Skip to main content

Miriam Studley Collection

 Collection
Identifier: MG Studley-(Main)

Scope and Contents

This collection contains newspaper clippings from Miriam Studley’s “When Newark Was Younger” column, which appeared in the Newark Sunday News from 1949 to 1950, as well as related articles written by other authors. It also contains Miriam Studley’s series on New Jersey inventors, which appeared in the Newark Sunday News in 1951-1952.

This collection is organized in two series:

Series I: When Newark Was Younger, 1949-1950
Series I is organized into two subseries. Subseries I: Studley’s Articles includes clippings from “When Newark Was Younger” by Miriam Studley. This subseries includes individual clippings as well as a scrapbook of clippings. Subseries II: Related Articles contains articles by other authors related to “When Newark Was Younger,” including broadcast announcements and responses. This subseries also includes a list of all articles from the “When Newark Was Younger” column.

Series II: N.J. Inventors, 1951-1952
Bulk dates: 1951
Series II includes clippings from a series of newspaper articles about New Jersey inventors by Miriam Studley.


Dates

  • 1949 - 1952
  • Majority of material found within 1949 - 1951

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers wishing to publish, reproduce, or reprint materials from this collection must obtain permission.

Biographical / Historical

Miriam Van Arsdale Studley (1899-1984) was the first director of the New Jersey room at the Newark Public Library from 1951-1966. She also ran the NJ collections from 1943. Studley was born in Amoy, China to Anglican missionaries, went to school in the Philippines, and graduated from Vassar College. She spent some time working as a teacher and did her graduate work in library science at Columbia University. Studley worked at New York Public Library, before moving to Newark Public Library around 1931. At Newark Library, Studley began in the children’s room. In 1936, the library celebrated George Washington’s Bicentennial and the Newark Charter Celebration, which spurred an interest in local history. From then on, Studley worked with the New Jersey collections at NPL. From 1949-1950, Studley wrote a column for the Newark Sunday News called “When Newark Was Younger.”

In 1960, Studley was appointed a member of the NJ Tercentenary advisory committee by Gov. Meyner. In 1964, Studley published Historic New Jersey Through Visitors’ Eyes. She also helped edit John T. Cunningham’s famous 1966 book Newark and helped numerous other authors and historians. After Studley retired in 1966, she helped organize the Stevens Papers at the New Jersey Historical Society and worked on a bibliography on African Americans in New Jersey. In 1969, she was secretary of a committee founded to collect historical materials from African American history for the Historical Society. In 1975, she received an honorary degree from Kean University.

Throughout her career, Studley travelled the state with talks and courses about local history and librarianship, and was active in the NJ Folklore Club. She also had a great interest in nature and hiking and was active in the Interstate Hiking Club for many years, writing columns for the Paterson Morning Call, detailing the hikes of the group.

Extent

1.42 Linear Feet (2 Boxes) : 1 Oversize Flat Box, 1 Half Hollinger Box

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

The Miriam Studley Collection includes articles from Studley’s Newark Sunday News column “When Newark Was Younger”, as well as related articles. The collection also includes clippings from Studley’s series of newspaper articles about New Jersey inventors.

Processing Information

Newspaper clippings were originally part of the NJ Room’s Information Clipping File. That section was overhauled in 2025. This collection was processed in July 2025 and has been digitized.

Title
Miriam Studley Collection
Status
Completed
Author
Emilie Puja, Beth Zak-Cohen, and Vanessa Castaldo
Date
July 2025
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin

Repository Details

Part of the Charles F. Cummings New Jersey Information Center, Newark Public Library Repository

Contact:
3rd Floor
Newark Public Library
5 Washington St.
Newark NJ 07102 United States
973-733-7775