%0 Manuscript %G English %T Philadelphia City Institute records 1852-2001 %U http://www2.hsp.org/collections/manuscripts/p/PCI3023.html %X The records of the Philadelphia City Institute include documents about the foundation of the organization, administrative reports, financial records, and correspondence from many years of service to the citizens of Philadelphia, especially the challenging times in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. The records are organized in five series: Administrative, Library Operations, Correspondence, Financial, and Photographs. The Administrative series is the largest. The annual reports and minutes of Board of Managers meetings provide information about the management of PCI, and the kind of social impact PCI endeavored to make in Philadelphia. Annual reports, particularly from 1856 to 1935, when they were published in booklet form, were external documents with a public, promotional purpose. They documented PCI’s accomplishments and appealed for further financial support. The minutes, on the other hand, were internal documents. They provide insight into the issues faced by a group of public-spirited, volunteer managers. The Library Operations series details information summarized in the annual reports. For example, while annual reports give summary figures about attendance and book circulation, the documents in the Library Operations series provide monthly, and often daily, figures. PCI’s library holdings grew from 832 books in 1855 to more than 26,000 in 1902 at its 50th anniversary, and grew further to over 42,000 by 1984 (possibly the latest figure quoted in the collection). The librarian’s reports, along with annual reports in the early years, describe how the Library acquired its books, and what classes of books were acquired and most eagerly borrowed. They also provide insight into the role of the librarians at the PCI Library. In addition, this series contains the real estate records related to PCI’s properties, particularly its first location at 18th and Chestnut Streets, including a number of deeds and indentures. The Correspondence series is composed of more recent material, most of which reflects the challenges faced by PCI since the 1970s. There were serious threats to both the library premises and its operations. The records reflect the actions of the PCI Officers and Board of Managers to those threats. PCI committed substantial financial resources to keeping the Library in operation, sometimes in temporary quarters, and to make capital improvements to assure a suitable and secure home for the future. The Financial series includes some early records and some recent investment reports. Most of the series is treasurer’s reports from 1892 to 1945. The Photographs series includes a variety of images from all three of PCI’s Library locations.