/■> m- - v American Institute of Filing Owned and managed by Library Bureau 116 So. Michigan Avenue Chicago, III. iss Gladys C. Bridges Principal May 15t Prof. C. M. Thompson, University of Illinois, Department of Commerce, Urbana, Illinois. Dear Sir:- In a recent conversation, Mr. Logan told y we would write you completely regarding the Schools of operated by Library Bureau, in order to secure from you pression as to whether or not the University of Illinoi grant credit for this course. Information about these sci groups itself into five topics, which we will present in order: I. The Organization of Schools. II. Subject latter of Courses. III. Methods of Presentation. IV. Program. V. High School Instruction. I. Organization of Schools. Library Bureau owns and operates four schools The Illinois School of Piling, at Chicago, incorporated in Illinois. The Boston School of Filing, incorporated in Massachusetts. The Philadelphia School of Filing, incorporated in Pennsylvania. The American Institute of Filing, at Chicago, for which we are making supplementary application for incor- poration to the State of Illinois.She first three schools mentioned were and incorporated by Mr. J. M. McCord, of Hew York Ci vious to 1917 and were purchased from him ty Library latter part of 1919. The American Institute of Fili organized by Lihraiy Bureau in December 1921 to handle Study Work'* when pupil could not attend the resident sc' in Chicago and the two other cities. The enclosed booklet, ’’Filing as a Professioi Women” (published before Libraiy Bureau took over these s discusses the significance of the work of file clerks in m business, bringing out forcibly the productive value of th training and the great need of executives for those traine this new profession. The repeated demands made upon Librar Bureau as a filing system house for file clerks and file exe tives necessitated the addition of this branch of their acti ities. After reading the booklet, this fact will be apparent to you. Consequently, these schools were organized and are operated not for commercial profit but because of the demand trained filing ability in the business world. XI. Subject Matter of Courses. The subject matter taught in the four schools it identical in content, the home study course offered by the 1 mentioned school being based upon the course in use in the Illinois, Boston and Philadelphia schools. The outline of th course is enclosed. III. Methods of Presentation. The course of study in all schools consists of bo theory and practice. The laboratory work for the resident courses is conducted with the actual equipment and supplies in use in commercial offices. Correspondence used in this practic work is purchased from concerns and has actually been received in the coarse of business transaction. The laboratory work for the American Institute of Filing is conducted with miniature equipment and supplies including miniature letters reproduced from actual correspondence. We are sending you, under separate cover, a complete set of the miniature outfits and supplies used by students in connection with the Home Study course.In presenting this subject matter, equa is placed upon all recognized systems of the five 1 facturers of filing equipment and supplies. Complete systems manufactured by each of these companies are u oratory work. These five companies are Shaw-Walker, At and Index Company, Yawman & Srbe Manufacturing Company, Wernicke Company and Library Bureau. The method of presentation parallels the usii? university method. A lecture at which the students take n is followed by laboratory practice, both of which are cove in an oral quiz on each subject of the course. A final tes the students’ mastery of the subject is determined by writt quizzes, no diploma being granted a student who cannot succ fully pass each written quiz. Failure to pass any quiz nece tates repetition of that portion of the course until it has b mastered. IV. Program. The resident courses are taught in three sections: morning, afternoon and evening classes - thirty hours of lect and forty-five hours of laboratory being devoted to class wor_ V. High School Instruction. In addition to the call for training file executi Library Bureau has experienced for some time past a demand, on the part of commercial colleges and commercial departments of h schools throughout the country, for a method of teaching filing their schools. At the time the course was developed for the American Institute of Filing, certain educational men were con- sulted and these men felt that this was the solution to the prob lem of teaching filing in their schools. Among the educators of the country who have highly endorsed this method are such men as Mr. Wm. Bachrach, Supervisor of Commercial Education of the Chic Board of Education. ¥/ith the hope of getting the impression of educators of the country, the miniature sets used in the Home Study course were displayed in the Library Bureau exhibit at the II.E.A. Conven tion held in Chicago a month or so ago. The result was that com- mercial educators of several high schools throughout the country have asked us to work out a definite application of this method-4- to their work. The attached folder, "A New Method c Piling", will give very briefly an idea of this. Th used in the Horae Study course will be used, except th guides and folders will be made of more durable stock the schools to pass the outfits on from student to stu! different classes. Books of rules and other informatio nature are being published to accompany each set. The t will be handled from the same text furnished to the Home course students. Since the N.E.A. Convention, Library Bureau I already sold miniature sets and complete outfits to the At High. School at Athol, Mass., the Gardner High School, Garda Mass., and Orleans Parish School, New Orleans, La. Requisi have been entered on Boards of Education at several high sc including the Lowell Massachusetts High School and the high schools of the City of Providence, R.I. In addition to this Mr. Win. Bachrach has been fo the past month or so making a test of this method of teaching filing, preliminary to its adoption in all of the commercial schools in the City of Chicago. This test is being conducted der his personal supervision at the Lucy Flower High School by class of twenty-five students. Both Mr. Bachrach and the facul of this school are enthusiastic over the results. The plan is also being seriously considered and wil no doubt be adopted by such schools as the New Trier Township High. School at Kenilworth and by the Boards of Education of both ' New York City and Philadelphia. These are only seme of the schools who are consider ing this method of teaching filing. All Library Bureau offices for the last two weeks have been actively engaged in the presen- tation of this to the Boards’ of Education in their communities and when you consider that there are forty-eight offices employ! over three hundred salesmen you can appreciate the broad scope covered by even two weeks* work. The demand for the teaching of filing in high schools and business colleges naturally calls for the teaching of high school teachers. Many of these teachers who are near our schools of filing will be in a position to take the resident course. Those not able to go to our resident schools may equip themselves through the Home Study course. This brings a demand on the part of the■ci- te ache rs for the granting of promotional credits fo We have made application similar to the making to the University of Illinois, to educational in Massachusetts, particularly to the State Departmen tion. The director of this Department has appointed a from one of the schools in Massachusetts to take our re course at our Boston School of Filing to determine the promotional credit to be granted for the course. At the request of Mr. Baehrach v/e are repeat! year a course of instruction at the Chicago normal College thirty-one, of the enclosed outline of the course offered 1 Chicago Normal College, will indicate the function of this Page two of this catalog, item No. 1, tinder subject of "Ore indicates the amount of promotional credit the Chicago Norma College allows for this course. Last year the equipment used this college was the full size used by our resident schools, year the miniature outfits will be used in teaching. 7/e regret that it has been necessary to make this so long, but feel that you would want the complete information that we have given. You can readily understand from, what we ha said that this subject is a big one and, with, business today as it is, is a subject that is going to enter into future educatio al work of both high schools and commercial departments of univ sities. To aid you in deciding whether or not you believe, this work of sufficient caliber to warrant the granting of unive sity credit, we would be very glad to give either a resident course or Home Study course to any member of your staff you may select. ¥e will do this without charge, and this will permit yo~ to secure a defini te report on the course from a member of your own staff. If you desire further information we will be glad t supply it, at your request. We will appreciate your considerati of this matter and hope for a favorable reply at your earliest venience. Very truly yours, AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF FILING. G.C.Bridges VBB PBIHOIP^i;OUTLINE OF COURSE Part I Theory and Evolution of Filing Filing Cabinets Filing Supplies Indexing and Filing Procedure Indexing and Filing Rules Part II Application of Indexing Rules and General Alphabeting Classes of Matter filed. Standard Alphabetic Correspondence Filing L.B.Direct Alphabetic Correspondence Filing Other Alphabetic Methods of Correspondence Filing Part III Numeric Correspondence Filing Legal, Catalog, Blue Print and Clipping Filing Part IV L.B. Automatic Index Geographic Correspondence Filing Part V Charge Methods and Cross Reference Subject Correspondence Filing; Alphabetic, Duplex-Numeric and Decimal Follow-up Methods and Tab Cards Transfer Methods Card Records Purchase, Sales, Stock Records and Card Ledger