Greatest Hits of 2016: Most Requested and Researched Archival Collections

The beauty of working in a library, is that every item has its place - especially with reliance on the Dewey Decimal System. Similar to how librarians like to have materials in their places, (many) librarians enjoy collecting data. In the San Francisco History Center, we gather up data on which collections have the most use (and which don't). This assists the archivists with decision-making on which collection to process next, handling space issues...and running an annual popularity contest of which collections were the most popular in 2016! Last week we shared the most popular digitized content from the archives. Below are the top five archival collections most requested in 2016 from the San Francisco History Center and the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection.

San Francisco History Center's top 5 requested archival collections in 2016 --

San Francisco Police Department Mug Book, 1919 

1. San Francisco Police Department Records: When the processing archivist was busy creating access to the 88.7 linear feet of these records, here on the blog we gave you teasers into the records. Crime clipping scrapbooks, permits and licenses, Captain's orders and mug books are some of the more requested items from the records. Building researchers delve into the records based on the 12,000+ acetate negatives from the Bureau of Accident Prevention. With the focal point of each shot being the automobile accident, the majority of the shots include businesses and residences in the background.   
2. San Francisco Unified School District Records: Want to know the history of a San Francisco public school? Here's your starting point. While there are materials from the early years of the district, the bulk of the collection is from 1874 to 1978. Major areas include administrative documents, curriculum titles, reports produced by the school district, and newspaper clippings. Materials include administrative circulars, photographs, scrapbooks, books, pamphlets, newsletters, district directories, handbooks, budget documents, salary surveys and schedules, maps, and newspaper articles. 
3. San Francisco Redevelopment Agency Records: Made available in 2016, this collection already made the top 5! The records are partially processed and the projects open for research include Diamond Heights Project Area B-1; Embarcadero-Lower Market Project Area E-1 (Golden Gateway); Western Addition Project Areas A-1 and A-2; and Yerba Buena Center Project Area D-1. If you have a Redevelopment project you're researching, please contact the San Francisco History Center to arrange access to the unprocessed records.
4. San Francisco General Hospital AIDS Ward 5B/5A Archives: In 1983, this was the first dedicated AIDS hospital ward in the United States. The collection includes scrapbooks, communication books, head nurses' files, correspondence, videotapes, publications, and memorabilia collected by the nursing staff of AIDS Ward 5B/5A at San Francisco General Hospital.
5. San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner's Records: Thanks to FamilySearch, there are 624 of the 970 volumes digitized. The digitized volumes include Death Reports and Coroner's Register (available to view for FREE once a FamilySearch account is created). What has not been digitized are the Necropsy Reports (aka autopsy reports) and these can be requested at San Francisco History Center's reference desk. 

San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection's top 5 requested archival collections in 2016 --

1. San Francisco News-Call Bulletin Photo Morgue: With over 1 million photographs in 1,200 cartons, this collection receives the most requests. We put a spotlight on the collection during our 50th anniversary. If you like 20th century celebrities, athletes as well as political, social and cultural leaders, make a request!  
2. San Francisco Assessor's Office Negative Collection: Over 75,000 San Francisco properties photographed, this is step #1 when searching for a photo of a building. 
3. Robert Durden Color Slide Collection: After one has searched the online database and the Assessor's Office Negative Collection, the next step is this slide collection. The collection consists of over 65,000 color slides documenting San Francisco buildings, events and locations between 1950 and early 1990s, with the bulk from the 1980s-1990s.  
4. San Francisco Department of Public Works Photograph Collection: This collection of photographs documents the projects of DPW's Bureau of Engineering. The first photograph album begins with 1907 and is an amazing way to see the reconstruction of San Francisco after the Earthquake and Fire of 1906. That's your teaser to come in and explore the 95 albums that go to the early 1940s!
5. Marilyn Blaisdell Photograph Collection: With over 700 photographers and photo studios represented, this compilation is one of the greatest private collections of historical San Francisco photographs. Ms. Blaisdell gifted this wonderful collection to the San Francisco Public Library in 2014.

San Francisco from Dolores and 21st Streets, stereograph by Carlton Watkins, Marilyn Blasidell Photograph Collection

backside of Watkins stereograph with Marilyn Blaisdell's collection notes

Pro-tip on research in the archives: we're here to help! Both the San Francisco History Center and the San Francisco Historical Photograph Collection receive new collections every month. If you don't see a collection or subject area represented in the archival holdings - ask us! We may have the collection and we're busy behind-the-scenes processing the new collection.