Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
The papers of Virginia H. Mathews were given to the Library of Congress by Mathews in 2009.
Processing History
The papers of Virginia H. Mathews were arranged and described by Kathleen O'Neill with the assistance of Tracey Barton, Jake Bozza, Maria Farmer, and Kimberly Owens in 2018. The collection came to the Library with preservation issues including a significant amount of acidic paper and rusty paper fasteners as well as evidence of exposure to dirt, insects, and water. The entire collection was vacuumed, acidic papers were photocopied, and the majority of rusty paper clips and staples were removed.
Approximately one-third of the material arrived with no discernible order and had to be item sorted. The remaining material was largely organized alphabetically by project, organization name, or type of material. However, materials on the same subject or project were filed in multiple locations. This arrangement reflects the fact that Mathews held positions in both the National Book Committee and the American Book Publishers Council simultaneously. The National Book Committee, American Book Publishers Council, and American Library Association regularly worked on projects together, further complicating the relationship between the contents of Mathews's papers. In addition, the materials arrived arranged in both chronological and reverse chronological order. Given the complex relationships represented in the papers, the decision was made during processing to retain most of the organization and chronology of the papers as received. In many cases the original folder titles were retained and reflect the language and terminology in use at the time of creation.
Transfers
Audio and video recordings have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division. All transfers are identified in this division as part of the Virginia H. Mathews papers.
Preferred Citation
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, Virginia H. Mathews Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.