University Collections as Archives of Scientific Practice
Keywords:
scientific collections, scientific objects, scientific practice, material culture studiesAbstract
The aim of this article is to discuss the potential of scientific collections as archives of scientific practice. We argue that scientific collections provide unique primary sources for research in history of science and that they often contain information about scientific practice that is not accessible through written sources. Unfortunately, the potential of scientific collections in history of science often remains untapped due to institutional factors such as limited documentation, visibility, and funding of collections. We discuss the documentation of university collections in Germany as a positive model to meet these challenges.
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