Natural Philosophy Collection

• Aims of the collection
• Aims for future activities
• Conservation policy
• Display Policy
• Principles and Priorities for Collecting

Purpose and Aims

Aims of the collection

1. Science is founded upon experiment. The collection aims to preserve in appropriate conditions University related physical apparatus of interest in the context of the history of science, cultural history and the history of the University and the region: to preserve items that are relevant to displays aimed at the public understanding of science, of scientific techniques and applications of science. Some sub-themes of these topics are to illustrate:

• how the truth of many basic physical principles has been and can be demonstrated
  
• how techniques of measurement and standardisation have evolved
  
• examples of a wide range of applications of physical principles, with particular reference to how these have evolved over time
  
• how scientific equipment design is integrated into the cultural and aesthetic values of the times
  
• the changing use of materials and equipment in the progress of science
  
• apparatus that has been associated with notable academics, teaching and research ventures that feature, or deserve to feature, in the history of the University of Aberdeen.

2. To make available for display either whole exhibitions or items contributing to exhibitions, where appropriate environmental conditions and security is guaranteed.

3. To make items of historical interest available for scholarship, under appropriate conditions.

4. To act as original source material for images and other descriptive material used on the WWW.

5. To provide illustrative material for University teaching and related educational activities, under suitable supervision.

6. To provide specialist material with regional associations that supports the collections of the national museums in the UK and is available for loan, with due acknowledgement to the University of Aberdeen.

7. To encourage an interest in the history of science amongst the academic community, which includes many individuals who are very well placed to provide expert knowledge on the function and purpose of scientific equipment.

Aims for future activities

8. Over the next three years:

• To complete a large proportion of the cataloguing
  
• To improve the general care of the collection
  
• To improve the storage conditions
  
• To make items available for scholarship and other use
  
• To promote the use of material in displays both within and outwith the University

9. To respond to short term funding opportunities and changes in University circumstances as far as possible.

Conservation policy

10. Scientific equipment degrades in two stages. First, it ceases to work properly or perhaps at all, due to such effects as corroded contacts, degraded insulation, faulty components, seized joints or broken parts. At this stage it may still look in good condition. Secondly, its appearance degrades because of ageing of materials, damage to external parts or loss of some of these parts. For most of the collection, this second stage is a slow process and the objects are comparatively robust on a timescale of many decades. It is our policy to minimise this visual decay by providing storage in stable conditions of temperature and humidity. Light is minimised by having no natural light in the shared storage area, which is therefore in darkness unless anyone is present.

11. The most conspicuous cases of degradation in the collection over the last 20 years have been those inflicted by accidents during several enforced moves. Our second rule of conservation has been to argue the importance of long-term planning.

12. There is a great deal of scope for remedial conservation, particularly to restore function to equipment where this is possible. Our policy, dictated by resources, is to undertake little of this excepting for special cases where objects will be used for research or put on display.

13. We would like to have storage in protected cabinets. At present, we do not. Building works both at the current site and in the building where the collection was previously housed has caused a noticeable deposition of grime on numerous items. Our conservation priority is the removal of this grime by approved means.

14. Our conservation policy therefore aims:

• To provide adequate, environmentally monitored, secure, storage for the collection
  
• To minimise the movement of complex items (the majority of the collection)
  
• To undertake repairs and restoration only when deemed 'necessary'
  
• To maintain the cleanliness of the objects as well as possible

Display policy

15. The prime concerns for displays are

• appropriate security
  
• suitable environmental conditions
  
• responsible handling and transport

16. Material is currently displayed permanently at the Marischal Museum, in displays in the Fraser Noble Building, and temporarily in other sites such as the Queen Mother Library.

17. The lack of further permanent display facilities necessarily means that some of the purposes of the collection are not fully realised. Most of the collection will remain a hidden asset in the absence of additional resource becoming available.

18. Material will be considered for loan to other museums (the Royal Scottish Museum and the Science Museum in London have been recipients) providing adequate security and environmental conditions.

19. In the medium term, the LEMUR project search facility will be enhanced by a direct search via the (upgraded) collection web pages.

[The official document has sections here relating to a description of the collection]

Principles and Priorities for Collecting

43. Three precepts guide the development of the collection:

• relevant historical material in the University should be preserved.
  
• the collection must keep its relevance to modern science by maintaining a link with the evolution of scientific equipment and techniques. The existing body of the collection defines the subject areas collected.
  
• new equipment collected must have a strong relevance to the science that is, or has been, taught or practised in the University.

44. Redundant scientific equipment in the broad areas described above will be collected mainly from departments practising physical science within the University, and from the Computing Centre. The principal benefactor has been the Department of Physics, now the School of Physics.

45. Occasionally, departments whose main business is not physical science will offer equipment. Where this otherwise meets the principles of this policy, it will be considered for acquisition.

46. Material offered to the Natural Philosophy Collection that is more relevant to other University collections (or to external collections) will be offered elsewhere. In particular, offers of equipment which may be of interest to Marischal Museum will only be considered for acquisition following discussion with the Curator. Offers from outside the University will not normally be accepted.

47. In keeping with the historical context of the collection, material should date between 1500 to the present day.

48. Severe storage restrictions mean that in practice the collection is not actively seeking new material but is mainly responding to disposal policy within the University.

Subject to revision

THE END