Dear all,
I'm sorry to have to report that the University of Bath have decided to close the National Cataloguing Unit for the Archives of Contemporary Scientists on 31 October 2009. The decision follows the withdrawal of Royal Society Parliamentary Grant-in-Aid which formed the core funding of the Unit.
As you will know, NCUACS has done invaluable work over more than 30 years in locating, preserving and cataloguing the archives of British scientists and engineers. The collections -- nearly 300 of them -- are held in repositories all over the UK. Details of NCUACS can be found at http://www.bath.ac.uk/ncuacs/home.htm
This closure will be a major blow to the UK history of science and archives communities, and will threaten not just NCUACS staff at Bath but the future preservation of significant archives and, in the longer term, the UK's scientific heritage.
The British Society for the History of Science has been involved in discussions with the Royal Society and others about NCUACS, and will continue to explore possibilities for the future of contemporary archive preservation. But it would be helpful if the history of science and wider historical and scientific communities could make their views known about this closure.
If list members would like to express their views about the closure of NCUACS, the relevant people at the University of Bath are the University Librarian, Howard Nicholson ([log in to unmask]) and the Vice-Chancellor, Glynis Breakwell ([log in to unmask]). I'd be most grateful if any correspondence were also copied to me.
Please feel free to copy this mail to other relevant lists -- the more widespread the protest about this closure, the better.
Many thanks,
Jeff Hughes
CHSTM, University of Manchester
President, British Society for the History of Science
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