28 June 2010
Papers of renowned scientist catalogued at dedicated new archive centre
The archive of an eminent scientist and former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield will become the first collection to be catalogued at the new Centre for Scientific Archives (CSA).
Thanks to funds raised by the Development and Alumni Relations Office, the University was able to send the papers of the late Sir Gareth Roberts for sorting and cataloguing at the Centre, which is based at the Science Museum´s Wroughton site, near Swindon.
Sir Gareth, who died in 2007 aged 66, made a significant impact on Higher Education and science policy in the UK through his chairmanship of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors and Principals (now Universities UK) from 1995 to 1997, and through his two landmark reviews on the future supply of scientists and how university research should be assessed.
An international authority in the field of molecular electronics, Sir Gareth held professorial appointments at the Universities of Ulster, Durham and Oxford, before taking up the Vice-Chancellorship at the University of Sheffield in 1991 and, ten years later, the presidency of Wolfson College, Oxford.
During his distinguished academic career, Sir Gareth worked in close partnership with industry, both as a consultant with ICI and as a research director with Thorn EMI, where he was responsible for streamlining each of their operating divisions.
He was the founding president of the Science Council, President of the Institute of Physics and a long-serving member of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
The archive, which Sir Gareth and his family placed in the care of the University of Sheffield´s library, includes 122 metres of unsorted papers and items which require dedicated assistance to process. It was for this reason that the archive was taken on by the CSA. Once the cataloguing process has been completed, the papers will be returned to the University and made available for research by the Head of Special Collections, Jacky Hodgson.
Jacky Hodgson said: "I am thrilled that the archive will be catalogued by the Centre for Scientific Archives and I know that the Trustees of the Centre are proud to be associated with the work on this important collection. It is a privilege for the University to have been given such a fascinating collection of papers and we look forward to their return so that researchers can enjoy the archive of such an outstanding figure in the science world."
Miles Stevenson, Director of Development at the University of Sheffield´s Development and Alumni Relations Office, said: "The University is very proud of its Special Collections and we are delighted that, through generous donations, Sir Gareth Roberts' papers will now become accessible to researchers and scholars."
On behalf of her fellow CSA Trustees, Rene Kinzett and Rupert Williams, Anne Barrett added: "The work of the Centre for Scientific Archives has just begun, and the Trustees take great pleasure in the knowledge that as their first full collection for cataloguing, they are undertaking work on the papers of such an eminent scientist as Sir Gareth Roberts. They would like to acknowledge the support of Lady Roberts, the University of Sheffield and its Head of Special Collections Jacky Hodgson."
Notes for Editors: To find out more about making a donation to support the University, visit the link below.
To find out more about the Science Museum, visit the link below.
For further information please contact: Shemina Davis, Media Relations Officer, on 0114 2225339 or email shemina.davis@sheffield.ac.uk
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