Guide to the American Service Institute Records, ca. 1920-1961 AIS.1963.01

Arrangement

Repository
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Title
American Service Institute Records
Creator
American Service Institute
Collection Number
AIS.1963.01
Extent
62.5 Linear Feet
Date
1920-1961
Date
1941-1961
Abstract
The American Service Institute was founded in Pittsburgh in 1941 with the purpose of working through the organized structure of the Pittsburgh community to promote better understanding and appreciation among people of all cultural and national backgrounds. The American Service Institute was in existence from 1941 through 1961. The records include material from the 1920s through 1961. The records include minutes and committees, unpublished studies and reports, ASI community projects, immigration and naturalization files, ASI publications, ASI programs, general information on local organizations, material on local community projects, the aged population, youth immigration records, and customs and traditions of cultural groups.
Language
English .
Author
Archives Service Center Staff. Revisions occurred to the finding aid as a part of the encoding process on September 28, 1999 and in 2003-2004.
Publisher
ULS Archives & Special Collections
Address
University of Pittsburgh Library System
Archives & Special Collections
Website: library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections
Business Number: 412-648-3232 (Thomas) | 412-648-8190 (Hillman)
Contact Us: www.library.pitt.edu/ask-archivist
URL: http://library.pitt.edu/archives-special-collections

History

The American Service Institute was founded in 1941 as a result of research published by Philip Klein and collaborators entitled A Social Study of Pittsburgh: Community Problems and Social Services of Allegheny County. The study recommended that an advisory agency be formed to act as an interpreter between existing social and civic agencies. The American Service Institute (ASI) was formed from the combination of 3 organizations the, International Institute of Pittsburgh, International Institute of McKeesport and the American Citizenship League. The organizations focused on a combination of naturalization procedures for individuals as well as community related group work.

The ASI was a product of the three earlier organizations with the stated purpose, "to assist in the ethnic, cultural and economic assimilation into the community of new Americans residing in Allegheny County; to encourage their participation in community life, as individuals or as groups; to cooperate with individuals and with nationality organizations in relating themselves to public and private social and civic agencies; and to give technical assistance to residents of Allegheny County who desire to become naturalized citizens of the United States." To fulfill these objectives, ASI worked through the organized structure of the community (i.e., social agencies, schools, churches, civic groups) to promote better understanding and appreciation among people of all cultural and national backgrounds, as well as encourage fuller participation in community life.

The organization was supported almost solely by the Community Chest of Allegheny County, only a fraction of the ASI budget came from fees for services. ASI did not intend for itself to be an agency that provided individual service, but in their first year they assisted 1,140 people with the naturalization process. After those initial months government funds for naturalization programs made it possible to lessen the number of individual cases for which ASI was responsible.

In 1960 a study was requested by the Community Chest of Allegheny County and the Allegheny County Health and Welfare Association to assess the role of the American Service Institute. As a result of the study the ASI was asked to terminate its services to the community and its contract with the Community Chest expired on December 31, 1961. All active immigration and naturalization case files were transferred to the Community Chest Information Services, which later became part of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the United Way.

Scope and Content Notes

Included in the collection are extensive records in the fields of social work and intercultural relations. The collection also contains publications of health, welfare, and fraternal organizations located in the county, and numerous documents and letters of historical importance. Although the American Service Institute was in existence from 1941 through 1961, the material in the files is not limited to this period but contains materials from the 1920s through 1961. The records include minutes and committees, unpublished studies and reports, ASI community projects, files on individual immigration and naturalization cases closed prior to 1953, ASI publications such as the Survey of Beneficial Fraternal Society, newsletters, Nationality Fact Sheet, ASI Programs such as "Analysis of Immigration and Naturalization Steps" and "East Liberty Interagency Meetings," general information on such local organizations as the Urban League, National Conference of Christians and Jews Committee on Human Relations, material (such as newsletters) on local community and committee projects, the aged population, youth immigration records, customs and traditions of cultural groups.

Arrangement

The collection has been organized into eight main series:

  • Series I. Special Projects and Daily Activities
  • Series II. Research on Ethnic and Nationality Groups
  • Series III. Alphabetical Subject Files
  • Series IV. Individual and Family Case Files
  • Series V. Employment Progress Reports
  • Series VI. Newsletters and Publications
  • Series VII. Additional ASI Files
  • Series VIII. Map and Statistics Binders
Additional scope notes are provided at the series level.

Access Restrictions

Repository may place some restriction on the use of individual immigration files if they are used in other than a statistical fashion.

Acquisition Information

Gift of Otto Von Mering on October 7, 1963.

Previous Citation

American Service Institute Records, ca.1920-1961, AIS.1963.01, Archives Service Center, University of Pittsburgh

Preferred Citation

American Service Institute Records, ca.1920-1961, AIS.1963.01, Archives & Special Collections, University of Pittsburgh Library System

Processing Information

This collection was processed by Archives Service Center Staff in 1963 and 2001.

Copyright

Permission for publication is given on behalf of the University of Pittsburgh as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained.

Subjects

    Corporate Names

    • American Service Institute
    • National Conference of Christians and Jews. Committee on Human Relations
    • Urban League of Pittsburgh

    Geographic Names

    • Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- Emigration and immigration
    • Pittsburgh (Pa.) -- Social conditions

    Other Subjects

    • Neighborhoods -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Immigrants -- Pennsylvania -- Pittsburgh
    • Community life
    • Ethnic groups
    • Community development
    • Associations

Container List