Introduction

The records of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) span the years 1910-2019. The records include correspondence, project and program files, fellowship and grant files, reports, committee files, memoranda, meeting minutes and agendas, constituent society files, notes, surveys and questionnaires, newspaper clippings, photographs, foundation and organization files, fundraising files, publication files, articles, newsletters, speeches and testimonies, administrative files, financial material, and trip files. There are four parts which overlap in type of material and chronology and are differentiated by their receipt by the Library and their processing history. All parts are arranged by series according to office of origin or type of records included. The container lists for Part II and Part III exist in two forms: a spreadsheet, with a listing of the contents to the subfolder level, and an index providing an alphabetical listing of the contents. Although there are separate parts and series, many of them contain very similar types of materials, often related to the same projects and committees. As such, it is important to do a key word search for any subjects of particular interest. For example, although there is an entire series for the Dictionary of American Biography (DAB) in Part I, records related to the DAB are also located in different series throughout Parts I, II, and III.

The records are comprehensive, showing the changing priorities of the organization and how it has functioned over time. They cover the administration of the ACLS, and as such are replete with the records of presidents and vice presidents as well as general office files and reading files, which consist of outgoing correspondence and memoranda.

Major topics of interest represented are American studies, history, the humanities, international and area studies, libraries and archives, education, linguistics, musicology and fine arts, constitutionalism, and religious studies. The ACLS aided in the development of many projects related to these topics, including bibliographies, dictionaries, encyclopedias, linguistic atlases, translation projects, indexes, and directories. Because the ACLS focuses heavily on fellowships and grants, there are many records related to foundations and granting organizations. Highlighted are the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation, the Guggenheim Foundation, and the Rockefeller Foundation. The international focus of the ACLS is also highlighted with the inclusion of projects involving Chinese and East Asian studies, Slavic and Eastern European studies, Latin American studies, Indic and Iranian studies, South and Southeast Asian studies, and African studies. Finally, these files show collaboration between the ACLS and the United States government, especially in relation to the National Endowment for the Humanities, which the ACLS helped establish in 1964.

Part I

Part I of the collection, which has materials dating from 1910 to 1976, features the earliest ACLS records. It is organized into eleven series in the following order: Formative Period , General Office File I , Dictionary of American Biography , General Office File II , General Office File III , Reading Files , President's Office Files , Vice President's Office Files , Executive Associate's Office Files , Financial Records , and Manuscripts . Individuals featured prominently in this part of the collection are Edward C. Armstrong, Frederick Burkhardt, D. H. Daugherty, John Erskine, Charles H. Haskins, William Arthur Heidel, Mortimer Graves, Waldo Gifford Leland, James N. Settle, Gordon B. Turner, and George M. Whicher.

The Formative Period files feature records from the beginning of the organization, including materials related to its creation and incorporation. This series also details the council's early relations with other organizations, including the Medieval Academy of America and the Social Science Research Council. The ACLS was created specifically to represent the United States in the Union Académique Internationale (UAI), which is featured heavily in this series. These records also include the earliest ACLS materials related to the Conference of Secretaries (yearly meetings with representatives of constituent societies and head ACLS staff, termed Conference of Administrative Officers in 1988).

The general office files in Part I focus heavily on committees and projects. Organizations and committees featured prominently are the American Historical Association, Medieval Academy of America, and Committee on the History of Religions. World War II and the postwar years are emphasized through committee records that link to the Monuments Men (particularly the Committee on the Protection of Cultural Treasures in War Areas), as well as records related to the Works Progress Administration. American Indian studies are highlighted, as this was one of the main early focus areas of the organization. Also featured is the Commission on the Humanities, which the ACLS developed together with the Council of Graduate Schools in America and the United Chapters of Phi Beta Kappa and which eventually led to the establishment of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The files of Waldo Gifford Leland are included throughout the general office series, as well as materials related to the Executive Committee, Advisory Board, and Board of Directors.

Some series are differentiated according to their office of origin. The President's Office Files focus on the presidency of Frederick Burkhardt. Highlighted are the Corning Conference, language programs, Latin American studies, Council for the Study of Mankind, and the Committee on Secondary Schools. Gordon B. Turner is featured in the Vice President's Files . This series covers Turner's work on many international projects and conferences, focusing on projects devoted to Slavic, Russian, and Eastern European studies. Many of the files in this series focus on translation programs, secondary education, and libraries. The files of the Executive Assistant include files from D. H. Daugherty (through 1966) and James N. Settle (after 1966). Summer institutes and the Union Académique Internationale are both featured prominently in this series. More files related to Frederick Burkhardt, Gordon B. Turner, and James N. Settle can be found in Part II.

Other series in Part I are differentiated by type of material. The largest series focuses on the Dictionary of American Biography , a decades-long publication project backed by the ACLS that gave biographical overviews of important individuals from American history. As an early editor of the publication, Allen Johnson is prominently featured in this series, which contains materials related to the DAB through supplement 5. The Financial Records series includes grants to the ACLS and treasurer's reports. Organizations of note included in this series are the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Rockefeller Foundation. The Manuscripts series highlights ACLS publication projects, many of which were probably a part of translation programs. There is also printed matter, including some pamphlets and booklets published by and about the ACLS.

Part II

Part II, which has materials dating from 1946 to 1997, is organized into the following series: President's Office Files , Vice President's Office Files , General Office Files , Dictionaries , and Reading Files . Subjects that are especially prominent in this part of the collection include American studies, international and area studies, literature and linguistics, libraries and archives, comparative communist studies, comparative constitutionalism, education, and the travel grant program. The Ford Foundation, International Research and Exchanges Board, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Rockefeller Foundation, and Social Science Research Council are also heavily present. During the time period represented in this part of the collection, the ACLS developed the National Enquiry into Scholarly Communication, Office of Scholarly Communication and Technology, and Universities Service Centre in Hong Kong. The general office files also contain a collection of historical materials for the ACLS, with records dated from 1920 to 1961.

The President's Office Files in Part II also contain materials from the office of Frederick Burkhardt, as well as numerous other ACLS presidents. The Frederick Burkhardt files show a focus on international congresses and the Universities Service Centre in Hong Kong. The Stanley N. Katz files, which make up the bulk of this series, are especially strong in terms of articles, speeches, and testimonies by the president. There are numerous trip files, especially documenting travel to Eastern Europe and Asia. This subseries also holds files related to a project on the writings of Waldo Gifford Leland, and is heavy on correspondence as well as materials related to American studies, the International Research and Exchanges Board, and the Organization of American Historians. R. M. Lumiansky and John William Ward's records both include a number of materials related to the National Endowment for the Humanities. The general subseries consists of material found together covering numerous presidencies, indicating shared custody.

The Vice President's Office Files cover the vice presidencies of Douglas Greenberg and Gordon B. Turner. Douglas Greenberg's files in Part II have a strong focus on the comparative constitutionalism project, education projects, libraries, the National Humanities Alliance, and materials related to New Jersey commissions. Materials related to the National Endowment for the Humanities congressional hearings for reauthorization in the late 1980s can also be found in Greenberg's files. In Part II, Gordon B. Turner's files include materials related to international projects and conferences with an emphasis on Chinese, Eastern European, Slavic, Soviet, and Latin American studies. These files also show a focus on education, comparative communist studies, and the travel grant program. There are many trip files included.

Particularly notable in the General Office Files are the files of Jason H. Parker and James N. Settle , executive assistant and executive associate. Jason H. Parker was involved with many projects and committees related to Chinese, Slavic, Russian, Soviet, and Eastern European studies. His files also include numerous materials related to Unesco. Featured prominently in James N. Settle's files are materials related to the Conference of Secretaries, constituent societies, fellowship and grant programs, and religious studies. The General Office Files in Part II also contain materials related to constituent societies.

The Dictionaries files are related to numerous ACLS publication projects: Dictionary of American Biography , Dictionary of American Economic History , Dictionary of American Foreign Policy , Dictionary of American History , Dictionary of American Writers , Dictionary of Scientific Biography , and Dictionary of the Middle Ages .

Part III

Part III, which has materials dating from 1942 to 2011, is organized into the following series: President's Office Files , Vice President's Office Files , General Office Files , Reading Files , and Digital Files . Subjects that are especially prominent in this part of the collection include American studies, international and area studies, copyright law and free speech, libraries, philanthropy, technology, constitutionalism, and education. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Ford Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities, Rockefeller Foundation, and Social Science Research Council are also heavily present.

The President's Office Files in Part III feature files from John H. D'Arms , Stanley N. Katz , Francis Oakley , and John William Ward , as well as their staff. The Stanley N. Katz files make up the bulk of this series, and highlight a number of subjects including arts, constitutionalism, copyright law and fair use, education, history, law, libraries, and philanthropy. This subseries is heavy on correspondence as well as materials related to state humanities councils, university presses, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Humanities Alliance. The John H. D'Arms subseries contains files from several conversations he held regarding the future of the humanities and the ACLS, many with recently tenured university faculty. Other files related to these conversations can be found in the Steven C. Wheatley subseries within the Vice President's Office Files . The General subseries consists partially of material found together covering numerous presidencies, indicating shared custody. It also contains the files of presidents' assistants, which consist largely of materials related to the Board of Directors, Executive Committee, and Conference of Administrative officers, as well as meeting files.

The Vice President's Office Files in Part III cover the vice presidencies of Steven C. Wheatley , Douglas Bennett , and Douglas Greenberg . Steven C. Wheatley's files make up the vast majority of this series. Before he was vice president, Wheatley served as the director of the American Studies Department at the ACLS, and kept many of the files from that department in his custody when he became vice president. Other subjects, projects, and programs that feature heavily in this subseries include constitutionalism, historical documents, Chinese studies, electronic publishing, and various Vietnam program files including those from the Vietnam Fulbright program. There are also many files related to donors and organizations. Both the Douglas Greenberg and Steven C. Wheatley subseries include materials related to American National Biography , and Douglas Bennett's files focus on administrative topics, copyright law and fair use, education, and electronic projects. The General subseries consists of material created by vice presidents' assistants as well as material found together that covers numerous vice presidencies, indicating shared custody.

The General Office Files primarily contain materials related to constituent societies, projects and programs, and committees. The Constituent Societies subseries features materials from the Conference of Administrative Officers, developed in 1988 as a way to maintain relationships amongst the constituent societies and ACLS, partially through semi-annual meetings that were previously referred to as Conference of Secretaries meetings. Also included are materials related to book and journal donations to Africa and Eastern Europe during the 1980s and 1990s. The Education Department subseries features projects related to primary and secondary schools as well as higher education. The Committee on Scholarly Communication with the People's Republic of China subseries contains some Chinese language materials. Along with the Fellowship and Grant Programs Office files, this subseries highlights fellowship recipients' reports, correspondence, and project descriptions, including firsthand accounts of American scholars studying in China during the Tiananmen Square Incident of 1989.

The Digital Files series contains files from vice president Steven C. Wheatley, primarily related to American studies and the Vietnam Fulbright program. Most files are in Microsoft Word (.doc) format.

Part IV

Part IV spans the years 1927-2019, with the bulk of the material dating from 2002 to 2019. It documents the tenure and office of ACLS president Pauline Yu, who led the organization from 2003 to 2019. As with the other parts of this collection, Part IV contains material covering the administration of the ACLS organization, coordination of fellowships and grants, development of projects and programs, and collaboration with various foundations. The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, Henry Luce Foundation, Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation for International Scholarly Exchange, Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, and Teagle Foundation are all notably represented. Prominent subjects in this part include Chinese and East Asian studies, international programs, the future of the humanities, and the centennial celebrations of ACLS in 2019. Part IV is arranged into three series: President's Office Files, Digital Files, and Historical Material.

The President's Office Files and Digital Files series contain overlapping and complementary material covering organizational planning, fellowship and funding administration, and external foundation collaboration, as well as meetings and events organized by and participated in by Yu. Part IV also includes a 1927 copy of the survey of American learned societies in draft manuscript form and sent from the office of ACLS president Waldo Gifford Leland to the Carnegie Corporation of New York.