Dr. Sauveur started the Normal School of Languages at Amherst College in 1875. In 1878, the School was first held at Amherst College. Its objective was "to familiarize instructors with the 'Natural Method' of teaching ancient and modern languages." By 1894, the Sauveur College of Languages (also known as Sauveur Summer School or Normal School of Languages) joined with the Amherst Summer School. The Summer School offered, in addition to language courses, courses in "library economy," geology, physical education, and other subjects. A 1901 brochure describes the Summer School of Library Economy (also known as Fletcher Library School) as a distinct program developed by William I. Fletcher. By 1906, the program was defunct.

Most of the documents in this small collection are from Fletcher's summer library program. The program was for "beginners in library work, or the librarians of small libraries who have not been brought in contact with modern improved methods, [providing] enough instruction in such methods to answer their immediate demands." W.I. Fletcher taught the five-week program in the Amherst College Library. Typically there were two-hour lectures each morning followed by two-hour "laboratory work" sessions in the afternoon.