Archives for the History of Quantum Physics
Procedure for Authorizing New Libraries of Deposit

 

There currently are nineteen Libraries of Deposit for the Archives for the History of Quantum Physics (AHQP):
The first three were created as part of the Sources for the History of Quantum Physics Project between 1962 and 1964; the fourth was created a few years later. Subsequently, a procedure was evolved that was then followed in creating each of the other Libraries of Deposit. It may be summarized as follows:
  1. The institution in question (i.e., a key individual in that institution) address a letter of application to:
    Center for History of Physics
    American Institute of Physics
    One Physics Ellipse
    College Park, MD 20740-3843
    http://www.aip.org/history
    tel (301) 209-3165
    This letter should include at least the following elements:
    1. It should set forth detailed arguments as to why that institution should be designated as a new Library of Deposit for the AHQP. One important question to be addressed here is whether there is an active group of scholars in the area, including graduate students, who require the AHQP for their research.
    2. It should specify who will approve applications for use of the AHQP. Note that only bona fide scholars are permitted to have access to the AHQP. Hence, ordinarily a scholar who is familiar with the contents and use of the AHQP should be given the responsibility of approving applications to insure that only bona fide scholars will have access to it. What provisions, in general, will be made to insure that the Convention for Use will be respected? (See Thomas S. Kuhn, et al., Sources for History of Quantum Physics: An Inventory and Report (Philadelphia: American Philosophical Society, 1967, p. 10).
    3. It should specify where the AHQP will be housed and who will directly supervise its use. Will an archivist or librarian who is trained and experienced in the handling of unpublished documents directly supervise its use?
    4. It should offer assurances that bona fide scholars, irrespective of their home institutions, will be granted access to the AHQP free of charge.
    5. It should provide assurances that the institution has sufficient funds in hand to reproduce the AHQP (see item 5 below), and that the institution has or will purchase a photocopying machine and a high-quality microfilm reader with print-out capability.
  2. The Chairman of the AIP Committee then brings the application before the Committee for discussion and evaluation at its annual meeting, and if questions emerge, further correspondence with the applicant takes place. The AIP Committee's role here is strictly advisory, since formal approval for the establishment of a new Library of Deposit rests solely with the Councils of the American Philosophical Society and The American Physical Society. Thus, assuming that the AIP Committee is persuaded that the case has merit (this question is ultimately put to a formal vote) the next step is that:
  3. The Chairman of the AIP Committee conveys the Committee's recommendation for approval both to the Librarian of the American Philosophical Society and to the President of the American Physical Society, attaching all of the applicant's supporting letters and documentation. At the same time, the Chairman conveys the Committee's recommendation and the applicant's supporting letters and documentation to the Niels Bohr Archive in Copenhagen and requests its permission to include a copy of the Niels Bohr Scientific Correspondence and Manuscripts in the prospective new Library of Deposit.
  4. The two APS Councils then take formal action on the institution's application and assuming their approval, each so informs the Chairman of the AIP Committee. If, meanwhile, the Niels Bohr Archive has conveyed its permission to include a copy of the Bohr Scientific Correspondence and Manuscripts in the new Library of Deposit to the AIP Chairman, the latter may wish to so inform the two APS officers.
  5. Duplication of the AHQP can then proceed. This work is coordinated by the AIP Center for History of Physics. An inventory of the entire collection will be provided. The applicant receives copies of all the microfilms of manuscript materials and catalogs (290 35mm reels) and oral history interview transcripts (5 35mm reels); a current cost estimate for duplicating these microfilms can be provided on request by Center staff (shipping charges are extra). In addition, if so desired, the applicant may receive copies of the original tape recordings of the oral history interviews and copies of the working papers of the Joint Committee project staff, 1961 - 1964 - 35mm reels. In practice, applicants generally have elected not to ask for copies of the original tape recordings of the oral history interviews, as researchers rarely use these owing to the great amount of times they require for use compared to the transcripts. As soon as the new Library of Deposit has been approved, the applicant should request full information on the duplication procedure from the Manager or Associate Manager of the AIP Center for History of Physics.
    In addition to the basic AHQP materials there are other materials that could be obtained in the microfilm copies but these are subject to separate negotiations between the applicant and the repository that holds the originals. These include for example the R.A. Millikan and G.E. Hale papers at the California Institute of Technology and materials held at the AIP, such as the microfilms and interview transcripts collected under its Sources for History of Modern Astrophysics project.

 

Center for History of Physics
American Institute of Physics
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740-3843
http://www.aip.org/history
tel (301) 209-3165