CHSI
Guidelines for Visiting and Using the Collection
Download a copy of Guidelines.
Research
Harvard Faculty, students and museum professionals, as well as outside scholars are highly encouraged to fill-in the online inquiry form provided on our website. The CHSI’s Curator or Director of Administration will get back to you promptly. It is also recommended to first take a look at our online database, Waywiser, before requesting information about specific instruments. Arrangements to study the instruments on site are possible and made on a case-by-case basis.
The CHSI library is open by appointment only. Please contact our Collection Manager for more information on how and when to visit.
Special Lectures & Hands-On Classes
Here are a few guidelines to Lecturers and Faculty professors, from Harvard and other institutions, who would like to organize a special class incorporating the CHSI’s instrument collection, or to encourage student projects using the collection:
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Please contact the Curator, the Collection Manager, or the Director of Administration at least 4 weeks before the day of the class or assignment. Give us the name, and number of your course, as well as the expected size of the class.
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Explain briefly the purpose of this special class. In other words, why is it important for the students to see actual instruments? What do you expect they will gain from the experience?
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What are the instruments you would like to show/demonstrate?
Consult Waywiser to determine which one(s) you think fit your goals.
Make an appointment with the Curator to discuss your class visit and select the best objects to be presented (see office hours below).
Provide us with a copy of the course syllabus. - Do the students have a special assignment requiring the use of the collection? If so, please give us a copy of the assignment and an explanation of its purpose. This enables us to be better prepared for your students.
- Individual students or small groups should make appointments with our Curator, ONLY during her office hours.
- Students should consult Waywiser before their appointments with the Curator.
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Instruments WILL NOT be made available if they are only used as props or decorative art pieces during a lecture.
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Special lectures and hands-on classes can only be conducted during the Curator’s office hours (see below).
PLEASE NOTE: Considering the increasing demands for class demonstrations and lectures, our expanding exhibition program and the regular collection activities, we may not be in a position to undertake all requests. It will likely not be possible to accommodate requests made on short notice.
Group Visits
All inquiries should be submitted to the Director of Administration. Please refer to the Exhibitions page to review the current exhibits on show and the opening hours. Please let us know the goal of the field trip, size and age of the group, and if a guided tour is required.
Curator's Office Hours
Availability for Special Lecture & In-Person Classroom Presentations:
Tuesdays through Thursdays: 9:00am - 5:00pm
Director of Administration
Dr. Jean-François Gauvin
gauvin at fas.harvard.edu
617-496-1021
David P. Wheatland Curator
Dr. Sara Schechner
schechn at fas.harvard.edu
617-496-9542
Collection Manager
Martha Richardson
mrichard at fas.harvard.edu
617-496-4959
Resources
- Overview
- The Collection
- Collection Guidelines
- Exhibitions
- Research
- Contacts
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Gallery Hours
Putnam Gallery
Science Center 136
Summer Hours:
Monday - Thursday
11:00am - 4:00pm
Friday
11:00am - 3:30pm
Special Exhibitions Gallery
Summer Hours:
Monday - Thursday
9:00am - 4:00pm
Friday
9:00am - 3:30pm
Foyer Exhibition Space
Science Center 371
Summer Hours:
Monday - Thursday
9:00am - 4:00pm
Friday
9:00am - 3:30pm
Free and open to the public.
Children must be escorted by an adult.
Both the Putnam Gallery and Special Exhibitions are closed on University Holidays.
Inquiries: 617-495-2779
Directions
The Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments is located inside the Science Center, 1 Oxford Street, on Harvard's Cambridge campus.
