The As You Like It Club was founded in 1895 in Missoula, Montana. The object of the club is the "promotion of intellectual culture and social intercourse." Membership to the club is limited to 25 members, and at each meeting they discuss and present different topics of choice, such as the changing role of world affairs and its leaders, collecting antiques, American women in literature, astrology, prison reform and Morocco.
This collection consists of meeting minutes, program yearbooks, newspaper articles, correspondence and a brief history about the club. The club's meetings are largely literary in nature and reflect close ties with the University of Montana and its faculty, as well as historically prominent Missoula families.
The collection is divided into four series:
Series I: Meeting Minutes, 1895-2017, 2.6 linear feet
Series II: Yearly Programs, 1898-2018, 0.5 linear feet
Series III: Organization and Member History, 1897-2018, 0.2 linear feet
Series IV: Correspondence, 1942-2018, 0.1 linear feet
Researchers must use collection in accordance with the policies of Archives and Special Collections, the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, and the University of Montana-Missoula.
Researchers are responsible for using in accordance with 17 U.S.C. and any other applicable statutes. Copyright not transferred to The University of Montana.
[Name of document], As You Like It Club Records, Archives and Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana-Missoula.
Materials in this collection remained with the officials of the As You Like It Club until donation to the K. Ross Toole Archives. The club has donated materials on a periodic basis since the collection was first established in 1972.
Gifts of the As You Like It Club, 1972 to 2018.
The actions of the original processors are unknown. In 1998 additional materials were integrated into the collection and the content of the collection was re-described. In 2003 subsequently donated materials were integrated into the existing collection and small accruals were added in 2005, 2006, 2014, 2015 and 2018.
This series consists of minutes of bi-monthly meetings. Includes information about attendance, old business, new business, and the weekly program. The weekly program consisted of presentations by members on certain agreed upon subjects. They discussed a wide array of topics, including: suffrage and political rights for women, Native Americans, parliamentary law, Luther and Calvin, Nihilism, Spain, Russia, great naturalists, air pollution and art in Egypt. The programs at times featured guest speakers. This series also includes treasurer's reports after 1922, and attendance lists after 2012.
Yearly Programs, formally called "Yearbooks" and informally called "Blue Books", consist of names of officers and members for that year, the topic and program for each meeting and who presented it, and who led the meeting each week. The programs after 1901 also include the club's constitution, club traditions, names of the founding members and honorary members. Some programs include the titles of books referred to throughout the year.
This series includes proposed changes to the constitution from 1976; a history of the As You Like It Club from 1895 to 1941; a list of the committees and officers of the Club, 1974 to 1999, and summaries of club activities from 1914 to 1918 to supplement missing meeting minutes, sheet music created for the club, and a list of programs offered each year.. History folders include clippings, memorial programs and other material related to members and their families.
Written by Club member Willa Lester
Included in this series are personal correspondence, a letter from the Missoula Festival of the Arts, a letter from the club to the President, Board of Regents and Law School of the University of Montana, a letter from the President of the University of Montana, a Christmas card, letters to and from the archivist at the University of Montana, and a letter to the secretary of the Daughters of the American Revolution. The series also includes a list of Christmas cards sent by the club, 1981-1995.