L. Spencer Goble, Trustee, 1888-1891

The collection consists of photographs of the Newark Public Library, including its buildings, branches, departments, directors, staff members, trustees, patrons, programs, exhibits, etc… Some of the photographs were used in three major publications: "More Power: Report of the Newark Public Library, 1946-1952," “At Your Service: Report of the Newark Public Library, 1943-1957,” and "This Is To Be a People's Library," another report written by John C. Cunningham and published in honor of the Library's 75th anniversary in 1963.

The bulk of the images from the 1930s onwards are black and white, 8" x 10" professional photographs; the collection also contains a few older sepia-toned mounted photographs, a few negatives, some slides, and a small amount of correspondence and printed material. Many of the photographs from the 1940s through the early 1960s were taken by Ann Zane Shanks (b. 1927). The photographs from the 1990s and 2000s are mostly 4” x 6” color prints, along with negatives, digital images on diskettes, slides, etc…