Welcome – About this website

Welcome to the blog of the History of Science Collections of the University of Oklahoma Libraries. See also the events calendar at the website for the Department of the History of Science, which includes notices for a regular colloquium series held in the Harlow Room of the History of Science Collections.

We hope this blog will add something interesting to your week, keep you informed about what is going on at the Collections, and help you use the Collections more effectively. Use the “Contact us” link above to send suggestions for improving the blog and ideas for topics of future posts.

Our aims for this blog are represented by an image from a 1535 work by Albrecht Dürer held in the Collections (right). The transformation of a three-dimensional object onto a two-dimensional canvas by means of perspective drawing, depicted by Dürer, suggests our aim to transform the dynamic, three-dimensional life of the History of Science Collections onto the ethereal “canvas” of this blog. (View additional Dürer images in the Online Galleries.)

Post Categories. Think of the category links in the right margin as a table of contents for a wiki that is subject to ongoing development. Unlike many blogs, the posts made on this blog are revised to keep the information accurate and up-to-date. Click “Research tips” or any other category name in the right margin to view all posts in that category. The posts will appear as an annotated list of current information in that category.

Other links. Beneath the list of categories are links for other History of Science Collections web pages (“Collections links”), Guides for Researchers (see also “Research tips” above), and links for the Department of the History of Science (“OU History of Science”).

External links to sites not affiliated with OU or the Collections are indicated by an external links icon (). These links are provided for background information only; the History of Science Collections does not authorize or validate their content. (See our post on using Wikipedia.)

We plan to post about once each week, on various topics, such as:

  • a research tip, newly acquired reference work, or a class aid for the week,
  • a notice of images recently digitized, or
  • a book- or item-related post (such as a recent acquisition, a new exhibit, or a description of a collection or archive).

Thanks for reading!

“Now, I realized that not infrequently books speak of books: it is as if they spoke among themselves. In the light of this reflection, the library seemed all the more disturbing to me. It was then the place of long, centuries-old murmuring, an imperceptible dialogue between one parchment and another, a living thing, a receptacle of powers not to be ruled by a human mind, a treasure of secrets emanated by many minds, surviving the death of those who had produced them or had been their conveyors.”

Umberto Eco, The Name of the Rose