Jaques Law Firm Supports Trade Catalog Project

THE JAQUES ADMIRALTY LAW FIRM has given the Libraries a second substantial gift to support the Trade Catalog Project. Leonard C. Jaques, Chairman of the Board and Chief Operating Officer, presented the donation from the law firm to Director Barbara J. Smith in December, and Dr. Smith commented, "We are very pleased that Mr. Jaques recognizes the importance of this distinctive collection." The Jaques Admiralty Law Firm, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan, specializes in legal issues of the marine industry involving admiralty and maritime law.

The estimated 285,000 pieces in the trade catalog collection, mostly printed between 1875 and 1950, describe and advertise the manufactured products of American business, industry, agriculture, and the decorative arts. The collection is valuable for research into many aspects of economic and social history, from evidence about the introduction of new products (plastics and other synthetics) to information about working conditions for men, women, and children. It also provides information about product safety features, the evolution of production design, and the history of advertising.

The bulk of the collection is managed by the National Museum of American History Branch Library, where Librarian Rhoda Ratner works with Reference Librarian Jim Roan and Carolyn Hamilton of the Cataloging Services Department in sorting and cataloging the literature so that researchers will have easier and more direct access to the materials they need. Those materials range from early sewing machine catalogs to technical manuals on farm machinery and plumbing fixtures, and fashion industry mail-order catalogs. The financial support received from the Jaques Admiralty Law Firm and other supporters permits the Libraries to move ahead in organizing this collection, making information which identifies an increasing number of the trade catalogs available on the Internet. See the Libraries' catalog on SIRIS at telnet://siris.si.edu.