# Catalogue Of The Frederick W. & Carrie S. Beinecke Collection Of Western Americana > 1965 bibliography by Yale Collection of Western Americana **Wikidata**: [Q105997557](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q105997557) **Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/catalogue-of-the-frederick-w-carrie-s-beinecke-collection-of-western-americana-q105997557 ## Summary The Catalogue Of The Frederick W. & Carrie S. Beinecke Collection Of Western Americana is a 1965 bibliography documenting the Yale Collection of Western Americana, focusing on manuscripts and materials related to the Western United States. This written work serves as a systematic cataloguing of the Beinecke family's significant collection of Western American historical documents, providing researchers and historians with access to primary source materials documenting the American West. ## Key Facts - **Title:** Catalogue Of The Frederick W. & Carrie S. Beinecke Collection Of Western Americana - **Publication Date:** 1965 - **Author/Compiler:** Yale Collection of Western Americana - **Instance Of:** Bibliography, written work - **Main Subject:** Manuscripts, Western United States - **Language:** English - **Classification:** Academic discipline concerned with books and systematic documentation of publications - **Field Relationship:** Bibliography is considered a subclass of information science and part of library science - **Dewey Decimal Classification:** 010 (for bibliography as a discipline) - **Founder of Bibliography:** Paul Otlet (1868-1944), Belgian librarian, author, and key figure in information science - **Practitioner Term:** Bibliographer - **Synonym:** Bibliolog ## FAQs ### Q: What is the Catalogue Of The Frederick W. & Carrie S. Beinecke Collection Of Western Americana? A: It is a 1965 bibliography compiled by the Yale Collection of Western Americana that documents the Frederick W. and Carrie S. Beinecke Collection of Western Americana. The catalogue provides a systematic listing of manuscripts and historical materials related to the Western United States, serving as a key resource for researchers studying American Western history. ### Q: What type of document is this catalogue? A: This catalogue is a bibliography—a written work that systematically lists and describes publications or manuscripts. As a bibliography, it follows the academic discipline of bibliography, which involves the systematic analysis, description, and listing of books and other publications to organize and retrieve information. ### Q: What is the relationship between this catalogue and the field of bibliography? A: The catalogue exemplifies the academic discipline of bibliography in practice. Bibliography is the formal study of books and publications as physical objects, involving systematic documentation. The Beinecke Collection catalogue applies bibliographic methods to organize and describe Western American manuscripts, making them discoverable and accessible to researchers. ### Q: Who maintains the collection this catalogue documents? A: The collection is maintained by the Yale Collection of Western Americana, part of Yale University Library. The Beinecke family—Frederick W. and Carrie S. Beinecke—assembled this significant collection of Western American historical materials. ### Q: What subjects does this catalogue cover? A: The catalogue focuses on manuscripts and materials related to the Western United States, documenting historical documents, papers, and primary sources pertaining to the American West. ## Why It Matters The Catalogue Of The Frederick W. & Carrie S. Beinecke Collection Of Western Americana matters because it provides structured access to a cornerstone collection of Western American historical manuscripts. Without systematic bibliographic catalogues like this one, invaluable primary source materials would remain inaccessible and undiscoverable to historians, scholars, and researchers. The significance of this catalogue extends beyond its immediate documentation function. It represents the application of bibliographic principles—a discipline founded by Paul Otlet—to organize knowledge about the American West. Bibliography as a discipline creates the intellectual framework that transforms scattered collections into usable research resources. The Beinecke catalogue exemplifies how bibliographic methods make information discoverable, verifiable, and accessible. For researchers studying American Western history, this catalogue serves as an essential gateway to primary source materials. The systematic classification and description of manuscripts enables scholars to locate relevant documents efficiently, understand their provenance, and trace the historical record of the Western United States. Without rigorous bibliographic work, the ability to navigate archives and special collections would be severely limited. Furthermore, this catalogue demonstrates the foundational role bibliography plays within library science and information science. The discipline provides the theoretical and practical framework for organizing the vast world of published knowledge and historical documents. By systematically describing and classifying materials, bibliography makes the past accessible to the present. ## Notable For - **Historical Significance:** Documents one of the premier collections of Western American manuscripts, assembled by the Beinecke family and housed at Yale University - **Academic Discipline Application:** Represents the practical application of bibliography as an academic discipline to organize Western American historical materials - **1965 Publication:** A mid-20th century bibliographic work that established access to Western Americana collections - **Primary Source Gateway:** Serves as the key to accessing manuscripts documenting the history and development of the Western United States - **Institutional Heritage:** Reflects Yale University's long-standing commitment to collecting and preserving Western American historical documents ## Body ### Definition and Nature The Catalogue Of The Frederick W. & Carrie S. Beinecke Collection Of Western Americana is a bibliographic work published in 1965 by the Yale Collection of Western Americana. As a bibliography, it represents the systematic documentation of publications—in this case, manuscripts and historical materials related to the Western United States. The catalogue functions as a bibliographic record, providing detailed descriptions that enable researchers to locate and utilize specific documents within the collection. Bibliography as an academic discipline concerns itself with the study of books and publications as physical objects. The Beinecke catalogue exemplifies this discipline's core principles: systematic analysis, description, and listing of materials to organize and retrieve information. The practitioners who create such catalogues are known as bibliographers, and their work forms the foundation of library science and information organization. ### Historical Context The publication of this catalogue in 1965 reflects the maturation of bibliographic methods in American academic libraries during the mid-20th century. Yale University, through its Collection of Western Americana, had assembled a significant collection of Western American materials, and the catalogue provided scholarly access to these resources. The Beinecke family—Frederick W. and Carrie S. Beinecke—were instrumental in building this collection, which became a premier destination for researchers studying American Western history. The discipline of bibliography itself was formalized earlier in the century, with Paul Otlet (1868-1944) recognized as the founder. Otlet, a Belgian librarian and author, developed the foundational concepts of information science that underpin modern bibliographic practice. His work established the theoretical basis for systematic documentation that the Yale Collection applied to its Western Americana holdings. ### Relationship to Library Science This catalogue exists within the broader context of library science and information science. Bibliography is classified as a subclass of information science and represents a core component of library science. The Dewey Decimal Classification system places bibliography at 010, organizing it within the broader framework of knowledge organization. The creation of the Beinecke catalogue required the application of bibliographic principles including descriptive bibliography (focusing on material conditions and physical description) and systematic classification. These methods ensure that researchers can not only locate materials but understand their physical characteristics, provenance, and historical significance. ### Subject Matter The catalogue documents materials concerning the Western United States—a region of profound historical importance in American history. The manuscripts and documents catalogued cover topics including exploration, settlement, mining, ranching, Native American history, and the development of Western territories and states. This primary source material forms the evidentiary basis for historical research into the American West. ### Academic Significance For scholars and researchers, bibliographic works like this catalogue serve as essential research tools. The systematic organization of materials enables efficient research, allowing historians to identify relevant documents without exhaustive physical searching through collections. The catalogue transforms an assembled collection into a searchable, navigable resource. The academic discipline of bibliography emphasizes the importance of the bibliographic record—the fundamental unit of work within the field. Each entry in the Beinecke catalogue represents a bibliographic record that documents the existence, location, and characteristics of specific manuscripts. These records collectively enable research across the entire collection. ### Preservation and Access By documenting the Beinecke Collection systematically, this catalogue contributes to both preservation and access. The bibliographic record ensures that materials are described consistently and comprehensively, supporting long-term preservation efforts while simultaneously enabling researchers to discover and utilize these historical documents. This dual function—preservation through documentation and access through description—represents the core value that bibliographic works provide to scholarly communities.