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Archives
Introduction to the Dudley Observatory
Archives
The Dudley Observatory Archives Project was first
planned in January 1992. At that time, the Board of Trustees approved the
funding necessary to hire an archivist and the necessary supplies, and committed
to preserving the heritage of the Observatory. The records to be processed in
the project were what the Observatory called its "historical collection." These
records were found to date from 1852-1952, with the bulk of the records dating
c1900-c1930. In March 1992, the consulting archivist arrived to plan and
implement the project.
What began as a collection of crumbling boxes containing a myriad of records
in almost no recognizable order has evolved into an important collection of
administrative records, observational data, and personal papers that document
not only the history of the Dudley
Observatory, but also the history of astronomy in America.
In 1994, the project was expanded to include the collections from the
modern era, from 1956 to
the present. These records reflect the rise and fall of a private institution's
attempt to maintain enough funding to conduct scientific research in astronomy
and related fields. The Records of the Dudley Observatory have been arbitrarily
divided into two sections, modern and historical. This division was made for
practical, rather than theoretical reasons and is not absolute. For example,
library records from the 1930's that were used by the library on an ongoing
basis can be found in the modern collection. Both collections must be examined
to find all relevant records.
The collection is available for research by appointment. Please call before
visiting as staff may not always be available to open the archives. For other
access policies, please refer to the usage policy.
Although there are no restrictions on access to the collections, manuscripts
cannot be used for publication without regard for common law literary rights,
copyright laws, and laws pertaining to libel. Researchers must have permission
from the copyright holder before publication in any form.
Table of Contents
Section I
Records of Dudley Observatory (1852-1956)
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Observational Journals
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Records of the Astronomical Journal
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Papers of Benjamin A. Gould
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Papers of Seth C. Chandler
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Papers of Benjamin Boss
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Papers of Sebastian Albrecht
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Papers of James H. Armsby
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Section II
Records of the Dudley
Observatory (1956-1980)
Series Summary
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