "],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":3,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:11:00.906Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_6_c01"}},{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89_c03","type":"Series","attributes":{"title":"Businesses","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89_c03#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eThis subject consists of records from Alexandria businesses from banks and industrial enterprises to small businesses like wholesalers. They include financial records, receipts and billheads, but also catalogs, advertisements and account books. Also listed here are some promotional materials about the Alexandria business community in general.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89_c03#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89_c03","ref_ssm":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89_c03"],"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89_c03","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89","parent_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89","parent_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Alexandria History Collection (MS240)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Alexandria History Collection (MS240)"],"text":["Alexandria History Collection (MS240)","Businesses","Cazenove Family","Cazenove, Harriot E., 1823-1896","English","box 1","box 2","box 3","box 4","box 5","box 6","This subject consists of records from Alexandria businesses from banks and industrial enterprises to small businesses like wholesalers. They include financial records, receipts and billheads, but also catalogs, advertisements and account books. Also listed here are some promotional materials about the Alexandria business community in general."],"title_filing_ssi":"Businesses","title_ssm":["Businesses"],"title_tesim":["Businesses"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1800-2008"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Businesses"],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria History Collection (MS240)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":159,"level_ssm":["Series"],"level_ssim":["Series"],"sort_isi":12,"date_range_isim":[1800,1801,1802,1803,1804,1805,1806,1807,1808,1809,1810,1811,1812,1813,1814,1815,1816,1817,1818,1819,1820,1821,1822,1823,1824,1825,1826,1827,1828,1829,1830,1831,1832,1833,1834,1835,1836,1837,1838,1839,1840,1841,1842,1843,1844,1845,1846,1847,1848,1849,1850,1851,1852,1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008],"names_ssim":["Cazenove Family","Cazenove, Harriot E., 1823-1896"],"famname_ssim":["Cazenove Family","Cazenove Family"],"persname_ssim":["Cazenove, Harriot E., 1823-1896","Cazenove, Harriot E., 1823-1896"],"language_ssim":["English"],"containers_ssim":["box 1","box 2","box 3","box 4","box 5","box 6"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis subject consists of records from Alexandria businesses from banks and industrial enterprises to small businesses like wholesalers. They include financial records, receipts and billheads, but also catalogs, advertisements and account books. Also listed here are some promotional materials about the Alexandria business community in general.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This subject consists of records from Alexandria businesses from banks and industrial enterprises to small businesses like wholesalers. They include financial records, receipts and billheads, but also catalogs, advertisements and account books. Also listed here are some promotional materials about the Alexandria business community in general."],"_nest_path_":"/components#2","timestamp":"2026-05-12T10:07:54.115Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/ALEX/repositories_2_resources_89.xml","aspace_url_ssi":"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/89","title_ssm":["Alexandria History Collection (MS240)"],"title_tesim":["Alexandria History Collection (MS240)"],"unitdate_ssm":["1767-2008"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1767-2008"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MS240","/repositories/2/resources/89"],"text":["MS240","/repositories/2/resources/89","Alexandria History Collection (MS240)","Formerly titled \"Vertical File (Manuscript) Collection\"","The collection is arranged alphabetically by subject. The collection is further split by size, with two additional oversized boxes containing materials from the same subjects as listed below.","The subjects are described as follows:","African-American History\n Alexandria-Juvenile\n Businesses\n Civil War and Reconstruction\n Collectables\n Culture\n Events\n Fire\n Government\n Historic Places\n Library\n Magazines\n Organizations\n Personal Business\n Personal\n Politics\n Railroads\n Religion\n Schools\n Tourism and Foodways\n Transportation","The manuscripts vertical file is an artificial collection containing a wide variety of unique manuscript items relating to Alexandria, Virginia residents, businesses, organizations, and history.","The majority of the items are manuscript pages but the collection also includes books and ephemera. It is strong in local business advertisements, stationary, and records as well as correspondence, legal and financial papers, memorabilia, and school-related documents. The majority of the documents date from the 19th century, although 18th and 20th century documents are also present.","Some notable documents include: a book of auction records from 1837-1840 including sales of houses, ships, and slaves; an apothecary formula book, several examples of late-18th century legal papers, Civil War passes into Washington for the Leadbeater family, an Alexandria High School student exercise book from 1859-1863, apprenticeship indentures, an 1841 retrocession petition, and records of fires in the city from the 1930s and 1950s.","Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Cazenove Family","Cazenove, Harriot E., 1823-1896","Cazenove, Anthony Charles, 1775-1852","Cazenove, Louis A., 1851-1925","English"],"unitid_tesim":["MS240","/repositories/2/resources/89"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alexandria History Collection (MS240)"],"collection_title_tesim":["Alexandria History Collection (MS240)"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria History Collection (MS240)"],"repository_ssm":["Alexandria Library"],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"acqinfo_ssim":["This collection was created circa 1976 and was expanded over many years through small donations and acquisitions. Accession information is unavailable for many of the items in the collection."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["8.75 Cubic Feet 14.5 legal size, 2 oversize"],"extent_tesim":["8.75 Cubic Feet 14.5 legal size, 2 oversize"],"dimensions_tesim":["Oversize boxes 24.75x20.75x3.5"],"date_range_isim":[1767,1768,1769,1770,1771,1772,1773,1774,1775,1776,1777,1778,1779,1780,1781,1782,1783,1784,1785,1786,1787,1788,1789,1790,1791,1792,1793,1794,1795,1796,1797,1798,1799,1800,1801,1802,1803,1804,1805,1806,1807,1808,1809,1810,1811,1812,1813,1814,1815,1816,1817,1818,1819,1820,1821,1822,1823,1824,1825,1826,1827,1828,1829,1830,1831,1832,1833,1834,1835,1836,1837,1838,1839,1840,1841,1842,1843,1844,1845,1846,1847,1848,1849,1850,1851,1852,1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFormerly titled \"Vertical File (Manuscript) Collection\"\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe collection is arranged alphabetically by subject. The collection is further split by size, with two additional oversized boxes containing materials from the same subjects as listed below.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe subjects are described as follows:\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAfrican-American History\n\u003cbr\u003eAlexandria-Juvenile\n\u003cbr\u003eBusinesses\n\u003cbr\u003eCivil War and Reconstruction\n\u003cbr\u003eCollectables\n\u003cbr\u003eCulture\n\u003cbr\u003eEvents\n\u003cbr\u003eFire\n\u003cbr\u003eGovernment\n\u003cbr\u003eHistoric Places\n\u003cbr\u003eLibrary\n\u003cbr\u003eMagazines\n\u003cbr\u003eOrganizations\n\u003cbr\u003ePersonal Business\n\u003cbr\u003ePersonal\n\u003cbr\u003ePolitics\n\u003cbr\u003eRailroads\n\u003cbr\u003eReligion\n\u003cbr\u003eSchools\n\u003cbr\u003eTourism and Foodways\n\u003cbr\u003eTransportation\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["Formerly titled \"Vertical File (Manuscript) Collection\"","The collection is arranged alphabetically by subject. The collection is further split by size, with two additional oversized boxes containing materials from the same subjects as listed below.","The subjects are described as follows:","African-American History\n Alexandria-Juvenile\n Businesses\n Civil War and Reconstruction\n Collectables\n Culture\n Events\n Fire\n Government\n Historic Places\n Library\n Magazines\n Organizations\n Personal Business\n Personal\n Politics\n Railroads\n Religion\n Schools\n Tourism and Foodways\n Transportation"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe manuscripts vertical file is an artificial collection containing a wide variety of unique manuscript items relating to Alexandria, Virginia residents, businesses, organizations, and history.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe majority of the items are manuscript pages but the collection also includes books and ephemera. It is strong in local business advertisements, stationary, and records as well as correspondence, legal and financial papers, memorabilia, and school-related documents. The majority of the documents date from the 19th century, although 18th and 20th century documents are also present.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSome notable documents include: a book of auction records from 1837-1840 including sales of houses, ships, and slaves; an apothecary formula book, several examples of late-18th century legal papers, Civil War passes into Washington for the Leadbeater family, an Alexandria High School student exercise book from 1859-1863, apprenticeship indentures, an 1841 retrocession petition, and records of fires in the city from the 1930s and 1950s.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Content Description"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The manuscripts vertical file is an artificial collection containing a wide variety of unique manuscript items relating to Alexandria, Virginia residents, businesses, organizations, and history.","The majority of the items are manuscript pages but the collection also includes books and ephemera. It is strong in local business advertisements, stationary, and records as well as correspondence, legal and financial papers, memorabilia, and school-related documents. The majority of the documents date from the 19th century, although 18th and 20th century documents are also present.","Some notable documents include: a book of auction records from 1837-1840 including sales of houses, ships, and slaves; an apothecary formula book, several examples of late-18th century legal papers, Civil War passes into Washington for the Leadbeater family, an Alexandria High School student exercise book from 1859-1863, apprenticeship indentures, an 1841 retrocession petition, and records of fires in the city from the 1930s and 1950s."],"names_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Cazenove Family","Cazenove, Harriot E., 1823-1896","Cazenove, Anthony Charles, 1775-1852","Cazenove, Louis A., 1851-1925"],"corpname_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library"],"famname_ssim":["Cazenove Family"],"persname_ssim":["Cazenove, Harriot E., 1823-1896","Cazenove, Anthony Charles, 1775-1852","Cazenove, Louis A., 1851-1925"],"language_ssim":["English"],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":683,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-12T10:07:54.115Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_89_c03"}},{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29_c01","type":"Series","attributes":{"title":"Correspondence","breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29_c01#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29_c01","ref_ssm":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29_c01"],"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29_c01","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29","parent_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29","parent_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Edith Moore Sprouse Papers (MS313)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Edith Moore Sprouse Papers (MS313)"],"text":["Edith Moore Sprouse Papers (MS313)","Correspondence"],"title_filing_ssi":"Correspondence","title_ssm":["Correspondence"],"title_tesim":["Correspondence"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1960-2003"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1960/2003"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Correspondence"],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"collection_ssim":["Edith Moore Sprouse Papers (MS313)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":46,"level_ssm":["Series"],"level_ssim":["Series"],"sort_isi":1,"date_range_isim":[1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003],"_nest_path_":"/components#0","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:09:43.684Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/ALEX/repositories_2_resources_29.xml","aspace_url_ssi":"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/29","title_ssm":["Edith Moore Sprouse Papers (MS313)"],"title_tesim":["Edith Moore Sprouse Papers (MS313)"],"unitdate_ssm":["1960-2003"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1960-2003"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MS313"],"text":["MS313","Edith Moore Sprouse Papers (MS313)","Fairfax County (Va.) -- History.","Alexandria (Va.) -- History","The correspondence and local history materials are organized chronologically; the computer discs alphabetically; the special projects and card files chronologically and by topic. The collection is divided into six series:\nSeries I: Correspondence\nSeries II: Special Projects\nSeries III: Research Materials\nSeries IV: Computer Discs\nSeries V: Card Files\nSeries VI: Local History","Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Edith Moore Kynor\nSprouse (1923-2004) was a local historian, author, and preservationist. A graduate of\nWellesley College, she worked briefly for the Army Map Service before discovering her\ntrue love, Northern Virginia history. Beginning in 1961, Sprouse wrote numerous books\nand articles about local history and undertook what she regarded as her most important\nproject, indexing and cataloging Fairfax County government records from the 1700s\nthrough 1979. Instrumental in founding the Fairfax County Historical Commission,\nSprouse served on the board of the Franconia Museum and advised the Friends of\nHistoric Huntley. She was a member of the Northern Virginia Association for History,\nthe Alexandria Historical Society, the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Archaeological\nSociety of Virginia, the Friends of Gunston Hall, Historic Dumfries, at the Alexandria\nPublic Library.","This collection consists of correspondence, research materials, including computer discs and card files, and printed local history publications written and collected by Mrs. Sprouse. Of particular interest are the card files, containing extensive information on Alexandria, Fairfax, and the surrounding areas extracted from newspapers and public records as well as collected through interviews and fieldwork.","Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Sprouse, Edith Moore, 1923-2004","English \n.    "],"unitid_tesim":["MS313"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Edith Moore Sprouse Papers (MS313)"],"collection_title_tesim":["Edith Moore Sprouse Papers (MS313)"],"collection_ssim":["Edith Moore Sprouse Papers (MS313)"],"repository_ssm":["Alexandria Library"],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"geogname_ssm":["Fairfax County (Va.) -- History.","Alexandria (Va.) -- History"],"geogname_ssim":["Fairfax County (Va.) -- History.","Alexandria (Va.) -- History"],"creator_ssm":["Sprouse, Edith Moore, 1923-2004"],"creator_ssim":["Sprouse, Edith Moore, 1923-2004"],"creator_persname_ssim":["Sprouse, Edith Moore, 1923-2004"],"creators_ssim":["Sprouse, Edith Moore, 1923-2004"],"places_ssim":["Fairfax County (Va.) -- History.","Alexandria (Va.) -- History"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["4.10 Cubic Feet 17 boxes","7.21 Linear Feet"],"extent_tesim":["4.10 Cubic Feet 17 boxes","7.21 Linear Feet"],"date_range_isim":[1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe correspondence and local history materials are organized chronologically; the computer discs alphabetically; the special projects and card files chronologically and by topic. The collection is divided into six series:\nSeries I: Correspondence\nSeries II: Special Projects\nSeries III: Research Materials\nSeries IV: Computer Discs\nSeries V: Card Files\nSeries VI: Local History\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["The correspondence and local history materials are organized chronologically; the computer discs alphabetically; the special projects and card files chronologically and by topic. The collection is divided into six series:\nSeries I: Correspondence\nSeries II: Special Projects\nSeries III: Research Materials\nSeries IV: Computer Discs\nSeries V: Card Files\nSeries VI: Local History"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eBorn in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Edith Moore Kynor\nSprouse (1923-2004) was a local historian, author, and preservationist. A graduate of\nWellesley College, she worked briefly for the Army Map Service before discovering her\ntrue love, Northern Virginia history. Beginning in 1961, Sprouse wrote numerous books\nand articles about local history and undertook what she regarded as her most important\nproject, indexing and cataloging Fairfax County government records from the 1700s\nthrough 1979. Instrumental in founding the Fairfax County Historical Commission,\nSprouse served on the board of the Franconia Museum and advised the Friends of\nHistoric Huntley. She was a member of the Northern Virginia Association for History,\nthe Alexandria Historical Society, the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Archaeological\nSociety of Virginia, the Friends of Gunston Hall, Historic Dumfries, at the Alexandria\nPublic Library.\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical"],"bioghist_tesim":["Born in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Edith Moore Kynor\nSprouse (1923-2004) was a local historian, author, and preservationist. A graduate of\nWellesley College, she worked briefly for the Army Map Service before discovering her\ntrue love, Northern Virginia history. Beginning in 1961, Sprouse wrote numerous books\nand articles about local history and undertook what she regarded as her most important\nproject, indexing and cataloging Fairfax County government records from the 1700s\nthrough 1979. Instrumental in founding the Fairfax County Historical Commission,\nSprouse served on the board of the Franconia Museum and advised the Friends of\nHistoric Huntley. She was a member of the Northern Virginia Association for History,\nthe Alexandria Historical Society, the Northern Virginia Chapter of the Archaeological\nSociety of Virginia, the Friends of Gunston Hall, Historic Dumfries, at the Alexandria\nPublic Library."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eEdith Moore Sprouse Papers, MS313, Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections, Alexandria, Va.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["Edith Moore Sprouse Papers, MS313, Alexandria Library, Local History/Special Collections, Alexandria, Va."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection consists of correspondence, research materials, including computer discs and card files, and printed local history publications written and collected by Mrs. Sprouse. Of particular interest are the card files, containing extensive information on Alexandria, Fairfax, and the surrounding areas extracted from newspapers and public records as well as collected through interviews and fieldwork.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Content Description"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection consists of correspondence, research materials, including computer discs and card files, and printed local history publications written and collected by Mrs. Sprouse. Of particular interest are the card files, containing extensive information on Alexandria, Fairfax, and the surrounding areas extracted from newspapers and public records as well as collected through interviews and fieldwork."],"names_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Sprouse, Edith Moore, 1923-2004"],"corpname_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library"],"persname_ssim":["Sprouse, Edith Moore, 1923-2004"],"language_ssim":["English \n.    "],"descrules_ssm":["Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules"],"total_component_count_is":105,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:09:43.684Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_29_c01"}},{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c01","type":"Series","attributes":{"title":"Series 1: Administrative Records and Correspondence","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c01#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eThis series contains materials documenting the administration, operations, and communications of the Alexandria Library Board. Materials date from 1954 to 2020, but the majority of records date c.1970 through early 2020. Included are correspondence, financial records, annual reports, and member directories. The majority of administrative records of the Alexandria Library Board can be found in Series 2: Meeting Records amongst the meeting minutes and notes. \u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c01#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c01","ref_ssm":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c01"],"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c01","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","parent_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","parent_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"text":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)","Series 1: Administrative Records and Correspondence","This series contains materials documenting the administration, operations, and communications of the Alexandria Library Board. Materials date from 1954 to 2020, but the majority of records date c.1970 through early 2020. Included are correspondence, financial records, annual reports, and member directories. The majority of administrative records of the Alexandria Library Board can be found in Series 2: Meeting Records amongst the meeting minutes and notes. ","Some materials included in this series contain confidential financial information and personally identifiable information (PII); these records are not currently available for public access or use. For more information, please contact the Local History / Special Collections staff."],"title_filing_ssi":"Series 1: Administrative Records and Correspondence","title_ssm":["Series 1: Administrative Records and Correspondence"],"title_tesim":["Series 1: Administrative Records and Correspondence"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["c. 1970-2020"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1954-2020"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1954/2020, bulk 1970/2020"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Series 1: Administrative Records and Correspondence"],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"extent_ssm":["0.69 Cubic Feet 1.5 boxes"],"extent_tesim":["0.69 Cubic Feet 1.5 boxes"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":10,"level_ssm":["Series"],"level_ssim":["Series"],"sort_isi":1,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open for research. Public access and use of some materials containing confidential financial information and personally identifiable information (PII) is restricted. These materials are noted as such with further detail about the terms of the restriction.","Contact Local History / Special Collections staff for more information. "],"date_range_isim":[1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003ca href=\"https://alexlibrary.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb%3Acollection|42a86c57-47e2-49bd-8908-723a35c23a25/\"\u003eClick to view digital materials in this collection\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Digital Materials"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["Click to view digital materials in this collection"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis series contains materials documenting the administration, operations, and communications of the Alexandria Library Board. Materials date from 1954 to 2020, but the majority of records date c.1970 through early 2020. Included are correspondence, financial records, annual reports, and member directories. The majority of administrative records of the Alexandria Library Board can be found in Series 2: Meeting Records amongst the meeting minutes and notes. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eSome materials included in this series contain confidential financial information and personally identifiable information (PII); these records are not currently available for public access or use. For more information, please contact the Local History / Special Collections staff.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Series Content Description"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This series contains materials documenting the administration, operations, and communications of the Alexandria Library Board. Materials date from 1954 to 2020, but the majority of records date c.1970 through early 2020. Included are correspondence, financial records, annual reports, and member directories. The majority of administrative records of the Alexandria Library Board can be found in Series 2: Meeting Records amongst the meeting minutes and notes. ","Some materials included in this series contain confidential financial information and personally identifiable information (PII); these records are not currently available for public access or use. For more information, please contact the Local History / Special Collections staff."],"_nest_path_":"/components#0","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:10:38.668Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/ALEX/repositories_2_resources_174.xml","aspace_url_ssi":"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/174","title_ssm":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"title_tesim":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"unitdate_ssm":["1937-2020"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1937-2020"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MS416"],"text":["MS416","Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)","Alexandria (Va.)","Boards of directors","Alexandria (Va.). Library","Public libraries.","Budget","Library rules and regulations","Library circulation and loans","Library outreach programs","Collection is open for research. Public access and use of some materials containing confidential financial information and personally identifiable information (PII) is restricted. These materials are noted as such with further detail about the terms of the restriction.","Contact Local History / Special Collections staff for more information. ","This finding aid describes and documents the updated arrangement of this collection, as of 2024. Previously, the records in this collection were part of the Alexandria Library Records (MS098) but were separated and combined with new materials to form a separate collection.","The physical and intellectual arrangement of the Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416) is as follows: Series 1: Administrative Records and Correspondence and Series 2: Meeting Records. Future accretions to this collection will be added to existing series.","When the Alexandria Library was established as a public library in 1937, a Board of Directors was established to perform administrative tasks and oversee operations for the library. The duties of the board were laid out in the 1937 Library By-Laws, which included generating reports to present to the Alexandria Library Company.","In 1947, new by-laws were written and updates were made to the structure of the Board. The Board was renamed The Alexandria Library Board (rather than the Board of Directors) and was determined to be made up of seven members. Three members were representatives of the Alexandria Library Society (now Alexandria Library Company), two members were appointed by the mayor of the City of Alexandria, and the last two members were chosen from existing members of the Alexandria City Council. The Board maintained their administrative role and continued to hire operating personnel for the library and present an annual budget for the Library to the City Council and the Alexandria Library Company. ","In the latter half of the 20th century, the Board's role was scaled back. They continued to meet monthly and maintained oversight over management of the Library and its annual budget, but stopped managing daily operations. They were also no longer responsible for hiring Library personnel, only for appointing the Library Director. The Library Director now also served as the Executive Director of the Board.","Currently, the Alexandria Library Board still consists of seven members (one member representing City Council, three members appointed by the City, and three members representing the Alexandria Library Company). They meet bi-monthly, or as needed, to discuss the maintenance and operation of the Library. The Board's current mission statement is, \"In accordance with an agreement with the City of Alexandria, the Alexandria Library Board sets the policies, rules and regulations of the Library; submits a budget to the City for the operation and maintenance of the Library; and appoints and approves such personnel as are necessary to operate the Library. The Board also sits as the Boards of the James M. Duncan, Jr. Foundation and the Alexandria Library Foundation that monitors the investment portfolios and approves grants from these funds\" ( Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2018 , Alexandria Library Board). ","Alexandria Library Records (MS098) Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)","This collection contains records of the Alexandria Library Board, documenting the administration and operations of the Board, dating from 1937 through 2020. Materials in this collection include correspondence, financial records, annual reports, member directories, newsclippings, Library circulation statistics, Library Annual Reports, and drafts of Library policies and procedures.","The Alexandria Library Board is an active organization, and so this collection is a living collection which will be periodically added to and updated. Check this collection guide for any future updates to the collection.","Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria (Va.). City Council","English \n.    "],"unitid_tesim":["MS416"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"collection_title_tesim":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"repository_ssm":["Alexandria Library"],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"geogname_ssm":["Alexandria (Va.)"],"geogname_ssim":["Alexandria (Va.)"],"creator_ssm":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board"],"creator_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board"],"creators_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board"],"places_ssim":["Alexandria (Va.)"],"access_subjects_ssim":["Boards of directors","Alexandria (Va.). Library","Public libraries.","Budget","Library rules and regulations","Library circulation and loans","Library outreach programs"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Boards of directors","Alexandria (Va.). Library","Public libraries.","Budget","Library rules and regulations","Library circulation and loans","Library outreach programs"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["6.9 Cubic Feet 14 boxes"],"extent_tesim":["6.9 Cubic Feet 14 boxes"],"date_range_isim":[1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open for research. Public access and use of some materials containing confidential financial information and personally identifiable information (PII) is restricted. These materials are noted as such with further detail about the terms of the restriction.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eContact Local History / Special Collections staff for more information. \u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open for research. Public access and use of some materials containing confidential financial information and personally identifiable information (PII) is restricted. These materials are noted as such with further detail about the terms of the restriction.","Contact Local History / Special Collections staff for more information. "],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis finding aid describes and documents the updated arrangement of this collection, as of 2024. Previously, the records in this collection were part of the Alexandria Library Records (MS098) but were separated and combined with new materials to form a separate collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe physical and intellectual arrangement of the Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416) is as follows: Series 1: Administrative Records and Correspondence and Series 2: Meeting Records. Future accretions to this collection will be added to existing series.\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Notes on Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["This finding aid describes and documents the updated arrangement of this collection, as of 2024. Previously, the records in this collection were part of the Alexandria Library Records (MS098) but were separated and combined with new materials to form a separate collection.","The physical and intellectual arrangement of the Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416) is as follows: Series 1: Administrative Records and Correspondence and Series 2: Meeting Records. Future accretions to this collection will be added to existing series."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eWhen the Alexandria Library was established as a public library in 1937, a Board of Directors was established to perform administrative tasks and oversee operations for the library. The duties of the board were laid out in the 1937 Library By-Laws, which included generating reports to present to the Alexandria Library Company.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1947, new by-laws were written and updates were made to the structure of the Board. The Board was renamed The Alexandria Library Board (rather than the Board of Directors) and was determined to be made up of seven members. Three members were representatives of the Alexandria Library Society (now Alexandria Library Company), two members were appointed by the mayor of the City of Alexandria, and the last two members were chosen from existing members of the Alexandria City Council. The Board maintained their administrative role and continued to hire operating personnel for the library and present an annual budget for the Library to the City Council and the Alexandria Library Company. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn the latter half of the 20th century, the Board's role was scaled back. They continued to meet monthly and maintained oversight over management of the Library and its annual budget, but stopped managing daily operations. They were also no longer responsible for hiring Library personnel, only for appointing the Library Director. The Library Director now also served as the Executive Director of the Board.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eCurrently, the Alexandria Library Board still consists of seven members (one member representing City Council, three members appointed by the City, and three members representing the Alexandria Library Company). They meet bi-monthly, or as needed, to discuss the maintenance and operation of the Library. The Board's current mission statement is, \"In accordance with an agreement with the City of Alexandria, the Alexandria Library Board sets the policies, rules and regulations of the Library; submits a budget to the City for the operation and maintenance of the Library; and appoints and approves such personnel as are necessary to operate the Library. The Board also sits as the Boards of the James M. Duncan, Jr. Foundation and the Alexandria Library Foundation that monitors the investment portfolios and approves grants from these funds\" (\u003ci\u003eAnnual Report for Fiscal Year 2018\u003c/i\u003e, Alexandria Library Board). \u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Note"],"bioghist_tesim":["When the Alexandria Library was established as a public library in 1937, a Board of Directors was established to perform administrative tasks and oversee operations for the library. The duties of the board were laid out in the 1937 Library By-Laws, which included generating reports to present to the Alexandria Library Company.","In 1947, new by-laws were written and updates were made to the structure of the Board. The Board was renamed The Alexandria Library Board (rather than the Board of Directors) and was determined to be made up of seven members. Three members were representatives of the Alexandria Library Society (now Alexandria Library Company), two members were appointed by the mayor of the City of Alexandria, and the last two members were chosen from existing members of the Alexandria City Council. The Board maintained their administrative role and continued to hire operating personnel for the library and present an annual budget for the Library to the City Council and the Alexandria Library Company. ","In the latter half of the 20th century, the Board's role was scaled back. They continued to meet monthly and maintained oversight over management of the Library and its annual budget, but stopped managing daily operations. They were also no longer responsible for hiring Library personnel, only for appointing the Library Director. The Library Director now also served as the Executive Director of the Board.","Currently, the Alexandria Library Board still consists of seven members (one member representing City Council, three members appointed by the City, and three members representing the Alexandria Library Company). They meet bi-monthly, or as needed, to discuss the maintenance and operation of the Library. The Board's current mission statement is, \"In accordance with an agreement with the City of Alexandria, the Alexandria Library Board sets the policies, rules and regulations of the Library; submits a budget to the City for the operation and maintenance of the Library; and appoints and approves such personnel as are necessary to operate the Library. The Board also sits as the Boards of the James M. Duncan, Jr. Foundation and the Alexandria Library Foundation that monitors the investment portfolios and approves grants from these funds\" ( Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2018 , Alexandria Library Board). "],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://alexlibrary.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb%3Acollection|29a4f427-8085-428e-b898-71d34b2cff58/\"\u003eClick to view digital materials in this collection\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Digital Materials"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["Click to view digital materials in this collection"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[item description], Alexandria Library Board Records, MS416, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[item description], Alexandria Library Board Records, MS416, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/157\"\u003eAlexandria Library Records (MS098)\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/128\"\u003eAlexandria Library Company Records (MS002)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Materials"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["Alexandria Library Records (MS098) Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection contains records of the Alexandria Library Board, documenting the administration and operations of the Board, dating from 1937 through 2020. Materials in this collection include correspondence, financial records, annual reports, member directories, newsclippings, Library circulation statistics, Library Annual Reports, and drafts of Library policies and procedures.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Alexandria Library Board is an active organization, and so this collection is a living collection which will be periodically added to and updated. Check this collection guide for any future updates to the collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Content Description"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection contains records of the Alexandria Library Board, documenting the administration and operations of the Board, dating from 1937 through 2020. Materials in this collection include correspondence, financial records, annual reports, member directories, newsclippings, Library circulation statistics, Library Annual Reports, and drafts of Library policies and procedures.","The Alexandria Library Board is an active organization, and so this collection is a living collection which will be periodically added to and updated. Check this collection guide for any future updates to the collection."],"names_coll_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria (Va.). City Council"],"names_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria (Va.). City Council"],"corpname_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria (Va.). City Council"],"language_ssim":["English \n.    "],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":83,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:10:38.668Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c01"}},{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157_c01","type":"Series","attributes":{"title":"Series 1: Founding and 20th Century Records","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157_c01#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eThis series contains materials documenting the Alexandria Library, from its founding as a public library in 1937 through the early 2000s. The majority of documents in this series pertain to the decades between 1950 and 2000. These records document the administration and operations of the Library and its individual branches, as well as materials documenting the history of the Alexandria Library. Documents include annual reports, financial records, correspondence, project files, and other administrative documentation. Also included in this series are ephemera and realia, photographs and other graphic materials, and some oversized materials.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157_c01#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157_c01","ref_ssm":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157_c01"],"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157_c01","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157","parent_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157","parent_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Alexandria Library Records (MS098)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Alexandria Library Records (MS098)"],"text":["Alexandria Library Records (MS098)","Series 1: Founding and 20th Century Records","This series contains materials documenting the Alexandria Library, from its founding as a public library in 1937 through the early 2000s. The majority of documents in this series pertain to the decades between 1950 and 2000. These records document the administration and operations of the Library and its individual branches, as well as materials documenting the history of the Alexandria Library. Documents include annual reports, financial records, correspondence, project files, and other administrative documentation. Also included in this series are ephemera and realia, photographs and other graphic materials, and some oversized materials."],"title_filing_ssi":"Series 1: Founding and 20th Century Records","title_ssm":["Series 1: Founding and 20th Century Records"],"title_tesim":["Series 1: Founding and 20th Century Records"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["c.1950s-1990s"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1937-2014"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1937/2014, bulk 1950/1999"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Series 1: Founding and 20th Century Records"],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria Library Records (MS098)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":5,"level_ssm":["Series"],"level_ssim":["Series"],"sort_isi":1,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open for research. Public access to some confidential personnel records is restricted, these materials are noted as such."],"date_range_isim":[1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003ca href=\"https://alexlibrary.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb%3Acollection|894c2868-34c0-45cb-bbd7-b6116cb9124d/\"\u003eClick to view digital materials in this collection\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Digital Materials"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["Click to view digital materials in this collection"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis series contains materials documenting the Alexandria Library, from its founding as a public library in 1937 through the early 2000s. The majority of documents in this series pertain to the decades between 1950 and 2000. These records document the administration and operations of the Library and its individual branches, as well as materials documenting the history of the Alexandria Library. Documents include annual reports, financial records, correspondence, project files, and other administrative documentation. Also included in this series are ephemera and realia, photographs and other graphic materials, and some oversized materials.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Series Content Description"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This series contains materials documenting the Alexandria Library, from its founding as a public library in 1937 through the early 2000s. The majority of documents in this series pertain to the decades between 1950 and 2000. These records document the administration and operations of the Library and its individual branches, as well as materials documenting the history of the Alexandria Library. Documents include annual reports, financial records, correspondence, project files, and other administrative documentation. Also included in this series are ephemera and realia, photographs and other graphic materials, and some oversized materials."],"_nest_path_":"/components#0","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:10:26.748Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/ALEX/repositories_2_resources_157.xml","aspace_url_ssi":"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/157","title_ssm":["Alexandria Library Records (MS098)"],"title_tesim":["Alexandria Library Records (MS098)"],"unitdate_ssm":["1937-2013"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1937-2013"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MS098","/repositories/2/resources/157"],"text":["MS098","/repositories/2/resources/157","Alexandria Library Records (MS098)","Alexandria (Va.)","Alexandria (Va.). Library","Public libraries.","Collection is open for research. Public access to some confidential personnel records is restricted, these materials are noted as such.","This finding aid describes and documents the updated arrangement of this collection as of 2023. Previously, the collection was organized into the following series: By Laws, Charters, and Agreements; Board; Annual Reports; Administration; Circulation; Construction; History; Publicity; Scrapbooks; Workshops; Queen/Barrett; Robert Robinson; Special Services; and Lloyd House. \"By-Laws, Charters, and Agreements\" and \"Administration\" have been combined into the new Subseries 1.2. Administration and Finance. \"History,\" \"Publicity,\" \"Scrapbooks,\" \"Workshops,\" and \"Photographs\" have been combined into the new Subseries 1.4. History, Programming, and Outreach. \"Construction,\" \"Queen/Barrett,\" \"Robert Robinson,\" \"Special Services,\" and \"Lloyd House,\" have been combined into the new Subseries 1.5. Branch Records.","The \"Board\" series has been separated from MS098 and combined with other records to form a new, separate collection of Alexandria Library Board Records.","The physical and intellectual arrangement of the Alexandria Library Records (MS098) has been updated a few times over the years, while remaining accessible to the public. Thus, the decision was made to maintain, as much as appropriate, the current order of the pre-existing collection as Series 1: Founding and 20th Century Records; and Series 2: 21st Century Records includes the new accretions to the collection as of 2023. Future accretions to this collection will either be added to Series 2 or form a new series.","Series 1. Founding and 20th Century Records, 1937-2005\n Subseries 1.1. Annual Reports Subseries 1.2. Administration and Finance Subseries 1.3. Circulation Records Subseries 1.4. History, Programming, and Outreach Subseries 1.5. Branch Records Series 2. 21st Century Records, 1994-present\n Subseries 2.1. Annual Reports Subseries 2.2. Administration and Finance Subseries 2.3. Branch Records Subseries 2.4. Programming and Outreach Subseries 2.5. Web Archives","Founded as a subscription library in 1794 and serving as the public library of Alexandria, Virginia since 1937 – Alexandria Library has a long legacy of supporting early literacy and lifelong learning in our diverse community. The Alexandria Library builds community through its six branches by providing opportunities to learn, explore, create, and connect.","The Alexandria Library Company (ALC) was founded on July 24, 1794 and operated a subscription library for nearly 150 years. In 1937, the ALC entered an agreement with the City of Alexandria and their collections formed the foundation of the city's first free public library. Since then, the Alexandria Library has grown into a system of six branches which serve the community of Alexandria, Virginia. ","The Kate Waller Barrett Library opened its doors on Queen Street in 1937; this was the first location of the Alexandria Library. It was named after Dr. Kate Waller Barrett – local humanitarian, social crusader, and political reformer. The Society of Friends granted a 99-year lease for use of its old Quaker Burial Ground on Queen Street as the site for the new public library building. This library has undergone several renovations and expansions over the years, in 1954, 1964, and 1993. When the Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library was built, the Barrett Library shifted from being the main library to its current role as a branch library which serves residents of Old Town Alexandria and surrounding neighborhoods.","The Robert Robinson Library, named for a grandson of one of George Washington's slaves, opened in 1940 to serve black residents of Alexandria. The establishment of this new branch library was motivated by a civil rights demonstration and lawsuit brought against the Library and the City of Alexandria. The earliest known civil rights sit-in was held at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library in 1939. Alexandria Attorney Samuel W. Tucker and five young African American men demonstrated this act of civil disobedience after being denied library cards. The Sit-In and following legal action resulted in the establishment of a new branch of the library to provide \"separate but equal\" library services to black residents. However, this new library branch never received the same support or funding as the main library and was never able to provide fully equitable services to the local African American community. The Alexandria Library officially integrated for adults in 1959, and for children in 1962. The Robert Robinson Library closed in 1962 and the building is now the site of the Alexandria Black History Museum.  More details about the 1939 sit-in and integration of Alexandria Library, as well as links to additional resources can be found on our website.","The Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library opened on Seminary Road in 1968. This branch library was named after Ellen Coolidge Burke (1901-1975), who served as Director of the Alexandria Library from 1948 to 1969. The Burke Branch Library serves residents of the Seminary Hill neighborhood and surrounding areas. ","The James M. Duncan, Jr. Branch Library opened on Commonwealth Avenue in 1969. The Duncan Branch Library serves residents of the Del Ray neighborhood and surrounding areas. This branch was named after James M. Duncan (1897-1967), who served as Chief of the Alexandria Fire Department 1924-1947, member of City Council 1949-1967, and member of the Alexandria Library Board 1950-1967. In 2005 the Duncan Branch Library underwent renovations and became the first City of Alexandria government building to have a \"living\" roof – a Green Infrastructure approach to reducing stormwater runoff and pollution in local waterways. ","The Local History / Special Collections Branch was established in 1976 and first housed at Lloyd House, a historic home on the corner of Queen and North Washington Streets. In 1999, after completion of the most recent round of renovations and expansions, Local History / Special Collections moved into the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library. Local History / Special Collections stewards many valuable resources documenting the history and culture of Alexandria and Virginia from the colonial period to the present.","The Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library opened on Duke Street in 2000. This new central library was named after former mayor of Alexandria, Charles E. \"Chuck\" Beatley, Jr. (1916-2003). Upon completion of the new main library site, library adminstration offices were moved from the Barrett Library (formerly the central library) to the Beatley Library.","In 2015 the Library took over management of the Alexandria Law Library, located in the basement of the Alexandria Circuit Court on King Street. The Alexandria Law Library provides legal resources for the benefit of the entire Alexandria community, including its citizens, government agencies, local businesses, the judiciary, and members of the bar.","For a more detailed timeline of the history of Alexandria Library, check out our website.","Alexandria Library Board Records\n Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)","This collection contains the records of the Alexandria Library, documenting the administration and operation of the Library, dating from the founding of the public library in 1937 through the present. Included are administrative records, annual reports, financial records, circulation records, materials documenting the history of the Library, programming and outreach records, and records of the individual branches of the library system. Formats include textual documents, photographs, and ephemera.","The Alexandria Library is an active organization, and so this collection is a living collection which will be periodically added to and updated. Check this collection guide for any future updates to the collection. ","Materials relating to the Alexandria Library Board have been moved from MS098 to the Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416).","Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Burke, Ellen Coolidge","Duncan, James M., Jr. (James Morton), 1897-1967","Barrett, Kate Waller, Dr., 1858-1925","Beatley, Charles E., Jr., 1916-2003","Robinson, Robert Henry, Rev. (1824-1909)","English"],"unitid_tesim":["MS098","/repositories/2/resources/157"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alexandria Library Records (MS098)"],"collection_title_tesim":["Alexandria Library Records (MS098)"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria Library Records (MS098)"],"repository_ssm":["Alexandria Library"],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"geogname_ssm":["Alexandria (Va.)"],"geogname_ssim":["Alexandria (Va.)"],"creator_ssm":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)"],"creator_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)"],"creators_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)"],"places_ssim":["Alexandria (Va.)"],"access_subjects_ssim":["Alexandria (Va.). Library","Public libraries."],"access_subjects_ssm":["Alexandria (Va.). Library","Public libraries."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["13.86 Cubic Feet 30 boxes, 1 oversized box"],"extent_tesim":["13.86 Cubic Feet 30 boxes, 1 oversized box"],"date_range_isim":[1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open for research. Public access to some confidential personnel records is restricted, these materials are noted as such.\u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open for research. Public access to some confidential personnel records is restricted, these materials are noted as such."],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis finding aid describes and documents the updated arrangement of this collection as of 2023. Previously, the collection was organized into the following series: By Laws, Charters, and Agreements; Board; Annual Reports; Administration; Circulation; Construction; History; Publicity; Scrapbooks; Workshops; Queen/Barrett; Robert Robinson; Special Services; and Lloyd House. \"By-Laws, Charters, and Agreements\" and \"Administration\" have been combined into the new Subseries 1.2. Administration and Finance. \"History,\" \"Publicity,\" \"Scrapbooks,\" \"Workshops,\" and \"Photographs\" have been combined into the new Subseries 1.4. History, Programming, and Outreach. \"Construction,\" \"Queen/Barrett,\" \"Robert Robinson,\" \"Special Services,\" and \"Lloyd House,\" have been combined into the new Subseries 1.5. Branch Records.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe \"Board\" series has been separated from MS098 and combined with other records to form a new, separate collection of Alexandria Library Board Records.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe physical and intellectual arrangement of the Alexandria Library Records (MS098) has been updated a few times over the years, while remaining accessible to the public. Thus, the decision was made to maintain, as much as appropriate, the current order of the pre-existing collection as Series 1: Founding and 20th Century Records; and Series 2: 21st Century Records includes the new accretions to the collection as of 2023. Future accretions to this collection will either be added to Series 2 or form a new series.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeries 1. Founding and 20th Century Records, 1937-2005\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSubseries 1.1. Annual Reports\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSubseries 1.2. Administration and Finance\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSubseries 1.3. Circulation Records\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSubseries 1.4. History, Programming, and Outreach\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSubseries 1.5. Branch Records\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSeries 2. 21st Century Records, 1994-present\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSubseries 2.1. Annual Reports\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSubseries 2.2. Administration and Finance\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSubseries 2.3. Branch Records\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSubseries 2.4. Programming and Outreach\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSubseries 2.5. Web Archives\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\n\u003c/li\u003e\n\u003c/ul\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Notes on Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["This finding aid describes and documents the updated arrangement of this collection as of 2023. Previously, the collection was organized into the following series: By Laws, Charters, and Agreements; Board; Annual Reports; Administration; Circulation; Construction; History; Publicity; Scrapbooks; Workshops; Queen/Barrett; Robert Robinson; Special Services; and Lloyd House. \"By-Laws, Charters, and Agreements\" and \"Administration\" have been combined into the new Subseries 1.2. Administration and Finance. \"History,\" \"Publicity,\" \"Scrapbooks,\" \"Workshops,\" and \"Photographs\" have been combined into the new Subseries 1.4. History, Programming, and Outreach. \"Construction,\" \"Queen/Barrett,\" \"Robert Robinson,\" \"Special Services,\" and \"Lloyd House,\" have been combined into the new Subseries 1.5. Branch Records.","The \"Board\" series has been separated from MS098 and combined with other records to form a new, separate collection of Alexandria Library Board Records.","The physical and intellectual arrangement of the Alexandria Library Records (MS098) has been updated a few times over the years, while remaining accessible to the public. Thus, the decision was made to maintain, as much as appropriate, the current order of the pre-existing collection as Series 1: Founding and 20th Century Records; and Series 2: 21st Century Records includes the new accretions to the collection as of 2023. Future accretions to this collection will either be added to Series 2 or form a new series.","Series 1. Founding and 20th Century Records, 1937-2005\n Subseries 1.1. Annual Reports Subseries 1.2. Administration and Finance Subseries 1.3. Circulation Records Subseries 1.4. History, Programming, and Outreach Subseries 1.5. Branch Records Series 2. 21st Century Records, 1994-present\n Subseries 2.1. Annual Reports Subseries 2.2. Administration and Finance Subseries 2.3. Branch Records Subseries 2.4. Programming and Outreach Subseries 2.5. Web Archives"],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eFounded as a subscription library in 1794 and serving as the public library of Alexandria, Virginia since 1937 – Alexandria Library has a long legacy of supporting early literacy and lifelong learning in our diverse community. The Alexandria Library builds community through its six branches by providing opportunities to learn, explore, create, and connect.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Alexandria Library Company (ALC) was founded on July 24, 1794 and operated a subscription library for nearly 150 years. In 1937, the ALC entered an agreement with the City of Alexandria and their collections formed the foundation of the city's first free public library. Since then, the Alexandria Library has grown into a system of six branches which serve the community of Alexandria, Virginia. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Kate Waller Barrett Library opened its doors on Queen Street in 1937; this was the first location of the Alexandria Library. It was named after Dr. Kate Waller Barrett – local humanitarian, social crusader, and political reformer. The Society of Friends granted a 99-year lease for use of its old Quaker Burial Ground on Queen Street as the site for the new public library building. This library has undergone several renovations and expansions over the years, in 1954, 1964, and 1993. When the Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library was built, the Barrett Library shifted from being the main library to its current role as a branch library which serves residents of Old Town Alexandria and surrounding neighborhoods.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Robert Robinson Library, named for a grandson of one of George Washington's slaves, opened in 1940 to serve black residents of Alexandria. The establishment of this new branch library was motivated by a civil rights demonstration and lawsuit brought against the Library and the City of Alexandria. The earliest known civil rights sit-in was held at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library in 1939. Alexandria Attorney Samuel W. Tucker and five young African American men demonstrated this act of civil disobedience after being denied library cards. The Sit-In and following legal action resulted in the establishment of a new branch of the library to provide \"separate but equal\" library services to black residents. However, this new library branch never received the same support or funding as the main library and was never able to provide fully equitable services to the local African American community. The Alexandria Library officially integrated for adults in 1959, and for children in 1962. The Robert Robinson Library closed in 1962 and the building is now the site of the Alexandria Black History Museum. \u003ca href=\"https://alexlibraryva.org/1939-sit-in\"\u003eMore details about the 1939 sit-in and integration of Alexandria Library, as well as links to additional resources can be found on our website.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library opened on Seminary Road in 1968. This branch library was named after Ellen Coolidge Burke (1901-1975), who served as Director of the Alexandria Library from 1948 to 1969. The Burke Branch Library serves residents of the Seminary Hill neighborhood and surrounding areas. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe James M. Duncan, Jr. Branch Library opened on Commonwealth Avenue in 1969. The Duncan Branch Library serves residents of the Del Ray neighborhood and surrounding areas. This branch was named after James M. Duncan (1897-1967), who served as Chief of the Alexandria Fire Department 1924-1947, member of City Council 1949-1967, and member of the Alexandria Library Board 1950-1967. In 2005 the Duncan Branch Library underwent renovations and became the first City of Alexandria government building to have a \"living\" roof – a Green Infrastructure approach to reducing stormwater runoff and pollution in local waterways. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Local History / Special Collections Branch was established in 1976 and first housed at Lloyd House, a historic home on the corner of Queen and North Washington Streets. In 1999, after completion of the most recent round of renovations and expansions, Local History / Special Collections moved into the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library. Local History / Special Collections stewards many valuable resources documenting the history and culture of Alexandria and Virginia from the colonial period to the present.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library opened on Duke Street in 2000. This new central library was named after former mayor of Alexandria, Charles E. \"Chuck\" Beatley, Jr. (1916-2003). Upon completion of the new main library site, library adminstration offices were moved from the Barrett Library (formerly the central library) to the Beatley Library.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 2015 the Library took over management of the Alexandria Law Library, located in the basement of the Alexandria Circuit Court on King Street. The Alexandria Law Library provides legal resources for the benefit of the entire Alexandria community, including its citizens, government agencies, local businesses, the judiciary, and members of the bar.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://alexlibraryva.org/about-us#timeline\"\u003eFor a more detailed timeline of the history of Alexandria Library, check out our website.\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Note"],"bioghist_tesim":["Founded as a subscription library in 1794 and serving as the public library of Alexandria, Virginia since 1937 – Alexandria Library has a long legacy of supporting early literacy and lifelong learning in our diverse community. The Alexandria Library builds community through its six branches by providing opportunities to learn, explore, create, and connect.","The Alexandria Library Company (ALC) was founded on July 24, 1794 and operated a subscription library for nearly 150 years. In 1937, the ALC entered an agreement with the City of Alexandria and their collections formed the foundation of the city's first free public library. Since then, the Alexandria Library has grown into a system of six branches which serve the community of Alexandria, Virginia. ","The Kate Waller Barrett Library opened its doors on Queen Street in 1937; this was the first location of the Alexandria Library. It was named after Dr. Kate Waller Barrett – local humanitarian, social crusader, and political reformer. The Society of Friends granted a 99-year lease for use of its old Quaker Burial Ground on Queen Street as the site for the new public library building. This library has undergone several renovations and expansions over the years, in 1954, 1964, and 1993. When the Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library was built, the Barrett Library shifted from being the main library to its current role as a branch library which serves residents of Old Town Alexandria and surrounding neighborhoods.","The Robert Robinson Library, named for a grandson of one of George Washington's slaves, opened in 1940 to serve black residents of Alexandria. The establishment of this new branch library was motivated by a civil rights demonstration and lawsuit brought against the Library and the City of Alexandria. The earliest known civil rights sit-in was held at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library in 1939. Alexandria Attorney Samuel W. Tucker and five young African American men demonstrated this act of civil disobedience after being denied library cards. The Sit-In and following legal action resulted in the establishment of a new branch of the library to provide \"separate but equal\" library services to black residents. However, this new library branch never received the same support or funding as the main library and was never able to provide fully equitable services to the local African American community. The Alexandria Library officially integrated for adults in 1959, and for children in 1962. The Robert Robinson Library closed in 1962 and the building is now the site of the Alexandria Black History Museum.  More details about the 1939 sit-in and integration of Alexandria Library, as well as links to additional resources can be found on our website.","The Ellen Coolidge Burke Branch Library opened on Seminary Road in 1968. This branch library was named after Ellen Coolidge Burke (1901-1975), who served as Director of the Alexandria Library from 1948 to 1969. The Burke Branch Library serves residents of the Seminary Hill neighborhood and surrounding areas. ","The James M. Duncan, Jr. Branch Library opened on Commonwealth Avenue in 1969. The Duncan Branch Library serves residents of the Del Ray neighborhood and surrounding areas. This branch was named after James M. Duncan (1897-1967), who served as Chief of the Alexandria Fire Department 1924-1947, member of City Council 1949-1967, and member of the Alexandria Library Board 1950-1967. In 2005 the Duncan Branch Library underwent renovations and became the first City of Alexandria government building to have a \"living\" roof – a Green Infrastructure approach to reducing stormwater runoff and pollution in local waterways. ","The Local History / Special Collections Branch was established in 1976 and first housed at Lloyd House, a historic home on the corner of Queen and North Washington Streets. In 1999, after completion of the most recent round of renovations and expansions, Local History / Special Collections moved into the Kate Waller Barrett Branch Library. Local History / Special Collections stewards many valuable resources documenting the history and culture of Alexandria and Virginia from the colonial period to the present.","The Charles E. Beatley, Jr. Central Library opened on Duke Street in 2000. This new central library was named after former mayor of Alexandria, Charles E. \"Chuck\" Beatley, Jr. (1916-2003). Upon completion of the new main library site, library adminstration offices were moved from the Barrett Library (formerly the central library) to the Beatley Library.","In 2015 the Library took over management of the Alexandria Law Library, located in the basement of the Alexandria Circuit Court on King Street. The Alexandria Law Library provides legal resources for the benefit of the entire Alexandria community, including its citizens, government agencies, local businesses, the judiciary, and members of the bar.","For a more detailed timeline of the history of Alexandria Library, check out our website."],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://alexlibrary.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb%3Acollection|8c5ffb42-5524-4dc7-a8b4-a73f7efd331e/\"\u003eClick to view digital materials in this collection\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Digital Materials"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["Click to view digital materials in this collection"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Item description], Alexandria Library Records, MS098, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Item description], Alexandria Library Records, MS098, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eAlexandria Library Board Records\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/128\"\u003eAlexandria Library Company Records (MS002)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Materials"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["Alexandria Library Board Records\n Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection contains the records of the Alexandria Library, documenting the administration and operation of the Library, dating from the founding of the public library in 1937 through the present. Included are administrative records, annual reports, financial records, circulation records, materials documenting the history of the Library, programming and outreach records, and records of the individual branches of the library system. Formats include textual documents, photographs, and ephemera.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Alexandria Library is an active organization, and so this collection is a living collection which will be periodically added to and updated. Check this collection guide for any future updates to the collection. \u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Content Description"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection contains the records of the Alexandria Library, documenting the administration and operation of the Library, dating from the founding of the public library in 1937 through the present. Included are administrative records, annual reports, financial records, circulation records, materials documenting the history of the Library, programming and outreach records, and records of the individual branches of the library system. Formats include textual documents, photographs, and ephemera.","The Alexandria Library is an active organization, and so this collection is a living collection which will be periodically added to and updated. Check this collection guide for any future updates to the collection. "],"separatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eMaterials relating to the Alexandria Library Board have been moved from MS098 to the Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416).\u003c/p\u003e"],"separatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Separated Materials"],"separatedmaterial_tesim":["Materials relating to the Alexandria Library Board have been moved from MS098 to the Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)."],"names_coll_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Burke, Ellen Coolidge","Duncan, James M., Jr. (James Morton), 1897-1967","Barrett, Kate Waller, Dr., 1858-1925","Beatley, Charles E., Jr., 1916-2003","Robinson, Robert Henry, Rev. (1824-1909)"],"names_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Burke, Ellen Coolidge","Duncan, James M., Jr. (James Morton), 1897-1967","Barrett, Kate Waller, Dr., 1858-1925","Beatley, Charles E., Jr., 1916-2003","Robinson, Robert Henry, Rev. (1824-1909)"],"corpname_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)"],"persname_ssim":["Burke, Ellen Coolidge","Duncan, James M., Jr. (James Morton), 1897-1967","Barrett, Kate Waller, Dr., 1858-1925","Beatley, Charles E., Jr., 1916-2003","Robinson, Robert Henry, Rev. (1824-1909)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":523,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:10:26.748Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_157_c01"}},{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c02","type":"Series","attributes":{"title":"Series 2: Meeting Records","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c02#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eThis series contains minutes and other records from the monthly meetings of the Alexandria Library Board. Materials date from 1937 to 2020, but the majority of records date c.1990 through early 2020. In addition to meeting agendas and minutes, this series includes: correspondence, newsclippings, Library circulation statistics, Library Annual Reports, and drafts of Library policies and procedures.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c02#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c02","ref_ssm":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c02"],"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c02","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","parent_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","parent_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"text":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)","Series 2: Meeting Records","This series contains minutes and other records from the monthly meetings of the Alexandria Library Board. Materials date from 1937 to 2020, but the majority of records date c.1990 through early 2020. In addition to meeting agendas and minutes, this series includes: correspondence, newsclippings, Library circulation statistics, Library Annual Reports, and drafts of Library policies and procedures."],"title_filing_ssi":"Series 2: Meeting Records","title_ssm":["Series 2: Meeting Records"],"title_tesim":["Series 2: Meeting Records"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["c. 1990-2020"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1938-2020"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1938/2020, bulk 1990/2020"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Series 2: Meeting Records"],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"extent_ssm":["6.21 Cubic Feet 13.5 boxes"],"extent_tesim":["6.21 Cubic Feet 13.5 boxes"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":71,"level_ssm":["Series"],"level_ssim":["Series"],"sort_isi":12,"parent_access_restrict_tesm":["Collection is open for research. Public access and use of some materials containing confidential financial information and personally identifiable information (PII) is restricted. These materials are noted as such with further detail about the terms of the restriction.","Contact Local History / Special Collections staff for more information. "],"date_range_isim":[1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003ca href=\"https://alexlibrary.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb%3Acollection|00413f0e-0210-474c-9ce6-a7a54764eb0c/\"\u003eClick to view digital materials in this collection\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Digital Materials"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["Click to view digital materials in this collection"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis series contains minutes and other records from the monthly meetings of the Alexandria Library Board. Materials date from 1937 to 2020, but the majority of records date c.1990 through early 2020. In addition to meeting agendas and minutes, this series includes: correspondence, newsclippings, Library circulation statistics, Library Annual Reports, and drafts of Library policies and procedures.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Series Content Description"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This series contains minutes and other records from the monthly meetings of the Alexandria Library Board. Materials date from 1937 to 2020, but the majority of records date c.1990 through early 2020. In addition to meeting agendas and minutes, this series includes: correspondence, newsclippings, Library circulation statistics, Library Annual Reports, and drafts of Library policies and procedures."],"_nest_path_":"/components#1","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:10:38.668Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/ALEX/repositories_2_resources_174.xml","aspace_url_ssi":"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/174","title_ssm":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"title_tesim":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"unitdate_ssm":["1937-2020"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1937-2020"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MS416"],"text":["MS416","Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)","Alexandria (Va.)","Boards of directors","Alexandria (Va.). Library","Public libraries.","Budget","Library rules and regulations","Library circulation and loans","Library outreach programs","Collection is open for research. Public access and use of some materials containing confidential financial information and personally identifiable information (PII) is restricted. These materials are noted as such with further detail about the terms of the restriction.","Contact Local History / Special Collections staff for more information. ","This finding aid describes and documents the updated arrangement of this collection, as of 2024. Previously, the records in this collection were part of the Alexandria Library Records (MS098) but were separated and combined with new materials to form a separate collection.","The physical and intellectual arrangement of the Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416) is as follows: Series 1: Administrative Records and Correspondence and Series 2: Meeting Records. Future accretions to this collection will be added to existing series.","When the Alexandria Library was established as a public library in 1937, a Board of Directors was established to perform administrative tasks and oversee operations for the library. The duties of the board were laid out in the 1937 Library By-Laws, which included generating reports to present to the Alexandria Library Company.","In 1947, new by-laws were written and updates were made to the structure of the Board. The Board was renamed The Alexandria Library Board (rather than the Board of Directors) and was determined to be made up of seven members. Three members were representatives of the Alexandria Library Society (now Alexandria Library Company), two members were appointed by the mayor of the City of Alexandria, and the last two members were chosen from existing members of the Alexandria City Council. The Board maintained their administrative role and continued to hire operating personnel for the library and present an annual budget for the Library to the City Council and the Alexandria Library Company. ","In the latter half of the 20th century, the Board's role was scaled back. They continued to meet monthly and maintained oversight over management of the Library and its annual budget, but stopped managing daily operations. They were also no longer responsible for hiring Library personnel, only for appointing the Library Director. The Library Director now also served as the Executive Director of the Board.","Currently, the Alexandria Library Board still consists of seven members (one member representing City Council, three members appointed by the City, and three members representing the Alexandria Library Company). They meet bi-monthly, or as needed, to discuss the maintenance and operation of the Library. The Board's current mission statement is, \"In accordance with an agreement with the City of Alexandria, the Alexandria Library Board sets the policies, rules and regulations of the Library; submits a budget to the City for the operation and maintenance of the Library; and appoints and approves such personnel as are necessary to operate the Library. The Board also sits as the Boards of the James M. Duncan, Jr. Foundation and the Alexandria Library Foundation that monitors the investment portfolios and approves grants from these funds\" ( Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2018 , Alexandria Library Board). ","Alexandria Library Records (MS098) Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)","This collection contains records of the Alexandria Library Board, documenting the administration and operations of the Board, dating from 1937 through 2020. Materials in this collection include correspondence, financial records, annual reports, member directories, newsclippings, Library circulation statistics, Library Annual Reports, and drafts of Library policies and procedures.","The Alexandria Library Board is an active organization, and so this collection is a living collection which will be periodically added to and updated. Check this collection guide for any future updates to the collection.","Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria (Va.). City Council","English \n.    "],"unitid_tesim":["MS416"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"collection_title_tesim":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416)"],"repository_ssm":["Alexandria Library"],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"geogname_ssm":["Alexandria (Va.)"],"geogname_ssim":["Alexandria (Va.)"],"creator_ssm":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board"],"creator_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board"],"creators_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board"],"places_ssim":["Alexandria (Va.)"],"access_subjects_ssim":["Boards of directors","Alexandria (Va.). Library","Public libraries.","Budget","Library rules and regulations","Library circulation and loans","Library outreach programs"],"access_subjects_ssm":["Boards of directors","Alexandria (Va.). Library","Public libraries.","Budget","Library rules and regulations","Library circulation and loans","Library outreach programs"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["6.9 Cubic Feet 14 boxes"],"extent_tesim":["6.9 Cubic Feet 14 boxes"],"date_range_isim":[1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007,2008,2009,2010,2011,2012,2013,2014,2015,2016,2017,2018,2019,2020],"accessrestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCollection is open for research. Public access and use of some materials containing confidential financial information and personally identifiable information (PII) is restricted. These materials are noted as such with further detail about the terms of the restriction.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eContact Local History / Special Collections staff for more information. \u003c/p\u003e"],"accessrestrict_heading_ssm":["Access Restrictions"],"accessrestrict_tesim":["Collection is open for research. Public access and use of some materials containing confidential financial information and personally identifiable information (PII) is restricted. These materials are noted as such with further detail about the terms of the restriction.","Contact Local History / Special Collections staff for more information. "],"arrangement_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis finding aid describes and documents the updated arrangement of this collection, as of 2024. Previously, the records in this collection were part of the Alexandria Library Records (MS098) but were separated and combined with new materials to form a separate collection.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe physical and intellectual arrangement of the Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416) is as follows: Series 1: Administrative Records and Correspondence and Series 2: Meeting Records. Future accretions to this collection will be added to existing series.\u003c/p\u003e"],"arrangement_heading_ssm":["Notes on Arrangement"],"arrangement_tesim":["This finding aid describes and documents the updated arrangement of this collection, as of 2024. Previously, the records in this collection were part of the Alexandria Library Records (MS098) but were separated and combined with new materials to form a separate collection.","The physical and intellectual arrangement of the Alexandria Library Board Records (MS416) is as follows: Series 1: Administrative Records and Correspondence and Series 2: Meeting Records. Future accretions to this collection will be added to existing series."],"bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eWhen the Alexandria Library was established as a public library in 1937, a Board of Directors was established to perform administrative tasks and oversee operations for the library. The duties of the board were laid out in the 1937 Library By-Laws, which included generating reports to present to the Alexandria Library Company.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1947, new by-laws were written and updates were made to the structure of the Board. The Board was renamed The Alexandria Library Board (rather than the Board of Directors) and was determined to be made up of seven members. Three members were representatives of the Alexandria Library Society (now Alexandria Library Company), two members were appointed by the mayor of the City of Alexandria, and the last two members were chosen from existing members of the Alexandria City Council. The Board maintained their administrative role and continued to hire operating personnel for the library and present an annual budget for the Library to the City Council and the Alexandria Library Company. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn the latter half of the 20th century, the Board's role was scaled back. They continued to meet monthly and maintained oversight over management of the Library and its annual budget, but stopped managing daily operations. They were also no longer responsible for hiring Library personnel, only for appointing the Library Director. The Library Director now also served as the Executive Director of the Board.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eCurrently, the Alexandria Library Board still consists of seven members (one member representing City Council, three members appointed by the City, and three members representing the Alexandria Library Company). They meet bi-monthly, or as needed, to discuss the maintenance and operation of the Library. The Board's current mission statement is, \"In accordance with an agreement with the City of Alexandria, the Alexandria Library Board sets the policies, rules and regulations of the Library; submits a budget to the City for the operation and maintenance of the Library; and appoints and approves such personnel as are necessary to operate the Library. The Board also sits as the Boards of the James M. Duncan, Jr. Foundation and the Alexandria Library Foundation that monitors the investment portfolios and approves grants from these funds\" (\u003ci\u003eAnnual Report for Fiscal Year 2018\u003c/i\u003e, Alexandria Library Board). \u003c/p\u003e"],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Historical Note"],"bioghist_tesim":["When the Alexandria Library was established as a public library in 1937, a Board of Directors was established to perform administrative tasks and oversee operations for the library. The duties of the board were laid out in the 1937 Library By-Laws, which included generating reports to present to the Alexandria Library Company.","In 1947, new by-laws were written and updates were made to the structure of the Board. The Board was renamed The Alexandria Library Board (rather than the Board of Directors) and was determined to be made up of seven members. Three members were representatives of the Alexandria Library Society (now Alexandria Library Company), two members were appointed by the mayor of the City of Alexandria, and the last two members were chosen from existing members of the Alexandria City Council. The Board maintained their administrative role and continued to hire operating personnel for the library and present an annual budget for the Library to the City Council and the Alexandria Library Company. ","In the latter half of the 20th century, the Board's role was scaled back. They continued to meet monthly and maintained oversight over management of the Library and its annual budget, but stopped managing daily operations. They were also no longer responsible for hiring Library personnel, only for appointing the Library Director. The Library Director now also served as the Executive Director of the Board.","Currently, the Alexandria Library Board still consists of seven members (one member representing City Council, three members appointed by the City, and three members representing the Alexandria Library Company). They meet bi-monthly, or as needed, to discuss the maintenance and operation of the Library. The Board's current mission statement is, \"In accordance with an agreement with the City of Alexandria, the Alexandria Library Board sets the policies, rules and regulations of the Library; submits a budget to the City for the operation and maintenance of the Library; and appoints and approves such personnel as are necessary to operate the Library. The Board also sits as the Boards of the James M. Duncan, Jr. Foundation and the Alexandria Library Foundation that monitors the investment portfolios and approves grants from these funds\" ( Annual Report for Fiscal Year 2018 , Alexandria Library Board). "],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://alexlibrary.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb%3Acollection|29a4f427-8085-428e-b898-71d34b2cff58/\"\u003eClick to view digital materials in this collection\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Digital Materials"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["Click to view digital materials in this collection"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[item description], Alexandria Library Board Records, MS416, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[item description], Alexandria Library Board Records, MS416, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia."],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/157\"\u003eAlexandria Library Records (MS098)\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/128\"\u003eAlexandria Library Company Records (MS002)\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Materials"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["Alexandria Library Records (MS098) Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThis collection contains records of the Alexandria Library Board, documenting the administration and operations of the Board, dating from 1937 through 2020. Materials in this collection include correspondence, financial records, annual reports, member directories, newsclippings, Library circulation statistics, Library Annual Reports, and drafts of Library policies and procedures.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Alexandria Library Board is an active organization, and so this collection is a living collection which will be periodically added to and updated. Check this collection guide for any future updates to the collection.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Content Description"],"scopecontent_tesim":["This collection contains records of the Alexandria Library Board, documenting the administration and operations of the Board, dating from 1937 through 2020. Materials in this collection include correspondence, financial records, annual reports, member directories, newsclippings, Library circulation statistics, Library Annual Reports, and drafts of Library policies and procedures.","The Alexandria Library Board is an active organization, and so this collection is a living collection which will be periodically added to and updated. Check this collection guide for any future updates to the collection."],"names_coll_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria (Va.). City Council"],"names_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria (Va.). City Council"],"corpname_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.). Board","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria (Va.). City Council"],"language_ssim":["English \n.    "],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":83,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:10:38.668Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_174_c02"}},{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c02","type":"Series","attributes":{"title":"Series II: General Correspondence","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c02#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eThe general correspondence series covers a long period of the history of the Library Company and its successors, with the bulk from the modern Library Company after 1954, when more documentation was being produced and captured in a systematic way.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c02#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c02","ref_ssm":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c02"],"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c02","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","parent_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","parent_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"text":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)","Series II: General Correspondence","English","The general correspondence series covers a long period of the history of the Library Company and its successors, with the bulk from the modern Library Company after 1954, when more documentation was being produced and captured in a systematic way.","\nFrom the earlier period, one folder covers the old Library Company, including an account of the Civil War and two folders cover the period of the Alexandria Library Association consisting primarily of correspondence with Andrew Carnegie about his financial support. The material from the Alexandria Library Society chiefly consists of copies of minutes. \nFor library related inquiries after 1937 see the extensive public library correspondence in Ms 98.","\nThe post-1954 correspondence includes lecture arrangements, nomination and member correspondence, announcements, and all manner of memoranda and external correspondence."],"title_filing_ssi":"Series II: General Correspondence","title_ssm":["Series II: General Correspondence"],"title_tesim":["Series II: General Correspondence"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1854-2002"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1854/2002"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Series II: General Correspondence"],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":10,"level_ssm":["Series"],"level_ssim":["Series"],"sort_isi":8,"date_range_isim":[1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002],"language_ssim":["English"],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003ca href=\"https://alexlibrary.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb%3Acollection|fdb1b89e-1b2d-4dfd-9fa2-465e616067bf/\"\u003eClick to view digital materials in this collection\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Digital Materials"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["Click to view digital materials in this collection"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe general correspondence series covers a long period of the history of the Library Company and its successors, with the bulk from the modern Library Company after 1954, when more documentation was being produced and captured in a systematic way.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\nFrom the earlier period, one folder covers the old Library Company, including an account of the Civil War and two folders cover the period of the Alexandria Library Association consisting primarily of correspondence with Andrew Carnegie about his financial support. The material from the Alexandria Library Society chiefly consists of copies of minutes. \nFor library related inquiries after 1937 see the extensive public library correspondence in Ms 98.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\nThe post-1954 correspondence includes lecture arrangements, nomination and member correspondence, announcements, and all manner of memoranda and external correspondence.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The general correspondence series covers a long period of the history of the Library Company and its successors, with the bulk from the modern Library Company after 1954, when more documentation was being produced and captured in a systematic way.","\nFrom the earlier period, one folder covers the old Library Company, including an account of the Civil War and two folders cover the period of the Alexandria Library Association consisting primarily of correspondence with Andrew Carnegie about his financial support. The material from the Alexandria Library Society chiefly consists of copies of minutes. \nFor library related inquiries after 1937 see the extensive public library correspondence in Ms 98.","\nThe post-1954 correspondence includes lecture arrangements, nomination and member correspondence, announcements, and all manner of memoranda and external correspondence."],"_nest_path_":"/components#1","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:09:43.684Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/ALEX/repositories_2_resources_128.xml","aspace_url_ssi":"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/128","title_ssm":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"title_tesim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"unitdate_ssm":["1794-2007"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1794-2007"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MS002","/repositories/2/resources/128"],"text":["MS002","/repositories/2/resources/128","Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)","Libraries -- Subscription Libraries","Lectures and Lecturing","Associations, institutions, etc","Public libraries.","In the 1780s, a discussion group of Alexandria gentlemen called \"The Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge\" was formed. In 1794, many of these same individuals gathered to form the nucleus of the Alexandria Library Company (ALC). The ALC was a subscription library modelled after the Philadelphia Library Company, which had also emerged from such a club. ","Society president Reverend John Muir became president of the ALC, a position he would hold for almost 20 years. Many of the library's founders are known to have been members of local Masonic lodges. Elisha Cullen Dick, who had succeeded George Washington as the leader of Lodge 22, was among the first directors of the ALC as well as the secretary of the earlier Society. The first Librarian was Edward Stabler, the proprietor of an apothecary shop. In 1796, Stabler was replaced by James Kennedy, who served as librarian until 1818. Overlaps and family links between the leadership of the library and other Alexandria institutions remained common over the next century and a half. ","For a time, the Alexandria Lyceum (founded in 1838) and the ALC shared a physical space as well as similar missions. The Alexandria Lyceum was founded as part of a national movement focused on educational lectures. The union between the two organizations was dissolved in 1844, but the library continued to rent space from the Lyceum. The library was later said to have been in a state of \"suspended animation\" from around 1846 to 1852. In 1852, a \"Young Men's\" group took over under the original charter, publishing a new catalog in 1856. The library continued to operate into the Civil War. It remained in the Lyceum but not without acrimony, which is evident in the Alexandria Gazette in 1860. ","In October 1867, an agreement was reached with what was variously referred to as the Alexandria Christian Association and the YMCA for assistance with running the library. The library separated from this organization during the early 1870s. By the second half of the 1870s, the library fell into a decline which the directors blamed on the lack of a published catalog. ","The first library catalog had been prepared by Kennedy in 1796 and published sometime thereafter. The earliest catalog of which there is an extant copy was published in 1801, followed by another in 1808 of which there are few traces. A more enduring catalog was created in 1815. The 1830s saw publication of a supplement to the 1815 catalog and the creation of a working catalog that would be used into the late 1840s. Normal circulation records end in April 1861 when the library was converted into a military hospital. There are stray entries in May and December before operations resumed on a limited basis in May 1862 and continued at least through that year. Over a thousand volumes were lost during the war. Due to the decline in usage in the 1870s, a new catalog was produced by librarian Emma J. Young in 1872 but never published. After two years with Young's catalog, another was commissioned from Dr. Theo West, which also went unpublished. As a stopgap, handwritten copies were used by patrons. In 1898, a new catalog was created which utilized a decimal system for the first time. The last published catalog was a supplement to the 1912 version. ","In the late 1870s, appeals were made to the men of Alexandria for support,. The directors met with another \"Young Men's Library Association\" in 1878 without success, records of operations stop after January 1880.","The Gazette reported in January 1881 that the books were now in the custody of the school board, whose membership included William F. Carne, a former library company director and the son of one its former presidents. In May 1887 it reported that Carne, as leader of the board's library committee, was inviting associations wishing to participate in re-opening the library to a meeting at the Peabody school building where the books were held, and explained that he had always intended a reading room to be opened to the public once space was freed up for that purpose.","In June 1887, the Gazette reported that the \"Reading Circle of Washington and Lee Schools\" organized by teachers two years prior and the YMCA would operate the free library during the summer, in the hope that in September \"an effort will be made, with a very fair prospect of success, to re-organize the Library Company.\" Gazette reports in 1890 and 1891 refer to continued efforts by Carne and others to \"re-open\" the library, and in 1892 being part of a \"committee on the project for a free public library,\" but they did not succeed.","In the decades after 1870s librarianship not only professionalized but underwent a rapid gender shift, and apart from the periods in which there was no librarian for financial reasons, no male librarians seem to have been employed until well into the 20th century. Women's library organizations had become common nationally, and along with the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie played a major role in the growth of public libraries in America starting in the late 19th century.","In September 1897, the Alexandria Library Association led by Virginia Corse received custody of the books then in possession of the school board. With a modest donation from Carnegie, by 1898 the library was back in business, but as a subscription library, it would not become a free public library for almost 40 years. The new library needed a new librarian, and after one or two initial hires, the association found Alice Green (1865-1956), who would serve from 1902-1937 and in a lesser capacity into the mid-1940s. During this period, space for the library was rented from the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).","The Depression brought financial hardship. As the crisis worsened in early 1931, the association had obtained $1,000 from the city council to form \"a nucleus for the establishment of a public library.\" Discussion of becoming a public library had been common since the 1920s, as the efforts of Carnegie and others had made them the norm nationally. Attempts were made to sell older books and hold fundraisers as subscription fees dried up. There was also a dispute with the UDC over a rent increase in 1933. The library was aided by the wealth of its members, including a $5,000 bequest in 1935 from its long-time treasurer, Margaret L. Smoot.","Members built political support both on the council and among the public in the mid-1930s and in 1937 it was agreed that a building would be constructed on the site of the old cemetery of the Society of Friends and that the city government would cover annual expenses of no more than $5,000 for the association to operate a free library. One member of the board would be appointed by the city. The new governing organization was rebranded the Alexandria Library Society.  Agreements were signed in January, and the library opened at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch's current location, 717 Queen Street.","Another change after 1937 was the gender composition of the leadership. Men served on the board of the new Society and played prominent roles after 1937. After 1948 they typically occupied the presidency of the organization. Most elections were unanimous, often with women casting most of the votes, but it ceased to be a women's organization. ","In 1945 a technicality in the Society's contract with the city was brought to the attention of the board. Namely that the $5,000 the city was obligated to provide each year was not the minimum but rather the maximum contribution, and that the higher appropriations it had been making were illegal. The city took this as an opportunity to demand a contract change beyond the funding formula. Although the men of the city council had representation on the board, the women of the Society were still ultimately running the library, and the Society was asked to allow a majority of the executive board to be appointed by the city, and a minority by the Society. That the city legally \"owned the building and all its contents\" so long as it paid $5,000 per year was also pointed out. The Alexandria Library Society signed the new contract, surrendering control of the library in November 1947. In its reduced role, the Society still elected members to the board and received reports from the librarian. It also retained independent funds that could be used for the benefit of the library. With the library now fully the city's responsibility, the membership was also able to more openly advocate for additional funding.","Another longstanding issue at the library was race. The president's 1928 annual report had endorsed becoming a \"free city library,\" but feared that becoming a Carnegie library \"would bring in some elements hitherto unknown and I think undesirable in our Library.\" In the 1930s the library association favored providing segregated facilities, but, after repeated meetings with the city council, failed to achieve even that modest goal. In the 13 March, 1939, minutes, the issue was revisited yet again, but without result. ","Four days later on 17 March 1939, Sergeant George Wilson was turned down for a library card because of his race and Samuel Tucker filed a civil rights lawsuit against the librarian on his behalf. Plans for a segregated facility were dusted off, and new staff was hired so that the librarian could focus on the controversy. On 21 August 1939, several black men organized by Tucker entered the library and followed Wilson's example, but after being refused, seated themselves in the library with books, beginning America's first library sit-in. It ended only after the city manager called the police, and all were arrested. The lawsuit was dismissed on technical grounds, but to prevent a new lawsuit the city approved the Robert H. Robinson branch, which opened in 1940. Tucker refused to accept a card there. ","A major issue in the early 1950s was the push to expand the overcrowded main library serving the white community. The white librarian at the time, who had been hired in a junior capacity during Tucker's campaign in 1939, suggested to the Society that the expansion could be an opportunity to integrate. In the midst of the debates over expansion and additional funding, an opportunity emerged to purchase a neighboring building on the corner of North Columbus and Queen, which was later demolished. This prompted a discussion about the Alexandria Library Society's connection to the original library company. It was decided to change the name from the \"Alexandria Library Society\" to the \"Alexandria Library Company,\" make the appropriate filings with the state government, and reinstate the 1799 charter, which would be revised by the legislature in the 1980s to help obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS.","This name change was completed at one of the company's most consequential meetings in February 1956. Every member was asked to sign their name in the minute book to signal their assent. A letter from a local civil rights activist questioning the legality of library segregation was also read, but deemed the province of the library board, which referred the matter back to the company whose reply is not preserved.","Member Mangum Weeks thereupon raised the question of the future role of the Library Company, and proposed resuming the tradition of annual lectures dating from the Lyceum period using funds from the newly instituted membership dues. This proposal was adopted, and preparing the annual lectures soon became a major focus of the Company. The Library Company continues to appoint members to the board of the Alexandria Library and hold its annual lecture series. It commissioned a new history of the library by William Seale in 2007, which can be found at the Local History and Special Collections Branch.","Chronological listings for both presidents of the board and librarians up to the modern day.","Presidents of the Library Company and Its Successors February 1794-February 1813 Rev. James Muir February 1813-February 1815 Hugh Smith February 1815-March 1824 John Roberts March 1824-February 1829 Hugh Smith February 1829-February 1835 John Richards February 1835-February 1840 John Roberts February 1840-1852 Elias Harrison 1852-February 1855 J. Louis Kinzer February 1855-September 1858 Francis Miller September 1858- February 1859 Richard L. Carne February 1859-September 1859 Caleb S. Hallowell September 1859-February 1860 William G. Cazenove February 1860-February 1870 Richard L. Carne February 1870-February 1873 K. Kemper February 1873-October 1873 Samuel H. Janney October 1873-February 1874 Sidney C. Neale February 1874-June 1879 Mercer Slaughter September 1897-October 1905 Virginia Corse July 1906-June 1925 Mrs. Samuel. L. Monroe October 1925-April 1930 Loula Smoot April 1930-November 1933 Mrs. Henry B. Soule, [Jessie E. Soule] December 1933-December 1934 Mary Lloyd December 1934-December 1936 Susan Thomson December 1936-November 1937 Mrs. Louis Scott November 1937-November 1944 Mrs. Curtis Backus November 1944-November 1946 Mrs. [Lawrence] Fawcett, [Mary Fawcett] November 1946-November 1947 Howard Worth Smith November 1947-October 1948 [Miss Anne] Lewis Jones October 1948-October 1949 Miss Horne October 1949-October 1950 Mr. Stanley King October 1950-December 1951 Mr. [Joseph] Crockett December 1951-February 1955 Mr. Robert Moncure February 1955-February 1957 Dr. [W. Bruce] Silcox February 1957-February 1959 Stanley King February 1959-February 1962 Mangum Weeks February 1962-February 1963 Richard Bales February 1963-February 1965 Donald King February 1965-February 1967 David Squires February 1967-February 1969 Howard Worth Smith Jr. February 1969-February 1971 William Francis Smith February 1971-February 1972 John T. Ticer February 1972-February 1974 David M. Abshire February 1974-February 1976 Mrs. Merill Beede February 1976-February 1978 Mrs. Douglas Lindsey February 1978-February 1980 Clarke T. Cooper Jr. February 1980-February 1982 William Seale February 1982-February 1983 Denys Peter Myers February 1983-February 1985 William B. Hurd February 1985-February 1986 George J. Stansfield February 1986-February 1987 Dr. Ernest A. Connally February 1987-February 1989 Dr. Wilton C. Corkern, Jr. February 1989-March 1991 James M. Lewis March 1991-March 1992 Mrs. Anne Smith Paul March 1992-March 1993 Richard R. G. Hobson March 1993-March 1995 Dabney Waring March 1995-March 1997 James R. Hobson March 1997-March 1998 Robert C. Reed March 1998-March 2000 Neil Horstman March 2000-March 2002 Carroll Johnson March 2002-March 2003 Thomas C. Brown Jr.","Librarians of Alexandria February 1794-February 1796 Edward Stabler February 1796-February 1818 James Kennedy February 1818-August 1826 William Cranch August 1826-October 1829 W. Samuel Mark October 1829-March 1845 George Drinker March 1845-September 1845 James M. Eaches September 1845-September 1852 C.F. Stuart September 1852-April 1853 H. W. P. Junius September 1852-April 1853 L.? Hunter November 1853 Office Abolished February 1854-October 1855 E. M.[Magruder?] Lowe October 1855-September 1858 Norval E. Foard September 1858-February 1859 S. Scott February 1859-September 1859 Edward R. Roxbury September 1859-February 1860 James A. Clarridge February 1860-April 1861 Charles R. Burgess (acting) April 1861-Unknown Edwin N. Wise March 1868 Wr. Bushby April 1870-May 1871 August Henning July 1871-March 1872 W. F. Stansbury March 1872-August 1873 Emma J. Young October 1873-March 1876 Emily English March 1876 Position Eliminated June 1879 R. Pendleton Bruin (unofficial? acting?) October 1900-October 1903 F. Olive Lyons October 1903-April 1937 (continued part-time, mentioned up to 1946) Alice Green April 1937-December 1938 Miss Beatrice Workman January 1939-January 1941 Katherine Scoggin (later Martyn) February 1941-June 1948 Bessie Watson July 1948-June 1969 (hired part-time October 1939, letter of resignation later that month) Ellen C. Burke July 1969-October 1992 (librarian from 1958) Jeanne G. Plitt","A reprocessing project begun in 2018 incorporated several boxes of previously unprocessed materials dating from the 1960s to the 2000s, with the bulk dating from after 1980. They included many short, overlapping sequences of correspondence, lecture, meeting, and member records which were merged into continuations of established series including primarily correspondence and lectures but also meetings and member correspondence. The \"subject files\" were added to the existing miscellaneous series. ","\nSeveral other changes were also made. A re-examination of the catalog, subscription, and circulation books was undertaken and most were renumbered, described, and relabeled based on primary source research. The 1794-1861 minute book that had been donated back in 1922 was also discovered misfiled in Ms 98 (which covers the library proper since 1937) and was returned to its original collection. Some letters found in minute books were moved to the correspondence series, and their original locations were bookmarked with acid free paper. Photocopies of catalogs were removed. ","The Alexandria Library Records (Ms 98) document the library as a separate institution from 1937 onward.","\nIt particularly complements this collection in its early decades through its administrative correspondence, board correspondence, minutes, annual reports, and organizational records, including contracts with the Alexandria Library Society.","\nThe minutes of the library's executive board (1938-1947) are included in the microfilm version of the library minute books 1794-1947.","Transcripts of library company lectures 2-18 are available in the library.","Lecture series : [transcripts of the audiotapes made of the scholars invited to speak at these annual lectures] Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #2 080 LEC 2 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #3 080 LEC 3 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #4 080 LEC 4 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #5 080 LEC 5 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #6 080 LEC 6 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #7 080 LEC 7 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #8 080 LEC 8 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #9 080 LEC 9 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #10 080 LEC 10 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #11 080 LEC 11 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #12 080 LEC 12 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #13 080 LEC 13 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #14 080 LEC 14 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #15 080 LEC 15 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #16 080 LEC 16 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #17 080 LEC 17 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #18 080 LEC 18","The collection consists of circulation, subscription, and financial ledgers, annual lecture series documents, catalogues, correspondence, and various organizational documents. Topics include: foundation of the\nAlexandria Library Company, its cycles of growth and decline reflecting the local economy; the formation of the local public library system; and the on-going activities of the Alexandria Library Company, most notably its lecture series.","Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","English"],"unitid_tesim":["MS002","/repositories/2/resources/128"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"collection_title_tesim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"repository_ssm":["Alexandria Library"],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"geogname_ssm":["Libraries -- Subscription Libraries","Lectures and Lecturing","Associations, institutions, etc"],"geogname_ssim":["Libraries -- Subscription Libraries","Lectures and Lecturing","Associations, institutions, etc"],"creator_ssm":["Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)"],"creator_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)"],"creators_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)"],"places_ssim":["Libraries -- Subscription Libraries","Lectures and Lecturing","Associations, institutions, etc"],"access_subjects_ssim":["Public libraries."],"access_subjects_ssm":["Public libraries."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["8.10 Cubic Feet 13 boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 1 record carton"],"extent_tesim":["8.10 Cubic Feet 13 boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 1 record carton"],"date_range_isim":[1794,1795,1796,1797,1798,1799,1800,1801,1802,1803,1804,1805,1806,1807,1808,1809,1810,1811,1812,1813,1814,1815,1816,1817,1818,1819,1820,1821,1822,1823,1824,1825,1826,1827,1828,1829,1830,1831,1832,1833,1834,1835,1836,1837,1838,1839,1840,1841,1842,1843,1844,1845,1846,1847,1848,1849,1850,1851,1852,1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical","Presidents and Librarians of the Library"],"bioghist_tesim":["In the 1780s, a discussion group of Alexandria gentlemen called \"The Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge\" was formed. In 1794, many of these same individuals gathered to form the nucleus of the Alexandria Library Company (ALC). The ALC was a subscription library modelled after the Philadelphia Library Company, which had also emerged from such a club. ","Society president Reverend John Muir became president of the ALC, a position he would hold for almost 20 years. Many of the library's founders are known to have been members of local Masonic lodges. Elisha Cullen Dick, who had succeeded George Washington as the leader of Lodge 22, was among the first directors of the ALC as well as the secretary of the earlier Society. The first Librarian was Edward Stabler, the proprietor of an apothecary shop. In 1796, Stabler was replaced by James Kennedy, who served as librarian until 1818. Overlaps and family links between the leadership of the library and other Alexandria institutions remained common over the next century and a half. ","For a time, the Alexandria Lyceum (founded in 1838) and the ALC shared a physical space as well as similar missions. The Alexandria Lyceum was founded as part of a national movement focused on educational lectures. The union between the two organizations was dissolved in 1844, but the library continued to rent space from the Lyceum. The library was later said to have been in a state of \"suspended animation\" from around 1846 to 1852. In 1852, a \"Young Men's\" group took over under the original charter, publishing a new catalog in 1856. The library continued to operate into the Civil War. It remained in the Lyceum but not without acrimony, which is evident in the Alexandria Gazette in 1860. ","In October 1867, an agreement was reached with what was variously referred to as the Alexandria Christian Association and the YMCA for assistance with running the library. The library separated from this organization during the early 1870s. By the second half of the 1870s, the library fell into a decline which the directors blamed on the lack of a published catalog. ","The first library catalog had been prepared by Kennedy in 1796 and published sometime thereafter. The earliest catalog of which there is an extant copy was published in 1801, followed by another in 1808 of which there are few traces. A more enduring catalog was created in 1815. The 1830s saw publication of a supplement to the 1815 catalog and the creation of a working catalog that would be used into the late 1840s. Normal circulation records end in April 1861 when the library was converted into a military hospital. There are stray entries in May and December before operations resumed on a limited basis in May 1862 and continued at least through that year. Over a thousand volumes were lost during the war. Due to the decline in usage in the 1870s, a new catalog was produced by librarian Emma J. Young in 1872 but never published. After two years with Young's catalog, another was commissioned from Dr. Theo West, which also went unpublished. As a stopgap, handwritten copies were used by patrons. In 1898, a new catalog was created which utilized a decimal system for the first time. The last published catalog was a supplement to the 1912 version. ","In the late 1870s, appeals were made to the men of Alexandria for support,. The directors met with another \"Young Men's Library Association\" in 1878 without success, records of operations stop after January 1880.","The Gazette reported in January 1881 that the books were now in the custody of the school board, whose membership included William F. Carne, a former library company director and the son of one its former presidents. In May 1887 it reported that Carne, as leader of the board's library committee, was inviting associations wishing to participate in re-opening the library to a meeting at the Peabody school building where the books were held, and explained that he had always intended a reading room to be opened to the public once space was freed up for that purpose.","In June 1887, the Gazette reported that the \"Reading Circle of Washington and Lee Schools\" organized by teachers two years prior and the YMCA would operate the free library during the summer, in the hope that in September \"an effort will be made, with a very fair prospect of success, to re-organize the Library Company.\" Gazette reports in 1890 and 1891 refer to continued efforts by Carne and others to \"re-open\" the library, and in 1892 being part of a \"committee on the project for a free public library,\" but they did not succeed.","In the decades after 1870s librarianship not only professionalized but underwent a rapid gender shift, and apart from the periods in which there was no librarian for financial reasons, no male librarians seem to have been employed until well into the 20th century. Women's library organizations had become common nationally, and along with the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie played a major role in the growth of public libraries in America starting in the late 19th century.","In September 1897, the Alexandria Library Association led by Virginia Corse received custody of the books then in possession of the school board. With a modest donation from Carnegie, by 1898 the library was back in business, but as a subscription library, it would not become a free public library for almost 40 years. The new library needed a new librarian, and after one or two initial hires, the association found Alice Green (1865-1956), who would serve from 1902-1937 and in a lesser capacity into the mid-1940s. During this period, space for the library was rented from the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).","The Depression brought financial hardship. As the crisis worsened in early 1931, the association had obtained $1,000 from the city council to form \"a nucleus for the establishment of a public library.\" Discussion of becoming a public library had been common since the 1920s, as the efforts of Carnegie and others had made them the norm nationally. Attempts were made to sell older books and hold fundraisers as subscription fees dried up. There was also a dispute with the UDC over a rent increase in 1933. The library was aided by the wealth of its members, including a $5,000 bequest in 1935 from its long-time treasurer, Margaret L. Smoot.","Members built political support both on the council and among the public in the mid-1930s and in 1937 it was agreed that a building would be constructed on the site of the old cemetery of the Society of Friends and that the city government would cover annual expenses of no more than $5,000 for the association to operate a free library. One member of the board would be appointed by the city. The new governing organization was rebranded the Alexandria Library Society.  Agreements were signed in January, and the library opened at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch's current location, 717 Queen Street.","Another change after 1937 was the gender composition of the leadership. Men served on the board of the new Society and played prominent roles after 1937. After 1948 they typically occupied the presidency of the organization. Most elections were unanimous, often with women casting most of the votes, but it ceased to be a women's organization. ","In 1945 a technicality in the Society's contract with the city was brought to the attention of the board. Namely that the $5,000 the city was obligated to provide each year was not the minimum but rather the maximum contribution, and that the higher appropriations it had been making were illegal. The city took this as an opportunity to demand a contract change beyond the funding formula. Although the men of the city council had representation on the board, the women of the Society were still ultimately running the library, and the Society was asked to allow a majority of the executive board to be appointed by the city, and a minority by the Society. That the city legally \"owned the building and all its contents\" so long as it paid $5,000 per year was also pointed out. The Alexandria Library Society signed the new contract, surrendering control of the library in November 1947. In its reduced role, the Society still elected members to the board and received reports from the librarian. It also retained independent funds that could be used for the benefit of the library. With the library now fully the city's responsibility, the membership was also able to more openly advocate for additional funding.","Another longstanding issue at the library was race. The president's 1928 annual report had endorsed becoming a \"free city library,\" but feared that becoming a Carnegie library \"would bring in some elements hitherto unknown and I think undesirable in our Library.\" In the 1930s the library association favored providing segregated facilities, but, after repeated meetings with the city council, failed to achieve even that modest goal. In the 13 March, 1939, minutes, the issue was revisited yet again, but without result. ","Four days later on 17 March 1939, Sergeant George Wilson was turned down for a library card because of his race and Samuel Tucker filed a civil rights lawsuit against the librarian on his behalf. Plans for a segregated facility were dusted off, and new staff was hired so that the librarian could focus on the controversy. On 21 August 1939, several black men organized by Tucker entered the library and followed Wilson's example, but after being refused, seated themselves in the library with books, beginning America's first library sit-in. It ended only after the city manager called the police, and all were arrested. The lawsuit was dismissed on technical grounds, but to prevent a new lawsuit the city approved the Robert H. Robinson branch, which opened in 1940. Tucker refused to accept a card there. ","A major issue in the early 1950s was the push to expand the overcrowded main library serving the white community. The white librarian at the time, who had been hired in a junior capacity during Tucker's campaign in 1939, suggested to the Society that the expansion could be an opportunity to integrate. In the midst of the debates over expansion and additional funding, an opportunity emerged to purchase a neighboring building on the corner of North Columbus and Queen, which was later demolished. This prompted a discussion about the Alexandria Library Society's connection to the original library company. It was decided to change the name from the \"Alexandria Library Society\" to the \"Alexandria Library Company,\" make the appropriate filings with the state government, and reinstate the 1799 charter, which would be revised by the legislature in the 1980s to help obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS.","This name change was completed at one of the company's most consequential meetings in February 1956. Every member was asked to sign their name in the minute book to signal their assent. A letter from a local civil rights activist questioning the legality of library segregation was also read, but deemed the province of the library board, which referred the matter back to the company whose reply is not preserved.","Member Mangum Weeks thereupon raised the question of the future role of the Library Company, and proposed resuming the tradition of annual lectures dating from the Lyceum period using funds from the newly instituted membership dues. This proposal was adopted, and preparing the annual lectures soon became a major focus of the Company. The Library Company continues to appoint members to the board of the Alexandria Library and hold its annual lecture series. It commissioned a new history of the library by William Seale in 2007, which can be found at the Local History and Special Collections Branch.","Chronological listings for both presidents of the board and librarians up to the modern day.","Presidents of the Library Company and Its Successors February 1794-February 1813 Rev. James Muir February 1813-February 1815 Hugh Smith February 1815-March 1824 John Roberts March 1824-February 1829 Hugh Smith February 1829-February 1835 John Richards February 1835-February 1840 John Roberts February 1840-1852 Elias Harrison 1852-February 1855 J. Louis Kinzer February 1855-September 1858 Francis Miller September 1858- February 1859 Richard L. Carne February 1859-September 1859 Caleb S. Hallowell September 1859-February 1860 William G. Cazenove February 1860-February 1870 Richard L. Carne February 1870-February 1873 K. Kemper February 1873-October 1873 Samuel H. Janney October 1873-February 1874 Sidney C. Neale February 1874-June 1879 Mercer Slaughter September 1897-October 1905 Virginia Corse July 1906-June 1925 Mrs. Samuel. L. Monroe October 1925-April 1930 Loula Smoot April 1930-November 1933 Mrs. Henry B. Soule, [Jessie E. Soule] December 1933-December 1934 Mary Lloyd December 1934-December 1936 Susan Thomson December 1936-November 1937 Mrs. Louis Scott November 1937-November 1944 Mrs. Curtis Backus November 1944-November 1946 Mrs. [Lawrence] Fawcett, [Mary Fawcett] November 1946-November 1947 Howard Worth Smith November 1947-October 1948 [Miss Anne] Lewis Jones October 1948-October 1949 Miss Horne October 1949-October 1950 Mr. Stanley King October 1950-December 1951 Mr. [Joseph] Crockett December 1951-February 1955 Mr. Robert Moncure February 1955-February 1957 Dr. [W. Bruce] Silcox February 1957-February 1959 Stanley King February 1959-February 1962 Mangum Weeks February 1962-February 1963 Richard Bales February 1963-February 1965 Donald King February 1965-February 1967 David Squires February 1967-February 1969 Howard Worth Smith Jr. February 1969-February 1971 William Francis Smith February 1971-February 1972 John T. Ticer February 1972-February 1974 David M. Abshire February 1974-February 1976 Mrs. Merill Beede February 1976-February 1978 Mrs. Douglas Lindsey February 1978-February 1980 Clarke T. Cooper Jr. February 1980-February 1982 William Seale February 1982-February 1983 Denys Peter Myers February 1983-February 1985 William B. Hurd February 1985-February 1986 George J. Stansfield February 1986-February 1987 Dr. Ernest A. Connally February 1987-February 1989 Dr. Wilton C. Corkern, Jr. February 1989-March 1991 James M. Lewis March 1991-March 1992 Mrs. Anne Smith Paul March 1992-March 1993 Richard R. G. Hobson March 1993-March 1995 Dabney Waring March 1995-March 1997 James R. Hobson March 1997-March 1998 Robert C. Reed March 1998-March 2000 Neil Horstman March 2000-March 2002 Carroll Johnson March 2002-March 2003 Thomas C. Brown Jr.","Librarians of Alexandria February 1794-February 1796 Edward Stabler February 1796-February 1818 James Kennedy February 1818-August 1826 William Cranch August 1826-October 1829 W. Samuel Mark October 1829-March 1845 George Drinker March 1845-September 1845 James M. Eaches September 1845-September 1852 C.F. Stuart September 1852-April 1853 H. W. P. Junius September 1852-April 1853 L.? Hunter November 1853 Office Abolished February 1854-October 1855 E. M.[Magruder?] Lowe October 1855-September 1858 Norval E. Foard September 1858-February 1859 S. Scott February 1859-September 1859 Edward R. Roxbury September 1859-February 1860 James A. Clarridge February 1860-April 1861 Charles R. Burgess (acting) April 1861-Unknown Edwin N. Wise March 1868 Wr. Bushby April 1870-May 1871 August Henning July 1871-March 1872 W. F. Stansbury March 1872-August 1873 Emma J. Young October 1873-March 1876 Emily English March 1876 Position Eliminated June 1879 R. Pendleton Bruin (unofficial? acting?) October 1900-October 1903 F. Olive Lyons October 1903-April 1937 (continued part-time, mentioned up to 1946) Alice Green April 1937-December 1938 Miss Beatrice Workman January 1939-January 1941 Katherine Scoggin (later Martyn) February 1941-June 1948 Bessie Watson July 1948-June 1969 (hired part-time October 1939, letter of resignation later that month) Ellen C. Burke July 1969-October 1992 (librarian from 1958) Jeanne G. Plitt"],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://alexlibrary.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb%3Acollection|7a4491fe-5b8d-43e9-aa46-69ecce4c0734/\"\u003eClick to view digital materials in this collection\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Digital Materials"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["Click to view digital materials in this collection"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Item], Alexandria Library Company Records, MS002, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Item], Alexandria Library Company Records, MS002, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA reprocessing project begun in 2018 incorporated several boxes of previously unprocessed materials dating from the 1960s to the 2000s, with the bulk dating from after 1980. They included many short, overlapping sequences of correspondence, lecture, meeting, and member records which were merged into continuations of established series including primarily correspondence and lectures but also meetings and member correspondence. The \"subject files\" were added to the existing miscellaneous series. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\nSeveral other changes were also made. A re-examination of the catalog, subscription, and circulation books was undertaken and most were renumbered, described, and relabeled based on primary source research. The 1794-1861 minute book that had been donated back in 1922 was also discovered misfiled in Ms 98 (which covers the library proper since 1937) and was returned to its original collection. Some letters found in minute books were moved to the correspondence series, and their original locations were bookmarked with acid free paper. Photocopies of catalogs were removed. \u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["A reprocessing project begun in 2018 incorporated several boxes of previously unprocessed materials dating from the 1960s to the 2000s, with the bulk dating from after 1980. They included many short, overlapping sequences of correspondence, lecture, meeting, and member records which were merged into continuations of established series including primarily correspondence and lectures but also meetings and member correspondence. The \"subject files\" were added to the existing miscellaneous series. ","\nSeveral other changes were also made. A re-examination of the catalog, subscription, and circulation books was undertaken and most were renumbered, described, and relabeled based on primary source research. The 1794-1861 minute book that had been donated back in 1922 was also discovered misfiled in Ms 98 (which covers the library proper since 1937) and was returned to its original collection. Some letters found in minute books were moved to the correspondence series, and their original locations were bookmarked with acid free paper. Photocopies of catalogs were removed. "],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Alexandria Library Records (Ms 98) document the library as a separate institution from 1937 onward.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e\nIt particularly complements this collection in its early decades through its administrative correspondence, board correspondence, minutes, annual reports, and organizational records, including contracts with the Alexandria Library Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e\nThe minutes of the library's executive board (1938-1947) are included in the microfilm version of the library minute books 1794-1947.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eTranscripts of library company lectures 2-18 are available in the library.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003clist type=\"deflist\"\u003e\n      \u003chead\u003eLecture series : [transcripts of the audiotapes made of the scholars invited to speak at these annual lectures]\u003c/head\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #2\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 2\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #3\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 3\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #4\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 4\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #5\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 5\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #6\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 6\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #7\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 7\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #8\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 8\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #9\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 9\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #10\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 10\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #11\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 11\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #12\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 12\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #13\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 13\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #14\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 14\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #15\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 15\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #16\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 16\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #17\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 17\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #18\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 18\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n    \u003c/list\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Materials"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The Alexandria Library Records (Ms 98) document the library as a separate institution from 1937 onward.","\nIt particularly complements this collection in its early decades through its administrative correspondence, board correspondence, minutes, annual reports, and organizational records, including contracts with the Alexandria Library Society.","\nThe minutes of the library's executive board (1938-1947) are included in the microfilm version of the library minute books 1794-1947.","Transcripts of library company lectures 2-18 are available in the library.","Lecture series : [transcripts of the audiotapes made of the scholars invited to speak at these annual lectures] Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #2 080 LEC 2 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #3 080 LEC 3 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #4 080 LEC 4 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #5 080 LEC 5 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #6 080 LEC 6 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #7 080 LEC 7 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #8 080 LEC 8 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #9 080 LEC 9 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #10 080 LEC 10 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #11 080 LEC 11 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #12 080 LEC 12 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #13 080 LEC 13 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #14 080 LEC 14 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #15 080 LEC 15 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #16 080 LEC 16 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #17 080 LEC 17 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #18 080 LEC 18"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection consists of circulation, subscription, and financial ledgers, annual lecture series documents, catalogues, correspondence, and various organizational documents. Topics include: foundation of the\nAlexandria Library Company, its cycles of growth and decline reflecting the local economy; the formation of the local public library system; and the on-going activities of the Alexandria Library Company, most notably its lecture series.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Content Description"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The collection consists of circulation, subscription, and financial ledgers, annual lecture series documents, catalogues, correspondence, and various organizational documents. Topics include: foundation of the\nAlexandria Library Company, its cycles of growth and decline reflecting the local economy; the formation of the local public library system; and the on-going activities of the Alexandria Library Company, most notably its lecture series."],"names_coll_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)"],"names_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)"],"corpname_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":147,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:09:43.684Z","bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eIn the 1780s, a discussion group of Alexandria gentlemen called \"The Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge\" was formed. In 1794, many of these same individuals gathered to form the nucleus of the Alexandria Library Company (ALC). The ALC was a subscription library modelled after the Philadelphia Library Company, which had also emerged from such a club. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSociety president Reverend John Muir became president of the ALC, a position he would hold for almost 20 years. Many of the library's founders are known to have been members of local Masonic lodges. Elisha Cullen Dick, who had succeeded George Washington as the leader of Lodge 22, was among the first directors of the ALC as well as the secretary of the earlier Society. The first Librarian was Edward Stabler, the proprietor of an apothecary shop. In 1796, Stabler was replaced by James Kennedy, who served as librarian until 1818. Overlaps and family links between the leadership of the library and other Alexandria institutions remained common over the next century and a half. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFor a time, the Alexandria Lyceum (founded in 1838) and the ALC shared a physical space as well as similar missions. The Alexandria Lyceum was founded as part of a national movement focused on educational lectures. The union between the two organizations was dissolved in 1844, but the library continued to rent space from the Lyceum. The library was later said to have been in a state of \"suspended animation\" from around 1846 to 1852. In 1852, a \"Young Men's\" group took over under the original charter, publishing a new catalog in 1856. The library continued to operate into the Civil War. It remained in the Lyceum but not without acrimony, which is evident in the Alexandria Gazette in 1860. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn October 1867, an agreement was reached with what was variously referred to as the Alexandria Christian Association and the YMCA for assistance with running the library. The library separated from this organization during the early 1870s. By the second half of the 1870s, the library fell into a decline which the directors blamed on the lack of a published catalog. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe first library catalog had been prepared by Kennedy in 1796 and published sometime thereafter. The earliest catalog of which there is an extant copy was published in 1801, followed by another in 1808 of which there are few traces. A more enduring catalog was created in 1815. The 1830s saw publication of a supplement to the 1815 catalog and the creation of a working catalog that would be used into the late 1840s. Normal circulation records end in April 1861 when the library was converted into a military hospital. There are stray entries in May and December before operations resumed on a limited basis in May 1862 and continued at least through that year. Over a thousand volumes were lost during the war. Due to the decline in usage in the 1870s, a new catalog was produced by librarian Emma J. Young in 1872 but never published. After two years with Young's catalog, another was commissioned from Dr. Theo West, which also went unpublished. As a stopgap, handwritten copies were used by patrons. In 1898, a new catalog was created which utilized a decimal system for the first time. The last published catalog was a supplement to the 1912 version. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn the late 1870s, appeals were made to the men of Alexandria for support,. The directors met with another \"Young Men's Library Association\" in 1878 without success, records of operations stop after January 1880.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Gazette reported in January 1881 that the books were now in the custody of the school board, whose membership included William F. Carne, a former library company director and the son of one its former presidents. In May 1887 it reported that Carne, as leader of the board's library committee, was inviting associations wishing to participate in re-opening the library to a meeting at the Peabody school building where the books were held, and explained that he had always intended a reading room to be opened to the public once space was freed up for that purpose.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn June 1887, the Gazette reported that the \"Reading Circle of Washington and Lee Schools\" organized by teachers two years prior and the YMCA would operate the free library during the summer, in the hope that in September \"an effort will be made, with a very fair prospect of success, to re-organize the Library Company.\" Gazette reports in 1890 and 1891 refer to continued efforts by Carne and others to \"re-open\" the library, and in 1892 being part of a \"committee on the project for a free public library,\" but they did not succeed.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn the decades after 1870s librarianship not only professionalized but underwent a rapid gender shift, and apart from the periods in which there was no librarian for financial reasons, no male librarians seem to have been employed until well into the 20th century. Women's library organizations had become common nationally, and along with the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie played a major role in the growth of public libraries in America starting in the late 19th century.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn September 1897, the Alexandria Library Association led by Virginia Corse received custody of the books then in possession of the school board. With a modest donation from Carnegie, by 1898 the library was back in business, but as a subscription library, it would not become a free public library for almost 40 years. The new library needed a new librarian, and after one or two initial hires, the association found Alice Green (1865-1956), who would serve from 1902-1937 and in a lesser capacity into the mid-1940s. During this period, space for the library was rented from the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Depression brought financial hardship. As the crisis worsened in early 1931, the association had obtained $1,000 from the city council to form \"a nucleus for the establishment of a public library.\" Discussion of becoming a public library had been common since the 1920s, as the efforts of Carnegie and others had made them the norm nationally. Attempts were made to sell older books and hold fundraisers as subscription fees dried up. There was also a dispute with the UDC over a rent increase in 1933. The library was aided by the wealth of its members, including a $5,000 bequest in 1935 from its long-time treasurer, Margaret L. Smoot.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMembers built political support both on the council and among the public in the mid-1930s and in 1937 it was agreed that a building would be constructed on the site of the old cemetery of the Society of Friends and that the city government would cover annual expenses of no more than $5,000 for the association to operate a free library. One member of the board would be appointed by the city. The new governing organization was rebranded the Alexandria Library Society.  Agreements were signed in January, and the library opened at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch's current location, 717 Queen Street.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAnother change after 1937 was the gender composition of the leadership. Men served on the board of the new Society and played prominent roles after 1937. After 1948 they typically occupied the presidency of the organization. Most elections were unanimous, often with women casting most of the votes, but it ceased to be a women's organization. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1945 a technicality in the Society's contract with the city was brought to the attention of the board. Namely that the $5,000 the city was obligated to provide each year was not the minimum but rather the maximum contribution, and that the higher appropriations it had been making were illegal. The city took this as an opportunity to demand a contract change beyond the funding formula. Although the men of the city council had representation on the board, the women of the Society were still ultimately running the library, and the Society was asked to allow a majority of the executive board to be appointed by the city, and a minority by the Society. That the city legally \"owned the building and all its contents\" so long as it paid $5,000 per year was also pointed out. The Alexandria Library Society signed the new contract, surrendering control of the library in November 1947. In its reduced role, the Society still elected members to the board and received reports from the librarian. It also retained independent funds that could be used for the benefit of the library. With the library now fully the city's responsibility, the membership was also able to more openly advocate for additional funding.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAnother longstanding issue at the library was race. The president's 1928 annual report had endorsed becoming a \"free city library,\" but feared that becoming a Carnegie library \"would bring in some elements hitherto unknown and I think undesirable in our Library.\" In the 1930s the library association favored providing segregated facilities, but, after repeated meetings with the city council, failed to achieve even that modest goal. In the 13 March, 1939, minutes, the issue was revisited yet again, but without result. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFour days later on 17 March 1939, Sergeant George Wilson was turned down for a library card because of his race and Samuel Tucker filed a civil rights lawsuit against the librarian on his behalf. Plans for a segregated facility were dusted off, and new staff was hired so that the librarian could focus on the controversy. On 21 August 1939, several black men organized by Tucker entered the library and followed Wilson's example, but after being refused, seated themselves in the library with books, beginning America's first library sit-in. It ended only after the city manager called the police, and all were arrested. The lawsuit was dismissed on technical grounds, but to prevent a new lawsuit the city approved the Robert H. Robinson branch, which opened in 1940. Tucker refused to accept a card there. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eA major issue in the early 1950s was the push to expand the overcrowded main library serving the white community. The white librarian at the time, who had been hired in a junior capacity during Tucker's campaign in 1939, suggested to the Society that the expansion could be an opportunity to integrate. In the midst of the debates over expansion and additional funding, an opportunity emerged to purchase a neighboring building on the corner of North Columbus and Queen, which was later demolished. This prompted a discussion about the Alexandria Library Society's connection to the original library company. It was decided to change the name from the \"Alexandria Library Society\" to the \"Alexandria Library Company,\" make the appropriate filings with the state government, and reinstate the 1799 charter, which would be revised by the legislature in the 1980s to help obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThis name change was completed at one of the company's most consequential meetings in February 1956. Every member was asked to sign their name in the minute book to signal their assent. A letter from a local civil rights activist questioning the legality of library segregation was also read, but deemed the province of the library board, which referred the matter back to the company whose reply is not preserved.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMember Mangum Weeks thereupon raised the question of the future role of the Library Company, and proposed resuming the tradition of annual lectures dating from the Lyceum period using funds from the newly instituted membership dues. This proposal was adopted, and preparing the annual lectures soon became a major focus of the Company. The Library Company continues to appoint members to the board of the Alexandria Library and hold its annual lecture series. It commissioned a new history of the library by William Seale in 2007, which can be found at the Local History and Special Collections Branch.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eChronological listings for both presidents of the board and librarians up to the modern day.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003clist type=\"deflist\"\u003e\n      \u003chead\u003ePresidents of the Library Company and Its Successors\u003c/head\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1794-February 1813\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRev. James Muir\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1813-February 1815\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eHugh Smith\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1815-March 1824\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJohn Roberts\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1824-February 1829\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eHugh Smith\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1829-February 1835\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJohn Richards\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1835-February 1840\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJohn Roberts\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1840-1852\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eElias Harrison\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003e1852-February 1855\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJ. Louis Kinzer\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1855-September 1858\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eFrancis Miller\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1858- February 1859\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRichard L. Carne\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1859-September 1859\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eCaleb S. Hallowell\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1859-February 1860\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam G. Cazenove\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1860-February 1870\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRichard L. Carne\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1870-February 1873\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eK. Kemper\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1873-October 1873\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eSamuel H. Janney\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1873-February 1874\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eSidney C. Neale\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1874-June 1879\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMercer Slaughter\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1897-October 1905\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eVirginia Corse\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJuly 1906-June 1925\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Samuel. L. Monroe\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1925-April 1930\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eLoula Smoot\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eApril 1930-November 1933\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Henry B. Soule, [Jessie E. Soule]\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eDecember 1933-December 1934\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMary Lloyd\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eDecember 1934-December 1936\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eSusan Thomson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eDecember 1936-November 1937\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Louis Scott\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1937-November 1944\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Curtis Backus\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1944-November 1946\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. [Lawrence] Fawcett, [Mary Fawcett]\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1946-November 1947\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eHoward Worth Smith\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1947-October 1948\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e[Miss Anne] Lewis Jones\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1948-October 1949\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMiss Horne\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1949-October 1950\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMr. Stanley King\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1950-December 1951\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMr. [Joseph] Crockett\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eDecember 1951-February 1955\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMr. Robert Moncure\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1955-February 1957\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDr. [W. Bruce] Silcox\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1957-February 1959\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eStanley King\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1959-February 1962\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMangum Weeks\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1962-February 1963\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRichard Bales\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1963-February 1965\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDonald King\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1965-February 1967\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDavid Squires\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1967-February 1969\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eHoward Worth Smith Jr.\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1969-February 1971\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam Francis Smith\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1971-February 1972\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJohn T. Ticer\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1972-February 1974\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDavid M. Abshire\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1974-February 1976\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Merill Beede\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1976-February 1978\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Douglas Lindsey\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1978-February 1980\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eClarke T. Cooper Jr.\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1980-February 1982\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam Seale\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1982-February 1983\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDenys Peter Myers\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1983-February 1985\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam B. Hurd\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1985-February 1986\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eGeorge J. Stansfield\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1986-February 1987\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDr. Ernest A. Connally\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1987-February 1989\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDr. Wilton C. Corkern, Jr.\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1989-March 1991\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames M. Lewis\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1991-March 1992\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Anne Smith Paul\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1992-March 1993\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRichard R. G. Hobson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1993-March 1995\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDabney Waring\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1995-March 1997\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames R. Hobson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1997-March 1998\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRobert C. Reed\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1998-March 2000\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eNeil Horstman\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 2000-March 2002\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eCarroll Johnson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 2002-March 2003\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eThomas C. Brown Jr.\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n    \u003c/list\u003e","\u003clist type=\"deflist\"\u003e\n      \u003chead\u003eLibrarians of Alexandria\u003c/head\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1794-February 1796\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEdward Stabler\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1796-February 1818\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames Kennedy\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1818-August 1826\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam Cranch\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAugust 1826-October 1829\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eW. Samuel Mark\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1829-March 1845\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eGeorge Drinker\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1845-September 1845\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames M. Eaches\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1845-September 1852\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eC.F. Stuart\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1852-April 1853\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eH. W. P. Junius\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1852-April 1853\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eL.? Hunter\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1853\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eOffice Abolished\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1854-October 1855\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eE. M.[Magruder?] Lowe\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1855-September 1858\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eNorval E. Foard\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1858-February 1859\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eS. Scott\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1859-September 1859\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEdward R. Roxbury\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1859-February 1860\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames A. Clarridge\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1860-April 1861\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eCharles R. Burgess (acting)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eApril 1861-Unknown\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEdwin N. Wise\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1868\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWr. Bushby\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eApril 1870-May 1871\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eAugust Henning\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJuly 1871-March 1872\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eW. F. Stansbury\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1872-August 1873\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEmma J. Young\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1873-March 1876\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEmily English\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1876\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003ePosition Eliminated\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJune 1879\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eR. Pendleton Bruin (unofficial? acting?)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1900-October 1903\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eF. Olive Lyons\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1903-April 1937 (continued part-time, mentioned up to 1946)\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eAlice Green\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eApril 1937-December 1938\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMiss Beatrice Workman\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJanuary 1939-January 1941\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eKatherine Scoggin (later Martyn)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1941-June 1948\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eBessie Watson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJuly 1948-June 1969 (hired part-time October 1939, letter of resignation later that month)\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEllen C. Burke\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJuly 1969-October 1992 (librarian from 1958)\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJeanne G. Plitt\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n    \u003c/list\u003e"]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c02"}},{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c03","type":"Series","attributes":{"title":"Series III: Financial Records","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c03#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eThe financial reports series includes monthly financial reports from the Alexandria Library Association prior the establishment of the public library and annual reports of the Library Company after 1953 along with a limited amount of additional correspondence on related issues.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c03#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c03","ref_ssm":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c03"],"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c03","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","parent_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","parent_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"text":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)","Series III: Financial Records","English","The financial reports series includes monthly financial reports from the Alexandria Library Association prior the establishment of the public library and annual reports of the Library Company after 1953 along with a limited amount of additional correspondence on related issues.","\nThere is also a file of annual reports which the Library Company was required to make to the state as a corporation.","\nFor records relating to the Alexandria Library Company's efforts to become tax-exempt in the 1980s, see the Organizational Records series."],"title_filing_ssi":"Series III: Financial Records","title_ssm":["Series III: Financial Records"],"title_tesim":["Series III: Financial Records"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1915-2002"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1915/2002"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Series III: Financial Records"],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":5,"level_ssm":["Series"],"level_ssim":["Series"],"sort_isi":19,"date_range_isim":[1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002],"language_ssim":["English"],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003ca href=\"https://alexlibrary.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb%3Acollection|ad158688-2c04-4ab7-afd1-df8e3379bae0/\"\u003eClick to view digital materials in this collection\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Digital Materials"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["Click to view digital materials in this collection"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe financial reports series includes monthly financial reports from the Alexandria Library Association prior the establishment of the public library and annual reports of the Library Company after 1953 along with a limited amount of additional correspondence on related issues.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\nThere is also a file of annual reports which the Library Company was required to make to the state as a corporation.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\nFor records relating to the Alexandria Library Company's efforts to become tax-exempt in the 1980s, see the Organizational Records series.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The financial reports series includes monthly financial reports from the Alexandria Library Association prior the establishment of the public library and annual reports of the Library Company after 1953 along with a limited amount of additional correspondence on related issues.","\nThere is also a file of annual reports which the Library Company was required to make to the state as a corporation.","\nFor records relating to the Alexandria Library Company's efforts to become tax-exempt in the 1980s, see the Organizational Records series."],"_nest_path_":"/components#2","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:09:43.684Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/ALEX/repositories_2_resources_128.xml","aspace_url_ssi":"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/128","title_ssm":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"title_tesim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"unitdate_ssm":["1794-2007"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1794-2007"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MS002","/repositories/2/resources/128"],"text":["MS002","/repositories/2/resources/128","Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)","Libraries -- Subscription Libraries","Lectures and Lecturing","Associations, institutions, etc","Public libraries.","In the 1780s, a discussion group of Alexandria gentlemen called \"The Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge\" was formed. In 1794, many of these same individuals gathered to form the nucleus of the Alexandria Library Company (ALC). The ALC was a subscription library modelled after the Philadelphia Library Company, which had also emerged from such a club. ","Society president Reverend John Muir became president of the ALC, a position he would hold for almost 20 years. Many of the library's founders are known to have been members of local Masonic lodges. Elisha Cullen Dick, who had succeeded George Washington as the leader of Lodge 22, was among the first directors of the ALC as well as the secretary of the earlier Society. The first Librarian was Edward Stabler, the proprietor of an apothecary shop. In 1796, Stabler was replaced by James Kennedy, who served as librarian until 1818. Overlaps and family links between the leadership of the library and other Alexandria institutions remained common over the next century and a half. ","For a time, the Alexandria Lyceum (founded in 1838) and the ALC shared a physical space as well as similar missions. The Alexandria Lyceum was founded as part of a national movement focused on educational lectures. The union between the two organizations was dissolved in 1844, but the library continued to rent space from the Lyceum. The library was later said to have been in a state of \"suspended animation\" from around 1846 to 1852. In 1852, a \"Young Men's\" group took over under the original charter, publishing a new catalog in 1856. The library continued to operate into the Civil War. It remained in the Lyceum but not without acrimony, which is evident in the Alexandria Gazette in 1860. ","In October 1867, an agreement was reached with what was variously referred to as the Alexandria Christian Association and the YMCA for assistance with running the library. The library separated from this organization during the early 1870s. By the second half of the 1870s, the library fell into a decline which the directors blamed on the lack of a published catalog. ","The first library catalog had been prepared by Kennedy in 1796 and published sometime thereafter. The earliest catalog of which there is an extant copy was published in 1801, followed by another in 1808 of which there are few traces. A more enduring catalog was created in 1815. The 1830s saw publication of a supplement to the 1815 catalog and the creation of a working catalog that would be used into the late 1840s. Normal circulation records end in April 1861 when the library was converted into a military hospital. There are stray entries in May and December before operations resumed on a limited basis in May 1862 and continued at least through that year. Over a thousand volumes were lost during the war. Due to the decline in usage in the 1870s, a new catalog was produced by librarian Emma J. Young in 1872 but never published. After two years with Young's catalog, another was commissioned from Dr. Theo West, which also went unpublished. As a stopgap, handwritten copies were used by patrons. In 1898, a new catalog was created which utilized a decimal system for the first time. The last published catalog was a supplement to the 1912 version. ","In the late 1870s, appeals were made to the men of Alexandria for support,. The directors met with another \"Young Men's Library Association\" in 1878 without success, records of operations stop after January 1880.","The Gazette reported in January 1881 that the books were now in the custody of the school board, whose membership included William F. Carne, a former library company director and the son of one its former presidents. In May 1887 it reported that Carne, as leader of the board's library committee, was inviting associations wishing to participate in re-opening the library to a meeting at the Peabody school building where the books were held, and explained that he had always intended a reading room to be opened to the public once space was freed up for that purpose.","In June 1887, the Gazette reported that the \"Reading Circle of Washington and Lee Schools\" organized by teachers two years prior and the YMCA would operate the free library during the summer, in the hope that in September \"an effort will be made, with a very fair prospect of success, to re-organize the Library Company.\" Gazette reports in 1890 and 1891 refer to continued efforts by Carne and others to \"re-open\" the library, and in 1892 being part of a \"committee on the project for a free public library,\" but they did not succeed.","In the decades after 1870s librarianship not only professionalized but underwent a rapid gender shift, and apart from the periods in which there was no librarian for financial reasons, no male librarians seem to have been employed until well into the 20th century. Women's library organizations had become common nationally, and along with the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie played a major role in the growth of public libraries in America starting in the late 19th century.","In September 1897, the Alexandria Library Association led by Virginia Corse received custody of the books then in possession of the school board. With a modest donation from Carnegie, by 1898 the library was back in business, but as a subscription library, it would not become a free public library for almost 40 years. The new library needed a new librarian, and after one or two initial hires, the association found Alice Green (1865-1956), who would serve from 1902-1937 and in a lesser capacity into the mid-1940s. During this period, space for the library was rented from the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).","The Depression brought financial hardship. As the crisis worsened in early 1931, the association had obtained $1,000 from the city council to form \"a nucleus for the establishment of a public library.\" Discussion of becoming a public library had been common since the 1920s, as the efforts of Carnegie and others had made them the norm nationally. Attempts were made to sell older books and hold fundraisers as subscription fees dried up. There was also a dispute with the UDC over a rent increase in 1933. The library was aided by the wealth of its members, including a $5,000 bequest in 1935 from its long-time treasurer, Margaret L. Smoot.","Members built political support both on the council and among the public in the mid-1930s and in 1937 it was agreed that a building would be constructed on the site of the old cemetery of the Society of Friends and that the city government would cover annual expenses of no more than $5,000 for the association to operate a free library. One member of the board would be appointed by the city. The new governing organization was rebranded the Alexandria Library Society.  Agreements were signed in January, and the library opened at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch's current location, 717 Queen Street.","Another change after 1937 was the gender composition of the leadership. Men served on the board of the new Society and played prominent roles after 1937. After 1948 they typically occupied the presidency of the organization. Most elections were unanimous, often with women casting most of the votes, but it ceased to be a women's organization. ","In 1945 a technicality in the Society's contract with the city was brought to the attention of the board. Namely that the $5,000 the city was obligated to provide each year was not the minimum but rather the maximum contribution, and that the higher appropriations it had been making were illegal. The city took this as an opportunity to demand a contract change beyond the funding formula. Although the men of the city council had representation on the board, the women of the Society were still ultimately running the library, and the Society was asked to allow a majority of the executive board to be appointed by the city, and a minority by the Society. That the city legally \"owned the building and all its contents\" so long as it paid $5,000 per year was also pointed out. The Alexandria Library Society signed the new contract, surrendering control of the library in November 1947. In its reduced role, the Society still elected members to the board and received reports from the librarian. It also retained independent funds that could be used for the benefit of the library. With the library now fully the city's responsibility, the membership was also able to more openly advocate for additional funding.","Another longstanding issue at the library was race. The president's 1928 annual report had endorsed becoming a \"free city library,\" but feared that becoming a Carnegie library \"would bring in some elements hitherto unknown and I think undesirable in our Library.\" In the 1930s the library association favored providing segregated facilities, but, after repeated meetings with the city council, failed to achieve even that modest goal. In the 13 March, 1939, minutes, the issue was revisited yet again, but without result. ","Four days later on 17 March 1939, Sergeant George Wilson was turned down for a library card because of his race and Samuel Tucker filed a civil rights lawsuit against the librarian on his behalf. Plans for a segregated facility were dusted off, and new staff was hired so that the librarian could focus on the controversy. On 21 August 1939, several black men organized by Tucker entered the library and followed Wilson's example, but after being refused, seated themselves in the library with books, beginning America's first library sit-in. It ended only after the city manager called the police, and all were arrested. The lawsuit was dismissed on technical grounds, but to prevent a new lawsuit the city approved the Robert H. Robinson branch, which opened in 1940. Tucker refused to accept a card there. ","A major issue in the early 1950s was the push to expand the overcrowded main library serving the white community. The white librarian at the time, who had been hired in a junior capacity during Tucker's campaign in 1939, suggested to the Society that the expansion could be an opportunity to integrate. In the midst of the debates over expansion and additional funding, an opportunity emerged to purchase a neighboring building on the corner of North Columbus and Queen, which was later demolished. This prompted a discussion about the Alexandria Library Society's connection to the original library company. It was decided to change the name from the \"Alexandria Library Society\" to the \"Alexandria Library Company,\" make the appropriate filings with the state government, and reinstate the 1799 charter, which would be revised by the legislature in the 1980s to help obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS.","This name change was completed at one of the company's most consequential meetings in February 1956. Every member was asked to sign their name in the minute book to signal their assent. A letter from a local civil rights activist questioning the legality of library segregation was also read, but deemed the province of the library board, which referred the matter back to the company whose reply is not preserved.","Member Mangum Weeks thereupon raised the question of the future role of the Library Company, and proposed resuming the tradition of annual lectures dating from the Lyceum period using funds from the newly instituted membership dues. This proposal was adopted, and preparing the annual lectures soon became a major focus of the Company. The Library Company continues to appoint members to the board of the Alexandria Library and hold its annual lecture series. It commissioned a new history of the library by William Seale in 2007, which can be found at the Local History and Special Collections Branch.","Chronological listings for both presidents of the board and librarians up to the modern day.","Presidents of the Library Company and Its Successors February 1794-February 1813 Rev. James Muir February 1813-February 1815 Hugh Smith February 1815-March 1824 John Roberts March 1824-February 1829 Hugh Smith February 1829-February 1835 John Richards February 1835-February 1840 John Roberts February 1840-1852 Elias Harrison 1852-February 1855 J. Louis Kinzer February 1855-September 1858 Francis Miller September 1858- February 1859 Richard L. Carne February 1859-September 1859 Caleb S. Hallowell September 1859-February 1860 William G. Cazenove February 1860-February 1870 Richard L. Carne February 1870-February 1873 K. Kemper February 1873-October 1873 Samuel H. Janney October 1873-February 1874 Sidney C. Neale February 1874-June 1879 Mercer Slaughter September 1897-October 1905 Virginia Corse July 1906-June 1925 Mrs. Samuel. L. Monroe October 1925-April 1930 Loula Smoot April 1930-November 1933 Mrs. Henry B. Soule, [Jessie E. Soule] December 1933-December 1934 Mary Lloyd December 1934-December 1936 Susan Thomson December 1936-November 1937 Mrs. Louis Scott November 1937-November 1944 Mrs. Curtis Backus November 1944-November 1946 Mrs. [Lawrence] Fawcett, [Mary Fawcett] November 1946-November 1947 Howard Worth Smith November 1947-October 1948 [Miss Anne] Lewis Jones October 1948-October 1949 Miss Horne October 1949-October 1950 Mr. Stanley King October 1950-December 1951 Mr. [Joseph] Crockett December 1951-February 1955 Mr. Robert Moncure February 1955-February 1957 Dr. [W. Bruce] Silcox February 1957-February 1959 Stanley King February 1959-February 1962 Mangum Weeks February 1962-February 1963 Richard Bales February 1963-February 1965 Donald King February 1965-February 1967 David Squires February 1967-February 1969 Howard Worth Smith Jr. February 1969-February 1971 William Francis Smith February 1971-February 1972 John T. Ticer February 1972-February 1974 David M. Abshire February 1974-February 1976 Mrs. Merill Beede February 1976-February 1978 Mrs. Douglas Lindsey February 1978-February 1980 Clarke T. Cooper Jr. February 1980-February 1982 William Seale February 1982-February 1983 Denys Peter Myers February 1983-February 1985 William B. Hurd February 1985-February 1986 George J. Stansfield February 1986-February 1987 Dr. Ernest A. Connally February 1987-February 1989 Dr. Wilton C. Corkern, Jr. February 1989-March 1991 James M. Lewis March 1991-March 1992 Mrs. Anne Smith Paul March 1992-March 1993 Richard R. G. Hobson March 1993-March 1995 Dabney Waring March 1995-March 1997 James R. Hobson March 1997-March 1998 Robert C. Reed March 1998-March 2000 Neil Horstman March 2000-March 2002 Carroll Johnson March 2002-March 2003 Thomas C. Brown Jr.","Librarians of Alexandria February 1794-February 1796 Edward Stabler February 1796-February 1818 James Kennedy February 1818-August 1826 William Cranch August 1826-October 1829 W. Samuel Mark October 1829-March 1845 George Drinker March 1845-September 1845 James M. Eaches September 1845-September 1852 C.F. Stuart September 1852-April 1853 H. W. P. Junius September 1852-April 1853 L.? Hunter November 1853 Office Abolished February 1854-October 1855 E. M.[Magruder?] Lowe October 1855-September 1858 Norval E. Foard September 1858-February 1859 S. Scott February 1859-September 1859 Edward R. Roxbury September 1859-February 1860 James A. Clarridge February 1860-April 1861 Charles R. Burgess (acting) April 1861-Unknown Edwin N. Wise March 1868 Wr. Bushby April 1870-May 1871 August Henning July 1871-March 1872 W. F. Stansbury March 1872-August 1873 Emma J. Young October 1873-March 1876 Emily English March 1876 Position Eliminated June 1879 R. Pendleton Bruin (unofficial? acting?) October 1900-October 1903 F. Olive Lyons October 1903-April 1937 (continued part-time, mentioned up to 1946) Alice Green April 1937-December 1938 Miss Beatrice Workman January 1939-January 1941 Katherine Scoggin (later Martyn) February 1941-June 1948 Bessie Watson July 1948-June 1969 (hired part-time October 1939, letter of resignation later that month) Ellen C. Burke July 1969-October 1992 (librarian from 1958) Jeanne G. Plitt","A reprocessing project begun in 2018 incorporated several boxes of previously unprocessed materials dating from the 1960s to the 2000s, with the bulk dating from after 1980. They included many short, overlapping sequences of correspondence, lecture, meeting, and member records which were merged into continuations of established series including primarily correspondence and lectures but also meetings and member correspondence. The \"subject files\" were added to the existing miscellaneous series. ","\nSeveral other changes were also made. A re-examination of the catalog, subscription, and circulation books was undertaken and most were renumbered, described, and relabeled based on primary source research. The 1794-1861 minute book that had been donated back in 1922 was also discovered misfiled in Ms 98 (which covers the library proper since 1937) and was returned to its original collection. Some letters found in minute books were moved to the correspondence series, and their original locations were bookmarked with acid free paper. Photocopies of catalogs were removed. ","The Alexandria Library Records (Ms 98) document the library as a separate institution from 1937 onward.","\nIt particularly complements this collection in its early decades through its administrative correspondence, board correspondence, minutes, annual reports, and organizational records, including contracts with the Alexandria Library Society.","\nThe minutes of the library's executive board (1938-1947) are included in the microfilm version of the library minute books 1794-1947.","Transcripts of library company lectures 2-18 are available in the library.","Lecture series : [transcripts of the audiotapes made of the scholars invited to speak at these annual lectures] Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #2 080 LEC 2 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #3 080 LEC 3 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #4 080 LEC 4 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #5 080 LEC 5 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #6 080 LEC 6 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #7 080 LEC 7 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #8 080 LEC 8 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #9 080 LEC 9 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #10 080 LEC 10 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #11 080 LEC 11 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #12 080 LEC 12 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #13 080 LEC 13 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #14 080 LEC 14 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #15 080 LEC 15 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #16 080 LEC 16 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #17 080 LEC 17 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #18 080 LEC 18","The collection consists of circulation, subscription, and financial ledgers, annual lecture series documents, catalogues, correspondence, and various organizational documents. Topics include: foundation of the\nAlexandria Library Company, its cycles of growth and decline reflecting the local economy; the formation of the local public library system; and the on-going activities of the Alexandria Library Company, most notably its lecture series.","Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","English"],"unitid_tesim":["MS002","/repositories/2/resources/128"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"collection_title_tesim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"repository_ssm":["Alexandria Library"],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"geogname_ssm":["Libraries -- Subscription Libraries","Lectures and Lecturing","Associations, institutions, etc"],"geogname_ssim":["Libraries -- Subscription Libraries","Lectures and Lecturing","Associations, institutions, etc"],"creator_ssm":["Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)"],"creator_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)"],"creators_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)"],"places_ssim":["Libraries -- Subscription Libraries","Lectures and Lecturing","Associations, institutions, etc"],"access_subjects_ssim":["Public libraries."],"access_subjects_ssm":["Public libraries."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["8.10 Cubic Feet 13 boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 1 record carton"],"extent_tesim":["8.10 Cubic Feet 13 boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 1 record carton"],"date_range_isim":[1794,1795,1796,1797,1798,1799,1800,1801,1802,1803,1804,1805,1806,1807,1808,1809,1810,1811,1812,1813,1814,1815,1816,1817,1818,1819,1820,1821,1822,1823,1824,1825,1826,1827,1828,1829,1830,1831,1832,1833,1834,1835,1836,1837,1838,1839,1840,1841,1842,1843,1844,1845,1846,1847,1848,1849,1850,1851,1852,1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical","Presidents and Librarians of the Library"],"bioghist_tesim":["In the 1780s, a discussion group of Alexandria gentlemen called \"The Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge\" was formed. In 1794, many of these same individuals gathered to form the nucleus of the Alexandria Library Company (ALC). The ALC was a subscription library modelled after the Philadelphia Library Company, which had also emerged from such a club. ","Society president Reverend John Muir became president of the ALC, a position he would hold for almost 20 years. Many of the library's founders are known to have been members of local Masonic lodges. Elisha Cullen Dick, who had succeeded George Washington as the leader of Lodge 22, was among the first directors of the ALC as well as the secretary of the earlier Society. The first Librarian was Edward Stabler, the proprietor of an apothecary shop. In 1796, Stabler was replaced by James Kennedy, who served as librarian until 1818. Overlaps and family links between the leadership of the library and other Alexandria institutions remained common over the next century and a half. ","For a time, the Alexandria Lyceum (founded in 1838) and the ALC shared a physical space as well as similar missions. The Alexandria Lyceum was founded as part of a national movement focused on educational lectures. The union between the two organizations was dissolved in 1844, but the library continued to rent space from the Lyceum. The library was later said to have been in a state of \"suspended animation\" from around 1846 to 1852. In 1852, a \"Young Men's\" group took over under the original charter, publishing a new catalog in 1856. The library continued to operate into the Civil War. It remained in the Lyceum but not without acrimony, which is evident in the Alexandria Gazette in 1860. ","In October 1867, an agreement was reached with what was variously referred to as the Alexandria Christian Association and the YMCA for assistance with running the library. The library separated from this organization during the early 1870s. By the second half of the 1870s, the library fell into a decline which the directors blamed on the lack of a published catalog. ","The first library catalog had been prepared by Kennedy in 1796 and published sometime thereafter. The earliest catalog of which there is an extant copy was published in 1801, followed by another in 1808 of which there are few traces. A more enduring catalog was created in 1815. The 1830s saw publication of a supplement to the 1815 catalog and the creation of a working catalog that would be used into the late 1840s. Normal circulation records end in April 1861 when the library was converted into a military hospital. There are stray entries in May and December before operations resumed on a limited basis in May 1862 and continued at least through that year. Over a thousand volumes were lost during the war. Due to the decline in usage in the 1870s, a new catalog was produced by librarian Emma J. Young in 1872 but never published. After two years with Young's catalog, another was commissioned from Dr. Theo West, which also went unpublished. As a stopgap, handwritten copies were used by patrons. In 1898, a new catalog was created which utilized a decimal system for the first time. The last published catalog was a supplement to the 1912 version. ","In the late 1870s, appeals were made to the men of Alexandria for support,. The directors met with another \"Young Men's Library Association\" in 1878 without success, records of operations stop after January 1880.","The Gazette reported in January 1881 that the books were now in the custody of the school board, whose membership included William F. Carne, a former library company director and the son of one its former presidents. In May 1887 it reported that Carne, as leader of the board's library committee, was inviting associations wishing to participate in re-opening the library to a meeting at the Peabody school building where the books were held, and explained that he had always intended a reading room to be opened to the public once space was freed up for that purpose.","In June 1887, the Gazette reported that the \"Reading Circle of Washington and Lee Schools\" organized by teachers two years prior and the YMCA would operate the free library during the summer, in the hope that in September \"an effort will be made, with a very fair prospect of success, to re-organize the Library Company.\" Gazette reports in 1890 and 1891 refer to continued efforts by Carne and others to \"re-open\" the library, and in 1892 being part of a \"committee on the project for a free public library,\" but they did not succeed.","In the decades after 1870s librarianship not only professionalized but underwent a rapid gender shift, and apart from the periods in which there was no librarian for financial reasons, no male librarians seem to have been employed until well into the 20th century. Women's library organizations had become common nationally, and along with the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie played a major role in the growth of public libraries in America starting in the late 19th century.","In September 1897, the Alexandria Library Association led by Virginia Corse received custody of the books then in possession of the school board. With a modest donation from Carnegie, by 1898 the library was back in business, but as a subscription library, it would not become a free public library for almost 40 years. The new library needed a new librarian, and after one or two initial hires, the association found Alice Green (1865-1956), who would serve from 1902-1937 and in a lesser capacity into the mid-1940s. During this period, space for the library was rented from the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).","The Depression brought financial hardship. As the crisis worsened in early 1931, the association had obtained $1,000 from the city council to form \"a nucleus for the establishment of a public library.\" Discussion of becoming a public library had been common since the 1920s, as the efforts of Carnegie and others had made them the norm nationally. Attempts were made to sell older books and hold fundraisers as subscription fees dried up. There was also a dispute with the UDC over a rent increase in 1933. The library was aided by the wealth of its members, including a $5,000 bequest in 1935 from its long-time treasurer, Margaret L. Smoot.","Members built political support both on the council and among the public in the mid-1930s and in 1937 it was agreed that a building would be constructed on the site of the old cemetery of the Society of Friends and that the city government would cover annual expenses of no more than $5,000 for the association to operate a free library. One member of the board would be appointed by the city. The new governing organization was rebranded the Alexandria Library Society.  Agreements were signed in January, and the library opened at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch's current location, 717 Queen Street.","Another change after 1937 was the gender composition of the leadership. Men served on the board of the new Society and played prominent roles after 1937. After 1948 they typically occupied the presidency of the organization. Most elections were unanimous, often with women casting most of the votes, but it ceased to be a women's organization. ","In 1945 a technicality in the Society's contract with the city was brought to the attention of the board. Namely that the $5,000 the city was obligated to provide each year was not the minimum but rather the maximum contribution, and that the higher appropriations it had been making were illegal. The city took this as an opportunity to demand a contract change beyond the funding formula. Although the men of the city council had representation on the board, the women of the Society were still ultimately running the library, and the Society was asked to allow a majority of the executive board to be appointed by the city, and a minority by the Society. That the city legally \"owned the building and all its contents\" so long as it paid $5,000 per year was also pointed out. The Alexandria Library Society signed the new contract, surrendering control of the library in November 1947. In its reduced role, the Society still elected members to the board and received reports from the librarian. It also retained independent funds that could be used for the benefit of the library. With the library now fully the city's responsibility, the membership was also able to more openly advocate for additional funding.","Another longstanding issue at the library was race. The president's 1928 annual report had endorsed becoming a \"free city library,\" but feared that becoming a Carnegie library \"would bring in some elements hitherto unknown and I think undesirable in our Library.\" In the 1930s the library association favored providing segregated facilities, but, after repeated meetings with the city council, failed to achieve even that modest goal. In the 13 March, 1939, minutes, the issue was revisited yet again, but without result. ","Four days later on 17 March 1939, Sergeant George Wilson was turned down for a library card because of his race and Samuel Tucker filed a civil rights lawsuit against the librarian on his behalf. Plans for a segregated facility were dusted off, and new staff was hired so that the librarian could focus on the controversy. On 21 August 1939, several black men organized by Tucker entered the library and followed Wilson's example, but after being refused, seated themselves in the library with books, beginning America's first library sit-in. It ended only after the city manager called the police, and all were arrested. The lawsuit was dismissed on technical grounds, but to prevent a new lawsuit the city approved the Robert H. Robinson branch, which opened in 1940. Tucker refused to accept a card there. ","A major issue in the early 1950s was the push to expand the overcrowded main library serving the white community. The white librarian at the time, who had been hired in a junior capacity during Tucker's campaign in 1939, suggested to the Society that the expansion could be an opportunity to integrate. In the midst of the debates over expansion and additional funding, an opportunity emerged to purchase a neighboring building on the corner of North Columbus and Queen, which was later demolished. This prompted a discussion about the Alexandria Library Society's connection to the original library company. It was decided to change the name from the \"Alexandria Library Society\" to the \"Alexandria Library Company,\" make the appropriate filings with the state government, and reinstate the 1799 charter, which would be revised by the legislature in the 1980s to help obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS.","This name change was completed at one of the company's most consequential meetings in February 1956. Every member was asked to sign their name in the minute book to signal their assent. A letter from a local civil rights activist questioning the legality of library segregation was also read, but deemed the province of the library board, which referred the matter back to the company whose reply is not preserved.","Member Mangum Weeks thereupon raised the question of the future role of the Library Company, and proposed resuming the tradition of annual lectures dating from the Lyceum period using funds from the newly instituted membership dues. This proposal was adopted, and preparing the annual lectures soon became a major focus of the Company. The Library Company continues to appoint members to the board of the Alexandria Library and hold its annual lecture series. It commissioned a new history of the library by William Seale in 2007, which can be found at the Local History and Special Collections Branch.","Chronological listings for both presidents of the board and librarians up to the modern day.","Presidents of the Library Company and Its Successors February 1794-February 1813 Rev. James Muir February 1813-February 1815 Hugh Smith February 1815-March 1824 John Roberts March 1824-February 1829 Hugh Smith February 1829-February 1835 John Richards February 1835-February 1840 John Roberts February 1840-1852 Elias Harrison 1852-February 1855 J. Louis Kinzer February 1855-September 1858 Francis Miller September 1858- February 1859 Richard L. Carne February 1859-September 1859 Caleb S. Hallowell September 1859-February 1860 William G. Cazenove February 1860-February 1870 Richard L. Carne February 1870-February 1873 K. Kemper February 1873-October 1873 Samuel H. Janney October 1873-February 1874 Sidney C. Neale February 1874-June 1879 Mercer Slaughter September 1897-October 1905 Virginia Corse July 1906-June 1925 Mrs. Samuel. L. Monroe October 1925-April 1930 Loula Smoot April 1930-November 1933 Mrs. Henry B. Soule, [Jessie E. Soule] December 1933-December 1934 Mary Lloyd December 1934-December 1936 Susan Thomson December 1936-November 1937 Mrs. Louis Scott November 1937-November 1944 Mrs. Curtis Backus November 1944-November 1946 Mrs. [Lawrence] Fawcett, [Mary Fawcett] November 1946-November 1947 Howard Worth Smith November 1947-October 1948 [Miss Anne] Lewis Jones October 1948-October 1949 Miss Horne October 1949-October 1950 Mr. Stanley King October 1950-December 1951 Mr. [Joseph] Crockett December 1951-February 1955 Mr. Robert Moncure February 1955-February 1957 Dr. [W. Bruce] Silcox February 1957-February 1959 Stanley King February 1959-February 1962 Mangum Weeks February 1962-February 1963 Richard Bales February 1963-February 1965 Donald King February 1965-February 1967 David Squires February 1967-February 1969 Howard Worth Smith Jr. February 1969-February 1971 William Francis Smith February 1971-February 1972 John T. Ticer February 1972-February 1974 David M. Abshire February 1974-February 1976 Mrs. Merill Beede February 1976-February 1978 Mrs. Douglas Lindsey February 1978-February 1980 Clarke T. Cooper Jr. February 1980-February 1982 William Seale February 1982-February 1983 Denys Peter Myers February 1983-February 1985 William B. Hurd February 1985-February 1986 George J. Stansfield February 1986-February 1987 Dr. Ernest A. Connally February 1987-February 1989 Dr. Wilton C. Corkern, Jr. February 1989-March 1991 James M. Lewis March 1991-March 1992 Mrs. Anne Smith Paul March 1992-March 1993 Richard R. G. Hobson March 1993-March 1995 Dabney Waring March 1995-March 1997 James R. Hobson March 1997-March 1998 Robert C. Reed March 1998-March 2000 Neil Horstman March 2000-March 2002 Carroll Johnson March 2002-March 2003 Thomas C. Brown Jr.","Librarians of Alexandria February 1794-February 1796 Edward Stabler February 1796-February 1818 James Kennedy February 1818-August 1826 William Cranch August 1826-October 1829 W. Samuel Mark October 1829-March 1845 George Drinker March 1845-September 1845 James M. Eaches September 1845-September 1852 C.F. Stuart September 1852-April 1853 H. W. P. Junius September 1852-April 1853 L.? Hunter November 1853 Office Abolished February 1854-October 1855 E. M.[Magruder?] Lowe October 1855-September 1858 Norval E. Foard September 1858-February 1859 S. Scott February 1859-September 1859 Edward R. Roxbury September 1859-February 1860 James A. Clarridge February 1860-April 1861 Charles R. Burgess (acting) April 1861-Unknown Edwin N. Wise March 1868 Wr. Bushby April 1870-May 1871 August Henning July 1871-March 1872 W. F. Stansbury March 1872-August 1873 Emma J. Young October 1873-March 1876 Emily English March 1876 Position Eliminated June 1879 R. Pendleton Bruin (unofficial? acting?) October 1900-October 1903 F. Olive Lyons October 1903-April 1937 (continued part-time, mentioned up to 1946) Alice Green April 1937-December 1938 Miss Beatrice Workman January 1939-January 1941 Katherine Scoggin (later Martyn) February 1941-June 1948 Bessie Watson July 1948-June 1969 (hired part-time October 1939, letter of resignation later that month) Ellen C. Burke July 1969-October 1992 (librarian from 1958) Jeanne G. Plitt"],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://alexlibrary.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb%3Acollection|7a4491fe-5b8d-43e9-aa46-69ecce4c0734/\"\u003eClick to view digital materials in this collection\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Digital Materials"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["Click to view digital materials in this collection"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Item], Alexandria Library Company Records, MS002, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Item], Alexandria Library Company Records, MS002, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA reprocessing project begun in 2018 incorporated several boxes of previously unprocessed materials dating from the 1960s to the 2000s, with the bulk dating from after 1980. They included many short, overlapping sequences of correspondence, lecture, meeting, and member records which were merged into continuations of established series including primarily correspondence and lectures but also meetings and member correspondence. The \"subject files\" were added to the existing miscellaneous series. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\nSeveral other changes were also made. A re-examination of the catalog, subscription, and circulation books was undertaken and most were renumbered, described, and relabeled based on primary source research. The 1794-1861 minute book that had been donated back in 1922 was also discovered misfiled in Ms 98 (which covers the library proper since 1937) and was returned to its original collection. Some letters found in minute books were moved to the correspondence series, and their original locations were bookmarked with acid free paper. Photocopies of catalogs were removed. \u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["A reprocessing project begun in 2018 incorporated several boxes of previously unprocessed materials dating from the 1960s to the 2000s, with the bulk dating from after 1980. They included many short, overlapping sequences of correspondence, lecture, meeting, and member records which were merged into continuations of established series including primarily correspondence and lectures but also meetings and member correspondence. The \"subject files\" were added to the existing miscellaneous series. ","\nSeveral other changes were also made. A re-examination of the catalog, subscription, and circulation books was undertaken and most were renumbered, described, and relabeled based on primary source research. The 1794-1861 minute book that had been donated back in 1922 was also discovered misfiled in Ms 98 (which covers the library proper since 1937) and was returned to its original collection. Some letters found in minute books were moved to the correspondence series, and their original locations were bookmarked with acid free paper. Photocopies of catalogs were removed. "],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Alexandria Library Records (Ms 98) document the library as a separate institution from 1937 onward.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e\nIt particularly complements this collection in its early decades through its administrative correspondence, board correspondence, minutes, annual reports, and organizational records, including contracts with the Alexandria Library Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e\nThe minutes of the library's executive board (1938-1947) are included in the microfilm version of the library minute books 1794-1947.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eTranscripts of library company lectures 2-18 are available in the library.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003clist type=\"deflist\"\u003e\n      \u003chead\u003eLecture series : [transcripts of the audiotapes made of the scholars invited to speak at these annual lectures]\u003c/head\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #2\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 2\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #3\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 3\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #4\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 4\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #5\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 5\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #6\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 6\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #7\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 7\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #8\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 8\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #9\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 9\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #10\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 10\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #11\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 11\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #12\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 12\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #13\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 13\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #14\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 14\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #15\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 15\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #16\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 16\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #17\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 17\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #18\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 18\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n    \u003c/list\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Materials"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The Alexandria Library Records (Ms 98) document the library as a separate institution from 1937 onward.","\nIt particularly complements this collection in its early decades through its administrative correspondence, board correspondence, minutes, annual reports, and organizational records, including contracts with the Alexandria Library Society.","\nThe minutes of the library's executive board (1938-1947) are included in the microfilm version of the library minute books 1794-1947.","Transcripts of library company lectures 2-18 are available in the library.","Lecture series : [transcripts of the audiotapes made of the scholars invited to speak at these annual lectures] Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #2 080 LEC 2 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #3 080 LEC 3 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #4 080 LEC 4 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #5 080 LEC 5 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #6 080 LEC 6 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #7 080 LEC 7 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #8 080 LEC 8 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #9 080 LEC 9 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #10 080 LEC 10 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #11 080 LEC 11 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #12 080 LEC 12 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #13 080 LEC 13 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #14 080 LEC 14 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #15 080 LEC 15 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #16 080 LEC 16 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #17 080 LEC 17 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #18 080 LEC 18"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection consists of circulation, subscription, and financial ledgers, annual lecture series documents, catalogues, correspondence, and various organizational documents. Topics include: foundation of the\nAlexandria Library Company, its cycles of growth and decline reflecting the local economy; the formation of the local public library system; and the on-going activities of the Alexandria Library Company, most notably its lecture series.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Content Description"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The collection consists of circulation, subscription, and financial ledgers, annual lecture series documents, catalogues, correspondence, and various organizational documents. Topics include: foundation of the\nAlexandria Library Company, its cycles of growth and decline reflecting the local economy; the formation of the local public library system; and the on-going activities of the Alexandria Library Company, most notably its lecture series."],"names_coll_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)"],"names_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)"],"corpname_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":147,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:09:43.684Z","bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eIn the 1780s, a discussion group of Alexandria gentlemen called \"The Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge\" was formed. In 1794, many of these same individuals gathered to form the nucleus of the Alexandria Library Company (ALC). The ALC was a subscription library modelled after the Philadelphia Library Company, which had also emerged from such a club. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSociety president Reverend John Muir became president of the ALC, a position he would hold for almost 20 years. Many of the library's founders are known to have been members of local Masonic lodges. Elisha Cullen Dick, who had succeeded George Washington as the leader of Lodge 22, was among the first directors of the ALC as well as the secretary of the earlier Society. The first Librarian was Edward Stabler, the proprietor of an apothecary shop. In 1796, Stabler was replaced by James Kennedy, who served as librarian until 1818. Overlaps and family links between the leadership of the library and other Alexandria institutions remained common over the next century and a half. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFor a time, the Alexandria Lyceum (founded in 1838) and the ALC shared a physical space as well as similar missions. The Alexandria Lyceum was founded as part of a national movement focused on educational lectures. The union between the two organizations was dissolved in 1844, but the library continued to rent space from the Lyceum. The library was later said to have been in a state of \"suspended animation\" from around 1846 to 1852. In 1852, a \"Young Men's\" group took over under the original charter, publishing a new catalog in 1856. The library continued to operate into the Civil War. It remained in the Lyceum but not without acrimony, which is evident in the Alexandria Gazette in 1860. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn October 1867, an agreement was reached with what was variously referred to as the Alexandria Christian Association and the YMCA for assistance with running the library. The library separated from this organization during the early 1870s. By the second half of the 1870s, the library fell into a decline which the directors blamed on the lack of a published catalog. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe first library catalog had been prepared by Kennedy in 1796 and published sometime thereafter. The earliest catalog of which there is an extant copy was published in 1801, followed by another in 1808 of which there are few traces. A more enduring catalog was created in 1815. The 1830s saw publication of a supplement to the 1815 catalog and the creation of a working catalog that would be used into the late 1840s. Normal circulation records end in April 1861 when the library was converted into a military hospital. There are stray entries in May and December before operations resumed on a limited basis in May 1862 and continued at least through that year. Over a thousand volumes were lost during the war. Due to the decline in usage in the 1870s, a new catalog was produced by librarian Emma J. Young in 1872 but never published. After two years with Young's catalog, another was commissioned from Dr. Theo West, which also went unpublished. As a stopgap, handwritten copies were used by patrons. In 1898, a new catalog was created which utilized a decimal system for the first time. The last published catalog was a supplement to the 1912 version. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn the late 1870s, appeals were made to the men of Alexandria for support,. The directors met with another \"Young Men's Library Association\" in 1878 without success, records of operations stop after January 1880.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Gazette reported in January 1881 that the books were now in the custody of the school board, whose membership included William F. Carne, a former library company director and the son of one its former presidents. In May 1887 it reported that Carne, as leader of the board's library committee, was inviting associations wishing to participate in re-opening the library to a meeting at the Peabody school building where the books were held, and explained that he had always intended a reading room to be opened to the public once space was freed up for that purpose.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn June 1887, the Gazette reported that the \"Reading Circle of Washington and Lee Schools\" organized by teachers two years prior and the YMCA would operate the free library during the summer, in the hope that in September \"an effort will be made, with a very fair prospect of success, to re-organize the Library Company.\" Gazette reports in 1890 and 1891 refer to continued efforts by Carne and others to \"re-open\" the library, and in 1892 being part of a \"committee on the project for a free public library,\" but they did not succeed.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn the decades after 1870s librarianship not only professionalized but underwent a rapid gender shift, and apart from the periods in which there was no librarian for financial reasons, no male librarians seem to have been employed until well into the 20th century. Women's library organizations had become common nationally, and along with the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie played a major role in the growth of public libraries in America starting in the late 19th century.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn September 1897, the Alexandria Library Association led by Virginia Corse received custody of the books then in possession of the school board. With a modest donation from Carnegie, by 1898 the library was back in business, but as a subscription library, it would not become a free public library for almost 40 years. The new library needed a new librarian, and after one or two initial hires, the association found Alice Green (1865-1956), who would serve from 1902-1937 and in a lesser capacity into the mid-1940s. During this period, space for the library was rented from the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Depression brought financial hardship. As the crisis worsened in early 1931, the association had obtained $1,000 from the city council to form \"a nucleus for the establishment of a public library.\" Discussion of becoming a public library had been common since the 1920s, as the efforts of Carnegie and others had made them the norm nationally. Attempts were made to sell older books and hold fundraisers as subscription fees dried up. There was also a dispute with the UDC over a rent increase in 1933. The library was aided by the wealth of its members, including a $5,000 bequest in 1935 from its long-time treasurer, Margaret L. Smoot.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMembers built political support both on the council and among the public in the mid-1930s and in 1937 it was agreed that a building would be constructed on the site of the old cemetery of the Society of Friends and that the city government would cover annual expenses of no more than $5,000 for the association to operate a free library. One member of the board would be appointed by the city. The new governing organization was rebranded the Alexandria Library Society.  Agreements were signed in January, and the library opened at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch's current location, 717 Queen Street.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAnother change after 1937 was the gender composition of the leadership. Men served on the board of the new Society and played prominent roles after 1937. After 1948 they typically occupied the presidency of the organization. Most elections were unanimous, often with women casting most of the votes, but it ceased to be a women's organization. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1945 a technicality in the Society's contract with the city was brought to the attention of the board. Namely that the $5,000 the city was obligated to provide each year was not the minimum but rather the maximum contribution, and that the higher appropriations it had been making were illegal. The city took this as an opportunity to demand a contract change beyond the funding formula. Although the men of the city council had representation on the board, the women of the Society were still ultimately running the library, and the Society was asked to allow a majority of the executive board to be appointed by the city, and a minority by the Society. That the city legally \"owned the building and all its contents\" so long as it paid $5,000 per year was also pointed out. The Alexandria Library Society signed the new contract, surrendering control of the library in November 1947. In its reduced role, the Society still elected members to the board and received reports from the librarian. It also retained independent funds that could be used for the benefit of the library. With the library now fully the city's responsibility, the membership was also able to more openly advocate for additional funding.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAnother longstanding issue at the library was race. The president's 1928 annual report had endorsed becoming a \"free city library,\" but feared that becoming a Carnegie library \"would bring in some elements hitherto unknown and I think undesirable in our Library.\" In the 1930s the library association favored providing segregated facilities, but, after repeated meetings with the city council, failed to achieve even that modest goal. In the 13 March, 1939, minutes, the issue was revisited yet again, but without result. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFour days later on 17 March 1939, Sergeant George Wilson was turned down for a library card because of his race and Samuel Tucker filed a civil rights lawsuit against the librarian on his behalf. Plans for a segregated facility were dusted off, and new staff was hired so that the librarian could focus on the controversy. On 21 August 1939, several black men organized by Tucker entered the library and followed Wilson's example, but after being refused, seated themselves in the library with books, beginning America's first library sit-in. It ended only after the city manager called the police, and all were arrested. The lawsuit was dismissed on technical grounds, but to prevent a new lawsuit the city approved the Robert H. Robinson branch, which opened in 1940. Tucker refused to accept a card there. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eA major issue in the early 1950s was the push to expand the overcrowded main library serving the white community. The white librarian at the time, who had been hired in a junior capacity during Tucker's campaign in 1939, suggested to the Society that the expansion could be an opportunity to integrate. In the midst of the debates over expansion and additional funding, an opportunity emerged to purchase a neighboring building on the corner of North Columbus and Queen, which was later demolished. This prompted a discussion about the Alexandria Library Society's connection to the original library company. It was decided to change the name from the \"Alexandria Library Society\" to the \"Alexandria Library Company,\" make the appropriate filings with the state government, and reinstate the 1799 charter, which would be revised by the legislature in the 1980s to help obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThis name change was completed at one of the company's most consequential meetings in February 1956. Every member was asked to sign their name in the minute book to signal their assent. A letter from a local civil rights activist questioning the legality of library segregation was also read, but deemed the province of the library board, which referred the matter back to the company whose reply is not preserved.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMember Mangum Weeks thereupon raised the question of the future role of the Library Company, and proposed resuming the tradition of annual lectures dating from the Lyceum period using funds from the newly instituted membership dues. This proposal was adopted, and preparing the annual lectures soon became a major focus of the Company. The Library Company continues to appoint members to the board of the Alexandria Library and hold its annual lecture series. It commissioned a new history of the library by William Seale in 2007, which can be found at the Local History and Special Collections Branch.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eChronological listings for both presidents of the board and librarians up to the modern day.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003clist type=\"deflist\"\u003e\n      \u003chead\u003ePresidents of the Library Company and Its Successors\u003c/head\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1794-February 1813\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRev. James Muir\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1813-February 1815\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eHugh Smith\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1815-March 1824\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJohn Roberts\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1824-February 1829\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eHugh Smith\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1829-February 1835\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJohn Richards\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1835-February 1840\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJohn Roberts\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1840-1852\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eElias Harrison\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003e1852-February 1855\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJ. Louis Kinzer\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1855-September 1858\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eFrancis Miller\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1858- February 1859\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRichard L. Carne\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1859-September 1859\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eCaleb S. Hallowell\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1859-February 1860\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam G. Cazenove\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1860-February 1870\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRichard L. Carne\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1870-February 1873\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eK. Kemper\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1873-October 1873\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eSamuel H. Janney\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1873-February 1874\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eSidney C. Neale\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1874-June 1879\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMercer Slaughter\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1897-October 1905\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eVirginia Corse\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJuly 1906-June 1925\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Samuel. L. Monroe\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1925-April 1930\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eLoula Smoot\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eApril 1930-November 1933\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Henry B. Soule, [Jessie E. Soule]\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eDecember 1933-December 1934\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMary Lloyd\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eDecember 1934-December 1936\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eSusan Thomson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eDecember 1936-November 1937\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Louis Scott\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1937-November 1944\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Curtis Backus\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1944-November 1946\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. [Lawrence] Fawcett, [Mary Fawcett]\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1946-November 1947\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eHoward Worth Smith\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1947-October 1948\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e[Miss Anne] Lewis Jones\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1948-October 1949\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMiss Horne\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1949-October 1950\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMr. Stanley King\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1950-December 1951\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMr. [Joseph] Crockett\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eDecember 1951-February 1955\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMr. Robert Moncure\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1955-February 1957\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDr. [W. Bruce] Silcox\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1957-February 1959\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eStanley King\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1959-February 1962\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMangum Weeks\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1962-February 1963\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRichard Bales\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1963-February 1965\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDonald King\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1965-February 1967\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDavid Squires\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1967-February 1969\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eHoward Worth Smith Jr.\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1969-February 1971\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam Francis Smith\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1971-February 1972\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJohn T. Ticer\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1972-February 1974\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDavid M. Abshire\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1974-February 1976\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Merill Beede\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1976-February 1978\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Douglas Lindsey\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1978-February 1980\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eClarke T. Cooper Jr.\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1980-February 1982\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam Seale\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1982-February 1983\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDenys Peter Myers\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1983-February 1985\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam B. Hurd\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1985-February 1986\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eGeorge J. Stansfield\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1986-February 1987\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDr. Ernest A. Connally\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1987-February 1989\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDr. Wilton C. Corkern, Jr.\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1989-March 1991\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames M. Lewis\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1991-March 1992\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Anne Smith Paul\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1992-March 1993\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRichard R. G. Hobson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1993-March 1995\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDabney Waring\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1995-March 1997\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames R. Hobson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1997-March 1998\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRobert C. Reed\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1998-March 2000\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eNeil Horstman\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 2000-March 2002\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eCarroll Johnson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 2002-March 2003\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eThomas C. Brown Jr.\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n    \u003c/list\u003e","\u003clist type=\"deflist\"\u003e\n      \u003chead\u003eLibrarians of Alexandria\u003c/head\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1794-February 1796\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEdward Stabler\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1796-February 1818\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames Kennedy\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1818-August 1826\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam Cranch\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAugust 1826-October 1829\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eW. Samuel Mark\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1829-March 1845\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eGeorge Drinker\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1845-September 1845\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames M. Eaches\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1845-September 1852\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eC.F. Stuart\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1852-April 1853\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eH. W. P. Junius\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1852-April 1853\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eL.? Hunter\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1853\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eOffice Abolished\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1854-October 1855\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eE. M.[Magruder?] Lowe\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1855-September 1858\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eNorval E. Foard\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1858-February 1859\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eS. Scott\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1859-September 1859\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEdward R. Roxbury\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1859-February 1860\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames A. Clarridge\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1860-April 1861\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eCharles R. Burgess (acting)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eApril 1861-Unknown\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEdwin N. Wise\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1868\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWr. Bushby\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eApril 1870-May 1871\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eAugust Henning\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJuly 1871-March 1872\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eW. F. Stansbury\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1872-August 1873\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEmma J. Young\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1873-March 1876\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEmily English\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1876\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003ePosition Eliminated\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJune 1879\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eR. Pendleton Bruin (unofficial? acting?)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1900-October 1903\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eF. Olive Lyons\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1903-April 1937 (continued part-time, mentioned up to 1946)\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eAlice Green\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eApril 1937-December 1938\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMiss Beatrice Workman\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJanuary 1939-January 1941\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eKatherine Scoggin (later Martyn)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1941-June 1948\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eBessie Watson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJuly 1948-June 1969 (hired part-time October 1939, letter of resignation later that month)\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEllen C. Burke\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJuly 1969-October 1992 (librarian from 1958)\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJeanne G. Plitt\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n    \u003c/list\u003e"]}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c03"}},{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1_c02","type":"Series","attributes":{"title":"Series II: Yearbooks","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1_c02#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eSeries II includes yearbooks which contain a list of members, programs, bylaws, clubs, and committees.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1_c02#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1_c02","ref_ssm":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1_c02"],"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1_c02","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1","parent_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1","parent_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Beverly Hills Women's Club Collection (MS298)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Beverly Hills Women's Club Collection (MS298)"],"text":["Beverly Hills Women's Club Collection (MS298)","Series II: Yearbooks","English .","Series II includes yearbooks which contain a list of members, programs, bylaws, clubs, and committees."],"title_filing_ssi":"Series II: Yearbooks","title_ssm":["Series II: Yearbooks"],"title_tesim":["Series II: Yearbooks"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1946-1999"],"normalized_date_ssm":["1946/1999"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Series II: Yearbooks"],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"collection_ssim":["Beverly Hills Women's Club Collection (MS298)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":39,"level_ssm":["Series"],"level_ssim":["Series"],"sort_isi":6,"parent_access_terms_tesm":["Copyright has not been assigned to the Alexandria Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Alexandria Library. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Alexandria Library as the opyright has not been assigned to the Alexandria Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Alexandria Library. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Alexandria Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher."],"date_range_isim":[1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999],"language_ssim":["English ."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eSeries II includes yearbooks which contain a list of members, programs, bylaws, clubs, and committees.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["Series II includes yearbooks which contain a list of members, programs, bylaws, clubs, and committees."],"_nest_path_":"/components#1","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:09:43.684Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/ALEX/repositories_2_resources_1.xml","aspace_url_ssi":"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/1","title_ssm":["Beverly Hills Women's Club Collection (MS298)"],"title_tesim":["Beverly Hills Women's Club Collection (MS298)"],"unitdate_ssm":["1946-1999"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1946-1999"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MS298"],"text":["MS298","Beverly Hills Women's Club Collection (MS298)","Alexandria (Va.) -- Social life and customs","Women civic leaders.","Beverly Hills Women's Club","The Beverly Hills Women's Club grew out of a small group of women who met regularly starting in 1944 to knit and sew for the Red Cross. 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However, interest was still so great, that by 1962, meetings needed to be held in public auditoriums (e.g. Westminster Presbyterian Church, the Pepco Building, the No. 3 Firehouse, the Woodward and Lothrop Building, and Trinity Methodist Church).  \n    The club served not only as an outlet, but as a civic organization. The club sponsored beautification projects, advocated for road safety, raised money for playgrounds, and began a Christmas decoration contest that attracted national attention. In addition to its civic work, the club sponsored programs and groups dedicated to special interests, such as: bridge, antiques, needlework, books, etc."],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[item identification], Beverly Hills Women's Club Collection, MS298, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[item identification], Beverly Hills Women's Club Collection, MS298, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia."],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection consists of account books, yearbooks, organizational laws, correspondence, news clippings, history, scrapbooks, financial reports, meeting minutes, and photos. It has been organized into the following series: financial material, yearbooks, club communications, press, meeting minutes, and photographs.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Content Description"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The collection consists of account books, yearbooks, organizational laws, correspondence, news clippings, history, scrapbooks, financial reports, meeting minutes, and photos. It has been organized into the following series: financial material, yearbooks, club communications, press, meeting minutes, and photographs."],"userestrict_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eCopyright has not been assigned to the Alexandria Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Alexandria Library. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Alexandria Library as the opyright has not been assigned to the Alexandria Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Alexandria Library. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Alexandria Library as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.\u003c/p\u003e"],"userestrict_heading_ssm":["Conditions Governing Use"],"userestrict_tesim":["Copyright has not been assigned to the Alexandria Library. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Alexandria Library. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Alexandria Library as the opyright has not been assigned to the Alexandria Library. 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"],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":83,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:09:43.684Z"}]}},"label":"Breadcrumbs"}}},"links":{"self":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_1_c02"}},{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c01","type":"Series","attributes":{"title":"Series I: Organizational Records","abstract_or_scope":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c01#abstract_or_scope","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":"\u003cp\u003eThe organizational records series contains those records directly concerned with the library company and its predecessors as organizations. It covers charters, by-laws, contracts, the legal definition of the company, and its history. Charters and by-laws between 1794 and 1944 are generally documented in the minutes and or reprinted in catalogs or the Alexandria Gazette.\u003c/p\u003e","label":"Abstract Or Scope"}},"breadcrumbs":{"id":"https://search.arvasarchive.org/catalog/vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c01#breadcrumbs","type":"document_value","attributes":{"value":{"ref_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c01","ref_ssm":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c01"],"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128_c01","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","parent_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","parent_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128"],"parent_ids_ssim":["vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128"],"parent_unittitles_ssm":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"parent_unittitles_tesim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"text":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)","Series I: Organizational Records","English","The organizational records series contains those records directly concerned with the library company and its predecessors as organizations. It covers charters, by-laws, contracts, the legal definition of the company, and its history. Charters and by-laws between 1794 and 1944 are generally documented in the minutes and or reprinted in catalogs or the Alexandria Gazette."],"title_filing_ssi":"Series I: Organizational Records","title_ssm":["Series I: Organizational Records"],"title_tesim":["Series I: Organizational Records"],"unitdate_bulk_ssim":["1794-2002, bulk 1944-2002"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Series I: Organizational Records"],"component_level_isim":[1],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"child_component_count_isi":6,"level_ssm":["Series"],"level_ssim":["Series"],"sort_isi":1,"date_range_isim":[1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002],"language_ssim":["English"],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\n  \u003ca href=\"https://alexlibrary.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb%3Acollection|b7440eb8-cab3-49ef-a806-544c69df6052/\"\u003eClick to view digital materials in this collection\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Digital Materials"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["Click to view digital materials in this collection"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe organizational records series contains those records directly concerned with the library company and its predecessors as organizations. It covers charters, by-laws, contracts, the legal definition of the company, and its history. Charters and by-laws between 1794 and 1944 are generally documented in the minutes and or reprinted in catalogs or the Alexandria Gazette.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Scope and Contents"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The organizational records series contains those records directly concerned with the library company and its predecessors as organizations. It covers charters, by-laws, contracts, the legal definition of the company, and its history. Charters and by-laws between 1794 and 1944 are generally documented in the minutes and or reprinted in catalogs or the Alexandria Gazette."],"_nest_path_":"/components#0","timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:09:43.684Z","collection":{"numFound":1,"start":0,"numFoundExact":true,"docs":[{"id":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","ead_ssi":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","_root_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","_nest_parent_":"vaallhs_repositories_2_resources_128","ead_source_url_ssi":"data/oai/ALEX/repositories_2_resources_128.xml","aspace_url_ssi":"https://alexlibraryva.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/128","title_ssm":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"title_tesim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"unitdate_ssm":["1794-2007"],"unitdate_inclusive_ssm":["1794-2007"],"level_ssm":["collection"],"level_ssim":["Collection"],"unitid_ssm":["MS002","/repositories/2/resources/128"],"text":["MS002","/repositories/2/resources/128","Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)","Libraries -- Subscription Libraries","Lectures and Lecturing","Associations, institutions, etc","Public libraries.","In the 1780s, a discussion group of Alexandria gentlemen called \"The Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge\" was formed. In 1794, many of these same individuals gathered to form the nucleus of the Alexandria Library Company (ALC). The ALC was a subscription library modelled after the Philadelphia Library Company, which had also emerged from such a club. ","Society president Reverend John Muir became president of the ALC, a position he would hold for almost 20 years. Many of the library's founders are known to have been members of local Masonic lodges. Elisha Cullen Dick, who had succeeded George Washington as the leader of Lodge 22, was among the first directors of the ALC as well as the secretary of the earlier Society. The first Librarian was Edward Stabler, the proprietor of an apothecary shop. In 1796, Stabler was replaced by James Kennedy, who served as librarian until 1818. Overlaps and family links between the leadership of the library and other Alexandria institutions remained common over the next century and a half. ","For a time, the Alexandria Lyceum (founded in 1838) and the ALC shared a physical space as well as similar missions. The Alexandria Lyceum was founded as part of a national movement focused on educational lectures. The union between the two organizations was dissolved in 1844, but the library continued to rent space from the Lyceum. The library was later said to have been in a state of \"suspended animation\" from around 1846 to 1852. In 1852, a \"Young Men's\" group took over under the original charter, publishing a new catalog in 1856. The library continued to operate into the Civil War. It remained in the Lyceum but not without acrimony, which is evident in the Alexandria Gazette in 1860. ","In October 1867, an agreement was reached with what was variously referred to as the Alexandria Christian Association and the YMCA for assistance with running the library. The library separated from this organization during the early 1870s. By the second half of the 1870s, the library fell into a decline which the directors blamed on the lack of a published catalog. ","The first library catalog had been prepared by Kennedy in 1796 and published sometime thereafter. The earliest catalog of which there is an extant copy was published in 1801, followed by another in 1808 of which there are few traces. A more enduring catalog was created in 1815. The 1830s saw publication of a supplement to the 1815 catalog and the creation of a working catalog that would be used into the late 1840s. Normal circulation records end in April 1861 when the library was converted into a military hospital. There are stray entries in May and December before operations resumed on a limited basis in May 1862 and continued at least through that year. Over a thousand volumes were lost during the war. Due to the decline in usage in the 1870s, a new catalog was produced by librarian Emma J. Young in 1872 but never published. After two years with Young's catalog, another was commissioned from Dr. Theo West, which also went unpublished. As a stopgap, handwritten copies were used by patrons. In 1898, a new catalog was created which utilized a decimal system for the first time. The last published catalog was a supplement to the 1912 version. ","In the late 1870s, appeals were made to the men of Alexandria for support,. The directors met with another \"Young Men's Library Association\" in 1878 without success, records of operations stop after January 1880.","The Gazette reported in January 1881 that the books were now in the custody of the school board, whose membership included William F. Carne, a former library company director and the son of one its former presidents. In May 1887 it reported that Carne, as leader of the board's library committee, was inviting associations wishing to participate in re-opening the library to a meeting at the Peabody school building where the books were held, and explained that he had always intended a reading room to be opened to the public once space was freed up for that purpose.","In June 1887, the Gazette reported that the \"Reading Circle of Washington and Lee Schools\" organized by teachers two years prior and the YMCA would operate the free library during the summer, in the hope that in September \"an effort will be made, with a very fair prospect of success, to re-organize the Library Company.\" Gazette reports in 1890 and 1891 refer to continued efforts by Carne and others to \"re-open\" the library, and in 1892 being part of a \"committee on the project for a free public library,\" but they did not succeed.","In the decades after 1870s librarianship not only professionalized but underwent a rapid gender shift, and apart from the periods in which there was no librarian for financial reasons, no male librarians seem to have been employed until well into the 20th century. Women's library organizations had become common nationally, and along with the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie played a major role in the growth of public libraries in America starting in the late 19th century.","In September 1897, the Alexandria Library Association led by Virginia Corse received custody of the books then in possession of the school board. With a modest donation from Carnegie, by 1898 the library was back in business, but as a subscription library, it would not become a free public library for almost 40 years. The new library needed a new librarian, and after one or two initial hires, the association found Alice Green (1865-1956), who would serve from 1902-1937 and in a lesser capacity into the mid-1940s. During this period, space for the library was rented from the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).","The Depression brought financial hardship. As the crisis worsened in early 1931, the association had obtained $1,000 from the city council to form \"a nucleus for the establishment of a public library.\" Discussion of becoming a public library had been common since the 1920s, as the efforts of Carnegie and others had made them the norm nationally. Attempts were made to sell older books and hold fundraisers as subscription fees dried up. There was also a dispute with the UDC over a rent increase in 1933. The library was aided by the wealth of its members, including a $5,000 bequest in 1935 from its long-time treasurer, Margaret L. Smoot.","Members built political support both on the council and among the public in the mid-1930s and in 1937 it was agreed that a building would be constructed on the site of the old cemetery of the Society of Friends and that the city government would cover annual expenses of no more than $5,000 for the association to operate a free library. One member of the board would be appointed by the city. The new governing organization was rebranded the Alexandria Library Society.  Agreements were signed in January, and the library opened at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch's current location, 717 Queen Street.","Another change after 1937 was the gender composition of the leadership. Men served on the board of the new Society and played prominent roles after 1937. After 1948 they typically occupied the presidency of the organization. Most elections were unanimous, often with women casting most of the votes, but it ceased to be a women's organization. ","In 1945 a technicality in the Society's contract with the city was brought to the attention of the board. Namely that the $5,000 the city was obligated to provide each year was not the minimum but rather the maximum contribution, and that the higher appropriations it had been making were illegal. The city took this as an opportunity to demand a contract change beyond the funding formula. Although the men of the city council had representation on the board, the women of the Society were still ultimately running the library, and the Society was asked to allow a majority of the executive board to be appointed by the city, and a minority by the Society. That the city legally \"owned the building and all its contents\" so long as it paid $5,000 per year was also pointed out. The Alexandria Library Society signed the new contract, surrendering control of the library in November 1947. In its reduced role, the Society still elected members to the board and received reports from the librarian. It also retained independent funds that could be used for the benefit of the library. With the library now fully the city's responsibility, the membership was also able to more openly advocate for additional funding.","Another longstanding issue at the library was race. The president's 1928 annual report had endorsed becoming a \"free city library,\" but feared that becoming a Carnegie library \"would bring in some elements hitherto unknown and I think undesirable in our Library.\" In the 1930s the library association favored providing segregated facilities, but, after repeated meetings with the city council, failed to achieve even that modest goal. In the 13 March, 1939, minutes, the issue was revisited yet again, but without result. ","Four days later on 17 March 1939, Sergeant George Wilson was turned down for a library card because of his race and Samuel Tucker filed a civil rights lawsuit against the librarian on his behalf. Plans for a segregated facility were dusted off, and new staff was hired so that the librarian could focus on the controversy. On 21 August 1939, several black men organized by Tucker entered the library and followed Wilson's example, but after being refused, seated themselves in the library with books, beginning America's first library sit-in. It ended only after the city manager called the police, and all were arrested. The lawsuit was dismissed on technical grounds, but to prevent a new lawsuit the city approved the Robert H. Robinson branch, which opened in 1940. Tucker refused to accept a card there. ","A major issue in the early 1950s was the push to expand the overcrowded main library serving the white community. The white librarian at the time, who had been hired in a junior capacity during Tucker's campaign in 1939, suggested to the Society that the expansion could be an opportunity to integrate. In the midst of the debates over expansion and additional funding, an opportunity emerged to purchase a neighboring building on the corner of North Columbus and Queen, which was later demolished. This prompted a discussion about the Alexandria Library Society's connection to the original library company. It was decided to change the name from the \"Alexandria Library Society\" to the \"Alexandria Library Company,\" make the appropriate filings with the state government, and reinstate the 1799 charter, which would be revised by the legislature in the 1980s to help obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS.","This name change was completed at one of the company's most consequential meetings in February 1956. Every member was asked to sign their name in the minute book to signal their assent. A letter from a local civil rights activist questioning the legality of library segregation was also read, but deemed the province of the library board, which referred the matter back to the company whose reply is not preserved.","Member Mangum Weeks thereupon raised the question of the future role of the Library Company, and proposed resuming the tradition of annual lectures dating from the Lyceum period using funds from the newly instituted membership dues. This proposal was adopted, and preparing the annual lectures soon became a major focus of the Company. The Library Company continues to appoint members to the board of the Alexandria Library and hold its annual lecture series. It commissioned a new history of the library by William Seale in 2007, which can be found at the Local History and Special Collections Branch.","Chronological listings for both presidents of the board and librarians up to the modern day.","Presidents of the Library Company and Its Successors February 1794-February 1813 Rev. James Muir February 1813-February 1815 Hugh Smith February 1815-March 1824 John Roberts March 1824-February 1829 Hugh Smith February 1829-February 1835 John Richards February 1835-February 1840 John Roberts February 1840-1852 Elias Harrison 1852-February 1855 J. Louis Kinzer February 1855-September 1858 Francis Miller September 1858- February 1859 Richard L. Carne February 1859-September 1859 Caleb S. Hallowell September 1859-February 1860 William G. Cazenove February 1860-February 1870 Richard L. Carne February 1870-February 1873 K. Kemper February 1873-October 1873 Samuel H. Janney October 1873-February 1874 Sidney C. Neale February 1874-June 1879 Mercer Slaughter September 1897-October 1905 Virginia Corse July 1906-June 1925 Mrs. Samuel. L. Monroe October 1925-April 1930 Loula Smoot April 1930-November 1933 Mrs. Henry B. Soule, [Jessie E. Soule] December 1933-December 1934 Mary Lloyd December 1934-December 1936 Susan Thomson December 1936-November 1937 Mrs. Louis Scott November 1937-November 1944 Mrs. Curtis Backus November 1944-November 1946 Mrs. [Lawrence] Fawcett, [Mary Fawcett] November 1946-November 1947 Howard Worth Smith November 1947-October 1948 [Miss Anne] Lewis Jones October 1948-October 1949 Miss Horne October 1949-October 1950 Mr. Stanley King October 1950-December 1951 Mr. [Joseph] Crockett December 1951-February 1955 Mr. Robert Moncure February 1955-February 1957 Dr. [W. Bruce] Silcox February 1957-February 1959 Stanley King February 1959-February 1962 Mangum Weeks February 1962-February 1963 Richard Bales February 1963-February 1965 Donald King February 1965-February 1967 David Squires February 1967-February 1969 Howard Worth Smith Jr. February 1969-February 1971 William Francis Smith February 1971-February 1972 John T. Ticer February 1972-February 1974 David M. Abshire February 1974-February 1976 Mrs. Merill Beede February 1976-February 1978 Mrs. Douglas Lindsey February 1978-February 1980 Clarke T. Cooper Jr. February 1980-February 1982 William Seale February 1982-February 1983 Denys Peter Myers February 1983-February 1985 William B. Hurd February 1985-February 1986 George J. Stansfield February 1986-February 1987 Dr. Ernest A. Connally February 1987-February 1989 Dr. Wilton C. Corkern, Jr. February 1989-March 1991 James M. Lewis March 1991-March 1992 Mrs. Anne Smith Paul March 1992-March 1993 Richard R. G. Hobson March 1993-March 1995 Dabney Waring March 1995-March 1997 James R. Hobson March 1997-March 1998 Robert C. Reed March 1998-March 2000 Neil Horstman March 2000-March 2002 Carroll Johnson March 2002-March 2003 Thomas C. Brown Jr.","Librarians of Alexandria February 1794-February 1796 Edward Stabler February 1796-February 1818 James Kennedy February 1818-August 1826 William Cranch August 1826-October 1829 W. Samuel Mark October 1829-March 1845 George Drinker March 1845-September 1845 James M. Eaches September 1845-September 1852 C.F. Stuart September 1852-April 1853 H. W. P. Junius September 1852-April 1853 L.? Hunter November 1853 Office Abolished February 1854-October 1855 E. M.[Magruder?] Lowe October 1855-September 1858 Norval E. Foard September 1858-February 1859 S. Scott February 1859-September 1859 Edward R. Roxbury September 1859-February 1860 James A. Clarridge February 1860-April 1861 Charles R. Burgess (acting) April 1861-Unknown Edwin N. Wise March 1868 Wr. Bushby April 1870-May 1871 August Henning July 1871-March 1872 W. F. Stansbury March 1872-August 1873 Emma J. Young October 1873-March 1876 Emily English March 1876 Position Eliminated June 1879 R. Pendleton Bruin (unofficial? acting?) October 1900-October 1903 F. Olive Lyons October 1903-April 1937 (continued part-time, mentioned up to 1946) Alice Green April 1937-December 1938 Miss Beatrice Workman January 1939-January 1941 Katherine Scoggin (later Martyn) February 1941-June 1948 Bessie Watson July 1948-June 1969 (hired part-time October 1939, letter of resignation later that month) Ellen C. Burke July 1969-October 1992 (librarian from 1958) Jeanne G. Plitt","A reprocessing project begun in 2018 incorporated several boxes of previously unprocessed materials dating from the 1960s to the 2000s, with the bulk dating from after 1980. They included many short, overlapping sequences of correspondence, lecture, meeting, and member records which were merged into continuations of established series including primarily correspondence and lectures but also meetings and member correspondence. The \"subject files\" were added to the existing miscellaneous series. ","\nSeveral other changes were also made. A re-examination of the catalog, subscription, and circulation books was undertaken and most were renumbered, described, and relabeled based on primary source research. The 1794-1861 minute book that had been donated back in 1922 was also discovered misfiled in Ms 98 (which covers the library proper since 1937) and was returned to its original collection. Some letters found in minute books were moved to the correspondence series, and their original locations were bookmarked with acid free paper. Photocopies of catalogs were removed. ","The Alexandria Library Records (Ms 98) document the library as a separate institution from 1937 onward.","\nIt particularly complements this collection in its early decades through its administrative correspondence, board correspondence, minutes, annual reports, and organizational records, including contracts with the Alexandria Library Society.","\nThe minutes of the library's executive board (1938-1947) are included in the microfilm version of the library minute books 1794-1947.","Transcripts of library company lectures 2-18 are available in the library.","Lecture series : [transcripts of the audiotapes made of the scholars invited to speak at these annual lectures] Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #2 080 LEC 2 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #3 080 LEC 3 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #4 080 LEC 4 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #5 080 LEC 5 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #6 080 LEC 6 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #7 080 LEC 7 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #8 080 LEC 8 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #9 080 LEC 9 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #10 080 LEC 10 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #11 080 LEC 11 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #12 080 LEC 12 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #13 080 LEC 13 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #14 080 LEC 14 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #15 080 LEC 15 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #16 080 LEC 16 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #17 080 LEC 17 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #18 080 LEC 18","The collection consists of circulation, subscription, and financial ledgers, annual lecture series documents, catalogues, correspondence, and various organizational documents. Topics include: foundation of the\nAlexandria Library Company, its cycles of growth and decline reflecting the local economy; the formation of the local public library system; and the on-going activities of the Alexandria Library Company, most notably its lecture series.","Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)","English"],"unitid_tesim":["MS002","/repositories/2/resources/128"],"normalized_title_ssm":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"collection_title_tesim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"collection_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company Records (MS002)"],"repository_ssm":["Alexandria Library"],"repository_ssim":["Alexandria Library"],"geogname_ssm":["Libraries -- Subscription Libraries","Lectures and Lecturing","Associations, institutions, etc"],"geogname_ssim":["Libraries -- Subscription Libraries","Lectures and Lecturing","Associations, institutions, etc"],"creator_ssm":["Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)"],"creator_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)"],"creator_corpname_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)"],"creators_ssim":["Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)"],"places_ssim":["Libraries -- Subscription Libraries","Lectures and Lecturing","Associations, institutions, etc"],"access_subjects_ssim":["Public libraries."],"access_subjects_ssm":["Public libraries."],"has_online_content_ssim":["false"],"extent_ssm":["8.10 Cubic Feet 13 boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 1 record carton"],"extent_tesim":["8.10 Cubic Feet 13 boxes, 2 oversize boxes, 1 record carton"],"date_range_isim":[1794,1795,1796,1797,1798,1799,1800,1801,1802,1803,1804,1805,1806,1807,1808,1809,1810,1811,1812,1813,1814,1815,1816,1817,1818,1819,1820,1821,1822,1823,1824,1825,1826,1827,1828,1829,1830,1831,1832,1833,1834,1835,1836,1837,1838,1839,1840,1841,1842,1843,1844,1845,1846,1847,1848,1849,1850,1851,1852,1853,1854,1855,1856,1857,1858,1859,1860,1861,1862,1863,1864,1865,1866,1867,1868,1869,1870,1871,1872,1873,1874,1875,1876,1877,1878,1879,1880,1881,1882,1883,1884,1885,1886,1887,1888,1889,1890,1891,1892,1893,1894,1895,1896,1897,1898,1899,1900,1901,1902,1903,1904,1905,1906,1907,1908,1909,1910,1911,1912,1913,1914,1915,1916,1917,1918,1919,1920,1921,1922,1923,1924,1925,1926,1927,1928,1929,1930,1931,1932,1933,1934,1935,1936,1937,1938,1939,1940,1941,1942,1943,1944,1945,1946,1947,1948,1949,1950,1951,1952,1953,1954,1955,1956,1957,1958,1959,1960,1961,1962,1963,1964,1965,1966,1967,1968,1969,1970,1971,1972,1973,1974,1975,1976,1977,1978,1979,1980,1981,1982,1983,1984,1985,1986,1987,1988,1989,1990,1991,1992,1993,1994,1995,1996,1997,1998,1999,2000,2001,2002,2003,2004,2005,2006,2007],"bioghist_heading_ssm":["Biographical / Historical","Presidents and Librarians of the Library"],"bioghist_tesim":["In the 1780s, a discussion group of Alexandria gentlemen called \"The Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge\" was formed. In 1794, many of these same individuals gathered to form the nucleus of the Alexandria Library Company (ALC). The ALC was a subscription library modelled after the Philadelphia Library Company, which had also emerged from such a club. ","Society president Reverend John Muir became president of the ALC, a position he would hold for almost 20 years. Many of the library's founders are known to have been members of local Masonic lodges. Elisha Cullen Dick, who had succeeded George Washington as the leader of Lodge 22, was among the first directors of the ALC as well as the secretary of the earlier Society. The first Librarian was Edward Stabler, the proprietor of an apothecary shop. In 1796, Stabler was replaced by James Kennedy, who served as librarian until 1818. Overlaps and family links between the leadership of the library and other Alexandria institutions remained common over the next century and a half. ","For a time, the Alexandria Lyceum (founded in 1838) and the ALC shared a physical space as well as similar missions. The Alexandria Lyceum was founded as part of a national movement focused on educational lectures. The union between the two organizations was dissolved in 1844, but the library continued to rent space from the Lyceum. The library was later said to have been in a state of \"suspended animation\" from around 1846 to 1852. In 1852, a \"Young Men's\" group took over under the original charter, publishing a new catalog in 1856. The library continued to operate into the Civil War. It remained in the Lyceum but not without acrimony, which is evident in the Alexandria Gazette in 1860. ","In October 1867, an agreement was reached with what was variously referred to as the Alexandria Christian Association and the YMCA for assistance with running the library. The library separated from this organization during the early 1870s. By the second half of the 1870s, the library fell into a decline which the directors blamed on the lack of a published catalog. ","The first library catalog had been prepared by Kennedy in 1796 and published sometime thereafter. The earliest catalog of which there is an extant copy was published in 1801, followed by another in 1808 of which there are few traces. A more enduring catalog was created in 1815. The 1830s saw publication of a supplement to the 1815 catalog and the creation of a working catalog that would be used into the late 1840s. Normal circulation records end in April 1861 when the library was converted into a military hospital. There are stray entries in May and December before operations resumed on a limited basis in May 1862 and continued at least through that year. Over a thousand volumes were lost during the war. Due to the decline in usage in the 1870s, a new catalog was produced by librarian Emma J. Young in 1872 but never published. After two years with Young's catalog, another was commissioned from Dr. Theo West, which also went unpublished. As a stopgap, handwritten copies were used by patrons. In 1898, a new catalog was created which utilized a decimal system for the first time. The last published catalog was a supplement to the 1912 version. ","In the late 1870s, appeals were made to the men of Alexandria for support,. The directors met with another \"Young Men's Library Association\" in 1878 without success, records of operations stop after January 1880.","The Gazette reported in January 1881 that the books were now in the custody of the school board, whose membership included William F. Carne, a former library company director and the son of one its former presidents. In May 1887 it reported that Carne, as leader of the board's library committee, was inviting associations wishing to participate in re-opening the library to a meeting at the Peabody school building where the books were held, and explained that he had always intended a reading room to be opened to the public once space was freed up for that purpose.","In June 1887, the Gazette reported that the \"Reading Circle of Washington and Lee Schools\" organized by teachers two years prior and the YMCA would operate the free library during the summer, in the hope that in September \"an effort will be made, with a very fair prospect of success, to re-organize the Library Company.\" Gazette reports in 1890 and 1891 refer to continued efforts by Carne and others to \"re-open\" the library, and in 1892 being part of a \"committee on the project for a free public library,\" but they did not succeed.","In the decades after 1870s librarianship not only professionalized but underwent a rapid gender shift, and apart from the periods in which there was no librarian for financial reasons, no male librarians seem to have been employed until well into the 20th century. Women's library organizations had become common nationally, and along with the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie played a major role in the growth of public libraries in America starting in the late 19th century.","In September 1897, the Alexandria Library Association led by Virginia Corse received custody of the books then in possession of the school board. With a modest donation from Carnegie, by 1898 the library was back in business, but as a subscription library, it would not become a free public library for almost 40 years. The new library needed a new librarian, and after one or two initial hires, the association found Alice Green (1865-1956), who would serve from 1902-1937 and in a lesser capacity into the mid-1940s. During this period, space for the library was rented from the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).","The Depression brought financial hardship. As the crisis worsened in early 1931, the association had obtained $1,000 from the city council to form \"a nucleus for the establishment of a public library.\" Discussion of becoming a public library had been common since the 1920s, as the efforts of Carnegie and others had made them the norm nationally. Attempts were made to sell older books and hold fundraisers as subscription fees dried up. There was also a dispute with the UDC over a rent increase in 1933. The library was aided by the wealth of its members, including a $5,000 bequest in 1935 from its long-time treasurer, Margaret L. Smoot.","Members built political support both on the council and among the public in the mid-1930s and in 1937 it was agreed that a building would be constructed on the site of the old cemetery of the Society of Friends and that the city government would cover annual expenses of no more than $5,000 for the association to operate a free library. One member of the board would be appointed by the city. The new governing organization was rebranded the Alexandria Library Society.  Agreements were signed in January, and the library opened at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch's current location, 717 Queen Street.","Another change after 1937 was the gender composition of the leadership. Men served on the board of the new Society and played prominent roles after 1937. After 1948 they typically occupied the presidency of the organization. Most elections were unanimous, often with women casting most of the votes, but it ceased to be a women's organization. ","In 1945 a technicality in the Society's contract with the city was brought to the attention of the board. Namely that the $5,000 the city was obligated to provide each year was not the minimum but rather the maximum contribution, and that the higher appropriations it had been making were illegal. The city took this as an opportunity to demand a contract change beyond the funding formula. Although the men of the city council had representation on the board, the women of the Society were still ultimately running the library, and the Society was asked to allow a majority of the executive board to be appointed by the city, and a minority by the Society. That the city legally \"owned the building and all its contents\" so long as it paid $5,000 per year was also pointed out. The Alexandria Library Society signed the new contract, surrendering control of the library in November 1947. In its reduced role, the Society still elected members to the board and received reports from the librarian. It also retained independent funds that could be used for the benefit of the library. With the library now fully the city's responsibility, the membership was also able to more openly advocate for additional funding.","Another longstanding issue at the library was race. The president's 1928 annual report had endorsed becoming a \"free city library,\" but feared that becoming a Carnegie library \"would bring in some elements hitherto unknown and I think undesirable in our Library.\" In the 1930s the library association favored providing segregated facilities, but, after repeated meetings with the city council, failed to achieve even that modest goal. In the 13 March, 1939, minutes, the issue was revisited yet again, but without result. ","Four days later on 17 March 1939, Sergeant George Wilson was turned down for a library card because of his race and Samuel Tucker filed a civil rights lawsuit against the librarian on his behalf. Plans for a segregated facility were dusted off, and new staff was hired so that the librarian could focus on the controversy. On 21 August 1939, several black men organized by Tucker entered the library and followed Wilson's example, but after being refused, seated themselves in the library with books, beginning America's first library sit-in. It ended only after the city manager called the police, and all were arrested. The lawsuit was dismissed on technical grounds, but to prevent a new lawsuit the city approved the Robert H. Robinson branch, which opened in 1940. Tucker refused to accept a card there. ","A major issue in the early 1950s was the push to expand the overcrowded main library serving the white community. The white librarian at the time, who had been hired in a junior capacity during Tucker's campaign in 1939, suggested to the Society that the expansion could be an opportunity to integrate. In the midst of the debates over expansion and additional funding, an opportunity emerged to purchase a neighboring building on the corner of North Columbus and Queen, which was later demolished. This prompted a discussion about the Alexandria Library Society's connection to the original library company. It was decided to change the name from the \"Alexandria Library Society\" to the \"Alexandria Library Company,\" make the appropriate filings with the state government, and reinstate the 1799 charter, which would be revised by the legislature in the 1980s to help obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS.","This name change was completed at one of the company's most consequential meetings in February 1956. Every member was asked to sign their name in the minute book to signal their assent. A letter from a local civil rights activist questioning the legality of library segregation was also read, but deemed the province of the library board, which referred the matter back to the company whose reply is not preserved.","Member Mangum Weeks thereupon raised the question of the future role of the Library Company, and proposed resuming the tradition of annual lectures dating from the Lyceum period using funds from the newly instituted membership dues. This proposal was adopted, and preparing the annual lectures soon became a major focus of the Company. The Library Company continues to appoint members to the board of the Alexandria Library and hold its annual lecture series. It commissioned a new history of the library by William Seale in 2007, which can be found at the Local History and Special Collections Branch.","Chronological listings for both presidents of the board and librarians up to the modern day.","Presidents of the Library Company and Its Successors February 1794-February 1813 Rev. James Muir February 1813-February 1815 Hugh Smith February 1815-March 1824 John Roberts March 1824-February 1829 Hugh Smith February 1829-February 1835 John Richards February 1835-February 1840 John Roberts February 1840-1852 Elias Harrison 1852-February 1855 J. Louis Kinzer February 1855-September 1858 Francis Miller September 1858- February 1859 Richard L. Carne February 1859-September 1859 Caleb S. Hallowell September 1859-February 1860 William G. Cazenove February 1860-February 1870 Richard L. Carne February 1870-February 1873 K. Kemper February 1873-October 1873 Samuel H. Janney October 1873-February 1874 Sidney C. Neale February 1874-June 1879 Mercer Slaughter September 1897-October 1905 Virginia Corse July 1906-June 1925 Mrs. Samuel. L. Monroe October 1925-April 1930 Loula Smoot April 1930-November 1933 Mrs. Henry B. Soule, [Jessie E. Soule] December 1933-December 1934 Mary Lloyd December 1934-December 1936 Susan Thomson December 1936-November 1937 Mrs. Louis Scott November 1937-November 1944 Mrs. Curtis Backus November 1944-November 1946 Mrs. [Lawrence] Fawcett, [Mary Fawcett] November 1946-November 1947 Howard Worth Smith November 1947-October 1948 [Miss Anne] Lewis Jones October 1948-October 1949 Miss Horne October 1949-October 1950 Mr. Stanley King October 1950-December 1951 Mr. [Joseph] Crockett December 1951-February 1955 Mr. Robert Moncure February 1955-February 1957 Dr. [W. Bruce] Silcox February 1957-February 1959 Stanley King February 1959-February 1962 Mangum Weeks February 1962-February 1963 Richard Bales February 1963-February 1965 Donald King February 1965-February 1967 David Squires February 1967-February 1969 Howard Worth Smith Jr. February 1969-February 1971 William Francis Smith February 1971-February 1972 John T. Ticer February 1972-February 1974 David M. Abshire February 1974-February 1976 Mrs. Merill Beede February 1976-February 1978 Mrs. Douglas Lindsey February 1978-February 1980 Clarke T. Cooper Jr. February 1980-February 1982 William Seale February 1982-February 1983 Denys Peter Myers February 1983-February 1985 William B. Hurd February 1985-February 1986 George J. Stansfield February 1986-February 1987 Dr. Ernest A. Connally February 1987-February 1989 Dr. Wilton C. Corkern, Jr. February 1989-March 1991 James M. Lewis March 1991-March 1992 Mrs. Anne Smith Paul March 1992-March 1993 Richard R. G. Hobson March 1993-March 1995 Dabney Waring March 1995-March 1997 James R. Hobson March 1997-March 1998 Robert C. Reed March 1998-March 2000 Neil Horstman March 2000-March 2002 Carroll Johnson March 2002-March 2003 Thomas C. Brown Jr.","Librarians of Alexandria February 1794-February 1796 Edward Stabler February 1796-February 1818 James Kennedy February 1818-August 1826 William Cranch August 1826-October 1829 W. Samuel Mark October 1829-March 1845 George Drinker March 1845-September 1845 James M. Eaches September 1845-September 1852 C.F. Stuart September 1852-April 1853 H. W. P. Junius September 1852-April 1853 L.? Hunter November 1853 Office Abolished February 1854-October 1855 E. M.[Magruder?] Lowe October 1855-September 1858 Norval E. Foard September 1858-February 1859 S. Scott February 1859-September 1859 Edward R. Roxbury September 1859-February 1860 James A. Clarridge February 1860-April 1861 Charles R. Burgess (acting) April 1861-Unknown Edwin N. Wise March 1868 Wr. Bushby April 1870-May 1871 August Henning July 1871-March 1872 W. F. Stansbury March 1872-August 1873 Emma J. Young October 1873-March 1876 Emily English March 1876 Position Eliminated June 1879 R. Pendleton Bruin (unofficial? acting?) October 1900-October 1903 F. Olive Lyons October 1903-April 1937 (continued part-time, mentioned up to 1946) Alice Green April 1937-December 1938 Miss Beatrice Workman January 1939-January 1941 Katherine Scoggin (later Martyn) February 1941-June 1948 Bessie Watson July 1948-June 1969 (hired part-time October 1939, letter of resignation later that month) Ellen C. Burke July 1969-October 1992 (librarian from 1958) Jeanne G. Plitt"],"otherfindaid_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e\u003ca href=\"https://alexlibrary.access.preservica.com/archive/sdb%3Acollection|7a4491fe-5b8d-43e9-aa46-69ecce4c0734/\"\u003eClick to view digital materials in this collection\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/p\u003e"],"otherfindaid_heading_ssm":["Digital Materials"],"otherfindaid_tesim":["Click to view digital materials in this collection"],"prefercite_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003e[Item], Alexandria Library Company Records, MS002, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia.\u003c/p\u003e"],"prefercite_tesim":["[Item], Alexandria Library Company Records, MS002, Alexandria Library, Local History and Special Collections, Alexandria, Virginia."],"processinfo_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eA reprocessing project begun in 2018 incorporated several boxes of previously unprocessed materials dating from the 1960s to the 2000s, with the bulk dating from after 1980. They included many short, overlapping sequences of correspondence, lecture, meeting, and member records which were merged into continuations of established series including primarily correspondence and lectures but also meetings and member correspondence. The \"subject files\" were added to the existing miscellaneous series. \u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\nSeveral other changes were also made. A re-examination of the catalog, subscription, and circulation books was undertaken and most were renumbered, described, and relabeled based on primary source research. The 1794-1861 minute book that had been donated back in 1922 was also discovered misfiled in Ms 98 (which covers the library proper since 1937) and was returned to its original collection. Some letters found in minute books were moved to the correspondence series, and their original locations were bookmarked with acid free paper. Photocopies of catalogs were removed. \u003c/p\u003e"],"processinfo_heading_ssm":["Processing Information"],"processinfo_tesim":["A reprocessing project begun in 2018 incorporated several boxes of previously unprocessed materials dating from the 1960s to the 2000s, with the bulk dating from after 1980. They included many short, overlapping sequences of correspondence, lecture, meeting, and member records which were merged into continuations of established series including primarily correspondence and lectures but also meetings and member correspondence. The \"subject files\" were added to the existing miscellaneous series. ","\nSeveral other changes were also made. A re-examination of the catalog, subscription, and circulation books was undertaken and most were renumbered, described, and relabeled based on primary source research. The 1794-1861 minute book that had been donated back in 1922 was also discovered misfiled in Ms 98 (which covers the library proper since 1937) and was returned to its original collection. Some letters found in minute books were moved to the correspondence series, and their original locations were bookmarked with acid free paper. Photocopies of catalogs were removed. "],"relatedmaterial_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe Alexandria Library Records (Ms 98) document the library as a separate institution from 1937 onward.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e\nIt particularly complements this collection in its early decades through its administrative correspondence, board correspondence, minutes, annual reports, and organizational records, including contracts with the Alexandria Library Society.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003e\nThe minutes of the library's executive board (1938-1947) are included in the microfilm version of the library minute books 1794-1947.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eTranscripts of library company lectures 2-18 are available in the library.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003clist type=\"deflist\"\u003e\n      \u003chead\u003eLecture series : [transcripts of the audiotapes made of the scholars invited to speak at these annual lectures]\u003c/head\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #2\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 2\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #3\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 3\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #4\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 4\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #5\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 5\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #6\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 6\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #7\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 7\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #8\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 8\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #9\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 9\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #10\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 10\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #11\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 11\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #12\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 12\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #13\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 13\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #14\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 14\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #15\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 15\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #16\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 16\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #17\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 17\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAlexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #18\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e080 LEC 18\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n    \u003c/list\u003e"],"relatedmaterial_heading_ssm":["Related Materials"],"relatedmaterial_tesim":["The Alexandria Library Records (Ms 98) document the library as a separate institution from 1937 onward.","\nIt particularly complements this collection in its early decades through its administrative correspondence, board correspondence, minutes, annual reports, and organizational records, including contracts with the Alexandria Library Society.","\nThe minutes of the library's executive board (1938-1947) are included in the microfilm version of the library minute books 1794-1947.","Transcripts of library company lectures 2-18 are available in the library.","Lecture series : [transcripts of the audiotapes made of the scholars invited to speak at these annual lectures] Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #2 080 LEC 2 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #3 080 LEC 3 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #4 080 LEC 4 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #5 080 LEC 5 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #6 080 LEC 6 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #7 080 LEC 7 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #8 080 LEC 8 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #9 080 LEC 9 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #10 080 LEC 10 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #11 080 LEC 11 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #12 080 LEC 12 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #13 080 LEC 13 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #14 080 LEC 14 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #15 080 LEC 15 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #16 080 LEC 16 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #17 080 LEC 17 Alexandria Library Co. Lecture Series #18 080 LEC 18"],"scopecontent_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eThe collection consists of circulation, subscription, and financial ledgers, annual lecture series documents, catalogues, correspondence, and various organizational documents. Topics include: foundation of the\nAlexandria Library Company, its cycles of growth and decline reflecting the local economy; the formation of the local public library system; and the on-going activities of the Alexandria Library Company, most notably its lecture series.\u003c/p\u003e"],"scopecontent_heading_ssm":["Content Description"],"scopecontent_tesim":["The collection consists of circulation, subscription, and financial ledgers, annual lecture series documents, catalogues, correspondence, and various organizational documents. Topics include: foundation of the\nAlexandria Library Company, its cycles of growth and decline reflecting the local economy; the formation of the local public library system; and the on-going activities of the Alexandria Library Company, most notably its lecture series."],"names_coll_ssim":["Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)"],"names_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)"],"corpname_ssim":["Local History and Special Collections Branch, Alexandria Library","Alexandria Library Company","Alexandria Library Association (1897-1937)","Alexandria Library Society (1937-1953)","Alexandria Library (Alexandria, Va.)"],"language_ssim":["English"],"descrules_ssm":["Describing Archives: A Content Standard"],"total_component_count_is":147,"online_item_count_is":0,"component_level_isim":[0],"sort_isi":0,"timestamp":"2026-05-01T00:09:43.684Z","bioghist_html_tesm":["\u003cp\u003eIn the 1780s, a discussion group of Alexandria gentlemen called \"The Society for the Promotion of Useful Knowledge\" was formed. In 1794, many of these same individuals gathered to form the nucleus of the Alexandria Library Company (ALC). The ALC was a subscription library modelled after the Philadelphia Library Company, which had also emerged from such a club. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eSociety president Reverend John Muir became president of the ALC, a position he would hold for almost 20 years. Many of the library's founders are known to have been members of local Masonic lodges. Elisha Cullen Dick, who had succeeded George Washington as the leader of Lodge 22, was among the first directors of the ALC as well as the secretary of the earlier Society. The first Librarian was Edward Stabler, the proprietor of an apothecary shop. In 1796, Stabler was replaced by James Kennedy, who served as librarian until 1818. Overlaps and family links between the leadership of the library and other Alexandria institutions remained common over the next century and a half. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFor a time, the Alexandria Lyceum (founded in 1838) and the ALC shared a physical space as well as similar missions. The Alexandria Lyceum was founded as part of a national movement focused on educational lectures. The union between the two organizations was dissolved in 1844, but the library continued to rent space from the Lyceum. The library was later said to have been in a state of \"suspended animation\" from around 1846 to 1852. In 1852, a \"Young Men's\" group took over under the original charter, publishing a new catalog in 1856. The library continued to operate into the Civil War. It remained in the Lyceum but not without acrimony, which is evident in the Alexandria Gazette in 1860. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn October 1867, an agreement was reached with what was variously referred to as the Alexandria Christian Association and the YMCA for assistance with running the library. The library separated from this organization during the early 1870s. By the second half of the 1870s, the library fell into a decline which the directors blamed on the lack of a published catalog. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe first library catalog had been prepared by Kennedy in 1796 and published sometime thereafter. The earliest catalog of which there is an extant copy was published in 1801, followed by another in 1808 of which there are few traces. A more enduring catalog was created in 1815. The 1830s saw publication of a supplement to the 1815 catalog and the creation of a working catalog that would be used into the late 1840s. Normal circulation records end in April 1861 when the library was converted into a military hospital. There are stray entries in May and December before operations resumed on a limited basis in May 1862 and continued at least through that year. Over a thousand volumes were lost during the war. Due to the decline in usage in the 1870s, a new catalog was produced by librarian Emma J. Young in 1872 but never published. After two years with Young's catalog, another was commissioned from Dr. Theo West, which also went unpublished. As a stopgap, handwritten copies were used by patrons. In 1898, a new catalog was created which utilized a decimal system for the first time. The last published catalog was a supplement to the 1912 version. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn the late 1870s, appeals were made to the men of Alexandria for support,. The directors met with another \"Young Men's Library Association\" in 1878 without success, records of operations stop after January 1880.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Gazette reported in January 1881 that the books were now in the custody of the school board, whose membership included William F. Carne, a former library company director and the son of one its former presidents. In May 1887 it reported that Carne, as leader of the board's library committee, was inviting associations wishing to participate in re-opening the library to a meeting at the Peabody school building where the books were held, and explained that he had always intended a reading room to be opened to the public once space was freed up for that purpose.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn June 1887, the Gazette reported that the \"Reading Circle of Washington and Lee Schools\" organized by teachers two years prior and the YMCA would operate the free library during the summer, in the hope that in September \"an effort will be made, with a very fair prospect of success, to re-organize the Library Company.\" Gazette reports in 1890 and 1891 refer to continued efforts by Carne and others to \"re-open\" the library, and in 1892 being part of a \"committee on the project for a free public library,\" but they did not succeed.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn the decades after 1870s librarianship not only professionalized but underwent a rapid gender shift, and apart from the periods in which there was no librarian for financial reasons, no male librarians seem to have been employed until well into the 20th century. Women's library organizations had become common nationally, and along with the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie played a major role in the growth of public libraries in America starting in the late 19th century.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn September 1897, the Alexandria Library Association led by Virginia Corse received custody of the books then in possession of the school board. With a modest donation from Carnegie, by 1898 the library was back in business, but as a subscription library, it would not become a free public library for almost 40 years. The new library needed a new librarian, and after one or two initial hires, the association found Alice Green (1865-1956), who would serve from 1902-1937 and in a lesser capacity into the mid-1940s. During this period, space for the library was rented from the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC).\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThe Depression brought financial hardship. As the crisis worsened in early 1931, the association had obtained $1,000 from the city council to form \"a nucleus for the establishment of a public library.\" Discussion of becoming a public library had been common since the 1920s, as the efforts of Carnegie and others had made them the norm nationally. Attempts were made to sell older books and hold fundraisers as subscription fees dried up. There was also a dispute with the UDC over a rent increase in 1933. The library was aided by the wealth of its members, including a $5,000 bequest in 1935 from its long-time treasurer, Margaret L. Smoot.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMembers built political support both on the council and among the public in the mid-1930s and in 1937 it was agreed that a building would be constructed on the site of the old cemetery of the Society of Friends and that the city government would cover annual expenses of no more than $5,000 for the association to operate a free library. One member of the board would be appointed by the city. The new governing organization was rebranded the Alexandria Library Society.  Agreements were signed in January, and the library opened at the Kate Waller Barrett Branch's current location, 717 Queen Street.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAnother change after 1937 was the gender composition of the leadership. Men served on the board of the new Society and played prominent roles after 1937. After 1948 they typically occupied the presidency of the organization. Most elections were unanimous, often with women casting most of the votes, but it ceased to be a women's organization. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eIn 1945 a technicality in the Society's contract with the city was brought to the attention of the board. Namely that the $5,000 the city was obligated to provide each year was not the minimum but rather the maximum contribution, and that the higher appropriations it had been making were illegal. The city took this as an opportunity to demand a contract change beyond the funding formula. Although the men of the city council had representation on the board, the women of the Society were still ultimately running the library, and the Society was asked to allow a majority of the executive board to be appointed by the city, and a minority by the Society. That the city legally \"owned the building and all its contents\" so long as it paid $5,000 per year was also pointed out. The Alexandria Library Society signed the new contract, surrendering control of the library in November 1947. In its reduced role, the Society still elected members to the board and received reports from the librarian. It also retained independent funds that could be used for the benefit of the library. With the library now fully the city's responsibility, the membership was also able to more openly advocate for additional funding.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eAnother longstanding issue at the library was race. The president's 1928 annual report had endorsed becoming a \"free city library,\" but feared that becoming a Carnegie library \"would bring in some elements hitherto unknown and I think undesirable in our Library.\" In the 1930s the library association favored providing segregated facilities, but, after repeated meetings with the city council, failed to achieve even that modest goal. In the 13 March, 1939, minutes, the issue was revisited yet again, but without result. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eFour days later on 17 March 1939, Sergeant George Wilson was turned down for a library card because of his race and Samuel Tucker filed a civil rights lawsuit against the librarian on his behalf. Plans for a segregated facility were dusted off, and new staff was hired so that the librarian could focus on the controversy. On 21 August 1939, several black men organized by Tucker entered the library and followed Wilson's example, but after being refused, seated themselves in the library with books, beginning America's first library sit-in. It ended only after the city manager called the police, and all were arrested. The lawsuit was dismissed on technical grounds, but to prevent a new lawsuit the city approved the Robert H. Robinson branch, which opened in 1940. Tucker refused to accept a card there. \u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eA major issue in the early 1950s was the push to expand the overcrowded main library serving the white community. The white librarian at the time, who had been hired in a junior capacity during Tucker's campaign in 1939, suggested to the Society that the expansion could be an opportunity to integrate. In the midst of the debates over expansion and additional funding, an opportunity emerged to purchase a neighboring building on the corner of North Columbus and Queen, which was later demolished. This prompted a discussion about the Alexandria Library Society's connection to the original library company. It was decided to change the name from the \"Alexandria Library Society\" to the \"Alexandria Library Company,\" make the appropriate filings with the state government, and reinstate the 1799 charter, which would be revised by the legislature in the 1980s to help obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eThis name change was completed at one of the company's most consequential meetings in February 1956. Every member was asked to sign their name in the minute book to signal their assent. A letter from a local civil rights activist questioning the legality of library segregation was also read, but deemed the province of the library board, which referred the matter back to the company whose reply is not preserved.\u003c/p\u003e\n","\u003cp\u003eMember Mangum Weeks thereupon raised the question of the future role of the Library Company, and proposed resuming the tradition of annual lectures dating from the Lyceum period using funds from the newly instituted membership dues. This proposal was adopted, and preparing the annual lectures soon became a major focus of the Company. The Library Company continues to appoint members to the board of the Alexandria Library and hold its annual lecture series. It commissioned a new history of the library by William Seale in 2007, which can be found at the Local History and Special Collections Branch.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003eChronological listings for both presidents of the board and librarians up to the modern day.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003clist type=\"deflist\"\u003e\n      \u003chead\u003ePresidents of the Library Company and Its Successors\u003c/head\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1794-February 1813\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRev. James Muir\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1813-February 1815\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eHugh Smith\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1815-March 1824\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJohn Roberts\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1824-February 1829\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eHugh Smith\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1829-February 1835\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJohn Richards\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1835-February 1840\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJohn Roberts\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1840-1852\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eElias Harrison\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003e1852-February 1855\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJ. Louis Kinzer\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1855-September 1858\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eFrancis Miller\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1858- February 1859\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRichard L. Carne\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1859-September 1859\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eCaleb S. Hallowell\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1859-February 1860\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam G. Cazenove\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1860-February 1870\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRichard L. Carne\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1870-February 1873\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eK. Kemper\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1873-October 1873\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eSamuel H. Janney\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1873-February 1874\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eSidney C. Neale\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1874-June 1879\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMercer Slaughter\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1897-October 1905\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eVirginia Corse\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJuly 1906-June 1925\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Samuel. L. Monroe\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1925-April 1930\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eLoula Smoot\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eApril 1930-November 1933\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Henry B. Soule, [Jessie E. Soule]\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eDecember 1933-December 1934\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMary Lloyd\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eDecember 1934-December 1936\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eSusan Thomson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eDecember 1936-November 1937\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Louis Scott\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1937-November 1944\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Curtis Backus\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1944-November 1946\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. [Lawrence] Fawcett, [Mary Fawcett]\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1946-November 1947\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eHoward Worth Smith\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1947-October 1948\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003e[Miss Anne] Lewis Jones\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1948-October 1949\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMiss Horne\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1949-October 1950\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMr. Stanley King\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1950-December 1951\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMr. [Joseph] Crockett\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eDecember 1951-February 1955\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMr. Robert Moncure\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1955-February 1957\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDr. [W. Bruce] Silcox\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1957-February 1959\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eStanley King\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1959-February 1962\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMangum Weeks\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1962-February 1963\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRichard Bales\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1963-February 1965\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDonald King\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1965-February 1967\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDavid Squires\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1967-February 1969\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eHoward Worth Smith Jr.\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1969-February 1971\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam Francis Smith\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1971-February 1972\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJohn T. Ticer\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1972-February 1974\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDavid M. Abshire\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1974-February 1976\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Merill Beede\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1976-February 1978\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Douglas Lindsey\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1978-February 1980\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eClarke T. Cooper Jr.\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1980-February 1982\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam Seale\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1982-February 1983\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDenys Peter Myers\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1983-February 1985\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam B. Hurd\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1985-February 1986\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eGeorge J. Stansfield\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1986-February 1987\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDr. Ernest A. Connally\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1987-February 1989\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDr. Wilton C. Corkern, Jr.\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1989-March 1991\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames M. Lewis\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1991-March 1992\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMrs. Anne Smith Paul\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1992-March 1993\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRichard R. G. Hobson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1993-March 1995\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eDabney Waring\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1995-March 1997\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames R. Hobson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1997-March 1998\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eRobert C. Reed\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1998-March 2000\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eNeil Horstman\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 2000-March 2002\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eCarroll Johnson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 2002-March 2003\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eThomas C. Brown Jr.\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n    \u003c/list\u003e","\u003clist type=\"deflist\"\u003e\n      \u003chead\u003eLibrarians of Alexandria\u003c/head\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1794-February 1796\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEdward Stabler\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1796-February 1818\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames Kennedy\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1818-August 1826\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWilliam Cranch\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eAugust 1826-October 1829\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eW. Samuel Mark\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1829-March 1845\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eGeorge Drinker\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1845-September 1845\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames M. Eaches\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1845-September 1852\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eC.F. Stuart\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1852-April 1853\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eH. W. P. Junius\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1852-April 1853\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eL.? Hunter\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eNovember 1853\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eOffice Abolished\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1854-October 1855\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eE. M.[Magruder?] Lowe\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1855-September 1858\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eNorval E. Foard\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1858-February 1859\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eS. Scott\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1859-September 1859\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEdward R. Roxbury\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eSeptember 1859-February 1860\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eJames A. Clarridge\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1860-April 1861\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eCharles R. Burgess (acting)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eApril 1861-Unknown\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEdwin N. Wise\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1868\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eWr. Bushby\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eApril 1870-May 1871\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eAugust Henning\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJuly 1871-March 1872\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eW. F. Stansbury\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1872-August 1873\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEmma J. Young\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1873-March 1876\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEmily English\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eMarch 1876\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003ePosition Eliminated\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJune 1879\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eR. Pendleton Bruin (unofficial? acting?)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1900-October 1903\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eF. Olive Lyons\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eOctober 1903-April 1937 (continued part-time, mentioned up to 1946)\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eAlice Green\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eApril 1937-December 1938\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eMiss Beatrice Workman\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJanuary 1939-January 1941\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eKatherine Scoggin (later Martyn)\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eFebruary 1941-June 1948\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eBessie Watson\u003c/item\u003e\n      \u003c/defitem\u003e\n      \u003cdefitem\u003e\n        \u003clabel\u003eJuly 1948-June 1969 (hired part-time October 1939, letter of resignation later that month)\u003c/label\u003e\n        \u003citem\u003eEllen C. 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