Research Resources:
Subject Research Guides:
Social Work:
Archival and Historical Resources and Materials
Books
American Community Organizations: A Historical Dictionary
ALEXANDER, CAMDEN: REF HN90.C6A69 1986; KILMER: Stacks HN90.C6A69 1986
American Settlement Houses and Progressive Social Reform: An Encyclopedia of the American Settlement Movement
ALEXANDER, CAMDEN: REF HV4194.B37 1999
Encyclopedia of American Social History
ALEXANDER, CAMDEN, DOUGLASS: REF HN57.E58 1993 (3 vols.)
See Volume 3 and the following chapters: "Domestic Violence," " Social Reform Movements,"
"Social Work and Philanthropy," and "Mental Illness and Psychiatry."
Encyclopedia of Social Welfare History in North America
Online Rutgers Restricted Access
The Encyclopedia is also available in print.
ALEXANDER, CAMDEN: REF HV12.E497 2005
Scholarly essays on the history of social welfare in Canada, Mexico, and the United States are provided. The 180 entries include bibliographies. A reader's guide groups related entries by country and topic for browsing, and the appendices include research guides, chronologies and a master bibliography.
Foundations-The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Institutions
ALEXANDER: REF HV88.F68 1984
From Poor Law to Welfare State: A History of Social Welfare in America
ALEXANDER: Stacks HV91.T7 1999; CAMDEN, KILMER: Stacks HV91.T7 1994
See the chapter on the mental health movement.
Philanthropy in America: A Comprehensive Historical Encyclopedia
ALEXANDER, CAMDEN: REF HV91.P58 2004 (3 vols)
Volumes 1 and 2 include articles on notable people, events, associations, theories and
legislation relevant to charitable action in this country. Volume 3 is a collection
of primary source documents important in the history of philanthropy.
Social Service Organizations-The Greenwood Encyclopedia of American Institutions
ALEXANDER, CAMDEN: REF HV88.S59 1978 (2 vols)
RU Libraries Microfiche/Microfilm Collections
Archives of the Settlement Movement. The National Federation of Settlements and Successors, 1899-1958
ALEXANDER: M/FILM 2837, Series One, 74 reels
GUIDE: ALEXANDER REF HV4194.A73 1990
This set of records of the National Federation of Settlements and its successors includes documents on
domestic programs, housing, unemployment, neighborhood services, youth and education, and project
files on public policy and social action. See the guide for a more detailed description of the
contents.
Bureau of Social Hygiene Project and Research Files 1918-1940: A collection of the Rockefeller Archives Center of Rockefeller University
ALEXANDER: M/FILM 2249, V1-21, 31 reels
GUIDE: ALEXANDER REF HV99.N6B853 1980
The Bureau was one of the earliest privately funded social science research institutions in the United
States. The files include unpublished reports, case histories, research studies, educational
materials, correspondence, etc., in the fields of prostitution, narcotics, birth control, maternal
health, juvenile delinquency, penology, and other areas relating to social welfare.
Jane Addams Papers, 1860-1890
ALEXANDER: M/FILM 2431, 90 reels
GUIDE: ALEXANDER REF HV28.A33 1996
Includes correspondence, diaries, Addams personal writings, published versions of articles, speeches,
and statements, and the Hull-House Association Records documenting the history of Hull House from its
founding in 1889 through Addams' death in 1935.
Lillian Wald Papers
ALEXANDER: M/FILM 2834, 112 reels
GUIDE: ALEXANDER REF HQ1413.W34L55
Founder of the Henry Street Settlement and notable 20th century social reformer, Wald's papers include
correspondence and materials relating to her involvement with the settlement movement, labor
relations, public health, nursing, and the peace movement.
Margaret Sanger
DOUGLASS: M/FILM 6, 16 reels
GUIDE: DOUGLASS REF HQ764.S3536 1991
Diaries, correspondence, conference files, lectures and speeches are included. Each reel includes
biographical information, a chronology, an index to papers, a general table of contents for the part,
and a detailed table of contents for the reel.
Minutes of the Meetings of the Board of Directors of the Educational Alliance, 1879-1980
ALEXANDER: M/FICH 627, 139 microfiches
GUIDE: ALEXANDER REF L13.E4M5 1987
The Educational Alliance originally functioned as a combination social settlement house, library,
school, theater and more for New York's immigrant Jews. By 1980, it was a multifaceted social service
agency providing comprehensive social, educational, recreational, mental health and welfare services.
The fiche collection includes minutes of several special committees including Social Work (1914-1925)
and Education and Social Work (1925-1945).
Records of the Children's Bureau, 1912-1969
ALEXANDER: DOCMFILM 6008, 294 reels
GUIDE: ALEXANDER DOCREF HV741.U463 1993
Now part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Children's Bureau has historically
played an active role in the design and administration of social welfare programs.
Russell Sage Foundation: Social Research and Social Action in America, 1907-1947
ALEXANDER: M/FICH 631, 379 microfiches
GUIDE: ALEXANDER M-FICH 631-located on the Reference Guides Shelf
The Russell Sage Foundation was an early sponsor of research and action programs to deal with the
social issues of the time. This is a useful resource for studying the history of social work and
philanthropy.
Social Welfare Periodicals: Sources for the history of Social Welfare in America
ALEXANDER: M/FICH 472, 1, 605 microfiches
This collection of social welfare publications provides access to late 19th century, early 20th
century views of poverty and an understanding of the kinds of social services and benefits provided.
Publications included are: National Conference on Social Welfare. Social Welfare Forum Official
Proceedings, 1874-1969, Child Labor Bulletin, 1912-1919, Lend A Hand, 1886-1897, Charities Review,
1891-1901, Survey, 1897-1952.
The War on Poverty, 1964-1968, 2 parts
ALEXANDER: Part 1, DOCMFILM 6005, 16 reels
ALEXANDER: Part 2, DOCMFILM 6005, 25 reels
GUIDE: ALEXANDER DOCREF HC110.P63L37 pt.1 White House Central Files
ALEXANDER DOCREF HC110.P63L37 pt 2
Records of the President's National Advisory Commission on Rural Poverty, 1966-1967.
This is a collection of primary materials on a major public policy pursued in the 1960's. The printed
guide includes scope and content notes and a reel index of folder titles. The guide also includes a
subject index.
Resources outside of Rutgers University Libraries
National Conference on Social Welfare-Proceedings 1874-1982
This is a digital collection of proceedings made publicly available by the University of Michigan.
These proceedings were issued under earlier names of the Conference as follows: 1874, Conference of
Boards of Public Charities; 1875-1879, Conference of Charities; 1880-1881, Conference of Charities and
Correction; 1882-1916, National Conference of Charities and Correction; 1917-1956, National Conference
of Social Work; 1957-, National Conference on Social Welfare. The collection can be searched or
browsed.
Social Welfare History Archives-University of Minnesota Libraries
The collection was established in 1964 to document the history of social service and social reform in
America. The archives hold the records of forty national associations, and the papers of sixty
individual leaders and practitioners in the social work/social reform fields.
The Social Welfare History Project
This site is a work in progress consisting of contributions by a distinguished group of social
welfare historians. Sections include events, people, eras, programs and organizations.
Social Work Archives-Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College
This is a gateway to archival, oral and print history materials documenting the history of clinical
social work nationally and the growth of social work studies at Smith College.
Social Work History Station
This site is dedicated to the history of early social work and social welfare, developed by Professor
Dan Huff of Boise State University. It includes five online chapters covering the history of social
work from the 1860's through the 1930's.
Social Work Library Agency Collection
Located at Columbia University, the Agency Collection contains primary source material from voluntary
and public social service agencies, institutions, and organizations, circa 1934-1970. Subject areas
covered in the materials include social work, families and children, day care, aging, health and
mental health.
The Adoption History Project
This site "introduces the history of child adoption in the United States by profiling people,
organizations, topics and studies that shaped adoption during the twentieth century." Included are
links to historical field, outcome, and nature-nurture studies, a bibliography, and a range of primary
sources. The site was created and is maintained by Dr. Ellen Herman in the Department of History at
the University of Oregon.
