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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.
Archives-- 80 linear feet of records, documenting the history of Dudley from 1852 to the present. These are mostly paper documents, but there is a sizable collection of photographic images dating from the 1860s to the present (c.25 linear feet.)
The Archives of the Dudley Observatory are divided into two distinct groups of records -- those covering the early years of the observatory though the middle of the 20th century and those after 1950. These groups were processed and arranged separately at different times and by different people. The time spans of the series correspond roughly with changes in directors and in focus of the Observatory.
From the founding of the Observatory in 1852 to the end of Benjamin Boss's tenure as director in 1956, the major focus of Dudley was on observational astronomy and the completion of various Star Catalogues that were published from 1878 to 1937. After the arrival of Curtis Hemenway as director, Dudley was no longer engaged in observational astronomy, but in space science pursuing government grants and contracts on several space-related fields. The major effort was directed toward the examination of microscopic particles gathered in the upper atmosphere to determine if they had a non-terrestrial origin.
Both the new and the old records had been packed and moved several times before being processed and arranged. This activity caused any discernible original order to be lost in most cases. At the discretion of the archivists, the documents have been rearranged into coherent groupings. In the modern collection, folder contents have not been changed or rearranged and folder titles have been preserved. One modification is that some of the bulkier files have been divided. Two series retaining the original order are the Library and Photo Lab.
The modern collection begins with the retirement of Boss and a new joint directorship. On the retirement of Dr. Benjamin Boss in June of 1956, Dr. Curtis L. Hemenway became Resident Director and Dr. Robert Fleischer was appointed Director of Research. This division of power did not last long and two years later, in June 1958, Fleischer resigned and Hemenway became the sole director.
During the period of Hemenway's directorship, the main work of the Observatory shifted from classical astronomy to space science. Research centered around the study of cosmic dust in the upper atmosphere and in space. The analysis of micrometeorites to determine their origin formed the bulk of the research performed over the next decades.
During the 1970s, Dudley Observatory was finding it increasingly difficult to obtain funding for it continuing research. The bulk of its funding came from the federal government and that source was slowly drying up. By 1976 its financial standing had become so fragile that a report recommended that the Observatory contract "...to what is, essentially, a foundation status."
In the late 1950s, Dudley had fairly extensive educational and cultural programs associated with the Observatory and in 1958 the Friends of the Observatory was founded to raise funds and interest in these community activities. This organization continued to support the Observatory into the 1980's.
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.
Archives-- 80 linear feet of records, documenting the history of Dudley from 1852 to the present. These are mostly paper documents, but there is a sizable collection of photographic images dating from the 1860s to the present (c.25 linear feet.)
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.
Archives-- 80 linear feet of records, documenting the history of Dudley from 1852 to the present. These are mostly paper documents, but there is a sizable collection of photographic images dating from the 1860s to the present (c.25 linear feet.)
Oral Histories
Reflections: Stories of Astronomy, Earth and Space: In this oral history project, students interviewed people affiliated with the Dudley Observatory to get a glimpse of the frustrations and passions in the real lives of scientists, at the same time, preserving the history of the Observatory.
Access policy
The Dudley Observatory Library and Archives are open by appointment to the public and researchers. Items in the library collection can be borrowed by special arrangement with the Archivist. The collection is catalogued on OCLC through the Capital District Library Council and is available for interlibrary loan with the exceptions of rare and fragile materials.
Reference services are available through e-mail (info@dudleyobservatory.org) and telephone (518-382-7583.) Dudley Observatory's rare book collection is currently housed in Special Collections at Union College and is available subject to their access conditions.
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
The Dudley Archives Finding Aid
The records found in the portion of the Dudley Observatory Archives (1956 to 1980) consist of paper documents, photographs, slides, 16 mm films and a few audio tapes. These records are divided into the eleven separate series listed below.
Records of the Dudley Observatory (1956-1980)
For a brief summary of the contents of each series, click here.
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