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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 FAQ section for more information.
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Collection Overview
| Size | About 3,200 items (9.0 linear feet) |
| Abstract | Ridley R. Kessler, Jr., government documents librarian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1970-2003, was born in Hendersonville, N.C., in 1941. The collection is chiefly papers relating to the professional activities of Ridley R. Kessler, Jr. Kessler, who was very actively involved in the field of government documents librarianship, served as a member and officer of a number of professional associations, including the American Library Association's Government Documents Round Table (GODORT), the Government Printing Office's Depository Library Council to the Public Printer (DLC), and the Dupont Circle Group (DCG). Kessler also carried out A Survey of United States Regional Government Depository Libraries, 1987-1989; appeared before a number of congressional subcommittees to testify about services provided by the Government Printing Office's Federal Depository Library Program; and served as liaison from the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) to the Task Force on Restrictions on Access to Government Information. Materials include correspondence, reports, position papers, reorganization proposals, member surveys, bylaws, membership lists, notes, subject files, and other papers. There are also transcripts of the official public meetings of the DLC. A small number of personal papers are also included. |
| Creator | Kessler, Ridley R. |
| Language | English. |
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Information For Users
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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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Biographical Information
Ridley R. Kessler, Jr., was born in Hendersonville, N.C., in 1941. He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and earned a Bachelor's degree in 1964, a Master of Arts in Teaching in 1966, and a Master of Science in Library Science in 1970. In 1970, Kessler was hired by the Library of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill as Assistant Documents Librarian. In 1973, he was promoted to Federal Documents Librarian/Regional Depository Librarian for North Carolina, a position he would hold until his retirement in 2003. Additionally, he served as Assistant Head of Reference, 1993-2003.
Kessler was very actively involved in government documents librarianship at the national level and served as a member and/or officer of a number of professional associations, including the American Library Association's Government Documents Round Table (GODORT), the Government Printing Office's Depository Library Council to the Public Printer (DLC), the Dupont Circle Group (DCG), and the Task Force on Restrictions on Access to Government Information.
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Scope and Content
The collection is chiefly papers relating to the professional activities of Ridley R. Kessler, Jr., government documents librarian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 1970-2003. Kessler, who was very actively involved in the field of government documents librarianship, served as a member and officer of a number of professional associations, including the American Library Association's Government Documents Round Table (GODORT), the Government Printing Office's Depository Library Council to the Public Printer (DLC), and the Dupont Circle Group (DCG) and related bodies and conferences. In addition to his activities with these groups, Kessler also carried out "A Survey of United States Regional Government Depository Libraries," 1987-1989; appeared before a number of congressional subcommittees to testify about services provided by the Government Printing Office's Federal Depository Library Program; and served as liaison from the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) to the Task Force on Restrictions on Access to Government Information. Materials include correspondence, reports, position papers, reorganization proposals, member surveys, bylaws, membership lists, notes, subject files, and other papers. There are also transcripts of the official public meetings of the DLC. A small number of personal papers are also included.
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Series Quick Links
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Series 1. Personal Papers, 1973-2003.
Arrangement: by type.
Personal correspondence, resumes and biographical sketches, draft of an article, an incomplete collection of abstracts of supervised Master's papers, and other papers of Ridley Kessler. Some of the correspondence reflects a mixture of personal and professional concerns.
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Series 2. Subject Files, 1982-2001.
Arrangement: by type.
Subject files kept by Kessler consisting of a range of materials that may include correspondence, articles, position papers, reports, and handwritten notes.
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Series 3. American Library Association (ALA) and its Government Documents Round Table (GODORT), 1971-2000.
Arrangement: by type.
Correspondence, position papers, reports, handwritten notes, agenda, merger proposals, member surveys, bylaws, subject files, and other papers kept by Kessler while he was a member and officer of GODORT, the American Library Association's Government Documents Round Table.
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Subseries 3.1. Meetings, 1994-2000.
Arrangement: chronological.
Files containing correspondence, brochures, handouts, reports, position papers, travel materials, handwritten notes, and other materials relating to ALA/GODORT meetings attended by Kessler.
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Subseries 3.2. Administrative Materials, 1988-1998.
Arrangement: by type.
Correspondence, position papers, studies, member surveys, merger proposals, bylaws, and other papers kept by Kessler that are related to the organizational affairs and activities of GODORT. There is an extensive file concerning GODORT's proposed merger with the Association of Specialized and Cooperative Library Agencies (ASCLA).
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Subseries 3.3. Subject Files, 1971-1996.
Arrangement: chronological.
Subject files related to GODORT activities, concerns, and projects kept by Kessler. These contain a range of materials including correspondence, articles, position papers, reports, and handwritten notes.
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Series 4. Depository Library Council to the Public Printer, 1983-2000.
Arrangement: by type.
Correspondence, position papers, reports, handwritten notes, transcripts, agenda, recommendations, membership lists, bylaws, subject files, and other papers kept by Kessler while he was a member of the Depository Library Council to the Public Printer, an appointed advisory body designed to provide policy recommendations concerning the Government Printing Office's Federal Depository Library Program.
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Subseries 4.1. Meetings, 1983-1999.
Arrangement: chronological.
Files containing correspondence, brochures, handouts, reports, position papers, travel materials, handwritten notes, and other materials relating to Depository Library Council meetings attended by Kessler.
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Subseries 4.2. Meeting Transcripts, 1987-1990.
Arrangement: chronological.
Official transcripts of the public meetings of the Depository Library Council.
| Folder 67-70 |
April 1987 #05132, Subseries: "4.2. Meeting Transcripts, 1987-1990." Folder 67-70Folder 67Folder 68Folder 69Folder 70 |
| Folder 71-74 |
Fall Meeting, October 1987 #05132, Subseries: "4.2. Meeting Transcripts, 1987-1990." Folder 71-74Folder 71Folder 72Folder 73Folder 74 |
| Folder 75-78 |
Spring Meeting, March 1988 #05132, Subseries: "4.2. Meeting Transcripts, 1987-1990." Folder 75-78Folder 75Folder 76Folder 77Folder 78 |
| Folder 79-82 |
October 1988 #05132, Subseries: "4.2. Meeting Transcripts, 1987-1990." Folder 79-82Folder 79Folder 80Folder 81Folder 82 |
| Folder 83-86 |
March 1989 #05132, Subseries: "4.2. Meeting Transcripts, 1987-1990." Folder 83-86Folder 83Folder 84Folder 85Folder 86 |
| Folder 87-90 |
Fall Meeting, October 1989 #05132, Subseries: "4.2. Meeting Transcripts, 1987-1990." Folder 87-90Folder 87Folder 88Folder 89Folder 90 |
| Folder 91-94 |
April 1990 #05132, Subseries: "4.2. Meeting Transcripts, 1987-1990." Folder 91-94Folder 91Folder 92Folder 93Folder 94 |
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Subseries 4.3. Recommendations to the Public Printer, 1985-1990.
Arrangement: chronological.
Recommendations made to the Public Printer of the United States by the Depository Library Council.
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Subseries 4.4. Administrative Materials, 1987-1991.
Arrangement: by type.
Correspondence, membership lists, bylaws, and other papers related to the activities of the Depository Library Council kept by Kessler, who was an appointed member of the Council, 1987-1990, and served as its chair, 1989-1990. There is an extensive file containing correspondence and other materials concerning Robert Houk, Public Printer, 1990-1993.
| Folder 100 |
Bylaws, 1989-1992 #05132, Subseries: "4.4. Administrative Materials, 1987-1991." Folder 100 |
| Folder 101 |
Membership lists, 1987-1990 #05132, Subseries: "4.4. Administrative Materials, 1987-1991." Folder 101 |
| Folder 102-105 |
Correspondence, 1987-1991 #05132, Subseries: "4.4. Administrative Materials, 1987-1991." Folder 102-105Folder 102Folder 103Folder 104Folder 105 |
| Folder 106-107 |
Robert Houk, Public Printer, 1989-1991 #05132, Subseries: "4.4. Administrative Materials, 1987-1991." Folder 106-107Folder 106Folder 107 |
| Folder 108 |
Business file, 1988-1990 #05132, Subseries: "4.4. Administrative Materials, 1987-1991." Folder 108 |
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Subseries 4.5. Subject Files, 1983-2000.
Arrangement: by type.
Subject files related to Depository Library Council activities, concerns, and projects kept by Kessler. These files contain a range of materials including correspondence, articles, position papers, reports, and handwritten notes.
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Series 5. Dupont Circle Group, 1992-1996.
Arrangement: by type.
Correspondence, reports, policy statements, handwritten notes, and other materials kept by Kessler relating to his participation in the Dupont Circle Group (DCG) and related bodies and conferences. The DCG was an informal group of government depository librarians that met at the Washington, D.C., offices of the American Library Association in 1993 to discuss issues and problems associated with the Federal Depository Library Program. The issues addressed by the DCG grew out of the work of the Government Printing Office Focus Group and were further discussed by the DCG and GODORT's Ad Hoc Committee on Restructuring the Federal Documents Library Program at the Chicago Conference on the Future of Federal Government Information. In 1995, the Coalition of Many Associations (COMA) revised the Chicago conference's report in light of subsequent legislation and technical innovations.
| Folder 123-125 |
Government Printing Office Focus Group, 1992-1993 #05132, Series: "5. Dupont Circle Group, 1992-1996." Folder 123-125Folder 123Folder 124Folder 125 |
| Folder 126-129 |
Dupont Circle Group, 1993-1996 #05132, Series: "5. Dupont Circle Group, 1992-1996." Folder 126-129Folder 126Folder 127Folder 128Folder 129 |
| Folder 130-132 |
Chicago Conference on the Future of Federal Government Information, 1993 #05132, Series: "5. Dupont Circle Group, 1992-1996." Folder 130-132Folder 130Folder 131Folder 132 |
| Folder 133 |
Coalition of Many Associations, 1995 #05132, Series: "5. Dupont Circle Group, 1992-1996." Folder 133 |
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Series 6. Federal Regional Depository Library Program, 1981-2003.
Arrangement: by type.
Correspondence, meeting agenda, and other materials, including survey forms, data spread sheets, and a final report related to a survey of Regional Depository Libraries that are related to Kessler's professional service activities with the Federal Depository Library Program.
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Subseries 6.1. Organizational Materials, 1981-2003.
Arrangement: by type.
Correspondence, agenda, and other materials related to meetings and other activities of Regional Depository Librarians.
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Subseries 6.2. A Survey of United States Regional Government Depository Libraries, 1987-1989.
Arrangement: by type.
Correspondence, completed survey forms, data sheets, and a final report and presentation related to a general survey of 52 Regional Government Depository Libraries that Kessler carried out at the behest of a number of Regional Depository librarians.
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Series 7. Other Professional Organizations and Service Activities, 1986-2002.
Arrangement: by type.
Chiefly correspondence, reports, position papers, prepared remarks, and transcripts of congressional testimony that are related to Kessler's professional activities.
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Subseries 7.1. Other Professional Organizations, 1986-2002.
Arrangement: by type.
Chiefly correspondence with some reports, position papers, and presentations. Materials from the Task Force on Restrictions on Access to Government Information include reports and position papers issued by the library community in reaction to restrictions that the George W. Bush administration placed on government information. Kessler participated in the Task Force's work as the liaison from the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA).
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Subseries 7.2. Congressional Testimony, 1991-2000.
Arrangement: by type .
Correspondence, drafts of prepared texts, transcripts of congressional testimony, and other materials related to Kessler's three appearances before congressional subcommittees. He appeared on behalf of several national library associations, including the American Library Association, the American Association of Law Libraries, the Association of Research Libraries, the Medical Library Association, and the Special Library Association. His testimony focused on services provided by the Government Printing Office's Federal Depository Library Program. Correspondence is primarily between Kessler and the American Library Association about the specific content of his testimony and travel arrangements.