About the records

Administrative Information

John Jenkin's William H. Bragg and William L. (Lawrence) Bragg Research Collection was accessioned in March 2009, with the documentation of the records at inventory level taking place from 2 October 2009 to 8 September 2010.

The total collection, occupying approximately 725 linear cm of shelf space, is held by the Barr Smith Library, The University of Adelaide.

Scope and Content

The records in John Jenkin's William H. Bragg and William L. (Lawrence) Bragg Research Collection cover the lives of William Henry and William Lawrence Bragg and are the result of Dr. John Jenkin's extensive research over a period of more than 25 years. While there are some original documents in the collection, John Jenkin (like many researchers) collected the majority of his material as photocopies, accompanied by handwritten notes on archival materials, secondary publications, correspondence and interviews. He also added annotations to many of the photocopied texts. Comprehensive correspondence throughout the files shows the history of his research and the people and institutions he contacted for assistance or advice.

The strengths of the collection are in these extensive notes and letters, the wonderful collection of original (or carefully re-printed) photographs which have been digitised and can be viewed as part of this guide, and perhaps most of all in the bringing together of diverse primary and secondary sources from libraries, archives and other sources nationally and internationally to create a truly authoritative collection - a rich, comprehensive and wide-ranging documentary resource covering the lives and work of William and Lawrence Bragg, focusing in particular on their time in Australia.

Furthermore, the completeness of the collection and thorough, highly organised documentation of the records, and of the research process itself, are a tribute to John Jenkin's dedicated and meticulous research.

Surveying and Mapping the Records

He contacted Gavan McCarthy, Director of the Australian Technology and Heritage Centre (Austehc, precursor to the eSRC - eScholarship Research Centre) and Rod Home from History and Philosophy of Science, both at the University of Melbourne, to ask their advice. Gavan subsequently spent some time with John discussing the records and conducting an informal survey of the collection.

Subsequently, on 30 October 2008, two four-drawer filing cabinets containing the collected documents of more than 25 years research into the Bragg's were delivered to the eSRC offices at the University of Melbourne. Additional material, including an expansive collection of photographs, were brought in over the following weeks and months.

By March 2009, the bulk of the collection had been transferred to the eSRC, at which time John Jenkin walked through the full collection with Michael Jones, who then surveyed and documented the collection in full. The resulting accession report, audio recordings of John Jenkin speaking about his records, and further information about this guide and the records it describes - including transfer arrangements, custodianship and other contextual information - are held in the office files and the Heritage Document Management System (HDMS) database at the eScholarship Research Centre, The University of Melbourne.

Arrangement and Description of the Records

Following this agreement, eSRC staff undertook the full listing of the collection, inclulding the simultaneous re-housing of the material to ensure its preservation. A series structure was created based largely on the existing order of the records, reflecting the chronological and subject-based organisational system used by John Jenkin throughout the course of his research.

The 2010 edition of William H. Bragg and William L. (Lawrence) Bragg: A guide to the research records of John Jenkin has been produced as a result of this work.

Digitisation

Therefore, during the course of processing eSRC staff digitally imaged the photographic section of the collection in full. Digital images produced as a result of this work are attached to the relevant inventory item descriptions in this guide.

How These Records Can Be Used

Where material from John Jenkin's William H. Bragg and William L. (Lawrence) Bragg Research Collection is copied or quoted the source of the material must be acknowledged.

Preferred Citation

For citation of the published guide, an acceptable form would be: Melissa Downing and Michael Jones, William H. Bragg and William L. (Lawrence) Bragg: A guide to the research records of John Jenkin, The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre, 2010 [URL and date accessed].

Publication History

Copyright

John Jenkin's William H. Bragg and William L. (Lawrence) Bragg Research Collection is held by the Barr Smith Library, The University of Adelaide. The Barr Smith Library manages any rights (including moral rights) in all material contained in John Jenkin's William H. Bragg and William L. (Lawrence) Bragg Records.

All information in the guide to this collection and in the material of the collection itself, served from Australia, is administered under Australian Intellectual Property Laws.

Acknowledgements

We also thank Arlie McCarthy for her assistance with the digitisation process, and Ailie Smith and Gavan McCarthy from the eSRC, both of whom played important roles in bringing the project to completion.

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