Finding Aid to the American Astronomical Society, Historical Astronomy Division, Records of the Secretary/Treasurer, 1980-1994(bulk 1985-1992)Publisher:American Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics. Encoding Information:Machine-readable finding aid encoded in EAD 2002 by Katherine A. Hayes on February 5, 2005. Any revisions made to this finding aid occurred as part of the editing and encoding process. Finding aid written in English. Description of the CollectionLocation of collection:American Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics. Title and dates of collection:American Astronomical Society, Historical Astronomy Division, Records of the Secretary/Treasurer, 1980-1994(bulk 1985-1992) Records created by:American Astronomical Society. Historical Astronomy Division. Office of the Secretary/Treasurer. Size of collection:2.25 linear feet (5 boxes) Short description of collection:This division of the American Astronomical Society was founded in 1980 with the objective to "advance interest in topics relating to the historical nature of astronomy." Most of the records date from 1985 to 1992, and include minutes of meetings and committee nominations, newsletter files, extensive bibliographies of contemporary publications on the history of astronomy, and financial records. Language(s) of material:English. Selected Search TermsThese papers have been indexed in the International Catalog of Sources for History of Physics and Allied Sciences (ICOS) using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms. History of the American Astronomical Society, Historical Astronomy DivisionThis division of the American Astronomical Society was founded in 1980 as the Historical Astronomy Division. According to the by-laws, its objective is to "advance interest in topics relating to the historical nature of astronomy." Historical astronomy includes the history of astronomy, archaeoastronomy, and the application of historical records to modern astrophysical problems. The division organizes meetings to provide a forum for discussion of recent developments in historical astronomy; assists the AAS in the commemoration of important historical anniversaries; and actively seeks to preserve important archival materials for the use of future historians of astronomy. Full membership is open to any member of the American Astronomical Society by application and payment of dues. Affiliate membership is available to those who have membership in other professional societies with an interest in the history of astronomy, such as the History of Science Society, etc., and various anthropological associations. Scope and Contents of CollectionWhile the collection includes material from 1980 to 1994, most of the records date from 1985 to 1992. Minutes of HAD meetings and committee nominations are included in the newsletter files, since these were reported in the newsletter. Of special interest are the extensive bibliographies of contemporary publications on the history of astronomy prepared by Ruth Freitag of the Library of Congress who was a member of HAD. The financial records also contain the 1983-1986 audited financial statements of AAS. Arrangement/Organization of CollectionThe initial accession was received in two file cartons from David DeVorkin in late 1994. One box contained most of the newsletter files, survey and nominations information, and some subject specific files. The other box held most of the financial information, additional newsletter files and a few more subject files. Many of the folders were not titled or had very general titles, such as "HAD Business," "HAD Dues," or "Newsletter." Some papers were not in files. In order to facilitate access to the collection, it was reordered into appropriately titled files and placed into a framework of fours series: I. Membership Records, II. Newsletters, III. Subject Files, and IV. Financial Records. The files are arranged chronologically within the series, except for the subject files which are alphabetical. Staples, clips, and rubberbands were removed; thermo-fax paper was photocopied and the originals removed; and the documents were rehoused in acid-free folders and document cases for preservation. In January 1996 an additional half carton of records relating to his tenue as Secretary/Treasurer was received from DeVorkin. These included AAS meetings and HAD business meeting files, abstracts of papers, and correspondence from 1988, 1991, 1992, and 1993, and newsletter files relating to issues #18 - 25. Since these materials seemed to fill in gaps in the original records, they were processed, refoldered and integrated into that collection in November 1997. They can be found in Series I and II. Access to CollectionPermission of an officer of the Historical Astronomy Division required for access to records less than 50 years old. Restrictions on Use of CollectionUse of primary source material in the Niels Bohr Library requires prior approval through an Application for Access, which includes a statement of research purpose and the names and addresses of two scholars as references. Access applications can be obtained by contacting the Library (telephone 301-209-3177; or e-mail nbl@aip.org). The application can also be printed from our website. Provenance and Acquisition InformationGift of David DeVorkin in 1994 and 1996. Processing InformationThis collection was processed by Sandra Johnson in October 1995. A second deposit was received in January 1996 from DeVorkin and integrated into the collection in November 1997. Preferred Citation of CollectionCite as: [Folder title, date; Folder number, Box number], American Astronomical Society, Historical Astronomy Division. Records of the Secretary/Treasurer, 1980-1994. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library, College Park, MD, 20740 USA. Other Related MaterialsPhotographs from AAS-HAD in the Emilio Segrè Visual Archives; AAS-HAD Addition to records: obituary files, 1995-1998; H.A.D. News; AAS-HAD Conference on astronomy and the state [sound recording], 1994; AAS-HAD Additions to records, 1898-1998 (bulk: 1996-1998). Materials Separated from Collection
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