Institutional Archives

The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory is committed to preserving and collecting materials relating to the history and social role of genetics and molecular biology. The CSHL Archives is composed of two distinct repositories: The Institutional Archives and the Genentech Center for the History of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology.

Institutional Archives

Throughout the last century, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has played a special role in the development of molecular biology. Established in 1972, the CSHL Archives identifies, maintains and preserves records of enduring value pertaining to the origins and development of CSHL and those who have worked here.

Records include administrative files, manuscripts, monographs, lab notes, photographs, scrapbooks, memorabilia, audiovisual material, ephemera, and historic reprints. The Archives is home to the papers of Nobel Laureates James D. Watson, Barbara McClintock, and Alfred D. Hershey. In addition to these collections the Archives contains a collection of over 100,000 photographs taken of scientists attending the CSH Symposia and other meetings and courses since 1933. Portions of the collections are available for viewing online via our Digital Collections Database. The Archives offers an environment for study, research and writing.

Institutional Personal Collections

Digital Collections

Institutional Special Collections

• Photo Archives - some photos that are online.
• Biological Laboratory courses (1889-1923)
• Carnegie Institute of Washington files
• Carnegie Institution scrapbooks of photos (1900s to 1930s)
• Clipping files (newspaper clippings from 1903 to the present)
• CSHL Symposium files
• Alfred D. Hershey Photo Gallery
• Reginald/Jane(Davenport) Harris files
• Eugenics and Eugenics Record Office materials-
  Some of these materials and materials from other eugenics collections can be seen in the Image Archive on the American Eugenics Movement at the DNA Learning Center of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
• Historical Laboratory maps and building plans
• People files - photographs available.
• Kitty Brehme Warren scrapbooks

Other items of interest:

• CSHL History (on the CSHL page)
• History of the CSHL Carnegie Library
• CSHL Listing of Directors
• Nobelists who attended CSHL Symposia
• International Meeting on Biotechnology History
• History of Science: Archives and Oral History Meeting Banbury Center CSHL, 3-5 April 2005

For more specific information on the availability of materials or to arrange an appointment to use the Archives
please contact (516)367-8414 or archives@cshl.edu.
Please consult our Permission and Copyright Policies for any materials you wish to use.