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California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Labor Statistics and Research records

 Collection
Identifier: larc-ms-0010

Scope and Contents

Consists of published materials, largely pamphlets and reports, from agencies in the U.S. Department of Labor and the Work Projects Administration (WPA). Though mainly national in scope, some materials specifically address working conditions in California. Although the earliest publication is 1913, the bulk is from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Included is a large collection on women's work, beginning in 1921 and continuing through World War II and the post-war reconversion period. Another subject well represented is the Great Depression, including pamphlets on the New Deal and from the WPA covering the subjects of agriculture, migratory workers, unemployment, relief programs, and job training. The enactment of unemployment insurance is documented along with many alternative proposals considered in the 1930s. Material on occupational safety dates from 1922 and includes pamphlets on safety for youths and women. Early concerns about the hazards of radiation and pesticides can also be found. California economic conditions, unemployment and labor force statistics are represented. Labor material includes convention proceedings and publications from the California organizations of the AFL and the CIO.

Dates

  • 1913-1984

Access

Collection is open for research.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the Labor Archives and Research Center. All requests for permission to publish or quote from materials must be submitted in writing to the Director of the Archives. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Labor Archives and Research Center as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader.

Extent

18 Cubic Feet (<extent>(36 boxes)</extent>)

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Consists of published materials, largely pamphlets and reports, from agencies in the U.S. Department of Labor and the Work Projects Administration (WPA). Though mainly national in scope, some materials specifically address working conditions in California. Although the earliest publication is 1913, the bulk is from the 1920s, 1930s and 1940s. Included is a large collection on women's work, beginning in 1921 and continuing through World War II and the post-war reconversion period. Another subject well represented is the Great Depression, including pamphlets on the New Deal and from the WPA covering the subjects of agriculture, migratory workers, unemployment, relief programs, and job training. The enactment of unemployment insurance is documented along with many alternative proposals considered in the 1930s. Material on occupational safety dates from 1922 and includes pamphlets on safety for youths and women. Early concerns about the hazards of radiation and pesticides can also be found. California economic conditions, unemployment and labor force statistics are represented. Labor material includes convention proceedings and publications from the California organizations of the AFL and the CIO.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by subject. Wherever possible the list follows the subject headings established in the LARC's Ephemera Files and is cross-referenced on the Box/Folder List when these Ephemera Files hold additional material on the same subject. All pamphlets are listed by title, author and date of publication.

Location

Collection is available onsite.

Acquisition

This collection was donated to the Labor Archives and Research Center in 1986 by the library of the Division of Statistics and Research of the California Department of Industrial Relations. The collection consisted of 100 cubic feet of periodicals, pamphlets, books and assorted materials collected in their library's vertical files. The restriction on the donation stated the collection was to remain intact for five years in the event the donor needed to retrieve any documents. Processing began in 1994, at which point the Labor Archives sorted the collection, keeping materials under its regular collection policy and offering other materials to institutions or discarding it. This reduced the collection to its present size.

Separated Material

Five large runs of periodicals have been relocated to LARC's Periodical Collection: The American Federationist, 1935-1959 (broken run); California State Federation of Labor Weekly Newsletter, 1953-1959; California Safety News, 1917-1975 (from December 1933 to March 1940, this serial includes many articles on safety during the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco- Oakland Bay Bridge); California Employment and Payrolls, 1938-1976; and Monthly Labor Review, 1916-1977. This last collection is the largest, held in 14 record boxes (14 cubic feet).

Books found in this collection are listed in the Box/Folder List following a notation that they have been relocated to LARC's Book Collection.

Title
Inventory of the California Department of Industrial Relations, Division of Statistics and Research Records, 1913-1984
Status
Completed
Author
Finding aid prepared by Labor Archives and Research Center staff, revised by Tanya Hollis in 2013.
Date
1991, Revised 2013
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid written in: English.

Repository Details

Part of the Labor Archives and Research Center Repository

Contact:
San Francisco State University
J. Paul Leonard Library, Room 460
1630 Holloway Ave
San Francisco 94132-1722 USA
(415) 405-5571