Widener to Recatalogue Radcliffe Honor Theses

Radcliffe senior honors theses will be catalogued along with Harvard's in the Archives of Widener Library for the first time next year.

Previously, the theses have been kept in Schlesinger Library at the Radcliffe Institute. They receive no listing by subject or author in any Widener Catalogues. Schlesinger Library, because of lack of personnel, catalogues them only by author.

Last year, RUS made an unsuccessful attempt to transfer honor theses to Widener, pointing out their inaccessibility as reference material. The Senior Class Committee this year has succeeded in working out a transfer, beginning with 1972 honors theses.

"Last year they got caught up in a lot of bureaucratic tangles," Ruth N. Glushien '72, a member of the Senior Class Committee said yesterday. "This year we also encountered an endless chase around. At first they didn't think there was enough room, but we persuaded them to accept 75 theses a year."

Glushien explained that initially a cross-catalogue arrangement had been planned under which the theses would be listed in the public and Union catalogues at Widener, while remaining in Schlesinger. However, Widener has a standing rule that any holding not in the library cannot be catalogued.

Harley P. Holden, Curator of the Harvard Archives, said yesterday that the 1972 Radcliffe theses will be catalogued by subject and author within the next year. They will also be bound into volumes.

There are an estimated 4000 Radcliffe Senior Honors theses presently in the Schlesinger archives. Glushien said yesterday that it is not clear what will be done about the backlog.

"The Radcliffe archives are obviously not the ideal place for them," Jeanette Check, Director of the Schlesinger Archives said yesterday. "As time goes on something is going to have to be done about them. It's a question of time, place and money, as usual."

Holden agreed, saying yesterday that the matter of recataloguing past theses was one of expense. He said that until the new Pusey Library is completed, lack of space would prevent any substantial reorganization of the theses.

Robert Walsh '65, Assistant University Librarian for Building Planning, said yesterday that University Archives will be one of the units rehoused in the new library.

According to Walsh, construction of the library is expected to begin early in 1973. He speculated that the building will open in 1975.