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Collection Number: 04774

Collection Title: Susan Grey Akers Papers, 1899-1984

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held in the Wilson Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in our reading room, and not digitally available through the World Wide Web. See the Duplication Policy section for more information.


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Size 4.0 feet of linear shelf space (approximately 1,200 items)
Abstract Susan Grey Akers was dean of the School of Library Science at the University of North Carolina from 1932 until 1954. In 1950-1951, Akers served as a library science consultant in Tokyo, Japan. In 1954-1955, she was visiting lecturer in library science at the University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran. The collection includes correspondence and related papers, diaries, books and articles, biographical material about Akers, picture postcards, clippings, and photographs documenting Akers's education and career as a librarian, library science professor, and dean of the School of Library Science at the University of North Carolina. Also documented is Akers's scholarly research on library cataloging and her travels in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Iran. The diaries Akers kept while in Japan, 1950-1951, and Iran, 1954-1955, describe her social life and her work in libraries and library schools, as well as her travels. The collection contains many postcards, about half of which are picture postcards of library buildings.
Creator Akers, Susan Grey, 1889-
Curatorial Unit University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library. Southern Historical Collection.
Language English
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Information For Users

Restrictions to Access
No restrictions. Open for research.
Copyright Notice
Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Preferred Citation
[Identification of item], in the Susan Grey Akers Papers #4774, Southern Historical Collection, The Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Acquisitions Information
Received from Arthur Akers of Durham, N.C., in October 1995 (Acc. 95123) and May 1996 (Acc. 96058).
Sensitive Materials Statement
Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, the North Carolina Public Records Act (N.C.G.S. § 132 1 et seq.), and Article 7 of the North Carolina State Personnel Act (Privacy of State Employee Personnel Records, N.C.G.S. § 126-22 et seq.). Researchers are advised that the disclosure of certain information pertaining to identifiable living individuals represented in this collection without the consent of those individuals may have legal ramifications (e.g., a cause of action under common law for invasion of privacy may arise if facts concerning an individual's private life are published that would be deemed highly offensive to a reasonable person) for which the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill assumes no responsibility.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Processing Information

Processed by: Southern Historical Collection Staff

Encoded by: Jackie Dean, March 2006

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subject Headings

The following terms from Library of Congress Subject Headings suggest topics, persons, geography, etc. interspersed through the entire collection; the terms do not usually represent discrete and easily identifiable portions of the collection--such as folders or items.

Clicking on a subject heading below will take you into the University Library's online catalog.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Biographical Information

Susan Grey Akers was dean of the School of Library Science at the University of North Carolina from 1932 until 1954. A native of Kentucky, Akers received a Ph.D. from the Graduate Library School of the University of Chicago in 1932. She had worked in public libraries and in college and university libraries before receiving her Ph.D. and her appointment to the faculty at the University of North Carolina. In 1950-1951, Akers served as a library science consultant in Tokyo, Japan. In 1954-1955, she was visiting lecturer in library science at the University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

1889 Born on 3 April in Richmond, Ky. Parents: Clara Elizabeth Harris and James Tazewell Akers
1909 A.B., University of Kentucky
1909-1911 Taught in public schools in Murray, Ky., and Birmingham, Ala.
1911-1912 Assistant librarian, public library, Louisville, Ky.
1913 Certificate, Library School, University of Wisconsin
1913-1920 Librarian, Department of Hygiene, Wellesley College
1920-1922 Cataloger, University of North Dakota Library
1922-1928 Instructor and assistant professor, Library School, University of Wisconsin, and visitor, Wisconsin Library Commission
1932 Ph.D., Graduate Library School, University of Chicago
1931-1932 Associate professor, University of North Carolina School of Library Science
1932-1935 Professor and acting director, University of North Carolina School of Library Science
1942-1954 Professor and dean, University of North Carolina School of Library Science
1954-1984 Professor and dean emeritus, University of North Carolina School of Library Science
1950-1951 American Consultant to Library Science Workshop, Civil, Information, and Education Section, Department of the U.S. Army, Tokyo, Japan
1954-1955 Visiting lecturer in Library Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
1984 Died in Chapel Hill, N.C., on 30 January.
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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Scope and Content

Papers of Susan Grey Akers include correspondence and related papers, diaries, books and articles, biographical material about Akers, picture postcards, clippings, and photographs. The collection chiefly documents Akers's education and career as a librarian, library science professor, and dean of the School of Library Science at the University of North Carolina. The books and articles are mostly scholarly works on library cataloging. Also documented are Akers's travels in the United States, Europe, Japan, and Iran.

The diaries Akers kept while in Japan, 1950-1951, and Iran, 1954-1955, describe her social life and her work in libraries and library schools, as well as her travels. The collection contains many postcards, about half of which are picture postcards of library buildings.

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Contents list

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 1. Correspondence and Related Papers, 1902-1984.

About 300 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Correspondence and related items, such as school records, of Susan Grey Akers. Most of the papers found here are related to Akers's education or career. There are also a few family letters and personal letters from friends and colleagues.

Folder 1

1902-1905

Folder 2

1909-1911

Folder 3

1912-1914

Folder 4

1920-1931

Folder 5

1933-1947

Folder 6

1950-1953

Folder 7

1954-1959

Folder 8

1962-1984

Folder 9

Undated

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 2. Writings, 1920-1983.

About 50 items.

expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.1. Diaries, 1933-1983.

8 items.

Arrangement: chronological.

Diaries kept by Susan G. Akers when she was traveling and living abroad and a record, 1957-1983, of family Christmases. The copy filed after each diary is a photocopy on acid-free paper.

Folder 10

Diary, 27 July-10 September 1933

Folder 11

Copy of Diary, 27 July-10 September 1933

Folder 12

Diary, 11 July 1950-3 April 1951, 15 April 1952, 20 March 1953, and family Christmas record, 1957-1983

Folder 13

Copy of diary, 11 July 1950-3 April 1951 and family Christmas record, 1957-1983

Folder 14

Diary, 28 September 1954-17 April 1955

Folder 15

Copy of Diary, 28 September 1954-17 April 1955

Folder 16

Diary, 18 April-1 September 1955

Folder 17

Copy of Diary, 18 April-1 September 1955

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Subseries 2.2. Books and Articles, 1920-1969

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 3. Biographical and Family Historical Material, 1900-1984.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 4. Postcards, 1909-1960s and undated.

About 600 items.

Arrangement: by subject.

Picture postcards collected by Susan Grey Akers. About half are pictures of library buildings. The rest are mostly pictures of places Akers lived or visited.

Folder 50-51

Folder 50

Folder 51

Pictures of libraries

Folder 52

Chicago

Folder 53

Japan and Korea

Folder 54

Kentucky

Folder 55

New York and New Jersey

Folder 56

North Carolina

Folder 57

Pacific Northwest

Folder 58

Virginia

Folder 59

Other places

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 5. Clippings, 1940s-1970s.

About 100 items.

Arrangement: by subject.

Newspaper clippings collected by Susan Grey Akers. Most of the clippings on Chapel Hill history are from the Chapel Hill Weekly; most of those on North Carolina history are from the Greensboro Daily News.

Folder 60

Chapel Hill History

Folder 61-62

Folder 61

Folder 62

North Carolina

Folder 63

World War II

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 6. Pictures, 1897-1983.

About 50 items.

Arrangement: by subject.

Photographs and other pictures of Susan Grey Akers, members of her family, colleagues in the University of North Carolina School of Library Science, friends, and places she visited. There are six folders of loose pictures, two albums of pictures from her year in Japan, and one album from her year in Iran and further travels in the Middle East and southern Europe.

Image Folder P-4774/1

Akers, Susan Grey

Image Folder P-4774/2

Family Pictures

Image Folder P-4774/3

UNC Library School

Image Folder P-4774/4

Akers and others in Japan

Image Folder P-4774/5

People

Image Folder P-4774/6

Places

Photograph Album PA-4774/1

Album of pictures from Japan

Photograph Album PA-4774/2

Album of pictures from Japan

Photograph Album PA-4774/3

Album containing photographs, picture postcards, greeting cards, maps, clippings, and other material collected during Akers's travels in Iran, Syria, Egypt, Greece, and Italy in the 1950s.

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Series 7. Oversize

Extra Oversize Paper Folder XOPF-4774/1

Extra-oversize papers

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expand/collapse Expand/collapse Items Separated

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