University of Chicago Press Journals
Royal Observatory’s Vast Shelving: Recordkeeping Hub
In the Royal Greenwich Observatory Archives at Cambridge University Library, one man’s papers take up a staggering 110 meters of shelving. In a new article from Isis: the Journal of the History of Science Society, ” George Biddell Airy and Information Management at the Royal Observatory, Greenwich: Library, Archive, and Uses of the Historical Past ,” author Yuto Ishibashi narrates the efforts of the nineteenth-century director of the observatory to organize its library records. Ultimately, the article argues, Airy’s emphasis on standardization played a major part in forging the observatory’s institutional identity.
Director of the Royal Observatory between 1835 and 1881, Airy’s tenure coincided with a period in British history newly invested in historical consciousness and the development of national character. Through his labors to expand and systematize the library collection, he intended not only to improve the conditions of astronomical research, but also to “contribute to society in a utilitarian way.” He solicited papers from other societies and government departments like the East India Company, the Board of Longitude, and the Royal Society. To maintain this growing collection, he instituted a rigorous method of cataloging, as well as a hierarchical staff system, which ensured that records were kept of all book loans. Many of his efforts achieved their desired aims—under his oversight, library loans increased, original research flourished, and so many materials were acquired that ten feet of new shelving were constructed every year.
“These interventions,” writes author Ishibashi, “were of great significance in Airy’s transformation of the observatory into a factory or an accounting office.” The modernized consistency he imposed was useful to contemporary astronomers, whose discipline increasingly encouraged the rapid publication of observational records. It was also advantageous to Airy himself, in his additional role as a scientific advisor to the British government, in which any inaccurate policy recommendations could have undermined his credibility.
This understanding of himself as a “scientific civil servant” motivated Airy to solidify the position of the Royal Observatory in British society, and in British history. The observatory under his governance “went beyond record-keeping, to embrace historical continuity, showcasing its achievements, recognizing its value, and upholding its tradition.” And although the documents that Airy amassed were not publicly available in his time, they went on to form the basis of the modern Royal Greenwich Observatory archives, serving as an invaluable resource to scholars of astronomical history and to scholars of Victorian science.
Since its inception in 1912, Isis has featured scholarly articles, research notes, and commentary on the history of science, medicine, and technology and their cultural influences. Review essays and book reviews on new contributions to the discipline are also included. An official publication of the History of Science Society, Isis is the oldest English-language journal in the field.
Founded in 1924, the History of Science Society is the world’s largest society dedicated to understanding science, technology, medicine, and their interactions with society in historical context.
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/journals/isis/pr/250328