Alcohol Studies Research Guide

The Special Collections and Archives of the former Alcohol Library moved out of the Adele and Brinkley Smithers Building in 2017. Most of the collection is currently housed in the Rutgers University Library Annex (unless otherwise noted). 

The wealth and depth of its resources are illustrated in the Alcohol Archives, including a blog, which highlights many "firsts" in the history of alcohol studies as well as CAS publications.

The Classified Abstract Archive of the Alcohol Literature (CAAAL) is a collection of approximately 20,000 abstracts prepared by Center staff from 1939 through 1977 of the scientific and scholarly alcohol literature (Journal articles, published and unpublished reports, monographs). Publication of CAAAL ceased in 1978.

Contains the full text of all original documents abstracted by the Center staff (through 1982), along with recently indexed publications of significant research value.

A unique collection of approximately 700 questionnaires, interview schedules and survey instruments used in alcohol research with additional reference to articles that used the survey. Many of the survey instruments are available for document delivery from the Center of Alcohol and Substance Use Studies.

The questionnaires are filed by CARRF numbers which are assigned according to a broad subject classification scheme. Access is provided by a published print inventory and by the in-house database. Also housed in the library are the correspondence files of Dr. Ralph G. Connor, who originated the files and donated them to Rutgers (with joint administration by the National Council on Alcoholism).

The Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies had its roots in the decade following repeal of National Prohibition. A group of scientists and physicians who were concerned about the rise in alcohol consumption and related consequences formed the Research Council on Problems of Alcohol in 1938. Their goal was to foster research about alcohol and its effects in order to provide a scientific basis for a new alcohol policy. One of the members of that group, Howard W. Haggard from Yale University, began the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol in 1940 to serve as the official organ of the Research Council and to provide an outlet for publication of other significant alcohol research. By 1944 Haggard had established a Section of Alcohol Studies within his Laboratory of Applied Physiology at Yale. This Section, under the directorship of E.M. Jellinek, continued to grow through the 1940s, adding researchers from a wide range of disciplines to study the biomedical and psychosocial effects of alcohol use. In 1950 the Section was renamed the Center of Alcohol Studies. More about CAS Library Collections... (by Penny Page)

Quantity: 134 file boxes (approx. 47-1/2 linear feet)

One of the primary functions of the Center of Alcohol Studies throughout its history has been the documentation of the scientific and scholarly alcohol literature. The documentation of the literature has, in turn, become the foundation of the documentation of the alcohol studies field. As part of this documentation effort, the Center library has amassed a collection of over 7,000 books, 230 journal subscriptions and more than 40,000 documents (original articles, reprints, published and unpublished reports, dissertations, questionnaires) in special collections. In addition, there are 134 file boxes (12-1/4”h x 4-1/4”w x 9-1/2”d) of materials from public and private organizations, including government agencies, that are not part of the library’s general or special collections but which have been saved over the years. These items include annual reports, conference announcements and programs, published and unpublished reports and surveys, miscellaneous publications (e.g., pamphlets, flyers, newsletters), minutes of committee meetings, directories, and posters and other promotional materials dealing with beverage alcohol, its use and misuse. Together these materials are referred to as the manuscript and archive collections of the Rutgers Center of Alcohol Studies.

The Alcohol History Collection grew out of efforts by the library staff at the Center of Alcohol Studies to identify and preserve historical materials from the library's collections. Many of these materials had been donated over the years by Center personnel and other interested scholars and researchers. These efforts were augmented by two large donations in the late 1980s. The (then) National Council on Alcoholism donated its entire headquarters library, which included a number of historical monographs. Shortly afterward, Moravian College in Pennsylvania donated a collection of Temperance monographs from the research project of a former faculty member.
Most of the materials in the Alcohol History Collection date from the 1830s to the early 1960s, although a few works are translations or revisions of originals dating back to the 1600s.The collection contains works written for the general public, students, educators, physicians, and researchers in alcohol studies. Learn more about the collection.

The Alcohol History Collection is an assortment of over 500 monographs, pamphlets and journals on the Temperance and Prohibition movements. It also includes images in the form of drawings, engravings, photographs, and portraits, in addition to samples of temperance regalia and banners. The dates of these works range from the 1700s to the 1960s, concentrating mostly in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The oldest monograph in the collection is dated 1707.

Themes in this collection include the alcohol beverage industry, psychological and physiological effects of alcohol, social and domestic problems stemming from alcohol abuse, legislation, and moral and religious aspects. They exist in various formats, including biographical sketches, personal testimonies, fiction works, scientific and medical essays, and accounts of organizations. Many of these materials are accompanied by bibliographies, charts, graphs, illustrations, maps, and statistical tables.

The subject content encompasses a wide range of topics relating to the American Temperance and Prohibition Movements. Themes that appear frequently include social and domestic problems caused by inebriety, legislation and enforcement of laws, physiological and psychological effects of alcohol, moral and ethical discussions, and the alcohol beverage industry. Most items in the collection are English-language, printed in North America or parts of the United Kingdom, but there are occasional foreign-language items from Europe.

Monographs comprise the bulk of the indexed collection, although the Center has acquired some periodicals and pamphlets that will be processed and added to a future edition of the finding aid. To facilitate scholarly research, a number of photographs and other illustrations contained in these monographs have been indexed for this finding aid. More illustrations (posters, prints, broadsides) will be added to a later edition.

The Alcohol Beverage Advertisement Collection contains over 2000 ads, sorted by type and brand of beverage, that were published in the New Yorker and the New York Times Magazine from the late 1970s to mid-2004. These materials demonstrate changing trends in marketing techniques and beverage preferences.
The collection was donated by Phyllis Marstellar, a former member of the editorial staff for the Journal of Studies on Alcohol.

The collection is housed in nine archival clamshell boxes in the storage room at the rear of the library (near public copier). Contents are organized as follows:

Box 1: Gin
Box 2: Scotch
Box 3: Single malt scotch and whiskeys
Box 4: Vodka
Box 5: Brandy, cognac, and liquers
Box 6: Aperitifs, tequila, and rum
Box 7: Ads for specific holidays
Box 8: Wine, beer, ale, "low carb" beverages and special ad supplements
Box 9: Ads for contests, rebates, and special offers; ads (for other products or services) that include alcoholic beverages; miscellaneous ads including women; and ads promoting responsible drinking.

There is a printed index (in looseleaf binder) containing contents lists for each box, as well as an index by brand names). There are no online files for this material.