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Publications and Research John Jay College of Criminal Justice

2008

Crime in the Library! The Special Collections of Lloyd Sealy Library, John Jay College of Criminal Justice/CUNY: A Repository Profile.

Ellen H. Belcher CUNY John Jay College

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This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Page 25 REPOSITORY PROFILES Crime in the Library: The Special Collections of the Lloyd Sealy Library, John Jay College of Cri1ninal Justice/CUNY

The Ruth St. Denis Collection at the Adelphi University Archives and Special Collections

Crime in the Library: The Special Collections of the Lloyd Sealy Library, John Jay College of Criminal Justice By Ellen H. Belcher Introduction Started as a small collection of books to support the New York Police Department (NYPD) Police Academy, the library of John Jay College of Criminal Justice has had a rich history and built important collections in just over four decades. The library has always had a mission to collect comprehensively in criminal justice and its collections have paralleled the college in the scholarly development of the field. The library holds the papers and publications of prisoners and prison wardens; criminals and policemen; Photograph of Sergeant Edu:ard 0. Shibles, NYPD. From The Shibles scholars of criminal behavior and supporters of Family Papers, Lloyd Sealy Library . crime victims. Together, these primary materials document the process of crime, its prevention, comprehensively and retrospectively. Together on investigation, prosecution, and punishment on an these shelves, are first-hand accounts of prison life international scale. and criminal activity; the writings oflaw enforcement The Library was named for Lloyd George Sealy, and corrections practitioners; Renaissance criminal an African American who rose through the ranks law texts; pamphlets on criminal court proceedings; of the NYPD, eventually commanding a Harlem a nd foundational works on forensic science, fire precinct and the Brooklyn South Patrol Division. science, and criminology. After retiring from the force, he became a beloved Of the titles distinctive in both their original professor and scholar of Law and Police Science at binding and uniqueness in this country some John Jay, and spent long hours conducting research examples are: De Tocqueville and Beaumont and assisting students in the Library. On January (1831) Du systeme penitentiaire aux Etas-Unis ... 4, 1985-his 65th birthday- he suffered a fatal (a report on U.S. prison innovations); Vidocq heart attack in the library. (1837) Les Voleurs, Physiologie de Leurs Moeurs et Leur Langage ... (written by an accomplished Rare Book Collections thief who became chief of detectives in Paris); Some of the original titles transferred from the Voch (1781) Abhandlung von Feuersprutzen. Nebst Police Academy now form the nucleus of our rare einem Unterrichte, wie man sich bey entstandenen book collection. While only a few of the close to Feuersbrunsten zu verhalten... (an early illustrated 2,000 volumes that comprise this collection are treatise on fire engines and fire hoses). in themselves rare and unique, the sum of the Vellum-bound titles on early criminal law include collections is unparalleled. No other repository collects published works on criminal justice as continued on next page Page 26

continued from previous page and international prison Scanaroli (1655) De visitatione planning and construction. carceralorvm libri Ires ... (a work Our many manuscript on torture and conditions in collections, including the John Rome's prisons) and Damhouder Jay College Archives, reflect a (1567) Le refuge el garand des continued interest in developing pupilles, orphelins, et prodigues .. our collections in criminal justice, (offering guidance on the very broadly defined. All of these treatment of children in court). collections are listed on our The library continues to add to website and are available for our rare book collection at the study by appointment. rate of around fifty titles a year in addition to special purchases. 'Open' Special Collections Our titles are catalogued on the This specialized library also CUNY+ and in OCLC databases maintains an open-shelved and are available for consultation Prison ·mug shots' of Martha Place, 1899, and Ruth Snydel", 1928 both executed for collection of what is best by appointment. 111urde1· al Sing Si11g Prison. described as 'grey literature'. From Th e Papers of Lewis E. Lawes, The backbone of this collection Manuscript Collections includes reports and other The Lloyd Sealy Library holds publications of local, state, a diverse group of manuscript national and international collections. The most requested criminal justice agencies as well collections are those tapped as reform and watchdog groups. for our Crime in New York While most of these materials 1850-1950 Digital Library are now available 'free' online, (described below). Amongst other ~ no other repository has worked collections, the library holds, The .~ \ \( to catalog and collect them Papers of Flora Rheta Schrieber, comprehensively. Lloyd Sealy a member of the first faculty of ~ ' J ~I ' \ librarians make a concerted John Jay College and the author effort to find, claim and catalog of Sybil, and The Shoemaker. these publications, contributing The recently acquired Shibles to these original records to Family Papers document the the OCLC database. Because work of two policemen-brothers so much of this material is who patrolled the notorious ephemeral with very short web­ tenderloin district in turn of the lives, they are often printed and century New York. bound for long-term accessibility. Documenting the history of These efforts were rewarded in corrections and penal reform 2005 when the library received are the Records of the Center for the NYLinh A chievement Award Knowledge in Criminal Justice for Resource Sharing and Planning, which was directed Metadata. by CUNY Graduate Center Professor Robert Martinson. His The Crime in New York 1850- groundbreaking 1974 article 1950 Digital Library "What Works?" greatly influenced The Crime in New Yorli scholarly and popular opinion 1850-1950 Digital Library on prison reform. The Norman (www.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/ Bruce Johnston Collection Police identification. photograph, N0t•ember crimeinny) was completed in of Prison Plans represents a 11, I 9.17 of Leonard Cohen.. Irving Moskowitz, Antho11y Maffalorre alias 'Dukey', Abraham 2006 with the support of a collection amassed over a long Levinl', alias 'Pretty'. career of research on historical From The Burton Tur/ms Papers. continued on page 29 • Page 29

Crime in the Library continued.from page 26

METRO Digital New York Grant. This open access web resource offers primary materials on the rich criminal history of , documenting nearly a century of investigation, arrest, judgment, incarceration, and punishment of both famous and unknown criminals in New York City and New York State. This digital library is derived from portions of our three most popular collections and is in two parts: • The Image Digital Library is comprised of digitized photographs and related documents from two manuscript collections: The Papers of Lewis

Lawes, Warden of Sing Crime seem' photograph of the body of Joseph Rosen, killed by members of the M11.rder Inc. crime Sing Prison 1920-1941; sy11dicate in a candy storl! in. Brou111suille, Brooklyn, September 13, 1936. From Th e Burton and The Papers of Bnrton Turkus Papers, Turhus, assistant district attorney and Chief of the is available as searchable Sciences Librarian 25/2: Homicide Division, Kings full-text PDF fi les. 1-22. County (Brooklyn) 1940- The Lloyd Sealy Special Ellen Belche1· and Ellen Sexton 1945. These digitized Collections continues to (2008) "Digitizing Criminals: images portray decades attract a growing patronage Web Delivery of a Century on the of criminal activity and of international scholars, who Cheap." careers in New York City yearly produce two to four OCLC Systems & Services: through crime scene and scholarly books, articles, theses, International Digital investigation photographs, a nd dissertation from the Library Perspectives. 24/2: mug shots, and rap sheets. collections. We invite inquiries • The Trial Transcripts from interested researchers who Ellen H. Belcher has been the Digital Library offers wish to conduct research with our Special Collections Librarian and access to our Trial collections. More details can be an Assistant Professor at the Lloyd Transcripts of the County found at: www.lib.jjay.cuny.edu/ Sealy Library since 2004, before which she worked in the Special of New York 1883- 1927: info/speccoll/. Collections and Preservation verbatim proceedings of Departments of several other 3,326 court cases, mainly Further Reading NYC- area libraries. She holds an heard at the Court of For more on the Lloyd Sealy MS-LS and Advanced Certificate General Sessions, New Library, please see our website: in Library Preservation f1'0m the York County. The site www.lib.jjay.cuny.edu and/or School of Library Service, Columbia provides a searchable read the following articles: University, and an MPhil and index of these transcripts, Nancy Egan (2007) "The Lloyd MA in Ancient Near Eastern Art which are on 425 reels Sealy Library of John Jay College History and Archaeology from of microfilm (available of Criminal Justice: Academic, its Graduate School of Arts and by interlibrary loan). A Special Library or Both?" Sciences. She can be reached at [email protected]. edu. sample of 150 transcripts Behavioral & Social