Antiquarians and Archaeologists: The American Antiquarian Society 1812-1912.

Surveys 100 years of the American Antiquarian Society and its metamorphosis from a museum-like institution to one that concentrated on managing a research library of early American printed documents. Most of the society's early publishing ventures concerned American Indian history and culture; not until the 20th century did attention turn to European settlements and influences. Throughout the 19th century, finding aids were few, the collections diffuse, and cataloguing primitive. Only after 1880 did its mission become more specialized, and then the professionalization of scholarly disciplines influenced its development.