British Association for the Advancement of Science - Collections on the history of science 1830s-1970s

Nearly 1 million pages of digitised texts from the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) and participating UK universities.

From the archive of the British Association: a hand drawn map of Bath from 1888.

About the collection

With nearly 1 million pages of digitised texts, the collection tracks the rise of British science in the 19th and 20th century by connecting the works, thoughts and interactions of the most influential scientists of the time.

It features a wide range of primary sources such as personal papers, meeting records, pamphlets, illustrations, photographs, data fieldwork and manuscripts. It includes material from Darwin’s contribution to the science of evolution, notes from scientist and astronomer Joseph Norman Lockyer on the discovery of the gas helium and the findings of Edward Jenner, who pioneered the smallpox vaccine - the world's first ever vaccine.

This digital archive was created through an innovative partnership between Jisc and Wiley's digital archives programme and the participation of more than ten UK universities that provided content for digitisation.

See how this resource has been used in research, learning and teaching and find out more about the collections included from King’s College London and the University of Liverpool.

Benefits

  • Free access in perpetuity for all Jisc members and affiliates, such as national libraries
  • No access or platform charges
  • Supports research, learning and teaching
  • Content selection driven by academic advisory board and input from UK universities
  • Content available “as data” for textual analyses/data mining on request, at no cost
  • Over ninety percent of the content has never been catalogued or available digitally until now
  • The collection becomes open and authentication/password-free globally after ten years from publication

Who is the collection is for?

Researchers, teachers and students studying the history of science, environmental studies, world history, politics, and the history of empire and colonialism.

How to access the collection

All Jisc members can sign up to the collection for free through licence subscriptions manager.

Find out more

For more information contact your relationship manager.

Contributors to the collection

Thank you to the organisations that contributed content for digitisation, including: