Cataloguing of the Papers of Harold Garnett Callan (1917-1993)
Funded by the British Library and the Wellcome Trust, through the "Research Resources in Medical History" programme.
In January 2002 St Andrews University Library was awarded a grant by the "Research Resources in Medical History" fund which was launched by the British Library and the Wellcome Trust in 2001. The fund provides support for projects that improve the preservation of or access to medically important collections. The award granted to St Andrews University was given to catalogue the papers of Harold Garnett Callan (1917-1993), professor of Natural History at the University from 1950-1982.
Callan specialised in cell physiology undertaking ground-breaking research into genetics and DNA. He was the first to demonstrate the linearity of DNA along the chromosome. He used lampbrush chromosomes (found in every animal except mamals), frequently from newts and toads, to study chromosome activity during periods other than cell division (the only time other chromosomes could be studied). His importance was confirmed in 1963 when he was elected to the Royal Society in London, and other international honours followed.
The collection mainly comprises research notes and chromosome photography but also includes a lot of correspondence, both personal and professional especially with other scientists. In addition there is material relating to Callan's teaching at the University and to his various publications.
Aims and Objectives
- to catalogue the Callan papers to modern archival standards;
- to add the catalogue records to the Library's manuscripts database in order to facilitate remote access by scholars and researchers elsewhere;
Outcomes
- A complete catalogue to this important collection of papers;
- c. 2,000 (estimate) on-line database records at high, intermediate and item levels, offering a hitherto unachievable degree of access for scholars throughout the academic and wider community;
- additional on-line cataloguing of the Library's holdings of medical manuscripts.
The project, funded for one year from late June 2002, was completed in July 2003.