NOTES AND SUBJECT FILES

Summary: The series NOTES AND SUBJECT FILES is separated into two subseries for storage purposes, reflecting preservation needs of the materials. The Griffis Collection contains a large quantity of scattered notes mixed with source materials, which Griffis produced and collected either in preparation for specific works or on topics of general interest to him. It was his practice to gather these materials, either in improvised folders or in packets or "clutches," and save them for later review and consolidation.

Smaller, relatively coherent groupings are stored as files, placed in the subseries FILE FOLDERS and described by project (when evident) or subject. Typically a file contains notes mixed with clippings and various ephemera. Whenever located, photographs, complete manuscripts, significant correspondence and other important items were pulled to appropriate series. As most subject files, however, contained few or no such materials, the files as preserved still offer a useful view of Griffis's working methods in identifying and researching subjects and refining his perspective and arguments. Considerable overlap may be expected between this series and others such as PRINTED MATERIALS - NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS or EPHEMERA.

Larger packets could not be stored upright, and so have been saved as a separate subseries, BUNDLES AND CLUTCHES. These bundles tend to be much less focussed than the smaller files, often being nothing more than the collected clippings and memoranda of a given time frame, extraneous to whatever projects Griffis was working on concurrently.

Significant quantities of similar materials with no apparent Japan or Far East subject connection remain in the America/Europe boxes of the collection.