Digitization of historical astronomical literature

Abstract

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, much of the important research in astronomy generally appeared in observatory publications which were distributed by observatories throughout the world. Much of the data is still in demand (observations of variable stars, cometary observations, solar phenomena, etc.), but complete sets of these publications are held by few libraries. The information is often not easily accessible because significant portions of the material are brittle and in danger of being lost. The U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) Library, and the Harvard College Observatory's Wolbach Library (HCO) hold almost complete sets of these series in their collections. Digitization of these historical collections will preserve them for posterity, improve access, reduce retrieval time, and reduce the risk of the information disappearing through disintegration, mutilation, or theft. A pilot project is currently in progress.