World's Poultry Science Association Records

The World's Poultry Science Association (WPSA) Records contain materials collected over the years by various members of the organization. The earliest material dates from the founding of the organization in 1912 and the most recent materials from the 22nd World's Poultry Congress in 2004. The bulk of the materials spans from the late 1960s to the present. Items contained within the collection are correspondence, meeting minutes, reports, publications, maps, meeting information, photographs, and ephemera.

Over half of the collection deals with the various congresses, conferences and symposia (Series VII, Series VIII, and Series IX) that the WPSA helps to promote and that its members attend. These sections of the collection consist mainly of informational materials about various congresses, conferences, and symposia. There are posters, brochures, invitations, programs, maps, bags, badges, pins, travel guides, correspondence, catalogs, and proceedings.

Working files of the organization are found in Series I through Series VI. The files include the constitution (Series I), correspondence (Series II), reports (Series III), committee records (Series IV), awards presented to members of the association (Series V), and photographs (Series VI).

Within the collection are various illustrations used for congress and conference programs and brochures. There are some color images of the different breeds of poultry. Also included are informational materials regarding the poultry industry of various countries. The majority of the congress and conference materials contain detailed travel information about the meeting location.

The collection contains few materials prior to 1968. There are no files for the office of the vice president. The actual planning files for the individual congresses and conferences are not included within this collection. The WPSA promotes the congresses, conferences, and symposia but it is not responsible for the actual planning of the events. That responsibility lies with the individual host country. Only the proceedings are available for the Sixth European Poultry Conference and the Eighth European Poultry Conference.

The WPSA is still an active international organization and since the National Agricultural Library is a repository for this organization, the collection will continue to grow.

Each series begins with a folder numbered one to accommodate for the future growth of the collection. Abbreviations are World's Poultry Science Association (WPSA), World's Poultry Congress (WPC), European Poultry Conferences (EPC), National Agricultural Library (NAL), and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).