The Center for Logic, Epistemology and History of Science (CLE) at Unicamp has just launched the Guide to Historical Archives, as part of the celebrations of its 40th anniversary. The objective of the publication is to give visibility to the funds and collections under the custody of the CLE, which offer a rich set of information to researchers, especially those interested in the History of Science. “We are pleased to provide the community in general with access to historical documents on the evolution of science and scientific thought in Brazil”, states the director of the Center in the guide's presentation text, professor Marcelo Esteban Coniglio.
According to the supervisor of the CLE Historical Archives, Eliane Morelli Abrahão, the collection began to be created in 1988. The funds and collections are the result of donations from their owners or family members. One of the collections belonged to physicist Cesar Lattes, who was a professor at Unicamp. It brings together 93 documentary items (texts), 8 audiovisual items (films, DVDs and cassettes) and 3 iconographic items (photographs). “One of the films, which we converted to digital media, shows the construction of the Cosmic Physics Laboratory on Mount Chacaltaya, in Bolivia”, he reports, referring to the place that served as the base for important studies by Lattes.
The guide provides basic information about the funds and collections, such as the name of the producer, the period in which the documents were produced and the type of document available. It also offers a brief CV of its original owner. “These files contain very interesting and even curious information. By consulting them, those interested will discover that current topics, such as the movement to allocate more resources to science, were already addressed by professors Zeferino Vaz and Sérgio Porto in the 1950s”, says Eliane.
According to the supervisor of the CLE Historical Archives, the funds and collections can be consulted via the internet by interested parties from this link, through the ICA-AtoM platform, a free description program developed by the International Council on Archives. The tool makes it possible to cross-reference and search the different funds and collections available.
