This document provides information about the Hidden Collections Processing Project. It is a 27-month project funded by CLIR to process approximately 200 hidden collections across 23 Philadelphia area repositories. The goal is to provide improved access to these collections by arranging, describing, and making them accessible online through a single access point. The document describes some of the collections that have been uncovered so far, including their topics and locations. It also provides examples of ongoing processing work, such as the Horace G. Richards papers at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.

1. Hidden Histories
PACSCL/CLIR
Hidden Collec2ons Processing Project
November 9, 2010

2. The Hidden Collec2ons Project
• A Philadelphia Area Consor2um of Special
Collec2ons Libraries (PACSCL) project
• Funded by Council on Library and Informa2on
Resources (CLIR)
• 27 Month Project with 1 year to go
From the Alma A. Clarks
papers
at Bryn Mawr College

3. Project Goal
• Provide access to approximately 200 “hidden”
collec2ons across 23 Philadelphia area
repositories
– Process (arrange, describe and make accessible)
approximately 140 collec2ons across 19
Philadelphia area repositories.
– Create more thorough and more accessible guides
for approximately 80 collec2ons
• Create a single access point for these newly
revealed collec2ons … and hopefully more!

4. Crea2ng more
user friendly resources …
Processing at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia

5. … so that researchers can discover content

6. 74 “Unhidden” collec2ons at:
• Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia
• Bryn Mawr College
• Chester County Historical Society
• College of Physicians of Philadelphia
• Drexel University Archives and Special
Collec2ons
• Drexel University College of Medicine Legacy
Center
• Free Library of Philadelphia
• Haverford College
• Independence Seaport Museum
• Library Company of Philadelphia
• Lutheran Theological Society
• Pennsylvania Hor2cultural Society
• Temple University Urban Archives
• Wagner Free Ins2tute of Science
From the Pollack collec2on of Ocean Liner
ephemera at Independence Seaport Museum

7. Topical Strengths
• The American Revolu2on
• Business and Commerce
• Colonial History
• Law, Poli2cs and
Government
• Military History
• Race and Ethnic History
• Religion
• Science
• Women’s History
From the Douglas and Dorothy Steere
• And many more! See
papers at Haverford College hap://clir.pacscl.org

8. Today …
– Laurie Rizzo: Horace G. Richards papers at the
Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.
– Megan Good: Lubin film company records at the
Free Library of Philadelphia
– Forrest Wright: Vaux family papers at Haverford
College
– Chris2ana Dobrzynski Grippe: Samuel George
Morton papers at Library Company of Philadelphia
– Annie Brogan, librarian, College of Physicians of
Philadelphia: Samuel X Radbill papers at the
College of Physicians of Philadelphia

9. Horace G. Richards
(1906‐1984)

10. Repository:
Academy of Natural Sciences,
Philadelphia
• Creator: Richards, Horace
Gardiner, 1906‐1984
• Title: Horace G. Richards
papers
• Date [inclusive]: 1928‐1984
• Extent: 41 linear feet

11. His Life

12. The Collec2on
• Correspondence
• Atlan2c Coastal Plains Project (ACPP)
• Interna2onal Union of Quaternary Research (INQUA)
• Annotated Bibliography of Quaternary Shorelines (ABQS)
• Professional Socie2es
• Travel
• Presenta2ons
• Radio scripts
• Wri2ngs
• Academics
• Cer2ficates
• Student papers
• Scrapbooks and newspaper clippings
• Notebooks
• Audio
• Images

13. Correspondence, Reports, Ar2cles,
Bibliographies

14. Photo Albums, Scrap Books, Note
Books . . .

15. . . . And Slides

16. The Significance

17. Lubin Manufacturing Company records
 Loca2on: Rare Book Department,
Central Branch of Free Library of
Philadelphia
 Materials: Business records,
photographs, scrapbooks, bulle2ns,
adver2sements, film reels and
ar2facts
 Dates: 1881‐2006
 Creator: Siegmund Lubin

18. Lubin Manufacturing Company records
 1895 ‐ Siegmund Lubin purchased first
projector
 1896 ‐ Life Mo2on Pictures established
 1899 ‐ Built first studio at 912 Arch St.
 Circa 1900 ‐ Invented Cineograph
 1908 ‐ Formed Mo2on Picture Patents
Co. with Thomas Edison
th
 1910 – Built studio at 20 and Indiana
 1914 – Fire and explosion at studio
 1915 – Began closing studios
 1916 – Company and assets were sold

19. Lubin Manufacturing Company records
 Topics
 Immigrant life
 Early cinema and movie
produc2on
 Philadelphia history
 Mo2on picture actors and
actresses
 Inven2ons
 Highlights
 Photographs
 Bulle2ns
 Ar2facts
 Rarity of collec2on

20. Vaux Family Papers
Haverford College

21. The Family
• George Vaux, Sr.,
1832‐1915
• Mary Vaux Walcoa,
1860‐1940
• George Vaux, Jr.,
1863‐1927
• George Vaux, III,
1909‐1996

22. Ac;vi;es
• George Vaux, Sr.: President of Friends Historical Society, and an
unofficial correspondent for the Philadelphia Yearly Mee:ng and London Yearly
Mee:ng.
• George Vaux, Jr.: Appointed to the Board of Indian Commissioners in
1906 by Theodore Roosevelt. In 1913 he became the Commission's chairman, a
post he held un:l 1927.
• Mary Vaux WalcoD: Served as Secretary of the Smithsonian
Ins:tute from 1907 to 1927, when she was appointed to serve on the Board of
Indian Commissioners. In 1900, she became the first woman to climb Mt.
Stephens in Bri:sh Columbia, and was ac:ve in the Society of Women
Geographers.
• George Vaux, III: Treasurer of the Indian CommiSee of the
Philadelphia Yearly Mee:ng and Chairman of the Friends Historical
Commission. He was also involved in the preserva:on of Quaker buildings and
landmarks across the Philadelphia region.

23. First Hand Accounts
Na;ve American School (1923) Scrapbook on Southwest Na;ve
Americans (1917)

24. Samuel George Morton
(1799‐1851)
Philadelphia physician and natural scien2st
Image courtesy American
Philosophical Society

25. Papers from 1832‐1851
• mostly correspondence
(more than 400 leaers)
• ethnology and physical
anthropology
• human skull collec2on
and comparison for
“racial science”

26. Why I liked the collec2on
• Strong 2es to Philadelphia
– Member and President of
Academy of Natural Sciences
– Aaended and later taught at
the University of Pennsylvania
• Extensive correspondence
covering personal and
professional topics
• Publica2on process of
scien2fic works
– notes, research, drans,
sketches

27. Most importantly…

28. The Morton papers complicated my
no2on of history.
It’s easy to dismiss
uncomfortable aspects
of our past if we don’t
examine them…but
history is supposed to
be messy!

29. Samuel X Radbill papers
Dr. Rita Smrcka

32. The Tip of the Collec2ons Iceberg

33. ULTIMATE GOAL
USE OF COLLECTIONS

34. Collec2on Informa2on Available
• hap://clir.pacscl.org
• findingaids.pacscl.org