The New York Public Library Staff Association was formed in 1917. The Association's original purpose was to foster the social and physical well-being of the staff and bring together staff from the Reference Dept. and the Circulation Dept. By 1925, issues such as benefits, pensions and library budgets became a primary concern. In 1942 the Staff Association merged with the associations of the Brooklyn Public Library and the Queens Borough Public Library to form the United Staff Association of the Public Libraries of the City of New York. Staff committees for the Circulation Dept. staff and Reference Dept. staff were created in 1947 and 1949. The Staff Committee continued until 1968 when the NYPL staff unionized under Local 1930, AFSCME.
From the guide to the Staff Association records, 1917-1953, 1920-1942, (The New York Public Library. New York Public Library Archives.)
