Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives Printed Ephemera Collection on Trade Unions
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Abstract
The Tamiment Library, New York University, founded in 1906 as the library of the Rand School of Social Science, is a special collection documenting the history of United States radicalism, labor, and progressive social action. The circa 1,300 files in the Printed Ephemera Collection on Trade Unions were created from the materials in an earlier Tamiment Library "vertical files" collection as well as a large accumulation of similar loose materials that came from varied sources. They contain contracts, constitutions, flyers, broadsides, leaflets, clippings, reports, pamphlets, catalogs, brochures, bibliographies, press releases, programs, and other printed ephemera.
Historical/Biographical Note
The Tamiment Library, New York University, a special collection documenting the history of United States radicalism, labor, and progressive social action, accumulated this artificial collection of printed ephemera gradually over the years through purchases, donations, standing orders with publishers, trade unions and other organizations, collecting by staff, and through exchanges with other special library collections via the Collectors' Network (which was organized by Russell Benedict at the University of Nevada in the 1970s and promoted through his newsletter Top Secret). Collecting is ongoing as materials continue to be added to this collection.
Arrangement
The Collection is grouped into 26 series, 25 with titled with letters A through Y, and one numeric; folders are arranged alphabetically by union name within each of the series. The arrangement of the Collection is as follows:
Scope and Content Note
The Library's Printed Ephemera Collection on Trade Unions includes material generated by federations and national, regional and local bodies, as well as departments and divisions of trade unions. While a small portion of the material is international in scope or associated with other regions of the United States, the majority of the collection relates to the New York metropolitan area. Materials in the Collection consist of constitutions, contracts, agreements, by-laws, memoranda, reports, and printed ephemera such as clippings, flyers, broadsides, leaflets, catalogs, press releases, programs, and pamphlets generated by federations and national, regional and local bodies, as well as departments and divisions of trade unions; these date from the 1900s through the 2000s.
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Conditions Governing Access
Materials are open without restrictions.
Conditions Governing Use
Because of the assembled nature of this collection, copyright status varies across the collection. Copyright is assumed to be held by the original creator of individual items in the collection; these items are expected to pass into the public domain 120 years after their creation. Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Archives is not authorized to grant permission to publish or reproduce materials from this collection.
Preferred Citation
Published citations should take the following form:
Identification of item, date; Collection name; Collection number; box number; folder number;
Tamiment Library/Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives
Elmer Holmes Bobst Library
70 Washington Square South
New York, NY 10012, New York University Libraries.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Materials in this collection have been compiled by the Tamiment Library.
Custodial History
This Collection was created from the materials in an earlier library "vertical files" collection as well as a large accumulation of similar loose materials. The provenance of those materials was varied. Items were obtained through purchases, donations, standing orders with publishers, arrangements with labor unions and other organizations, exchanges with other libraries, and through ongoing collecting by Tamiment staff; they were also drawn from existing Tamiment-Wagner manuscript collections (from which they were separated). The Collection continues to be added to, from similar sources.
Separated Materials
Posters have been separated from this collection and placed in the Tamiment/Wagner Poster and Broadsides Collection; photographs, political buttons, artifacts, and other materials that are not printed ephemera have also been separated from the collection and placed in the appropriate collections at Tamiment.
About this Guide
Processing Information
Much of the original order of the vertical files collection (in which folders were arranged alphabetically by labor union name) from which much of the Collection was drawn has been retained by arranging folders alphabetically by labor union name within alphabetical series. Some of the original vertical files folder titles were retained, while others were revised or eliminated, and additional folder titles were created by archivists. All materials have been placed into new acid-free folders and boxes.