Series V. Letters Department, 1930-1998, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
Letters Department Records include files preparing reader letters for publication, microfilm containing summaries of reader letters and lists of known errors from the Letters section, files from Editorial Rights which was handled by Letters Administration staff, and a scrapbook of clippings about women in the news compiled by the Letters Department.
Arrangement
Organized into four subseries: Subseries V.A. Published Letters Files; Subseries V.B. Reports; Subseries V.C. Editorial Rights; Subseries V.D. Scrapbook: Stories on Women's Issues
Subseries V.A. Published Letters Files, 1994-1998, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
Published Letter Files have materials created in preparation for publishing reader letters in each issue including lists of published letters, galley proofs, and originals of reader letters that were sent in via AOL posts, fax, and mail. The files may be from Letters Editor Betty Satterwhite.
Arrangement
Organized chronologically by magazine issue date.
Published Letters, 1994 October 3 - December 12, inclusive
Published Letters, 1994 December 19 - 1995 March 27, inclusive
Published Letters, 1995 April 3 - 24, inclusive
Published Letters, 1995 May 1 - August 28, inclusive
Published Letters, 1995 September 11 - November 27, inclusive
Published Letters, 1995 December 4 - 1996 March 25, inclusive
Published Letters, 1996 April 1 - May 27, inclusive
Published Letters, 1998 March 2 - April 27, inclusive
Published Letters, 1998 May 4 - July 20, inclusive
Published Letters, 1998 July 21 - October 19, inclusive
Published Letters, 1998 October 26 - December 21, inclusive
Subseries V.B. Reports, 1938-1980, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
Letters Department reports include summaries of all reader letters to Time, not only the published letters, and lists of known errors. All reports in this series were microfilmed by Time Inc. around 1981 and the originals discarded. All dates refer to the contents, not date of imaging. The records include indexes to the reels.
Arrangement
Organized chronologically.
Existence and Location of Copies
Digital copies are available in the N-YHS Digital Collections: Time, Inc. TIME Letters Department reports, 1938-1980.
Time Letters Department Reports, 1938 January-1948 August, inclusive
Time Letters Department Reports, 1948 September-1950 December, inclusive
Time Letters Department Reports, 1951 January-1958 September, inclusive
Time Letters Department Reports, 1958 October-1963 May, inclusive
Time Letters Department Reports, 1963 June-1965 February, inclusive
Time Letters Department Reports, 1965 March-1969 April, inclusive
Time Letters Department Reports, 1969 May-1974 March, inclusive
Time Letters Department Reports, 1974 April-1980 December, inclusive
Subseries V.C. Editorial Rights, 1991-1996, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
Marian Powers, part of the Letters Administration, handled the editorial rights requests for Time magazine. The files include requests for reprints of articles, to republish articles or excerpts, to or to use the image of Time magazine in some way, and Time's responses to these requests. Requests come from universities, book publishers, anthology editors, high schools, corporations, professional organizations, museums, motion picture studios, and other filmmakers, and usually had specifics on how they wanted to use material from Time.
Time did not allow reprints or the use of Time magazine for several reasons, and Editorial Rights frequently stated that Time never allowed others to use it for advertising or promotion. An exception was made for Apple to quote Time's opinion in an advertisement for a new computer.
Time generally granted the educational requests for reprints although it did deny several high schools the request to replicate the Time cover layout in their yearbook. Time also granted permission several times for a faux Time magazine to be used in major motion pictures such as My Girl II, Sister Act II, and Natural Born Killers.
Arrangement
Organized in chronological order based on the original order. Documents were originally unhoused, but in groups by year. There were three folders with specific topics.
Requests and Responses: General, 1991, inclusive
Requests and Responses: General, 1991, inclusive
Requests and Responses: General, 1991, inclusive
Requests and Responses: General, 1992-1993, inclusive
Requests and Responses: General, 1993, inclusive
Requests and Responses: General, 1993, inclusive
Requests and Responses: General, 1993, inclusive
Requests and Responses: General, 1993, inclusive
Requests and Responses: Exhibits, 1993, inclusive
Requests and Responses: In-House Videos, 1993, inclusive
Requests and Responses: LAT, 1993, inclusive
Requests and Responses: General, 1996, inclusive
Subseries V.D. Scrapbook: Stories on Women's Issues, 1930-1941, inclusive
Extent
Scope and Contents
This scrapbook was probably compiled by the Letters Department and contains clippings of stories about women. The clippings may be from Time as similar scrapbooks have been found containing clippings of the letters to the editor.