Re: general reference inquiries, 1925 - 1928

These papers consist of general and specific correspondence, 1935-1944, as well as information on federal aid to libraries, 1935-1939; on John Cotton Dana Day in 1935; on the appointment of Archibald MacLeish as Librarian of Congress, 1939; on various personnel problems in the early 1940s, and on her resignation in 1942. The general and specific correspondence include letters to and from Winser, the bulk of which is professional in nature, including her views on the roles of women in libraries (1918); letters regarding her term on Board of the American Library Association (1930-1935); reference queries to Winser and Dana (1925-1928); material on the death of John Cotton Dana as well as correspondence with the Schoolmen's Club regarding a tablet erected in Dana's honor; a "memorandum" book with notes and a few photographs (ca. 1925); and a bookplate designed for Beatrice Winser by John Cotton Dana.

Three folders of correspondence, reports, and statements exist regarding federal aid to libraries (1935-1939), which Winser opposed; and one folder of correspondence (1940) exists regarding library assistants assigned to the Newark Public Library through the WPA.

"John Cotton Dana Day" was celebrated on October 6, 1935, and Winser was actively involved in its planning. Her papers contain correspondence, addresses, programs, invitations, etc…

In 1939 President Roosevelt appointed Archibald McLeish, the poet, as the Librarian of Congress. Winser vehemently opposed this appointment on the grounds that he lacked any library experience. Included in these papers are correspondence, clippings, statements, etc…, as well as copies of her open letter to the President.

A significant portion of this collection is related to Winser's abrupt resignation from the Newark Public Library in 1942, after 53 years of employment. Her resignation was due to a dispute with the Board of Trustees regarding various personnel issues. Publicly, Winser's rationale for her resignation was summed up by the question: "Does the Librarian or the Board of Trustees manage the staff of the Library?" Privately, she stated that "religion and politics [had] entered the doors of the Public Library of Newark ... The Catholic Church is no longer a religion but a powerful political body and is getting an strangle-hold on the United States." (BW to the Right Rev. Beverley D. Tucker, Jr., Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio, September 12, 1942.) Marguerite L. Gates, a librarian and an assistant to Winser, resigned at the same time. At the time of Winser's resignation, Dr. Samuel L. Hamilton of 240 Montclair Avenue, a Professor of Education at New York University, was chairman of the Library's Board of Trustees.

Materials relating to the resignation of Miss Winser in 1942 include correspondence to and from Winser and library staff, Newark school librarians, and librarians and friends from across the country; resolutions and statements from NPL staff and staff associations; and press releases, letters to the editor, etc…