The Wide Wild World of Primary Sources: Documenting physics history outside our own collections
Our mission at the Niels Bohr Library & Archives is to “preserve and make known the history of modern physics”, and that mission extends beyond our own collections. Our archives mostly focus on the corporate records of the American Institute of Physics (AIP), our parent organization, and its member societies. Those records are supplemented by our ever-growing collections of oral histories and manuscripts, along with our collections of books and other published material. But there is a much wider world of primary sources in physics history than we could ever hope or want to contain at just one repository, so we help to guide researchers through that world. We do this through a unique library and archives catalog, and our finding aids website.
Unlike many archives, we generally do not try to collect personal papers of physicists. We believe that these are better handled by a physicist’s home institution, both because that is where many of the papers will have originated and because that is where researchers will expect to find them. Our Director guides collections to these institutions where appropriate, which often means staying aware of collections for physicists who are thinking about retirement. We also provide grants to archives
Our library and archives catalog includes what we call the International Catalog of Sources (ICOS), which is an attempt to document the complete universe of collections in the history of physics. To access ICOS, visit our catalog
Our finding aids website
We are constantly adding new collections to ICOS and our finding aids website, and we would be happy to hear from you if there is a repository we are not aware of.