Scope and Content Note
The papers of Luther Harris Evans span the years 1918-1981, with the bulk of the material dating from 1925 to 1953. The collection documents Evans's personal and professional career as an academic, director of the Historical Records Survey, member of the executive board and advisor to the United States delegation to UNESCO, and in various leadership positions at the Library of Congress. The papers are primarily in English, with some German and Spanish. The collection is organized into four series: Academic File, Federal Career, Printed Matter, and Oversize.
The collection largely adheres to the original arrangement by Evans, based mostly on the trajectory of his academic and professional career. As a result, personal correspondence, biographical material, and non-professional materials are often interfiled chronologically according to the institution or organization he was associated with at a given time.
The collection's series are listed and briefly described below. A fuller description of each series and a list of its contents can be accessed in the series descriptions within the container list.
The Academic File series documents Evans's academic career as both a student and instructor.
The Federal Career series documents Evans's involvement in the Work Projects Administration Historical Records Survey and UNESCO, and his career at the Library of Congress.
The remaining series contains Printed Matter and Oversize material.