Appraising Archives for the History of Science

Join us for a Brown Bag Lecture by Patrick Shea, Chief Curator of Archives and Manuscripts at the Science History Institute.
 
This talk will detail my experiences developing the archival collections of the Science History Institute. The sheer volume of records documenting 20th-century science demands that we set clear limits on the type of material we want to collect. Since we can’t collect everything, it is vital that institutions have sound collection and appraisal policies to provide a clear definition of the material desired, as well as a firm footing for declining donations that do not meet our criteria. As such, I’ll discuss the Science History Institute’s policies toward collecting and appraising archival collections, with specific examples of how collections are evaluated before final selection is made.