Converted to EAD3 : Encoded Archival Description (EAD), Version 3 : Release: 1.1.1 : Release Date: 2019-12-16. Validating against latest version of schema.
Contact information: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact
Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm94083010
Collection material in English
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the LC Catalog. They are grouped by name of person or organization, by subject or location, and by occupation and listed alphabetically.
The papers of W. Edwards Deming, statistician and educator, were deposited in the Library of Congress in 1994 by the W. Edwards Deming Institute, Washington, D.C., with additional material deposited in 1995. The entire collection was converted to a gift in 1995.
The papers of W. Edwards Deming were arranged and described by Michael Spangler and Joseph D. Sullivan with the assistance of Paul Colton, Patrick Kerwin, Lisa Madison, and Sherralyn McCoy in 1995.
Sound and video recordings have been transferred to the Motion Picture, Broadcasting, and Recorded Sound Division where they are identified as part of the W. Edwards Deming Papers.
Copyright in the unpublished writings of W. Edwards Deming in these papers and in other collections in the custody of the Library of Congress is controlled by the W. Edwards Deming Institute.
The papers of W. Edwards Deming are open to research. Researchers are advised to contact the Manuscript Reading Room prior to visiting. Many collections are stored off-site and advance notice is needed to retrieve these items for research use.
Researchers wishing to cite this collection should include the following information: Container number, W. Edwards Deming Papers, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.
The papers of
The Personal File contains
correspondence and other papers relating to Deming's family, engagement calendars, and a
1795 French military leave pass for
The General Correspondence
series consists primarily of letters exchanged with professional colleagues in academia
and industry. One file relates to
The International File features
material pertaining to Deming's work with foreign corporations and governments, his
collaborations with professional colleagues abroad, and personal matters. Among the
principal files are those relating to
The Client File constitutes
the largest portion of the Deming collection. It records Deming's activities as a
private consultant to American industry from the late 1940s to the 1990s and includes
correspondence, memoranda, reports, testimony, seminars, charts, and other related
items. The bulk of the material pertains to Deming's work with motor freight, railroad,
and telephone companies. As an advisor to these industries, he used sampling and
statistical analysis to evaluate and set service rates and to address other industry
concerns. He designed a “continuous traffic study” for the self-regulation of the motor
freight industry and participated in government hearings in 1979-1980 regarding
deregulation of the industry. He also provided statistical studies for setting rates for
transcontinental railroads and often testified before the
The Subject File highlights
Deming's association with professional organizations and government service, including
the
The Writings File contains
articles, papers, speeches, lectures, books, forewords, interviews, and reviews spanning
Deming's entire career. Deming was a frequent contributor to scholarly journals. Set I
in the Writings File is composed of published copies of articles and papers arranged in
rough chronological order according to a numerical system devised by Deming and his
staff. Set II includes additional articles and papers, book production files, speeches
and lectures, interviews, reviews, and other writings. Among the interviews is a
transcript of an interview with Deming and
The Academic File focuses
on Deming's student work and his teaching positions. His meticulous notes and papers as
a student are early evidence of a disciplined mind. Included are copies of his master's
thesis at the
The collection is arranged in nine series:
Correspondence, notes, music compositions, engagement calendars, and papers pertaining to family members.
Arranged alphabetically by topic or type of material and chronologically therein.
Letters received and copies of letters sent with attached and related material.
Arranged alphabetically by name of correspondent or organization and chronologically therein.
Correspondence, reports, notes, printed matter, and other background material.
Organized alphabetically by country, by topic or type of material therein, and chronologically within these categories.
Reports, testimony, correspondence, memoranda, notes, data sheets, notebooks, financial papers, and printed matter.
Arranged alphabetically by topic or type of client, thereunder by client's name or subject, and chronologically therein.
Correspondence, memoranda, reports, notes, and printed and near-print matter.
Filed alphabetically by topic and chronologically therein.
Articles, papers, book production files, forewords, interviews, reviews, letters to editors, speeches and lectures, poems, and notes.
Arranged in two sets. Set I contains published articles and papers arranged roughly chronologically by numerical designations assigned by Deming and his staff. Set II contains a variety of writings arranged alphabetically by format and chronologically thereunder. Books are arranged alphabetically by title.
Notebooks, notes, correspondence, reports, and academic studies.
Arranged alphabetically by institution and thereunder by topic or type of material.
Notes, calculations, notebooks, exercises, and printed and near-print matter.
Organized alphabetically by topic and chronologically therein.
Certificates, awards, programs, photographs, annotated books, printed matter, newspapers, postcards, addresses, calling cards, and writings by others.
Arranged alphabetically by type of material and chronologically therein.