Program areas at CHF
The donald f. and mildred topp othmer library of chemical History is an independent research library encompassing the History of chemistry and related sciences and industries. The library now houses more than 140,000 print volumes, rare books and manuscripts, archival materials, and historical photographs. Together these collections-spanning nearly six miles of shelves-form an unrivaled resource for the History of chemistry and related sciences, technologies, and industries. Located in philadelphia, the library is open to researchers by appointment. The nucleus of our 7,000 rare book collection comes from the chemists' club library of new york and the roy g. neville historical chemical library. Highlights of the collection include landmark works on the History of chemistry, works on the early chemical industry and commerce, and a set of ten 15th-century alchemical manuscript volumes and miniatures. Related subjects represented in the collection comprise mining and metallurgy, assaying, gunnery, pyrotechnics, books of secrets, medicine, pharmacy, physics, and botany. The modern monograph and journals collection materials are available in print, microform, audiovisual, and/or electronic formats. Topics covered in the collection range from general chemistry fields to specific subjects, such as brewing, cosmetics, dyes, plastics, soaps, and textiles.
Grant to the Science History Institute.
The Science History Institute archives actively collects and preserves the papers of organizations and individuals whose work has significantly advanced our scientific understanding of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences and its allied fields. The professional papers of individuals, businesses, and scientific organizations often prove to be the most valuable sources for recording the History of Science and help constitute the primary material record of the human endeavor to investigate and shape nature. Archives staff collects, preserves, describes, and makes available the unique, unpublished materials that document the past 200 years of our chemical History. Spanning over 6,000 linear shelf feet, these collections are a major attraction for scholars of the modern chemical and molecular sciences. We actively collect archival papers from outstanding scientists, industries, and professional organizations. Collection strengths include the fields of scientific instrumentation, chemical education, materials Science, quantum chemistry, and chemical engineering.
Other programs include other collecting and curatorial activities and expenses associated with the creation of the infrastructure to create a digital collection.