Azariah Smith Root Papers

Collection

Identifier: RG 30-057

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Mainly consisting of correspondence and records of his professional library activity, these papers document Root's numerous contributions to librarianship and his membership and presidencies of the American Library Association, Ohio Library Association, and Bibliographical Society of America. The collection is organized into eight series: 1. Biographical; 2. Correspondence; 3. Diaries and Notes (Anna Metcalf Root); 4. Files Relating to College and Community Service; 5. Files Relating to Professional Librarianship; 6. Talks and Writings; 7. Miscellany; and 8. Photographs.

There is a bound volume prepared in 1955 by Root's daughter, Marion Metcalf Root. Included is a biography, obituary notices, and letters of sympathy and condolence. The condolence letters attest to Root's fame and popularity in both the Oberlin community and the larger arena of professional librarianship. Several scholarly accounts, which were largely culled from these papers, are included as part of the biographical series.

The correspondence series consists of both personal and professional correspondence. The courtship letters of Azariah Smith Root and Anna Mayo Metcalf are included in this series, along with other family correspondence. In both the alphabetical and chronologically arranged incoming correspondence researchers will find personal letters interspersed among letters pertaining to librarianship and Oberlin College and community service. Notable correspondents include: Howard Hyde Russell (1855-1926, B.D. 1888, D.D. 1921); Webb C. Hayes; Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr. (1888-1965); William S. Scarborough (1854?-1926); Newton Diehl Baker (1871-1937); Frank Fanning Jewett (1844-1926); Anna Julia Cooper (1859-1964, A.B. 1884) and Lucy Stone (1818-1893, A.B. 1847). Twenty letters, (1889-96) from Judson Smith (1837-1906, B.D. 1863) outline the negotiations regarding the successor to James H. Fairchild (1817-1902, A.B. 1838, B.D. 1841) as President of Oberlin College, and as professor of Theology. Two 1896 letters discuss William G. Ballantine's (1848-1937) successor.

Anna Metcalf's Root's diaries consist of 20 volumes covering the years 1883-84, 1897-1909, 1912, and 1914-29. The brief entries record family news and information on health and activities, household expenditures, and subjects of lectures and sermons attended. The diaries are microfilmed on six reels and should be used in place of the originals.

Included with the diaries are Anna Metcalf's notes from Professor John M. Ellis' (1831-1894, A.B. 1851) 1882 lectures on "Evidences of Christianity." Monthly rhetoricals written by both Anna and Azariah S. Root between 1881 and 1884 deal with subjects such as the effects of liquor, Chautauqua, and paid domestic work. Also filed with the diaries and notes are Azariah S. Root's notes on Contract Law, written while he was a student of Edmund Hatch Bennett at Boston University Law School, 1884-85.

Records of Azariah S. Root's service to Oberlin College and the community include files relating to the planning and building of Carnegie Library, 1905-09, including specifications and correspondence with the architectural firm, Patton and Miller of Chicago. Other College related documentation includes files from Root's committee service. Root's community service is partially documented in files of the Oberlin Board of Health, 1901-07, Board of Education, 1913-24, Oberlin Telephone Company, 1897-1906, and files relating to First Church, 1900-21. The First Church records include correspondence with Charles M. Hall (1863-1914, A.B. 1885) regarding his gift of an organ to the Church. Noticeably lacking from Root's records of community service are files of the Anti-Saloon League of which he was a founding member, and other civic enterprises such as the Oberlin Village Improvement Society and the Community Chest.

Root's professional librarianship is well documented, particularly in the files of the professional organizations in which he was active. Records of the professional organizations provide valuable insight into the development of librarianship as a profession, with particular emphasis on library school curriculum and training. Root's records supplement the files of the national organizations and add considerable detail for specific committee work. Less attention is given to library matters pertaining to Oberlin in these records. For documentation on the administration of the College Library during Root's tenure the researcher should consult the records of the Oberlin College Library (RG 16). Records of the professional societies include the American Library Association, 1901-24; Bibliographical Society, 1921-26; and Ohio Library Association, 1895-1922. Also included are files relating to the development of the Rutherford B. Hayes Memorial Library, 1924-28. Documentation includes incoming and outgoing correspondence, committee files, reports, and scattered minutes.

Talks by Root, both typescript and manuscript, cover history, science, religion and libraries. Several sermons delivered by Root are also included in this series.

Miscellaneous material includes a detailed inventory of possessions and expenditures in the Root household between 1887 and 1889, and notes regarding a trip to Germany in 1898-99. The final record series contains photographs (25) from 1884 to 1927.

Dates

Creation: 1881 - 1986
Creation: Majority of material found within 1881 - 1930
Other: Date acquired: 08/20/1971

Creator

Root, Azariah Smith (Person)
Metcalf, Anna Mayo (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Unrestricted.

Biographical or Historical Information

Azariah Smith Root (1862-1927), son of Solomon Francis (1826-1915) and Anna Smith Root (1828-1874), was born in Middlefield, Massachusetts, on February 3, 1862. He had one brother, James Francis (1850-1866). His family possessed a strong sense of civic responsibility and a concern for the rights of others. At the urging of his uncle, Judson Smith (1837-1906, B.D. 1863), professor of church history at Oberlin College, Root enrolled in Oberlin in 1879 to complete his preparatory studies. He earned the Bachelor of Arts degree in 1884, and earned admission to Phi Beta Kappa. In 1887 he received the Master of Arts degree.

After graduation Root studied at the Boston University Law School before returning to Oberlin where he was employed as a cataloger in the College Library during 1885-86. He returned to law school, studying at Harvard Law School in 1886-87, when he was appointed librarian of Oberlin College in 1887 at the age of 25. In 1890 he was made professor of bibliography, specializing in the history of printing and the history of illustration. Root was a part-time member of the faculty at Western Reserve University's Library School from its inception in 1904 until his death. He also lectured at other library schools, including Columbia, the University of Michigan, and Pratt Institute. During 1916-17 he was acting head of the New York Public Library School. He continued to study and research the history of printing. In 1898-99 he studied Grolier bindings and Costeriana in Germany, and took courses at the University of Gottingen. He learned Dutch and used the summer of 1926 to research archives in Haarlem.

Root was instrumental in making the Oberlin College Library one of the largest college libraries in the United States. When he was appointed librarian, the College held 14,274 volumes. At the time of his death in 1927 the library held over 500,000 volumes, and his yearly accessions nearly equaled the number of volumes in the original library. The collection grew owing to Root's administrative and organizational skills. He acquired the Union Library Association library, and solicited numerous book gifts from alumni on an ongoing basis for four decades. Building a new home for the College Library added impetus to collection development. He helped to design the Carnegie Library (built 1908) and was instrumental in opening the College Library to town citizenry through the inclusion of a high school reading room and a children's room in the new library. Among his foremost contributions to the institution was making the College Library central to campus life, and in the process he defined what ought to be a library in a liberal arts college setting.

He was active in numerous professional societies, and his connection with the American Library Association dated back almost to the society's founding in 1876. He served as president of the American Library Association (1921-22), Bibliographical Society of America (1909-10, 1923-24), and the Ohio Library Association (1900-01, 1914-15). Root advocated improved training, greater standardization of methods and routines, cooperative book lists, a clearinghouse for duplicate material, collective purchasing, and cooperative storage for seldom used books. In 1923 he founded the American Correspondence School of Librarianship. He played a key role in developing the Rutherford B. Hayes Memorial Library in Fremont, Ohio, serving as the first secretary of the Hayes Historical Society, and advising the library on general policy, cataloging, books and equipment to be purchased.

Root was a campus leader and the quintessential man-about- town. He pursued a wide range of social, political and religious interests both for the College and the community. He was a member of the Prudential and Investment Committees of the Board of Trustees. During the 1910-11 academic year, in the absence of President Henry Churchill King (1858-1934, A.B. 1874, B.D. 1882) he was a member of the Executive Committee in charge of the President's duties. He was vice-chairman of the general faculty and a member of many of its committees. An active member of the Alumni Council, Root compiled much of the information used in the alumni catalogs. He was also secretary of his class.

In the community he was considered one of the most vital citizens. His church and civic activities were indicative of his background and upbringing. He was president of the school board, and served as trustee of the United Church and earlier as both deacon and trustee of the First Church. He also served on the Board of Commerce, Oberlin Mutual Benefit Association, was a director of the Telephone Company, and was president of the Oberlin Village Improvement Society. In 1893 Root helped to found the Anti-Saloon League, along with Howard Hyde Russell (1855-1926, B.D. 1888, D.D. 1921). During World War I he acted as camp librarian at Camp Sherman in Chillicothe, Ohio.

In 1887 he married Anna Mayo Metcalf (1862-1933) who was a member of the class of 1884. He was instrumental in influencing her younger brother, Keyes D. Metcalf (1889-1983, A.B. 1911) to pursue a library career. Azariah and Anna Metcalf Root had two children, Francis Metcalf (1889-1934, A.B. 1911, A.M. 1912) and Marion Metcalf (1896-1981, A.B. 1917).

SOURCES CONSULTED

Printed Sources

Johnson, Herbert F., "Root, Azariah Smith (1862-1927)," in George S. Bobinski, Jesse H. Shera, and Bohdan S. Wynar (eds.), Dictionary of American Library Biography (Littleton, Colo.: Libraries Unlimited, 1978), pp. 444-446.

Root, Marion Metcalf, "Azariah Smith Root," (unpublished, c.1955).

Rubin, Richard, "Azariah Smith Root and Library Instruction at Oberlin College," Journal of Library History, Vol. 12, no. 3, 1977, pp. 250-261.

____________, "Azariah Root's Concept of Education for Librarianship," (M.L.S. Thesis, Kent State University, 1976).

Tucker, John Mark, "Azariah Smith Root and Social Reform at Oberlin," Journal of Library History, Vol. 16, No. 2, 1981, pp. 280-291.

Tucker, John “Azariah Smith Root,” in American National Biography, 18, pp. 837-38.

National Cyclopedia of American Biography Vol. 22

Oberlin Alumni Magazine, Vol. 24, No. 1 (October 1927), pp. 15-16.

Who Was Who in America I (1897-1942).

Archival Sources

Alumni and Development Records (RG 28).

Oberlin College Library Records (RG 16).

Note written by William E. Bigglestone.

Extent

7.70 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

The papers of Azariah Smith Root (1862-1927, A.B. 1884) document the personal and professional life of this prominent educator, librarian, and scholar.

Method of Acquisition

The papers of Azariah Smith Root were recorded under five accessions. The bulk of the papers were received from the Oberlin College Library in 1971 (#143). Additional records, which were uncovered when Carnegie Library was being vacated, were accessioned in 1974 (#256). Other material, including the Anna Metcalf Root diaries were received from Marion Metcalf Root, the daughter of Azariah and Anna Root. These accessions were recorded in 1972 (#170) and 1974 (#236). In 1981 several miscellaneous items were transferred from Special Collections (1981/8). A.S. Root's notes on contract law were received from the Oberlin College Library's Special Collections, in accession 2001/94.