Archives Center, National Museum of American History
Atherton Seidell Papers
Tate, Vernon, Dr.
Seidell, Atherton, 1878-1961
NMAH.AC.0449
Archival Resource Key
1.5 Cubic feet
7 boxes
circa 1932-1964
The collection documents Dr. Seidell's thoughts and processes about the subject of microfilming.
English
.
Arrangement
The collection is arranged into seven series.
Series 1: Biographical Materials, 1946-1961
Series 2: Microfilming What, 1934-1959
Series 3: Microfilming How, 1934-1961
Series 4: The Handmaiden, 1941-1961
Series 5: Microfilming History, 1932-1960
Series 6: Microfilming Whither Now? 1951-1957
Series 7: Epilogue and Index, 1964
Scope and Contents
The arrangement is original and reflects Dr. Seidell's thoughts and processes as he documented and studied microfilming. Series 1: Biographical contains a book of clippings collected by Dr. Seidell. These clippings represent his published articles and the rebuttals of others on the subject of the dissemination of information. Series 4: The Handmaiden, 1941-1961, deals with current lists of medical literature, both papers and bound proceedings and the index cards provide a detailed list of items found in each series as well as bibliographic information.
Preferred Citation
Atherton Seidell Papers, circa 1932-1964, Archives Center, National Museum of American History.
Custodial History
Collection transferred to the Archives Center from the Division of Photographic History (now Division of Work and Industry) on May 12, 1992.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Collection donated to the Division of Photographic History by Vernon Tate in 1978.
Processing Information
Collection processed by NMAH Staff, 1992.
Biographical / Historical
Atherton Seidell (1878-1961) was a research chemist. He earned a Bachelors degree from the University of Georgia (1898), a Masters from George Washington University (1901) and a Ph.D from Johns Hopkins University (1903). Seidell worked as a chemist for the United States Department of Agriculture, the National Institute of Health and the United States Public Health Service. He authored the Solubilities of Inorganic and Organic Compounds, a compilation of classification of thousands of chemical compounds. He was an early advocate of microfilm copying services and put forth efforts to encourage more reference libraries to adopt microfilm copying as an extension of their services. He also believed that all recorded scientific knowledge should be made available to researchers and that publicly supported reference libraries should provide microfilming free of charge. Seidell established the Medicofilm Service at the Army Medical Library and founded the Current List of Medical Literature.
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Reproduction of some materials restricted due to copyright or trademark. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Microphotography -- History
Tate, Vernon, Dr.
Biographical Materials
Series 1
Archival Resource Key
1946 - 1961
Biographical Sketches
Archival Resource Key
1957-1961
1
1
Awards
Archival Resource Key
1946-1951
1
2
Awards
Archival Resource Key
1954
5
1
Microfilming, What
Series 2
Archival Resource Key
1934-1959
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1934-1940
1
3
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1941-1944
1
4
Newspaper Clippings
Archival Resource Key
1946-1957
1
5
Articles
Archival Resource Key
undated.
1
6
Importance
Archival Resource Key
1941
1
7
Justification
Archival Resource Key
1953-1958
1
8
Place
Archival Resource Key
undated
1
9
Aims and Purposes
Archival Resource Key
1957
1
10
Army medical Library
Archival Resource Key
1944-1945
1
11
Ideals
Archival Resource Key
1944-1958
1
12
Reason for
Archival Resource Key
1949-1955
1
13
Application of microfilm
Archival Resource Key
1934-1957
1
14
Copyright and microfilm
Archival Resource Key
1939-1959
1
15
Cost
Archival Resource Key
1938-1955
1
16
Microfilming, How
Series 3
Archival Resource Key
1934-1961
Policy
Archival Resource Key
1947-1959
2
1
Equipment
Archival Resource Key
1936-1957
2
2
Equipment
Archival Resource Key
1958-1961
2
3
Equipment
Archival Resource Key
1959
2
4
Equipment—Draeger Camera
Archival Resource Key
1934-1937
2
5
Equipment—SRS Camera
Archival Resource Key
1936
2
6
Equipment—Flemer Seidell camera and viewers
Archival Resource Key
1957, 1959
2
7
International—England
Archival Resource Key
1957-1962
2
8
International—France
Archival Resource Key
1937-1960
2
9
International—Africa
Archival Resource Key
1955-1961
2
10
International—Asia
Archival Resource Key
1937-1961
2
11
International—Australia
Archival Resource Key
1957-1961
3
1
International—Europe
Archival Resource Key
1957-1960
3
2
International—Middle East
Archival Resource Key
1957-1958
3
3
International—England C.S. Gibson
Archival Resource Key
1938-1955
3
4
International—England Chemical Society
Archival Resource Key
1957-1959
3
5
International—England Libraries
Archival Resource Key
1957-1960
3
6
International—Western Hemisphere
Archival Resource Key
1957-1959
3
7
International—United Nations
Archival Resource Key
1934-1960
3
8
Organization
Archival Resource Key
1937-1959
3
9
Procedure
Archival Resource Key
1934-1960
3
10
Microfilming, The Handmaiden
Archival Resource Key
1941-1961
Current List of Medical Literature
Archival Resource Key
1941-1961
3
11
Current List of Medical Literature
Archival Resource Key
1943-1951
3
12
Current List of Medical Literature—Army Medical Library
Archival Resource Key
1951-1952
3
13
Current List of Medical Literature—Army Medical Library
Archival Resource Key
1953-1954
4
1
Current List of Medical Literature—Army Medical Library
Archival Resource Key
1955
4
2
Microfilming, History
Series 5
Archival Resource Key
1932-1960
Friends of Army Medical Library
Archival Resource Key
1946-1947
5
2
Friends of Army Medical Library
Archival Resource Key
1951-1953
5
3
Societies/Organizations—Miscellaneous
Archival Resource Key
1944-1960
5
4
Societies/Organizations—Chemists Club
Archival Resource Key
1937-1957
5
5
Societies/Organizations—American Documentation Institute
Archival Resource Key
1950-1960
5
6
Publications
Archival Resource Key
1932-1943
5
7
Publications
Archival Resource Key
1932-1937
5
8
Recognition
Archival Resource Key
1943, 1958
5
9
Services—Bibliofilm
Archival Resource Key
1934-1940
5
10
Services
Archival Resource Key
1934-1948
5
11
Services
Archival Resource Key
1950-1959
5
12
Services—Johns Hopkins University
Archival Resource Key
1953-1955
5
13
Microfilming, Whither Now
Series 6
Archival Resource Key
1951-1957
Rare Literature
Archival Resource Key
1952-1957
6
1
Recommendations
Archival Resource Key
1954, 1956
6
2
Responsibility
Archival Resource Key
1951
6
3
Utilization
Archival Resource Key
1955
6
4
Microfilming, Epilogue and Index
Series 7
Archival Resource Key
1964
6
Activities of Atherton Seidell
Archival Resource Key
1964
6
5
Index cards
Archival Resource Key
7