Departmental and Administrative Files, 1952-1984

Series 1

Staff Only

This series documents the departmental and administrative activities of the Civil Rights Department, primarily through staff correspondence files, mailings, meeting minutes, etc. It contains printed, near print, and manuscript material (correspondence, clippings, press releases, position papers, notes, speeches, pamphlets, minutes, reports, and meeting agendas). There may be some overlap with records in the Subject Files series; researchers consulting one series should also consult the other.

Dates

Creation: 1952-1984

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open to the public and must be used in the Special Collections reading room. Researchers must register and agree to copyright and privacy laws before using this collection.

Extent

25.875 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Arrangement

Folders are ordered alphabetically and then chronologically (researchers should note that names of people are alphabetized by first name, not last); documents within folders are ordered reverse chronologically, chronologically, or in no discernable order. Some of the material in this series was not originally found in folders (in other words, it was loose in the boxes) and is now in folders labeled "Loose Material." While the departmental chronological files are made up exclusively of correspondence, the folders labeled "Correspondence" consist of correspondence as well as accompanying material; unless specifically indicated, correspondence folders may contain correspondence either from or to a particular person (or both). Researchers should note that there is a lot of duplication in the correspondence files.

Processing Information

This series was minimally processed at the George Meany Memorial Archives and little to no attempt was made to correct the order of documents within folders. Disintegrating newsprint was discarded; obvious duplicates were discarded; rusting paperclips and rubber bands were replaced with plastic clips or staples. Where possible, documents with personal information (e.g., social security numbers, birthdates, and addresses) have been removed. Photographs have been removed and integrated into the Photograph series.