New Series-Level Descriptions Published in Archives Catalog

Nearly all the analog records preserved by the WBG Archives have been described at the highest, or fonds, level. Fonds-level descriptions provide extensive information about the functions and organizational units that created the records and a high-level description of the records themselves. Series-level description provides two valuable additions. First, the description of the records‘ scope and content is far more detailed, enabling users to more easily identify records that match their research interests. Second, series-level descriptions enable linking to more granular metadata already created in our internal database. This means that, in addition to the dozens of newly published series-level descriptions, we have also added more than 10,000 folder and item-level descriptions to our catalog!

What follows is a brief summary of the new series-level descriptions added to our site. We encourage you to check them out – and to check back in the future as our team continues to publish new descriptions!

Central Files

The Central Files fonds is a treasure trove of records originating from units across the WBG. This body of records comprises the official correspondence and accompanying records of numerous departments whose records were forwarded to the Bank Group’s centralized filing system from 1946 to 1987. Of note, Central Files contains records created and received by the Office of the President and the Vice President during the tenures of presidents Meyer, McCloy, Black and Woods, which are otherwise sparse in their respective fonds. In addition, Central Files chronicle: the organization of units and field offices; operational policy and procedures; sector work; Bank Group membership, borrowing and bond issues; and much more.

Sector Departments

The archival records of the Population, Health and Nutrition Sector and the Education Sector, now described at the series-level, cover the range of these activities as well as the sectors’ progression to new themes, programs, and responsibilities.

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  Records of the Population, Health, and Nutrition Sector: The earliest records date from the beginning of the global concern over rapid population growth as a barrier to economic development but also document the Bank’s entry into the nutrition and health sectors in the early 1970s. Featured records from 1963 to 2001 include: research on family planning, migration, and world population projections; the Onchocerciasis Control Program (OCP) and the sector’s coordination and research evaluation support for this global partnership; and country files documenting the status of the health and nutrition sector of member countries and early nutrition projects.

• Records of the Education Sector: Created between 1964 and 2013, the records reflect the sector’s shift from educational planning and infrastructure in the early years to literacy policy and standards, early childhood education, training, and employment. Highlights include records relating to: the World Conference on Education for All (EFA); the formulation of strategies to shape policy and practice in member countries; and knowledge management products, including reports and newsletters, related to country education projects.

World Bank Group Staff Personal Papers

Four new series-level descriptions of the personal papers of some of the WBG’s most prominent staff members have also been published. Personal papers generally do not include records spanning the entirety of a staff member’s career, but rather a smaller selection of records they removed from the institution’s custody and later returned.

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  Personal Papers of William Donaldson Clark: William Clark joined the WBG as Robert McNamara’s Director of Information and Public Affairs in 1968. He would later become director and then vice president of the External Relations unit. Records date from 1966 to 1985 and include memoranda, notes, and press articles.

• Personal Papers of William Diamond: William Diamond spent more than 30 years at the WBG, joining in 1947 in the Loan Department. He would continue to work in Bank operational units but also spent time in the Economic Development Institute (EDI) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). His papers include correspondence, notes, drafts, reports, and other textual records.

• Personal Papers of Martin M. Rosen: From 1946, Martin Rosen spent his first 15 years  in the WBG’s various operations departments before being named the Executive Vice President of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in 1961. Records consist of photographs and textual records documenting travel and events while serving in these roles.

• Personal Papers of Davidson Sommers: Davidson Sommers' personal papers document his tenure at the WBG, which began in the Office of the General Counsel in 1946. He would go on to serve as both the Bank and IFC’s General Counsel in the 1950s. His papers contain correspondence, personnel files, speeches, articles, memorabilia, and photographs.