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New AIP Report Shows That Documenting Large-Scale Science Requires New Strategies



Archivists responsible for preserving the record of scientific research must take into account dramatic changes in its organizational structures.  The multi-institutional collaboration has become the organizational structure of choice in a number of fields of science and engineering (it can also be found in nonscientific areas of our society at large).  Instead of evaluating the contributions of a scientist as an individual researcher, or the records of a research project conducted by one institution, archivists are confronted with the records of collaborations that may continue for a decade before disbanding and involve multiple institutions, disciplines and even nations. This does not necessarily mean more work for archivists and others responsible for records. But it does mean they need to understand how the new organizational structures affect the creation and use of records.

To help find solutions, the Center for History of Physics of the American Institute of Physics has issued "Documenting Multi-Institutional Collaborations," the final report of its decade-long study of multi-institutional collaborations in physics and allied fields.  The main goal of the project was to learn enough about these transient mini-institutions to be able to advise how to document them. The study was built on interviews with over 600 scientific collaborators; numerous site visits to archives, records offices, and federal agencies; and advice from working groups of distinguished scientists, archivists, records officers, historians and sociologists.  The study group gathered and analyzed data on characteristics of collaborations such as their formation, decision-making structures, communication patterns, activities and funding.

The final report consists of three parts: Findings (Historical-Sociological and Archival) of Fields Studies by AIP, Appraisal of Records Created, and Current Archival Practices and Project Recommendations.  Archivists and records officers may fine most valuable the fact that we provide three approaches to appraisal: a typology of collaborations, a functional analysis of records creation, and the more standard appraisal guidelines.  The section on archival practices assesses the capability of saving adequate documentation of collaborations in academic archives, federal agencies, and corporate archives.  Project recommendations are addressed to research centers, to federal funding agencies, and to the National Archives.  The several appendices include a bibliography of selected readings. 

The full final report, "Documenting Multi-Institutional Collaborations," is accompanied by a second volume, "Highlights and Project Recommendations," which provides excerpts from the full report and a set of recommendations.  Both reports are available upon request from the AIP History Center, One Physics Ellipse, College Park, MD 20740-3843; phone: 301 209-3165, fax: 301 209-0882; e-mail: chp@aip.org.  These and other project reports will also be found on our Web site at http://www.aip.org/history/pubslst.htm#collabs.

The long-term study was funded by the AIP, the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the National Science Foundation, the National Historical Publications and Records Commission, and the Department of Energy.

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