Finding Aid to the American Institute of Physics Center for History of Physics Laser History Project records, 1981-1989.Niels Bohr Library & Archives 1.0 American Institute of Physics Niels Bohr Library & Archives
One Physics Ellipse College Park, MD 20740 USA nbl@aip.org
2008 Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Melanie J. Brown in May 2007. Any revisions made to this finding aid occurred as part of the editing and encoding process. Finding aid is written in English Description of the CollectionAmerican Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics. Laser History Project. American Institute of Physics Center for History of Physics Laser History Project records 1981-1989. American Institute of Physics. Niels Bohr Library & Archives. 3 linear feet(3 records boxes) AR258 English This collection contains records created by the AIP Center for History of Physics, documenting the Laser History program. The bulk of this collection is comprised of correspondence, but also includes materials documenting fundraising efforts for the project and files saved from meetings of the Laser History Council and Advisory Committee. Selected Search Terms

These 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.

Bromberg, Joan Lisa. American Institute of Physics. Center for History of Physics. Laser History Project. Laser Institute of America. Lasers. Lasers. History Historical Note

From 1983 to 1990, the AIP Center for History of Physics participated in a project to study the history of lasers in the United States, jointly sponsored by the American Physical Society, the Laser Institute of America (which administered the project in its early years), the Optical Society of America, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The project, under the direction of Joan Bromberg, with work by Robert W. Seidel on military applications, located source materials, taped interviews with over fifty scientists, and surveyed 300 laser specialists. Tapes and survey responses were deposited in the Niels Bohr Library. A book by Bromberg, The Laser in America (MIT Press, 1991), and several scholarly articles were also products of the project.

Scope and Contents of Collection

Project records include correspondence, meeting materials, fundraising information, and miscellaneous papers documenting the administrative aspects of the project. Correspondence is primarily to and from Joan Bromberg and offers a comprehensive view of her work as project director. Topics include selection of participants, scheduling of interviews, transcription of oral histories, coordination of Advisory Committee activities, research, and selection of a publisher for The Laser in America. Among the correspondents are: staff of the Laser Institute of America, Robert W. Seidel, and Joan Warnow and Spencer Weart of the American Institute of Physics. The collection also includes agendas, minutes, memos, mailings and reports relating to the workings of the project’s Advisory Committee and the Laser History Council. Fundraising materials include grant proposals and drafts, correspondence, reports and documentation of awards. Miscellaneous papers include general administrative materials related to the project and the publishing of The Laser in America, and some information regarding the declassification of Department of Defense information relayed in some of the oral history interviews.

 Organization and Arrangement of Collection

Organized into the following series:

Series I. Correspondence Series II. Meetings Series III. Fundraising Series IV. Miscellaneous

Each series is arranged chronologically.

 Access to Collection

Permission of an officer of depositing organization required for access to records less than 25 years old. http://www.aip.org/history/nbl/access.html.

 Restrictions on Use of Collection

Provenance and Acquisition Information

Transferred to the archive by the American Institute of Physics, Office of the Director.

 Processing Information

Melanie J. Brown May 2007.

Preferred Citation of Collection

Box [number], Folder [number], American Institute of Physics Center for History of Physics Laser History Project records, 1981-1989. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, College Park, MD 20740, USA.

 Container List Series I: Correspondence Subseries A: Alphabetical file 11 Correspondence – A, B, C, 1982 2 Correspondence – D, E, F, 1982 3 Correspondence – G, H, I, 1982 4 Correspondence – J, K, L, 1982 5 Correspondence – M, N, O, 1982 6 Correspondence – P, Q, R, 1982 7 Correspondence – S, T, U, 1982 8 Correspondence – V, W, X, 1982 9 Correspondence – Y, Z, 1982 10 Correspondence – A, B, C, 1983 11 Correspondence – AIP, 1983 12 Correspondence – D, E, F, 1983 13 Correspondence – G, H, I, 1983 14 Correspondence – J, K, L, 1983 15 Correspondence – M, N, O, 1983 16 Correspondence – P, Q, R, 1983 17 Correspondence – S, T, U, 1983 18 Correspondence – V, W, X, 1983 19 Correspondence – Y, Z and miscellaneous, 1983 20 Correspondence – A, B, C, 1984 21 Correspondence – AIP, 1984 22 Correspondence – D, E, F, 1984 23 Correspondence – G, H, I, 1984 24 Correspondence – J, K, L, 1984 25 Correspondence – Lee, Haynes, 1984 26 Correspondence – Lee, Marge, 1984 27 Correspondence – M, N, O, 1984 128 Correspondence – P, Q, R, 1984 29 Correspondence – S, T, U, 1984 30 Correspondence – Seidel, Bob, 1984 31 Correspondence – V, W, X, Y, Z, 1984 32 Correspondence – A, B, C, 1985 33 Correspondence – AIP, 1985 34 Correspondence – D, E, F, 1985 35 Correspondence – G, H, I, 1985 36 Correspondence – J, K, L, 1985 37 Correspondence – Lee (Haynes and Marge), 1985 38 Correspondence – M, N, O, 1985 39 Correspondence – P, Q, R, 1985 40 Correspondence – S, T, U, 1985 41 Correspondence – Seidel, Bob, 1985 42 Correspondence – V, W, X, 1985 43 Correspondence – Y, Z, 1985 44 Correspondence – A, B, C, 1986 45 Correspondence – AIP, 1986 46 Correspondence – D, E, F, 1986 47 Correspondence – G, H, I, 1986 48 Correspondence – J, K, L, 1986 49 Correspondence – Lee (Haynes and Marge), 1986 50 Correspondence – M, N, O, 1986 51 Correspondence – P, Q, R, 1986 52 Correspondence – S, T, U, 1986 53 Correspondence – V, W, X, Y, Z, 1986 54 Correspondence – A, B, C, 1987 55 Correspondence – AIP, 1987 156 Correspondence – D, E, F, 1987 57 Correspondence – G, H, I, 1987 58 Correspondence – J, K, L, 1987 59 Correspondence – Lee (Haynes and Marge), 1987 60 Correspondence – M, N, O, 1987 61 Correspondence – P, Q, R, 1987 62 Correspondence – S, T, U, 1987 63 Correspondence – V, W, X, Y, Z, 1987 64 Correspondence – A, B, C, 1988 65 Correspondence – AIP, 1988 66 Correspondence – D, E, F, 1988 67 Correspondence – G, H, I, 1988 68 Correspondence – J, K, L, 1988 69 Correspondence – Lee (Haynes and Marge), 1988 21 Correspondence – M, N, O, 1988 2 Correspondence – P, Q, R, 1988 3 Correspondence – S, T, U, 1988 4 Correspondence – V, W, X, Y, Z, 1988 Subseries B: Subject file 5 Correspondence – news and updates (1 of 4), 1981-1986; undated 6 Correspondence – news and updates (2 of 4), 1981-1986; undated 7 Correspondence – news and updates (3 of 4), 1981-1986; undated 8 Correspondence – news and updates (4 of 4), 1981-1986; undated 9 Correspondence – research affiliations, 1982-1988 10 Correspondence – general, 1982-1989 11 Correspondence – survey, 1983-1989 12 Correspondence – repositories, 1983-1989 13 Correspondence – project progress report, 1984-1985 14 Correspondence – information on laser papers, 1984-1988 215 Correspondence – fundraising, 1985-1986 16 Correspondence – medical application of lasers, oral histories, 1985-1986 17 Correspondence – libraries of deposit, 1986 18 Correspondence – preservation survey, 1985-1986 19 Correspondence – laser history catalog, 1986-1987 20 Correspondence – permission requests, 1986-1988 21 Correspondence – publishing, 1987-1988 22 Correspondence – Bromberg, survey info, 1987-1989 Series II: Meetings 23 Advisory Committee – first meeting, 1982 24 Laser History Council meeting, November, 1983 25 Laser History Council – recruiting, 1983 26 Advisory Committee updates, 1983-1986 27 Laser History Council meeting files, June, 1984 28 Advisory Committee updates, 1984 29 Advisory Committee meeting, June, 1984 30 Advisory Committee and Laser History Council meeting, 1985 31 Advisory Committee and Laser History Council meeting, April, 1985 2 Advisory Committee meeting, November, 1985 3 Advisory Committee meeting, 1986 4 Advisory Committee meeting, May, 1986 5 Laser History Council meetings, 1986-1987 6 Advisory Committee meeting, April, 1987 7 Advisory Committee meeting, November, 1988 8 Advisory Committee meeting, June, 1989 Series III: Fundraising 9 NSF grant – proposal #1, 1982 10 NSF correspondence, 1982-1984 11 NSF grant – proposal #2, 1983 12 NSF grant – report for #2, 1984-1985 313 NEH grant – proposal and correspondence, 1984-1988 14 NSF grant – proposal #3, 1985 15 Grant proposals, 1985 16 Fundraising status, 1985 17 NSF award, 1986 18 Sloan Foundation grant, 1987-1989 Series IV: Miscellaneous 19 Laser history project book draft, [undated] 20 Survey subjects – list, [undated] 21 Laser brochure – draft, [undated] 22 Tax exemption file, 1981-1988 23 Proposal to member societies, 1982 24 Survey mailing, 1983 25 AAAS symposium, 1985 26 Bromberg’s institutional contacts, 1985; undated 27 Preservation survey, 1985-1986 28 Unpublished materials, 1985-1987 29 Department of Defense – contracts and proposals, 1985-1988 30 Department of Defense – declassification review, 1986-1987 31 Publishing – editors, 1987 32 Survey subject list – with Klein additions, 1987 33 Survey – sample, 1987 34 IEEE survey lists, 1987 35 Publishing – suggestions for readers, 1988 36 IEEE laser survey, 1988 37 Laser history project – final report, 1988 38 Survey – responses list, 1988 39 Article – “The Birth of the Laser”, 1988 40 Project presentation, 1988