Collection inventory

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Syracuse University Library Henry O. and Mary J. O'Bryon Sibley Files

An inventory of their files at the Syracuse University Archives.

Finding aid created by: Katie Swingly
Date: 2015

Revision history:

Historical Note

Syracuse University was founded in 1870 and for the first twenty years only amassed two thousand volumes in a small library in the Hall of Languages. In 1889, Henry Orrin Sibley became the first full-time librarian of the von Ranke Library of Syracuse University, a new building designed by Archimedes Russell. This library was founded with the acquisition of the working library of German historian Leopold von Ranke. The collection was shipped from Berlin and included nineteen tons of materials. In the early years of the library, Sibley classified and catalogued materials according to original methods. His wife and Syracuse University alumna Mary J. O'Bryon Sibley was appointed assistant of the University library in 1892. In 1895, Henry O. Sibley consulted with librarians from leading universities in order to ascertain their classification practices. He was specifically interested in their use of the Dewey Decimal Classification System. He chose to adopt the Dewey Decimal System, which was used in Syracuse University Libraries until the adoption of the Library of Congress Classification System in 1962. Henry Sibley suffered from ill health for most of his life and became unable to perform his duties. In 1904, Mary Sibley was named acting University Librarian. Henry Sibley died the following year. Mary Sibley retired in 1913.

Scope and Content Note

The Syracuse University Library Henry O. and Mary J. O'Bryon Sibley Files contain materials from their time as administrators of the Syracuse University Library. Materials include correspondence with publishers, catalogues of library materials, and requests for materials from faculty. Also included are materials on the daily operation of the library, including employee schedules and periodical indexes.

Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.

Related Material

The personal papers of Henry and Mary Sibley can be found in the Henry O. and Mary J. O'Bryon Sibley Papers, also in the University Archives.

Selected Search Terms

Names

Sibley, Henry O.
Sibley, Mary J. O'Bryon.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.
Syracuse University. -- Libraries.

Types of Material

Correspondence.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

Syracuse University Library Henry O. and Mary J. O'Bryon Sibley Files,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

There is no documentation as to how this collection was acquired.

Processing Information

Materials were placed in acid-free folders and boxes.

Arrangement

The items are arranged in alphabetical order.

Table of Contents

Files

Inventory