American Psychological Association Records A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division, Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 2009 Revised 2010 April Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact Additional search options available at: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms009030 LC Online Catalog record: http://lccn.loc.gov/mm74051730 Prepared by Joseph Sullivan and Paul D. Ledvina with the assistance of Jerry Bolling, Paul Colton, Kathleen Kelly, Lisa Madison, John Monagle, Andrew Passett, and Catherine Wilkins-Susynski Collection Summary Title: American Psychological Association Records Span Dates: 1917-1986 Bulk Dates: (bulk 1940-1980) ID No.: MSS51730 Creator: American Psychological Association Extent: 270,000 items ; 725 containers ; 290 linear feet Language: Collection material in English Location: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Summary: Professional organization for psychologists founded in 1892 to advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting human welfare. Correspondence, memoranda, minutes of meetings, drafts of books, articles, and lectures, congressional testimony, reports, agendas, ballots, financial data, printed matter, and other records chiefly documenting the organization and management of the association's boards, committees, and publications. Includes the personal records of some of its executives. Selected Search Terms The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the Library's online catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically therein. People Albee, George W.--Correspondence. Brayfield, Arthur H., 1915-2002--Correspondence. Brayfield, Arthur H., 1915-2002. Arthur H. Brayfield papers. Centor, Arthur--Correspondence. Chein, Isidor, 1912-1981--Correspondence. Clark, Kenneth Bancroft, 1914-2005--Correspondence. Clendenen, Dorothy--Correspondence. Darley, John Gordon, 1910-1990--Correspondence. Hobbs, Nicholas--Correspondence. Hoch, Erasmus Leonard, 1914- --Correspondence. Hunt, John McVee--Correspondence. Hunt, Thelma--Correspondence. Little, Kenneth B., 1918-1997--Correspondence. Little, Kenneth B., 1918-1997. Kenneth B. Little papers. Margolin, Joseph B., 1921-2006--Correspondence. McKeachie, Wilbert James, 1921- --Correspondence. McMillan, John H.--Correspondence. Olson, Willard Clifford, 1899-1978--Correspondence. Olson, Willard Clifford, 1899-1978. Willard Clifford Olson papers. Paterson, Donald G. (Donald Gildersleeve), 1892-1961. Donald Gildersleeve Paterson papers. Sanford, Fillmore H. (Fillmore Hargrave), 1914-1967--Correspondence. Tyler, Leona E. (Leona Elizabeth), 1906-1993--Correspondence. Wolfle, Dael, 1906-2002--Correspondence. Yerkes, Robert Mearns, 1876-1956--Correspondence. Zaro, Joan S. Organizations American Psychological Association. Peace Corps (U.S.) Subjects Aging. Birth control. American Psychological Association Records 2 Drug abuse. Ethics. Forensic psychology. Homosexuality. Loyalty oaths. Mental health insurance. Minorities. Psychiatry. Psychological tests. Psychologists--Licenses. Psychologists--Professional ethics. Psychologists. Psychology and religion. Psychology--Societies, etc. Psychology. Science--Study and teaching. Sex role. Social justice. Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Veterans. Women. Administrative Information Provenance The records of the American Psychological Association were given to the Library of Congress between 1967 and 1986. Processing History The records of the American Psychological Association were processed in 1968 and 1975 and expanded and revised in 1992. The finding aid was revised in 2009. Transfers A phonodisc sound recording and recordings of oral history interviews have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division where they are identified as part of these records. Other Repositories Other records of the American Psychological Association are located at the Akron University Psychological Archives, Akron, Ohio. Copyright Status The status of copyright in the unpublished writings of the American Psychological Association is governed by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S.C.). Access and Restrictions The records of the American Psychological Association are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use. Preferred Citation Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, American Psychological Association Records, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. American Psychological Association Records 3 Note on the Organization Founded in 1892 and incorporated in 1925, the American Psychological Association (APA), a professional organization for psychologists, numbered slightly over seventy-two members as of 1991. The primary purpose of the organization, according to Article I of the original articles of incorporation, is "to advance psychology as a science, as a profession, and as a means of promoting human welfare." These objectives are accomplished through annual meetings, through publication of journals, pamphlets and books, and through administrative services that strive to improve standards and training for psychologists. The chief governing body of the APA is the Council of Representatives, whose members include representatives from each of the association's divisions and affiliated state associations. The Board of Directors is the administrative agent of the council and exercises general supervision over the affairs of the association through interaction with the executive officer. The board is composed of six council members elected by the council and six officers of the association (president, past president, president-elect, recording secretary, treasurer, and executive officer). The executive officer does not vote. The administration of the organization is vested in the executive officer, at various times called the executive secretary, executive officer and chief executive officer, who manages the central office located in Washington, D. C. Adjuncts to the executive are a number of specialized administrative offices that support the administrator according to the interests of the office. For instance, there are offices dealing with educational affairs, scientific affairs, women's issues, and professional affairs. Associated with the organization are divisions, committees, and affiliated organizations that help define the interests of the association. Presently the APA has forty-two divisions, ranging from "general psychology" and "psychologists in private practice," to "counseling," "teaching of psychology," "personality," and "family." Committees guide projects and handle issues ranging from ethical standards to insurance and financial questions. Some committees are standing bodies; others are continuing or ad hoc. Committees are established by the council of representatives, board, or other committees. Affiliates are organizations that have merged or associated with the APA. One such group represented in the records is the American Association of Applied Psychologists. Information on the formative period of the organization is contained in an article by Samuel W. Fernberger, published in the Psychological Bulletin in 1932, detailing its history from 1892 to the early 1930s. Scope and Content Note The records of the American Psychological Association (APA) span the years 1917-1986, with the bulk of the records concentrated in the period 1940-1980. The records consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes of meetings, agenda, ballots, financial records, drafts of books, articles, and lectures, testimonies, printed and near printed matter, and miscellaneous material. The collection is organized into eight series representing the structure and function of the organization, including Council of Representatives , Board of Directors , Administration , Boards and Committees , Divisions , Journals and Publications , and Affiliated Organizations , as well as a Miscellany file. The records are replete with gaps. A lack of consistency in the retirement of APA records may have contributed to the absence of material regarding certain periods or subjects. Many divisions and committees did not retire their records to the Library of Congress, preferring the Akron University Psychological Archives in Akron, Ohio. The records of the APA held by that institution should be consulted where gaps exist here. The governing bodies of the APA – the Council of Representatives and Board of Directors – are represented in these records by separate series dating between the end of World War II and the beginning of the 1980s. Consisting largely of correspondence, memoranda, reports, and meeting data, these series treat business and organizational issues and relate to the professional direction of the association. More extensive in scope and chronology is the Administration file. Until 1955, much of the material in the records of the APA was maintained in the office files of the executive secretary of the association. Dating primarily from the 1930s, the Executive Officers File in the Administration series reflects the managerial decisions of the organization's chief officers and documents its main activities. Featured in the personal records of various executives