This week Forrest and I completed our third collection at Bryn Mawr College’s Special Collections, the Jean Scobie Davis papers. This collection chronicled the life of Jean Scobie Davis (1892-1985), who graduated from Bryn Mawr College in 1914 and later received her master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin. Davis was a professor and taught at such colleges as Vassar, Pierce, and the American Women’s College in Beirut. She also held a lifelong interest in prison reform, serving on the Board of Visitors of the New York State Reformatory for Women at Bedford Hills. Davis studied and researched the development of professional social work in Atlanta, and was heavily involved in studying women’s prisons and reformatories for teenagers.

When we first opened the 10 cartons holding this collection, we knew it would need a bit of attention. While parts of the collection were carefully arranged, other parts were completely disorganized and in great need of foldering and description. We spent quite a bit of time sorting through materials and identifying additional series, but at the same time, attempting to process the collection at our MPLP standard: 2 hours per linear foot. Once we completed, we had seven defined series and a collection that would be truly accessible.

What was fascinating about this collection was the diversity and range of the materials. Within the collection were tintypes in cases, handwritten notes, bound diaries, loose journal pages, scrapbooks, institutional reports from prisons and disciplinary facilities, and letters.

I feel that the Jean Scobie Davis papers is an outstanding collection for researchers studying women’s history and social issues. Davis’ diaries document the struggles of women as scholars, and in academia, as well as her own personal experiences and reflections as a woman. This collection also holds material rich in the history and development of prison reform in the United States. The Westfield State Farm material contains reports, minutes, and accounts of life for not only inmates, but employees and staff inside a mid-century prison.