Library Home Page > Library Index A to Z > Archives Home Page > Guide to the Archives Collection

Bank Street College Archives: Record Group 4

RECORD GROUP 4
Institutional Advancement, 1918-2006
Quantity: 43 cubic feet

Biographical Note
Scope and Content Note
Descriptions
Container List

Photo: Round The Corner, a Bank Street Reader published in 1966.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE

The Division of Institutional Advancement encompasses the organizational units which are responsible for the production of educational materials, the development of a supportive alumni community, outreach to the public and fundraising for the College. Previously known as "External Affairs," it currently consists of four departments: Publications and Media, Alumni Relations, Development, and Communications.

The activities of the division have evolved over the last ninety years. One of the original activities of the Bureau of Educational Experiments was the publication of information bulletins. Under the direction of Jean Lee Hunt, the bulletins were published by the Department of Studies and Publications. In 1937, the department separated and the Division of Publications was formed. Materials for children as well as for parents and educators were published by the College. Formed in 1984, the Media Group combined the work of the Division of Publications with new ventures such as software. It is currently known as the Publications and Media Group.

During the tenure of President John Niemeyer, an increased focus was placed on external affairs at the College. Alumni associations were formed in New York and California in order to maintain the bond between the College and the growing alumni population, to encourage interaction between alumni of different classes and to allow for an organized way of giving to the College. However, the first official national alumni association was not formed until 1993.

The first director of development, Carol Truax, was hired by Niemeyer at the beginning of his presidency. This ensured that the College administration would play an active role in fundraising. While the College has long had an office of public information, the College’s public relations activities became a major priority during the presidency of Joseph Shenker.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

Record Group 4 consists of four subgroups: Publications and Media; Alumni; Development; and Communications. The records cover the time period from 1918-2006. The bulk of the records are from 1950-2000. Note that papers written by Bank Street faculty, but not published by the College, can be found in RG 10, Faculty and Staff Papers.

DESCRIPTIONS

SUBGROUP 1 Publications and Media

Since 1921, Bank Street has published materials to improve the quality of life for children and families. In 1950, publication of the Little Golden Books began. The Bank Street Readers, published in 1965, set a new standard as the first multi-racial, urban-oriented readers. By 1982, Bank Street broadened its scope of publications to include the Bank Street Writer, the first word-processing software package designed especially for children. Bank Street has also participated in the production of television programming for children on PBS.

The subgroup, Publications and Media, contains materials produced by the Publications and Media Division. These include: published books, newsletters, learning kits, software and audiovisual materials. Also included in this subgroup are the administrative records for the organizational divisions responsible for publication and production. There are six series within this subgroup: BSC Text Publications; BSC Learning Kits; BSC Software; Newsletters; Audiovisual Materials; and Administrative Records. Note that books published by Bank Street can be found in the Library.

SERIES A - BSC Text Publications (1918[1960-1999]2006) contains articles published by Bank Street, or reprinted for sale by Bank Street. It also includes occasional papers and booklets. Publications are arranged alphabetically by author or, for publications where no author is listed, arrangement is by title. Representative authors in this series include: Barbara Biber, Irma Black, Claudia Lewis, Charlotte Winsor, Louise Woodcock, Herbert Zimiles, Lucy Sprague Mitchell, John Niemeyer, Anne Mitchell, Joan Cenendella, Dorothy Cohen, Elizabeth Gilkeson, Harriet Johnson, Augusta Souza Kappner, Gordon Klopf, and Seymour Reit.

SERIES B - BSC Learning Kits (1967[1990-1993]) includes trading cards, posters and related curriculum materials arranged alphabetically.

SERIES C - BSC Software (1983-1988, 1994-1996) includes word processing software, educational databases and games, as well as instruction manuals and original packaging. Software media includes 5" and 3.5" floppy disks and CD ROMs. Specific program titles are: Bank Street Writer, Bank Street Mailer, Bank Street Speller, Wordbench, Bank Street Ready-to-Read, and Sunburst Communications Databases.

SERIES D - Newsletters (1934[1960-1999]2006) contains several newsletters created by various divisions and offices within the College. Titles include: Au Courant, Street Scenes, Bank Street Reporting, 69 Bank Street, Bank Notes, and Alumni Newsletters. The series is arranged alphabetically by title.

SERIES E - Audiovisual Materials contains films and videos produced by Bank Street College. Titles include: We're Here!, Safe Spaces, Math Learning Forums, Allegra's Window, Salty's Lighthouse. Due to preservation concerns, access to this series is restricted.

SERIES F - Administrative Records (1937-[1995]1999) includes correspondence, publishing contracts, reports, publications catalogs and brochures, and divisional meeting minutes. In addition, the series contains extensive records about the "We're Here!" documentary film project, including interview transcripts, research, planning documents, and administrative records.

SUBGROUP 2 Alumni Relations

SERIES A - Alumni Association (1932[1990-1998]) includes records of the national and regional alumni associations and events held by and for alumni. It includes alumni association handbooks, directories, brochures and membership cards, correspondence, meeting minutes, and reports.

SERIES B - Alumni Events (1962[1990-2005]) contains announcements and invitations for reunions, convocations, workshops, telethons, and national and regional alumni association meetings. It also includes VHS tapes of events.

SUBGROUP 3 Development

SERIES A - Correspondence (1956[1970-1975]1979) includes correspondence between development office staff and donors, as well as internal correspondence. General correspondence is arranged in chronological order, followed by correspondence with individuals/groups arranged alphabetically.

SERIES B - Reports (1951-2004) contains Annual Reports of the College as well as other reports pertaining to fundraising. The records are arranged alphabetically by the title of the report.

SERIES C - Proposals ([1963-1970]1997) contains grant proposals submitted by the Development Office for various Bank Street programs. Arrangement is alphabetical.

SERIES D - Events (1941[1953-2000]2005) contains announcements, invitations and programs for benefits, conferences and other College events. The series is arranged alphabetically.

SERIES E - Capital Campaigns (1953-1998) contains brochures and planning materials pertaining to various fundraising campaigns. Records are arranged in alphabetical order.

SUBGROUP 4 Communications

Subgroup 4 contains the records of the Communications Office and its predecessors, the Office of Public Information and the Office of Public Relations. It is arranged in five series: Correspondence and Reports, Press Clippings, Pamphlets and Brochures, Photo Archives, and Audiovisual Materials. The records cover the period from 1920 to 2005.

SERIES A - Correspondence and Reports (1958-2002) includes internal correspondence regarding the public image of the College, as well as external public relations correspondence and press releases. Also included in this series is correspondence with community groups such as the Morningside Heights Community Action Committee, the Morningside Renewal Council, and Morningside Heights, Inc.

SERIES B - Press Clippings (1921[1988-2005]) contains the publication Bank Street in the News and clippings compiled, reproduced and distributed by the Communications Office from 1988-2005. News coverage from the early periods is inconsistent, but there are a few early scrapbooks in the series. Clippings are arranged chronologically.

SERIES C - Pamphlets and Brochures (1930-2000) is comprised of general promotional materials describing the history and philosophy of Bank Street. General materials are arranged chronologically. Specific materials are arranged alphabetically.

SERIES D - Photo Archives (1920[1960-2000]) consists of photographs, negatives and contact sheets of major events, as well as photos of students and faculty taken for use in publications. This series includes photographs dating from the 1960s to the present. Photographs are arranged by subject.

SERIES E - Audiovisual Materials is comprised of videotapes of Bank Street events, television appearances by Bank Street faculty and staff, and raw footage for promotional materials. (Unprocessed)

CONTAINER LIST

CONTAINER LIST

 

Box	Subgroup	Series	Title/Contents	Date
1	1	A	Text publications by author, 118 folders	1924-2004
2			Text publications by author, 56 folders	1939-2006
			Text publications by title, 26 folders	1918-1990
3			Text publications by title, 41 folders	1946-1991
		B	Bank Street readers Duplicating Masters	1967
			NFL FACT card sets and kits, 10 folders	1990-1993
4		C	Peanuts, Bank Street Ready-to-Read, and One Small Square CD-ROMs	1994-1996
5			Sunburst Communications Bank Street Filer and databases, 10 packages	1986-1988
6		D	Various Newsletters, 63 folders	1934-2006
7 – 15		E	Audiovisual Materials (unprocessed)
16		C	Bank Street Software, 8 folders	1983-1988
		F	Application for Registration of Copyright- Cartoon Test	Ca. 1950s
			Awards, 5 folders	1994-1999
			Brochures, 3 folders	Ca. 1960s-1980s
			Catalogs & price lists, 2 folders	n.d.
			Correspondence, 2 folders	1937-1990
			Studies & Publications Division Meeting Minutes	1947
			Publishing Contracts	1947-1950, 1996-1997
17			We’re Here! Project Administrative Records, 65 folders	1995
18	2	A	Alumni Association Brochure	n.d.
			Alumni Association Handbooks, 5 folders	1992-1998
			Alumni Directories, 4 folders	1960-1994
			Minutes and other records of various local alumni groups and committees, 25 folders.	1956-1998
		B	Alumni Events, 8 folders	1962-2005
19			VHS recordings	1997-2003
20	3	A	Correspondence, 9 folders	1956-1979
		B	Annual Reports, 24 folders	1951-2000
			Development Reports, 10 folders	1954-2004
		C	Grant proposals, 14 folders	1963-2000
21		D	Event programs and planning materials, 62 folders	1941-2006
			Inauguration, 7 folders	1989-1996
		E	Capital Campaign appeals and materials, 23 folders	1953-1998
22	4	A	Correspondence, 10 folders	1961-2002
			Morningside Heights Correspondence, 5 folders	1963-1969
			Press Releases, 2 folders	1958-2002
		B	Early Clippings, 5 folders	1939-1970
			Bank Street in the News, 35 folders	1987-1998
23			BEE Publicity Book	1921-1926
24			News Clipping Scrapbook	c1940s
25			News Clipping Scrapbook	1963-1965
26			News Clipping Scrapbook	1950s
26A			Bank Street in the News, 1 oversized scrapbook	1987
27			Bank Street in the News, 32 folders	1998-2005
		C	Pamphlets, 6 folders	1930s-1990s
			75th Anniversary Calendar, 1 folder	1990
			Biographies, 1 folder	2000
			A Brief History of Bank Street, 3 folders	1980-1984
			Fact Sheets, 1 folder	1965-1977
			School within a College Brochure, 1 folder	1990
			Testimonials, 1 folder	1962-1964
			Internal Pamphlet, 1 folder	n.d.
28		D	Alumni (54 folders)	1960s-1990s
			Faculty & Staff (67 folders)	1940s-2000