Irvin Kerlan Collection
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of material related to Dr. Irvin Kerlan, including correspondence, awards, obituaries, clippings, photos, bibliographies, writing drafts, and scrapbooks. The most extensive series is correspondence, which contains letters received from authors and illustrators, as well as other friends in the field of children's literature, and the University of Minnesota. Early material in the papers were created and collected by Dr. Kerlan, while materials after his death, incluidng obituaries, some correspondence, and clippings, were collected by the University Libraries and the Children's Literature Research Collections.
Dates
- 1943 - 2012
Creator
- Kerlan, Irvin, 1912-1963 (Person)
- University of Minnesota. Libraries (Organization)
- Kerlan, Julius (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Open for use in the Elmer L. Andersen Library reading room.
Conditions Governing Use
This collection may be protected by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, U.S. Code). It is the user's responsibility to verify copyright ownership and to obtain all necessary permissions prior to the reproduction, publication, or other use of any portion of these materials. Researchers may quote from the collection under the fair use provision of the copyright law.
Biographical / Historical
Dr. Kerlan, born in 1912, was long time chief of medical research for the U.S. Food and Drug Aministration in Washington D.C., and an authority on toxicity and related matters. He collected rare books as a hobby and soon turned to children's books. Dr. Kerlan chose what was best and representative of each current year and, when he could afford it, bought children's classics and past Newbery winners. It was not long before he took his collection one step further, pursuing the background material that went into making the books. He wrote letters to authors and illustrators, and they replied by forwarding their original manuscripts, artwork, and selected correspondence with editors and children.
From his collection, Dr. Kerlan organized exhibitions and shipped them to libraries and art galleries in North America, Europe, and Asia. In 1949, he made arrangements with the University of Minnesota, his Alma Mater, to provide a permanent home for his collection, establishing what would become the Kerlan Collection at the Children's Literature Research Collections. In 1963 Dr. Kerlan was killed in a traffic accident at age 51.
Extent
9.2 Cubic Feet (9 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
English
Abstract
This collection consists of material related to Dr. Irvin Kerlan, including correspondence, awards, obituaries, clippings, photos, bibliographies, writing drafts, and scrapbooks.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into six series by material type.
- Correspondence
- Exhibits
- Biographies and Writings
- Biographical Material
- Clippings and Brochures
- Scrapbooks
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Gift of Dr. Irvin Kerlan, with additional materials collected by the University of Minnesota Libraries and the Children's Literature Research Collections after his death. Additional material, including a scrapbook held by Irvin's brother, Julius, was donated by Midge and Joel Kerlan.
- Authors -- 20th century Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Book collecting Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Children's literature -- Authorship Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Children's literature -- Bibliography Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Children's literature, American Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Illustrators Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Kerlan, Irvin, 1912-1963
- Medical writing Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Physicians Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Scrapbooks Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Special libraries -- Collection development Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
Source
- Kerlan, Midge (Person)
- Kerlan, Joel (Person)
- Title
- Irvin Kerlan Collection, 1943-2012
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- CLRC Staff
- Date
- September 2015
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Revision Statements
- 2018: Scrapbook donated by Midge and Joel Kerlan added to collection.
- June 2022: Description updated by Caitlin Marineau.
Collecting Area Details
Contact The Children's Literature Research Collections Collecting Area
