Cataloguing and electronic access to archives of British mathematical and physical scientists

英国数学和物理科学家档案的编目和电子访问

• 批准号: AH/D502543/1
• 负责人: Timothy Powell
• 金额: $ 54.28万
• 依托单位: University of Bath
• 依托单位国家: 英国
• 项目类别: Research Grant
• 财政年份: 2006
• 资助国家: 英国
• 起止时间: 2006 至 无数据
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=AH%2FD502543%2F1
• 关键词: Cataloguing; electronic; access; archives; British

"Science is of central importance in the modern world and a growing area of historical study. Historians need primary sources for their research including the correspondence and research notebooks of leading figures. These may illuminate not only the scientific process itself but the impact of science on the wider world. The documentation of much twentieth-century science remains with the scientists in their laboratories, offices and private homes. Thus outside the archive repository it is largely inaccessible for historical research. Over the last thirty years the National Cataloguing Unit for the Archives of Contemporary Scientists (NCUACS) at the University of Bath working in association with the Royal Society has played a key role in preserving and making accessible for historical research the archives of distinguished contemporary scientists including a very significant number of British Nobel Laureates. In total 262 archives of British scientists across a wide range of disciplines have been located and catalogued by the NCUACS for deposit in 54 academic libraries and archives across the country. This has been an enormous contribution to history of science research in the UK and an enormous benefit to the repositories who are able to make the scientists' archives available to researchers as soon as they receive them from the cataloguing unit This forms the essential background to the NCUACS's resource enhancement proposal to the AHRC, to catalogue and make accessible the unprocessed archives of eleven major figures in the mathematical and physical sciences for deposit in nine academic libraries and archives. The cataloguing process will result in physical access to the archives for the first time while the catalogues, produced with the latest archival cataloguing software, will be made available to researchers at their own personal computers via the NCUACS website and a number of national and local networks. Furthermore to ensure maximum use of the project archives the cataloguing process will be accompanied by a publicity campaign using traditional means such as leaflets, promotional visits to history of science centres by project staff and dedicated project web pages on the NCUACS website. The project offers a unique opportunity to advance understanding of the ways in which the physical and mathematical sciences have shaped the modem world. The historical archives document the work of eleven leading scientists at the forefront of fields such as atomic physics, ultralow temperatures, magnetic resonance imaging, radio astronomy and quantum theory, and in their wider public roles in respect of war, industry, education, environment and government. Research opportunities will be opened up for historical study in areas of great current interest such as nuclear questions, refugee scientists and women in science."

“科学在现代世界和不断发展的历史研究领域中至关重要。历史学家需要主要的研究来源，包括重要人物的信件和研究笔记本。这些不仅可以阐明科学过程本身，还可以阐明科学对更广泛世界的影响。许多二十世纪的科学文献仍然保留在科学家的实验室、办公室和私人住宅中。因此，在档案库之外，历史研究基本上无法访问这些文献。 在过去的三十年里，巴斯大学的国家当代科学家档案编目单位（NCUACS）与英国皇家学会合作，在保存和开放当代杰出科学家（包括大量英国诺贝尔奖获得者）的档案以供历史研究方面发挥了关键作用。 NCUACS 已定位并编目了总共 262 份来自不同学科的英国科学家的档案。 存于全国54个高校图书馆、档案馆。这对英国科学研究的历史做出了巨大的贡献，也对存储库带来了巨大的好处，这些存储库能够在研究人员从编目单位收到科学家的档案后立即向其提供这些档案。这构成了 NCUACS 向 AHRC 提出的资源增强提案的基本背景，即对 11 个主要学科的未处理档案进行编目并使其可访问 数学和物理科学方面的数据存放在九个学术图书馆和档案馆中。编目过程将首次实现对档案的物理访问，而使用最新档案编目软件制作的目录将通过 NCUACS 网站和一些国家和地方网络提供给研究人员在自己的个人电脑上。此外，为了确保最大限度地利用项目档案，编目过程将 伴随着使用传统手段的宣传活动，例如传单、项目工作人员对科学历史中心的宣传访问以及 NCUACS 网站上的专门项目网页。该项目提供了一个独特的机会来加深对物理和数学科学塑造现代世界的方式的理解。历史档案记录了原子物理学、超低温、磁学等领域最前沿的十一位顶尖科学家的工作。 共振成像、射电天文学和量子理论，以及它们在战争、工业、教育、环境和政府方面更广泛的公共作用。将为核问题、难民科学家和科学界女性等当前热门领域的历史研究提供研究机会。”