Burndy Library

Last updated

Burndy Library
LocationUnited States
Established1941
Dissolved2006

The Burndy Library was one of the world's largest collections of books on the history of science and technology. [1] It was disestablished in 2006 and its collections transferred to the Huntington Library.

Contents

History

Founded in 1941 in Norwalk, Connecticut by the electrical engineer, industrialist, and historian Bern Dibner, [2] the library holdings include important scientific literature from antiquity to the 20th century. [3] Highlights of the collection include one of the world's most complete sets of the works of Isaac Newton, including books owned and annotated by Newton, as well as some sixty manuscripts by Newton, multiple books about Leonardo da Vinci, all of Darwin's works, and important manuscript and print materials by Louis Pasteur, a 1544 edition of Archimedes' mathematical text Philosophi ac Geometrae and many important original works from the 18th and 19th centuries. [3] [4] Generally, the collection's strengths are in the early modern period, and include strong holdings in the history of mathematics, astronomy, and color theory. [4]

The "Burndy" appellation was invented by Dibner and represents a portmanteau or blend of his first and last names. [3] [5]

The library was originally located at the Burndy Engineering Company in Norwalk, Connecticut. [3] In 1974 Dibner donated one-quarter of the library holdings to the Smithsonian Institution to form the nucleus of its research library in the history of science and technology. [6] In 1976, the Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology opened at the Smithsonian Institution, and it remains part of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries housed at the National Museum of American History, Behring Center in Washington, DC. [3] [4]

The remainder of the Burndy Library collection remained in Norwalk until after Bern Dibner's death in 1988. It was moved to the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1992 with the establishment of the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology. [7] [6] After residing there for more than a decade, the collection needed to be moved due to the pending demolition of the building which housed it. [8]

In November 2006, 67,000 volumes of the Burndy Library (47,000 rare books and 20,000 reference books), along with several hundred small manuscript collections and a collection of artwork and objects, were transferred to the Huntington Library in San Marino, California as a gift of the Dibner family and the Dibner Fund. [9] The library offers a number of history of science fellowships, a lecture series and an annual conference. [10] It is one of the Huntington's most heavily used collections, and continues to grow and expand through the Huntington's multi-faceted approach to collection use, conservation and management.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smithsonian Institution</span> US group of museums and research centers

The Smithsonian Institution, or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded on August 10, 1846, it operates as a trust instrumentality and is not formally a part of any of the three branches of the federal government. The institution is named after its founding donor, British scientist James Smithson. It was originally organized as the United States National Museum, but that name ceased to exist administratively in 1967.

The Huntington Library, Art Museum and Botanical Gardens, known as The Huntington, is a collections-based educational and research institution established by Henry E. Huntington and Arabella Huntington in San Marino, California. In addition to the library, the institution houses an extensive art collection with a focus on 18th and 19th century European art and 17th to mid-20th century American art. The property also has approximately 120 acres (49 ha) of specialized botanical landscaped gardens, including the "Japanese Garden", the "Desert Garden", and the "Chinese Garden".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Digitization</span> Converting information into digital form

Digitization is the process of converting information into a digital format. The result is the representation of an object, image, sound, document, or signal obtained by generating a series of numbers that describe a discrete set of points or samples. The result is called digital representation or, more specifically, a digital image, for the object, and digital form, for the signal. In modern practice, the digitized data is in the form of binary numbers, which facilitates processing by digital computers and other operations, but digitizing simply means "the conversion of analog source material into a numerical format"; the decimal or any other number system can be used instead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cyril Stanley Smith</span> British metallurgist (1903–1992)

Cyril Stanley Smith was a British metallurgist and historian of science. He is most famous for his work on the Manhattan Project where he was responsible for the production of fissionable metals. A graduate of the University of Birmingham and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Smith worked for many years as a research metallurgist at the American Brass Company. During World War II he worked in the Chemical-Metallurgical Division of the Los Alamos Laboratory, where he purified, cast and shaped uranium-235 and plutonium, a metal hitherto available only in microgram amounts, and whose properties were largely unknown. After the war he served on the Atomic Energy Commission's influential General Advisory Committee, and the President's Science Advisory Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Russian State Library</span> National public library in Moscow, Russia

The Russian State Library is one of the three national libraries of Russia, located in Moscow. It is the largest library in the country, largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. Its holdings crossed over 47 million units in 2017. It is a federal library overseen by the Ministry of Culture, including being under its fiscal jurisdiction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bavarian State Library</span> State library of Bavaria

The Bavarian State Library in Munich is the central "Landesbibliothek", i. e. the state library of the Free State of Bavaria, the biggest universal and research library in Germany and one of Europe's most important universal libraries. With its collections currently comprising around 10.89 million books, it ranks among the leading research libraries worldwide. The Bayerische Staatsbibliothek furthermore is Europe's second-largest journals library. Furthermore, its historical holdings encompass one of the most important manuscript collections of the world, the largest collection of incunabula worldwide, as well as numerous further important special collections. Its collection of historical prints before 1850 totals almost one million units.

In library science, special collections are libraries or library units that house materials requiring specialized security and user services. Special collections can be found in many different organisations including research libraries, universities, colleges, schools, national libraries, public libraries, museums, art galleries, archives, historic houses, cathedrals, subscription libraries, learned societies, hospitals, companies and monasteries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Hyatt Huntington</span> American sculptor

Anna Vaughn Hyatt Huntington was an American sculptor who was among New York City's most prominent sculptors in the early 20th century. At a time when very few women were successful artists, she had a thriving career. Hyatt Huntington exhibited often, traveled widely, received critical acclaim at home and abroad, and won multiple awards and commissions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bern Dibner</span> American historian

Bern Dibner was an electrical engineer, industrialist, and historian of science and technology. He originated two major US library collections in the history of science and technology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yale University Library</span> Library system of Yale University

The Yale University Library is the library system of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Originating in 1701 with the gift of several dozen books to a new "Collegiate School," the library's collection now contains approximately 14.9 million volumes housed in fifteen university buildings and is the fourth-largest academic library in North America.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jed Buchwald</span> American historian

Jed Zachary Buchwald is Doris and Henry Dreyfuss Professor of History at Caltech. He was previously director of the Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology at MIT. He won a MacArthur Fellowship in 1995 and was elected to the American Philosophical Society in 2011.

Myles W. Jackson is currently the inaugural Albers-Schönberg Professor in the History of Science at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, and lecturer with the rank of professor of history at Princeton University. He was the inaugural Albert Gallatin Research Excellence Professor of the History of Science at New York University-Gallatin, professor of history of the faculty of arts and science of New York University, professor of the division of medical bioethics of NYU-Langone School of Medicine, faculty affiliate of the Engelberg Center on Innovation Law and Policy, NYU School of Law, and director of science and society of the college of arts and science at NYU. He was also the inaugural Dibner Family Professor of the History and Philosophy of Science and Technology at Polytechnic Institute of New York University from 2007 to 2012. The chair is named after Bern Dibner (1897–1988), an electrical engineer, industrialist, historian of science and technology and alumnus of Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smithsonian Libraries and Archives</span> System of libraries at the Smithsonian Institution, United States

Smithsonian Libraries and Archives is an institutional archives and library system comprising 21 branch libraries serving the various Smithsonian Institution museums and research centers. The Libraries and Archives serve Smithsonian Institution staff as well as the scholarly community and general public with information and reference support. Its collections number nearly 3 million volumes including 50,000 rare books and manuscripts.

Burndy LLC is a manufacturer of connectors, fittings and tools for electrical utilities, commercial, industrial, and maintenance companies. The company, headquartered in Manchester, New Hampshire, has approximately 3000+ employees and operates three manufacturing facilities in the northeastern United States, as well as one in Brazil, and another in Mexico.

The Dibner Institute for the History of Science and Technology (1992–2006) was a research institute established at MIT, and housed in a renovated building (E56) on campus at 38 Memorial Drive, overlooking the Charles River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hebrew Technical Institute (New York City)</span> High School in New York City, USA

Hebrew Technical Institute was a vocational high school in New York City. The school was founded on January 7, 1884 and closed in 1939.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Madeline Stanton</span> American secretary and librarian (1898–1980)

Madeline Earle Stanton was a personal secretary to American neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing. She served as librarian of the Medical Historical Library at Yale University from 1949 to 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana</span> Collection at the University of California, Los Angeles

The Elmer Belt Library of Vinciana is a special collection at the University of California, Los Angeles which focuses on Leonardo da Vinci – life, art, thought, and enduring cultural influence. It is the most extensive research collection concerning Leonardo in the United States. It was donated to UCLA in several installments between 1961 and 1966 by Dr. Elmer Belt (1893-1980), an internationally recognized urologist; a pioneer in gender-affirming surgery; a strong supporter in the founding of the UCLA School of Medicine; an important public health advocate; and a lifelong bibliophile and book collector.

Rosalind Helen Williams is an American historian of technology whose works examine the societal implications of modern technology. She is Bern Dibner Professor of the History of Science and Technology, Emerita at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

References

  1. ↑ Lewis, Daniel (2008). "Beautiful Ideas; Beautiful Books" (PDF). Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  2. ↑ "Bern Dibner Dies at 90; Historian and Engineer". The New York Times. January 8, 1988. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Cohen, I Bernard (1985). "Inside The Burndy Library". American Heritage's Invention & Technology. 1 (2). Archived from the original on September 21, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 "Dibner Library of the History of Science and Technology". Smithsonian Libraries. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  5. ↑ "COMPANY NEWS; Burndy Takes Bid From Framatome". The New York Times. Reuters. December 6, 1988. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved February 1, 2022.
  6. 1 2 Schackner, Bill (January 9, 2005). "Burndy Library/Dibner Institute Of MIT May Move To Pittsburgh". History News Network. Archived from the original on October 23, 2022. Retrieved October 22, 2022.
  7. ↑ Lerner, Jane (September 15, 1991). "A Collection of Scientific Treasures Is Leaving Norwalk". The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  8. ↑ "New home for Dibner trees". MIT Tech Talk . December 20, 2006. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved August 13, 2022.
  9. ↑ "PAGING BURNDY LIBRARY BOOKS". The Huntington Library . Retrieved June 13, 2009.
  10. ↑ Dibner History of Science Program.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.