Department of English Records, 1872-2017

Contents and Arrangement

Collection Overview

Creator:: Princeton university, Department of English
Title:: Department of English Records
Repository:: Princeton University Archives
Permanent URL:: http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dr26xx379
Dates:: 1872-2017
Size:: 34 boxes and 1 websites
Storage Note:: Mudd Manuscript Library (scamudd): Box 1-34
Language:: English

Abstract: The papers of Princeton University's English Department document the many varied aspects of one of Princeton's largest academic departments. With some writings that pre-date the Department's formal establishment in 1904, the collection includes faculty meeting and sub-committee minutes; faculty personnel papers and correspondence; the papers of many prominent faculty members, which include class lectures, syllabi, and original scholarship; records of departmental majors; student work; and scrapbooks of publicity and memorabilia about the Department, its faculty, staff, and students, both undergraduate and graduate.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Description:

The Papers of Princeton University's English Department document the many varied aspects of one of Princeton's largest academic departments. With some writings that pre-date the Department's formal establishment in 1904, the collection includes faculty meeting and sub-committee minutes; faculty personnel papers and correspondence; the papers of many prominent faculty members, which include class lectures, syllabi, and original scholarship; records of departmental majors; student work; general and topical English examinations; and scrapbooks of publicity and memorabilia about the Department, its faculty, staff, and students, both undergraduate and graduate.

Collection Creator Biography:

Princeton university, Department of English

The English Department of Princeton University was founded by University President Woodrow Wilson in 1904. Although courses in English and American literature had been offered at Princeton since as early as 1864, the Department flourished after Wilson's appointment of seven distinguished Preceptors of English in 1905. Since that time, Princeton has remained one of the top English faculties in the nation, recognized especially for its combined emphases on scholarship and teaching. Through the twentieth century the Department has been noted for its contributions to philology, literary history, American Studies, literary theory, and most recently, feminist scholarship and theory. Graduate study has been a major component of the Department's life since the foundation of the Graduate School (1901), and English has always remained one of the University's most popular undergraduate concentrations.

Collection History

Acquisition:: The provenance of the Department's papers is varied. Official meeting minutes, personnel and correspondence files, and Department scrapbooks were the property of the Department. These series retain the form and organization in which they were kept by the Department. Papers of individual faculty members which were left either to the Department or to colleagues and came with this material have been transferred to the Manuscripts Unit, Special Collections, at Firestone Library.
Appraisal: Appraisal has been conducted according to Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library guidelines.
Processing Information: This collection was processed by Peter E. McCullough in March, 1991. Finding aid written by Peter E. McCullough in March, 1991. Additions processed by Christie Peterson with assistance from Eleanor Wright '14 between November 2010 and January 2011.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

Materials older than 30 years that do not pertain to student academic performance or discipline, trustee issues, or faculty personnel matters are open. Minutes of the Faculty in Series 1: Departmental, Faculty and Committee Minutes are restricted for 50 years. All files in Series 3: Faculty Personnel Files are closed until 100 years after the person's year of birth or 5 years after the person's year of death, whichever is longer. All files in Series 4: Departmental Major Cards and some files in Series 10: Faculty Members' Files are closed until 100 years after the person's year of birth or 5 years after the person's year of death, whichever is longer.

Restrictions beyond 30 years are noted in the relevant series or subseries descriptions and in the folder list.

Conditions Governing Use

Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. For quotations that are fair use as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission to cite or publish is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. If copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers will not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with non-commercial use of materials from the Mudd Library. For materials where the copyright is not held by the University, researchers are responsible for determining who may hold the copyright and obtaining approval from them. If you have a question about who owns the copyright for an item, you may request clarification by contacting us through the Ask Us! form.

Credit this material:

Department of English Records; Princeton University Archives, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:

http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/dr26xx379

Location: