| Category | LC Classes | Titles (as of Jan. 2005) |
| Religion | BL, BR, BM, BP and BX | 53,948 |
| Americas in general | E 1 – E 149 | 8,053 |
| United States, generally | E 151 – E899 | 44,975 |
| United States history (state by state) | F 1 - F 1000 | 63,990 |
| Canada | F 1001 - F1145.2 | 2,165 |
| Social history and conditions | HM through HV | 49,734 |
| North American Literature | PQ, PR and PS | 52,784 |
However, works pertaining to North American history can be found interfiled throughout all LC classifications, especially those pertaining to history and its auxiliary sciences, including archeology (LC Classes C, D, E, F), geography and anthropology (G), the social sciences (H), politics and law (J, K), art (N), literature (P), technology (T) and information sciences (Z).
AREAS OF DISTINCTION
In its first two centuries, the Brown University Library has built strong collections of primary materials for scholarly research in American history. Its rare book, manuscript, and archival holdings, housed in the John Hay Library, have particular strengths for the study of American literary history, the history of medicine, the history of New England, and legal and diplomatic history. A few of the Library’s signature special collections constitute scholarly foci for the study of American history, and are responsible for drawing scholars and researchers to Brown from all over the continent and abroad. A good number of these are described in further detail below, although this list is by no means exhaustive.
- Abraham Lincoln and the Civil War. The McLellan Collection of Lincolniana is one of the world’s oldest and best known collections pertaining to Abraham Lincoln, his presidency and his legacy in American history. Supplementing the McLellan Collection are the Library’s strong holdings in manuscript materials pertaining to the abolition movement and the Civil War, including letters and diaries of Union soldiers, as well as the papers of John Hay, who was one of Lincoln’s two private secretaries during the war, and Gen. Rush Hawkins. Together, these collections constitute one of the best collections in the country for the study of the Civil War era.
- Rhode Island and Southeastern New England. The Sidney S. Rider Collection, the largest private collection of materials related to Rhode Island and its history, was presented to the library in 1903 by Marsden Perry. Rider, a leading Providence bookseller and antiquarian, had amassed a collection of 19th and early 20th century books, pamphlets, manuscripts, broadsides and newspapers over the course of 50 years. Among the more ephemeral items are posters, cartoons, playbills, ballots, newsboy's addresses, theater programs, tax bills, lottery tickets, death notices, and funeral invitations. The collection is particular strong in Rhode Island religious history and on the Dorr Rebellion of 1842.
- Baptists in America. Although Brown was founded as a non-sectarian institution, the commitment of the University’s principal founders to the Baptist denomenation is reflected in a number of manuscript collections pertaining to important Baptist figures such as Roger Williams, Isaac Backus, Samuel Jones, James Manning. In addition to collections of personal papers, related materials may be found in the Brown University Archives and in the holdings of the Rockefeller Library where there is an extensive collection of Baptist periodicals.
- Development of the American West. Although they have been long underutilized for scholarly study, the Hay Library contains several collections which are of great utility for study of the West. The Eberstadt Collection includes many pioneer narratives that document the development of the West. The Ames Collection of Illustrated Books has a particular focus on books illustrating the exploration of the West. Also useful for this purpose is the Corthell Collection. Although its primary focus is on engineering, materials in the Corthell Collection document some central themes in the development of the West, including the evolution of the railroads, bridges and other essential infrastructure.
- 19th Century America. Resources for the study of America in the 19th century include the American literary collections at the Hay Library – and in particular, the Harris Collection of American Poetry and Plays, which includes materials that
are very useful for the study of popular culture in the Antebellum era. The components of Harris and related collections, including Broadsides, Sheet Music and the Carriers Addresses, give interesting perspectives on the evolution of American culture in the 19th century, both before, during and following the Civil War period. For two particular examples of the kinds of 19th century graphic materials found in these collections, see the Library’s exhibits "She is more to be pitied than censured" and "Dreams of the Past."
In addition to these materials, the Metcalf Pamphlet Collection is an extraordinarily diverse collection of tracts donated by the Hon. Theron Metcalf, Class of 1805. It is the Library's principal collection of American and English pamphlet literature of the 17th through the 19th centuries, and has a particular strength in American political and religious history. The collection includes ordination, election-day and dedicatory sermons, Fourth of July orations, plus pamphlets on the Civil War and slavery, the Irish question, Mormonism, agriculture, medicine and women's suffrage to name but a few categories.
- Diplomacy, International Law and Anti-Imperialism. The John Hay Library has strong resources for the study of American foreign relations. Principal among these are the papers of John Milton Hay (Brown 1858), who served Presidents Abraham Lincoln, William McKinley and Theodore Roosevelt in various positions. The John Hay Library also holds a significant collection of foundational works in international law, the Wheaton Collection. Henry Wheaton (Class of 1802), whose papers are held by the Hay Library, was Charge d'Affaires in Prussia and Denmark. The Wheaton collection now comprises more than 4,000 volumes. Complementing these are the Isabel Metcalf Collection of Peaceana, which covers the international peace movement between 1918 and 1941, the papers of Jonathan Russell (U.S. diplomat and negotiator at the Council of Ghent during the War of 1812), and the papers of James J. Robinson, who served on the International Military Tribunal for the Far East at the end of World War II. The Schirmer collection on Anti-Imperialism adds nearly 1,000 titles dating from the mid-19th century, covering the Anti-Imperialist movement of 1898 and its repercussions in United States, Cuban, Puerto Rican, and Filipino history and documenting the debates within the United States during and after the Spanish-American War over the appropriate relationship between the English-speaking and Spanish-speaking Americas; it includes materials on the construction of the Panama Canal. These collections are supplemented by the Metcalf pamphlet collection, which preserves a range of public opinion of the period.
- History of Science, Techonology and Medicine. Primarily (though not exclusively) North American in focus, the Library’s extensive collections in the history of science, technology and medicine cover alcoholism, anesthesiology, pharmacopeia, materia medica and other medical topics, as well as natural history (botany, ornithology, and mycology -- or, the study of mushrooms) and physical sciences (astronomy and engineering). Specialized components of these collections that pertain specifically to science, technology and medicine in North America include the library of the Rhode Island Medical Society (founded in 1811), the papers of Solomon Drowne -- Revolutionary War surgeon and Brown's first professor of Materia Medica, a collection of manuscripts and artifacts pertaining to Henry David Thoreau, medical pamphlets from the Temperance Movement, papers of chemist and inventor Walter Nickerson Hill and the Corthell Collection, which covers engineering in the 19th and early 20th centuries.
- Women in the United States. In 1989, the Library published a guide to its holdings pertaining to women. The materials highlighted by the guide, called the Christine Dunlap Farham Archives, comprise a wealth of primary sources hitherto hidden from public view because they were incorporated into a variety of collections, including the Brown University Archives, the Harris Collection, Starred Books and the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection, the Rider Collection, Broadsides, Sheet Music and Manuscripts. Taken together, the Farnham Archives guide documents important resources for the study of women and gender in the United States, from the 18th century to the present. The Library has also committed to participate in a grant project sponsored by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) to identify and describe its holdings on 20th century women.
- The United States in Relation to Mexico and Latin America. The Dupee Mexican History collection contains more than 340 books, broadsides, pamphlets, and periodicals published in Mexico after the Mexican republic secured its independence in 1821. The bulk of the materials falls into the period 1821-50, covering the first decades of Mexican independence and that nation's war with the United States, and help to document the evolution of U.S./Mexican relations in this period. In addition, the Library holds the Church Collection on Latin America, consisting of 3,500 volumes covering 18th and early 19th century monographs on Latin American politics, history, and geography -- with substantial attention to contemporary anthropological studies on the Indians of South America. Materials on Amerindian languages are also well represented. Through his association with geographical societies, Church collected a number of important studies. An appreciable number of the volumes in the Church collection concern the United States and Canada, including subjects such as the U.S. Civil War, the New England Indian wars, and anthropological studies of Native Americans. These materials are supplemented by some of the Latin American materials in the Corthell Collection on engineering.
- America in the 20th Century. The Anne S.K. Brown Military Collection is particularly strong on World Wars I and II (See, for example, the exhibition on American artists in World War II). In addition, the sheet music collections provide another means for imagining and accessing the early 20th century through American popular culture, allowing researchers to experience social reality through the medium of graphics and music pertaining the worlds of African Americans, Yiddish-speaking immigrants and the events of World War I . In addition, the Gordon Hall & Grace Hoag Collection documents extremist and dissenting activities by a wide variety of groups in the post- WWII period. Manuscripts, the Kirk and related collections on alcoholism and the Brown University Archives are other components of the specialized collections in the Hay that document 20th century topics.
- Brown University Archives. The collections of the Brown University Archives document the history, intellectual atmosphere, and culture of the University back to its founding in 1764. These collections also speak to broader trends in American culture, and are therefore valuable for the historical study of higher education in general, as well as intercollegiate sports, the state of Rhode Island, student life, the Mississippi Freedom movement, African Americans and women .
- Canadiana. The Brown University Library, in conjunction with the John Carter Brown Library, holds one of the strongest collections of Canadiana outside of Canada. The Harris Collection collects Canadian poetry and drama comprehensively, while the Anne S. K. Brown Military Collection has strong holdings on the Canadian military. Historical publications from and about Canada are currently found primarily in the Church and Starred Books collections, which have some unique materials for the study of Canadian politics, ethnography and exploration. The Brown University Library has a special endowment devoted to the purchase of Canadiana. While most of the current purchases in Canadian history consist of newly published or reprinted materials (primary and secondary) for the circulating collections, a concerted effort is made to purchase historical materials on Canada -- focusing on the 19th century, which is beyond the scope of the JCB's collecting efforts -- for Special Collections. The latter are added to the Starred Books collection at the John Hay Library, and can be identified through JOSIAH.
AREAS TARGETTED FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT
Although American history represents a core strength within the Library's collections overall, there are some aspects of the North American history collection which have not received attention in the past. As outlined above, the Program for Academic Enrichment has spawned a host of new initiatives on campus that are using the North American history collection in ways distinctly different than has been the case in the past. The demands of these new programs have identified particular weaknesses within the collection that have been targeted for further development:
- Asian American Studies. Because Brown is distant from the major centers of Asian American culture, the Library's holdings in Asian American history are not well developed. In recent years, however, there has been significant interest in expanding the Library's holdings in this area. The Library recently purchased a full run of The Pacific Citizen, and anticipates adding other pertinent primary materials to its collections to support teaching and research in this area.
- American Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. The Library's collections have traditionally been strong on materials from the Abolition movement, but weak on materials that document the extent and impact of slavery, particularly in the Northern States. Building from the existing strengths of collections found in the John Hay Library -- in particular, the McLellan Lincoln Collection, the Metcalf Pamphlet Collection, the Harris Collection and the Starred Books Collection -- the Library is seeking to expand its holdings so that its collections better document the institution of slavery and its continuing impact on American society and culture.
COLLECTION STRATEGY: The Library’s collection in North American history serves a broad range of needs across campus. In addition to supporting the curriculum of the History Department, the collection helps to meet research and teaching needs in the departments of English, Anthropology, Sociology, Environmental Studies, Africana Studies, and American Civilization. Two examples of programs outside the Department of History that extensively utilize materials from the Library’s North American history collections are the programs in Circumpolar Studies (Department of Anthropology) and Public Humanities (American Civilization Department). The collection also supports unique initiatives such as the work of the University Steering Committee on Slavery and Social Justice.
Accordingly, the development and management of the North American history collection requires an ongoing review of existing needs of the University’s academic programs. The growth in multidisciplinary programming that has been spurred by the University’s commitment to enrichment of its academic core environment means that net usage of the North American history collection has increased exponentially, with more research attention being paid to its various components. Some parts of the collection that were previously under-utilized (museum objects, for example) are now in great demand for both instruction and research, and other areas which were weak or underdeveloped (such as Southern history and the history of Slavery) now merit significant attention to bring them up to par with demands of the Plan for Academic Enrichment and the emerging needs of new programs and other initiatives on campus. Development of the Library’s North American history collection involves collaboration with a number of research centers across campus, including the Cogut Center for the Humanities, the John Nicholas Brown Center and the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. In particular, the Library works closely with the John Carter Brown Library, whose research collections for study of the Americas are world reknowned.
Goals for the Library’s North American history collection include (1) the acquisition and maintenance of primary and secondary materials in the circulating collections sufficient to support teaching and research at both the undergraduate and graduate levels; (2) the acquisition and maintenance of primary research materials in both circulating and special collections that complement resources offered by the John Carter Brown Library; (3) the continued development of specialized (that is, signature) collections that are unique to the holdings of the John Hay Library.
General Collecting Guidelines:
The primary purpose of the North American history collection is to support the research needs of graduate students and faculty at Brown for primary and secondary research materials. A secondary purpose is to meet the research needs of outside scholars and the general public, for information resources in North American history. In pursuance of these goals, the following guidelines have been established:
- Circulating collections: The focus of the circulating collection for North American history is to purchase current imprints (in whatever format) in the fields of U. S. history, Canadian history and related disciplines, as appropriate to meet the needs of Brown’s undergraduate and graduate programs. These materials include serials, monographs, audiovisual resources and online databases. Following is a breakdown of collecting goals for the primary classification areas that document North American history:
| CALL NO. RANGE | SUBJECT AREA | CURRENT LEVEL* |
DESIRED LEVEL* |
| BL, BR, BM, BP, BX | American Religion | Research | Research |
| E 1 – E 149 | Americas in general | Study | Research |
| E 151 – E899 | United States, generally | Research | Research |
| F 1 - F 1000 | United States history (state by state) | Study | Research |
| F 1001 - F1145.2 | Canada | Study | Research |
| HM through HV | Social history and conditions | Research | Research |
| PQ, PR and PS | American & Canadian Literature | Study | Research |
*See Collecting Levels for an explanation of the various terms used here.
As noted above, works in North American history are classified in almost every section of the LC classification scheme. Acquisitions will therefore include, as a secondary focus, LC classes where works in North American history have previously appeared, and all LC classes more generally.
- Special Collections: Acquisitions in North American History for the John Hay Library aim at building on the existing strengths of the Library’s special collections. These materials complement the general collections in North American history and literature, but focus on topics of particular interest to the goals of the History program and the study of the North American History more broadly. Acquisition targets for special collections in North American History include materials from all periods of North American history, but tend to cluster around the particular subject strengths outlined above.
- Specific Collecting Guidelines:
- Language: The vast majority of materials that are added to the Library’s collections in North American history are printed in English. However, pertinent materials in French and Spanish are actively collected. Materials are also collected in German, as appropriate. Materials in other languages are purchased selectively.
- Chronological Span: The primary chronological focus for the Library’s North American history collections is the period between the voyages of Columbus (1492 et seq.) and the present day. However, materials (consisting predominantly of secondary sources) that document earlier periods in the history of the continent are acquired, where appropriate, to document the history of the continent prior to European contact.
- Geographical Range: The principle focus of the History program is the United States, from its inception to the present day. However, the Library’s North American history collections range even more broadly, covering not just the United States, but all of North America – including Canada, the British Caribbean and territories that became American possessions (e.g., Puerto Rico, the Panama Canal Zone and the Philipines). Acquisitions in these areas support programs beyond the scope of the offerings in the History Department, and are needed for interdisciplinary work. As appropriate opportunities arise, the collection will encompass materials related to North American History in other geographic areas. The Library will continue to pursue appropriate opportunities to expand the North American History collection beyond the geographic range of the United States.
- Types of Material Included: Materials for the North American History collection arrive at the Library in a variety of formats. While printed materials continue to comprise the bulk of new acquisitions, a growing proportion of the materials acquired by the Library in North American history arrive in non-print format, most of which fall into one or more of the following categories.
- Government Documents: The Library is a designated repository for documents produced by the Federal Government and the State of Rhode Island and collects about 60% of what is produced. Many of these are now made available in electronic format. In addition to current documents, many older government documents can be identified through the specialized collections found in the John Hay Library, particularly the Sidney S. Rider Collection (for Rhode Island) and the McLellan Lincoln Collection (for documents of the Federal Government and other states). For further information on Government Documents at the Brown University Library, please see the Library Resource Guide for Government Information and the Library Resource Guide for American History
- Electronic Resources: The Library subscribes to a wide range of electronic resources that support research in the North American History. These include not only traditional online indexes such as America: History and Life, Nineteenth Century Masterfile, Chicano Database, Arts & Humanities Citation Index, and Bibliography of Asian Studies, but also databases containing searchable full text of primary research materials (Early American Imprints I (Evans Digital), Early American Imprints II (Shaw-Shoemaker), Early American Fiction, Nineteenth Century U.S. Newspapers). The Library also acquires e-books and e-journals for its collections. Further information on electronic holdings pertaining to the North American History can be identified through the Library’s e-resources listing, the Resource Guide for American History, and JOSIAH.
- Digital Projects: In addition to electronic resources obtained by subscription, the Library is also actively committed to the development of its own web-based resources in American history for research and instructional use, based in large part on the specialized collections at the John Hay Library. To date, these projects include the Brown Archival and Manuscript Collections Online (BAMCO), a set of online finding aids to the Library's outstanding manuscript collections, many of them containing digital facsimiles of manuscript materials. The Library has also produced databases on Alcohol, Temperance and Prohibition; African American Sheet Music; Newspaper Carriers’ Addresses, and World War I Sheet Music, as well as a number of faculty-initiated projects in American history and culture (Perry Visits Japan, Radical America, Slavery & Justice). For further information on these, or for information on working with the Library to create a digital project, please consult the Library’s Center for Digital Initiatives.
- Newspapers and Serials: The Library’s collections include a wide range of serials in North American History, both historical and current. New serials, often in electronic form, are constantly emerging and will be considered for acquisition where the demand warrants. In addition, the Library is continuing to add historical newspapers, in both electronic databases and microfilm versions, for the purpose of strengthening its research collection for North American History. Recent acquisitions in microform include The Chicago Defender and The Pacific Citizen.
- Audio-visual materials: The library acquires materials in all AV formats. New audiovisual materials are purchased on DVD, or, if necessary, in VHS format. Most materials are purchased specifically for instructional use; these include both documentaries and feature films which portray or enhance the study of North American history. Recent AV acquisitions in North American history have targetted a number of significant PBS productions, including films originally presented as part of The American Experience series. All English-language films purchased for this collection are housed at Media Services in the Sciences Library. Materials in languages other than English (e.g., French and Spanish) may be found at the Language Resource Center. Music CDs and videos -- documenting ethnomusicology, jazz, Broadway musicals, and opera --
as well as some speech-related materials, are collected intensively. These are purchased by the Music Librarian and are housed at the Orwig Music Library.
- Types of Materials Excluded: Introductory general-purpose textbooks whose primary function is instruction are outside the scope of this collection. In addition, general works directed to a popular audience that do not have significant merit for the study of American culture are not acquired.
- RELATED COLLECTIONS AT BROWN AND RISD:
- Haffenreffer Museum. Now part of Brown University, the Haffenreffer was founded as the King Philip Museum in the early 20th century on the Mount Hope Grant in Bristol (Rhode Island) – a key site associated with Metacom, or King Philip, a 17th-century Wampanoag sachem. Originating with the private collection of its founder, Rudolf F. Haffenreffer (for whom it is now names), the Museum has been a valuable cultural resource for its New England audience, as well as the scholars of anthropology, archaeology, art, and history. The Haffenreffer Museum's holdings, which represent human cultures worldwide, include 6,000 ethnographic objects and nearly 70,000 archeological objects from North America. Native North American materials represent the strongest component of the Haffenreffer’s collections and include striking ethnographic artifacts from the Plains tribes as well as a number of key archeological collections pertaining to the native peoples of New England.
- The John Carter Brown Library. Administered independently from the Brown University Library as an advanced center for research in history and the humanities, the JCBL collections document every aspect of the Americas up to 1830, including voyages of discovery, natural history, colonization and the African slave trade. The JCB’s collections of original maps and prints is known throughout the scholarly world. The JCB’s holdings also include the early records the Brown family and their business enterprises as well as other manuscript materials on the history of early Rhode Island.
- The Virginia Baldwin Orwig Music Library. The Orwig Music Library contains a large and comprehensive collection of music in all formats. Orwig’s holdings include scores and recordings of American art music from all periods, complementing the American Sheet Music collection at the John Hay Library, which consists largely of popular vocal music. A principle component of the music collections at Orwig is the Koetting Archive in ethnomusicology, which includes strong holdings in African American musical traditions (blues, gospel and jazz) as well as Appalachian musical traditions (bluegrass, fiddling, folk song, religious music, etc.). Also of interest are the Carter Collection and the Hunter Collection, which comprise significant field recordings from the Appalachians, as well as the Loraine Wyman Collection, which documents the folk music traditions of Kentucky and Quebec.
- HISTORICAL COLLECTIONS IN THE BROWN VICINITY: Brown is fortunate to be located within easy reach of a number of important historical collections which have great significance for the historical study of the United States and Canada. Below are some of the signature collections available to Brown students and faculty in Providence. ( For information on historical collections outside of Providence, please consult the Library Resource Guide in American History or email Holly Snyder).
- Rhode Island Historical Society Library: Established in 1822, the Rhode Island Historical Society is dedicated to collecting, preserving, and sharing Rhode Island's history. RIHS, which is one of the four oldest state historical societies in the United States, has more than 30,000 objects and 500,000 written, recorded, and photographed items in its library and museum collections, ranging from seventeenth-century manuscripts to television news archives of local station WJAR. It operates the John Brown House museum, which it acquired from members of the Brown Family in 1940. Its original structure – called the Cabinet Building – is now part of the Brown University campus.
- Rhode Island Black Heritage Society: Incorporated in 1975, the Rhode Island Black Heritage Society collects and preserves historical materials relating to the history of African Americans in Rhode Island, promotes the study of African American history through lectures and public programs and disseminates historical information to the public through its research collections and publishing activities.
- Providence Atheneum: Founded in 1753 as a subscription lending library, the Providence Atheneum has a superb collection of books, materials and programs for anyone who loves reading, appreciates literature, and enjoys intellectual discovery. The Athenaeum’s Special Collections are of particular interest for the history of libraries, the history of science and the study of American literary culture.
- Special Collections at the Providence Public Library: Includes specialized collections on a variety of subjects, many of which complement the holdings of the John Hay Library. Among these are (1) the Berkeley Updike Collection on printing and book arts, (2) the Nicholson whaling collection
(3) the Fiske Harris Collection on the Civil War and slavery,
(4) Wetmore Collection of Children’s Literature, (5) Rhode Island history and other significant collections.
IMAGE SOURCES:
Henry Howe, The Great West, Enlarged Edition (New York: George F. Tuttle, 1858)
John Maude, Visit to the Falls of Niagara in 1800 (London: Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown & Green, 1826)
Timothy Dwight, The Northern Traveller (New York: Wilder & Campbell, 1825)
Drake, Benjamin, The Life and Adventures of Black Hawk (Cincinnati: George Conclin, 1847)
Winter & Pond's cabinet card photograph of the Greek Orthodox Church in Sitka, Alaska, circa 1895 (Manuscripts division)
Photograph of the Cabinet Building (Brown University Archives)
All images are from items found in the collections of the John Hay Library.
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