Lura Gibbons Currier Papers

• Subgroup I – Professional Materials

Series I: The Harvard School (Celo, North Carolina), 1947

Series II: Snohomish County Library (Washington State), 1948-49

Series III: Mt. Vernon Public Library (Washington State), 1948-53

Series IV: Mississippi Library Commission (Mississippi), 1949-69

Series V: Washington State Library Consultant (Washington), 1968-72

Series VI: University of Washington (Washington), 1967-72

Series VII: Pacific Northwest Bibliographic Center (PNBC) (Seattle, Washington), 1969-79

Series VIII: Post-PNBC Work, 1979-83

Series IX: American Library Association, 1950-71

Series X: Mississippi Library Association, 1952-74

Series XI: Alaska Library Association, 1971 Series XII: Canada Library Association, 1970-72

Series XIII: Oklahoma Library Association, 1954-72 Series XIV: Associations and Conferences, 1948-78

Series XV: Speeches and Speech Notes, 1953-81; Undated

Series XVI: Press Releases, 1949-1950; Undated

Series XVII: Published Materials, 1948-75; Undated

Series XVIII: Career Related Materials 1948-74

• Subgroup II – Personal Materials

Series I: Family and Friends Correspondence, 1952-74

Series II: Mississippi Southern College Correspondence, 1953-55

Series III: Mississippi-related Materials, 1950-83; Undated

Series IV: Civil Rights and Race Relations, 1944-72

Series V: Anecdotal Materials, 1959-83; Undated

Series VI: Personal Materials

The Papers are arranged into two subgroups: professional materials and personal materials. Subgroup I is divided into series according to the institutions which employed Currier, the professional organizations she belonged to, and her other career-related pursuits. The series of Subgroup I are as follows: The Harvard School (Celo, North Carolina), 1947; Snohomish County Library (Washington State), 1948-49; Mt. Vernon Public Library (Washington State), 1948-53; Mississippi Library Commission, 1949-69; Washington State Library Consultant, 1968-72; University of Washington, 1967-72; Pacific Northwest Bibliographic Center (PNBC)(Seattle, Washington), 1969-79; and Post-PNBC work, 1979-83. The subgroup continues with series of professional associations: American Library Association; Mississippi Library Association; Alaska Library Association; Canada Library Association; Oklahoma Library Association; Associations and Conferences (of a general nature); Speeches; Press Releases; Publications; Career Related Materials; and Library Information.

The first eight series correspond to the types of employment Currier held. The materials relating to the Harvard School, Snohomish County Library, and Mt. Vernon Public Library are groupings of only one or two folders and consist primarily of correspondence. Currier worked with the Mississippi Library Commission (MLC) for nearly eighteen years, and the papers related to that institution are much more extensive. This series contains correspondence and newspaper articles discussing the establishment of new libraries in Mississippi, regional library planning, and funding for public libraries. There is also information on Currier's application for the position of director, information on her resignation from that position, and materials which outline the standards and practices of the MLC.

The information pertaining to Currier's employment as Washington State Library Consultant and as visiting professor at the University of Washington is limited. The folders contain correspondence and brief reports on such topics as potential consolidations of small libraries and the content of the courses Currier taught, as well as an evaluation of Currier's performance as an instructor.

Currier's final position was Director of the Pacific Northwest Bibliographic Center (PNBC). Much of the correspondence sent and received during that ten year period (1969-79) is available in series 7. These letters discuss the holdings of member libraries, interlibrary loan activity, and statistics on requests. Also worth noting is a group of calendars, spanning the years 1970 to 1975 and 1979, which serve as travelogues. The calendars are a record of the meetings Currier attended and the trips she took. The folders of the series on the PNBC also contain reports on the institution (for example: Sharing Resources in the Pacific Northwest, 1970).

The series on Currier's post-PNBC career describes the work she did following her retirement from the PNBC in 1979. The folder contains letters to Currier requesting her services as a guest speaker and as an adviser on library matters. There is also a letter to Ted Koppel (ABC news anchor) concerning a speech he was to give at the annual conference of the Mississippi Economic Council in Jackson, Mississippi in 1983.

The remaining eleven series relate to Currier's library service outside of her occupational responsibilities. Currier belonged to many professional associations over the years. These included sections of the American Library Association as well as various state organizations such as the Mississippi Library Association. The series relating to these groups contain information on the committees Currier belonged to within the associations (for example: the ALA Library Extension Service Committee and the Public Libraries Division), and on her attendance and the speeches she gave at the conferences of these groups. In addition to the correspondence, the series also contain programs and name tags from the conferences and the bulletins of the associations.

The collected writings and speeches of Currier make up the next large series in the collection. There are near forty identified speeches, handwritten or typed, on paper and index cards. Ten folders of undated and untitled speeches have also been preserved. The speech topics include economic growth in the New South and its relation to libraries, the importance of librarians joining together to promote expansion of library services, and the benefits of a well-operated public library system. Following these speeches is a sub-series of speech notes. In many cases it was impossible to determine to which speech the notes pertained. The notes, therefore, are arranged simply by size, from index cards to regular sized paper.

Series 16 is a grouping of press releases (1949-50). Most of these were issued while Currier was employed at Mt. Vernon and were essential to her achievement of the John Cotton Dana Award for excellence in public relations activities. Some of the topics include a Christmas wish list for the public library, bookmobile service, and special library exhibits. The press releases are arranged in order from dated to undated material.

The published materials (1948-75) which follow the press releases are arranged in the same manner. These works consist of articles by Currier on the subject of public librarianship and published copies of her speeches. Many of these are found in library journals such as the Wilson Library Bulletin or Mississippi Library News.

The final series (18) on ancillary professional activities is entitled "Career Related Materials." It contains correspondence pertaining to positions of employment offered to Currier and employment recommendations she wrote for others. There is also a folder of notes concerning a work on Essae Martha Culver (Louisiana State Librarian, 1925-62) and a folder of unidentified audograms (five inch plastic recording discs). These miscellaneous items are followed by the final series in Subgroup I, a large collection of library information. There are newspaper articles on Mississippi libraries as well as librarianship around the country. Also included are pamphlets, fliers, operational manuals, and short and long reports on various topics. These items form a mini-collection on a broad range of issues relating to librarianship. They cover such topics as library development in Mississippi, American standard specifications for libraries, staff development, and planning-programming-budgeting systems. While they are valuable in understanding the kinds of problems Currier encountered in her work, they also provide a good insight into the subject of library service during this period.

For a glimpse into Currier's life outside oflibrary service one must consult Subgroup II -- personal materials. The first series contains correspondence between Currier, her family, and friends from 1952 to 1974. Notable are the annual Gibbons/ Currier Christmas letters (three of which are available). They provde details of family activities for the year. The second series of correspondence relates to Currier's alumni status with Mississippi Southern College.

The third series is related to information on Mississippi (1953-83). Often the information originates from outside sources, such as Washington newspapers, which indicate Currier's continued interest in the state even when she was not a resident. The subjects covered include: Mississippi's Head Start Program, the Merit Program, the Council on Human Relations, and local celebrity Fishbait Miller.

Collected materials on civil rights and race relations make up the fourth series of this subgroup. The folders contain articles, fliers, and reports which span the years of 1952 to 1972. There is also a folder of correspondence pertaining to the problems libraries encountered in complying with the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

The next series contains anecdotal material Currier collected for use in her speeches or simply out of personal interest. These include items such as editorial cartoons on the Watergate affair, "Letters From the Pastor" on subjects of morality which she clipped from church bulletins, and numerous collections of pithy one-liners such as "a bureaucrat is a man who thinks small and has a big staff," and "money's not all that's needed, but it is way ahead of whatever is in second place." Following these items is a series of fourteen photographs. Currier is featured in most of them, engaged in some sort of library service such as moving books, examining library materials, or meeting with other library workers.

The final two folders of Subgroup II contain the most personal items of the collection. There is a copy of the student newspaper of Mississippi Southern College, the Student Printz, of which Currier was the editor, dated the year that she graduated (1937).There is also Currier's calling card, an item of V-mail she received in 1944, and a few certificates of merit which she received -- one of which is from a course on Defensive Driving! The final items relate to Currier's mother-in-law, whom she remained close to throughout her life.