Bringing together curators, archivists, library professionals, and scholars representing fields across the sciences and the humanities, this working group takes an interdisciplinary approach to considering the history of collections, as well as associated debates surrounding the value and purpose of collecting. This group will grapple with the past and present role of collections, and consider questions such as the following: What kinds of objects, specimens, and artifacts are considered worth collecting and by whom? How can institutions continue to maintain and care for their collections? What kinds of information and/or data are stored within collections? How can new approaches to research, teaching, and public programs allow for objects to reach new audiences and/or provide new opportunities for reinterpretation?

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Participants at Consortium activities will treat each other with respect and consideration to create a collegial, inclusive, and professional environment that is free from any form of discrimination, harassment, or retaliation.

Participants will avoid any inappropriate actions or statements based on individual characteristics such as age, race, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, nationality, political affiliation, ability status, educational background, or any other characteristic protected by law. Disruptive or harassing behavior of any kind will not be tolerated. Harassment includes but is not limited to inappropriate or intimidating behavior and language, unwelcome jokes or comments, unwanted touching or attention, offensive images, photography without permission, and stalking.

Participants may send reports or concerns about violations of this policy to conduct@chstm.org.

Upcoming Meetings

Friday, April 4, 2025, 12:00 - 1:30 pm EDT

Pedro Raposo (The Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University) and Tiago Saraiva (Department of History, Drexel University)
 
Teaching with Collections

In this session Pedro Raposo and Tiago Saraiva will discuss how they have been activating the collections at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University to teach undergraduate courses and topics in the fields of natural and environmental history. They will provide some examples that are intended to spark a broader conversation about the use of collections in HSTM teaching, addressing issues such as: the specific learning affordances provided by collections and materiality; how best to plan and implement a course or program entailing a significant use of collections; the role of digital collections and repositories; the limitations and challenges of teaching with collections. The audience will be invited to actively participate in the discussion and to share examples and views from their own experiences, whether as students, instructors, or collections specialists engaged in instructional support.    


 

Friday, May 2, 2025, 12:00 - 1:30 pm EDT

Reed Gochberg (Concord Museum)

Group Conveners

reedgochberg

Reed Gochberg

Dr. Gochberg is Associate Curator and Manager of Exhibitions at the Concord Museum, and she teaches in the Museum Studies program at Harvard Extension School. She holds a PhD in English from Boston University and is the author of Useful Objects: Museums, Science, and Literature in Nineteenth-Century America (Oxford University Press, 2021). 

 

ahlink09

Adrianna Link

Dr. Link is Curator of History of Science at the American Philosophical Society's Library & Museum. She received her PhD in History of Science from The Johns Hopkins University and is interested in the history of anthropology and its relationship to collections and collecting practices.

 

jbsmith@sciencehistory.org

Jesse Smith

Jesse Smith is director of curatorial affairs and digital content at the Science History Institute, where he oversees exhibitions and other interpretive projects in the history of science. He is also associate editor of the journal History and Technology. Jesse earned his PhD in the history and sociology of science at the University of Pennsylvania.

 

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