News and views

The archives of the Australian Academy of Science hold a rich and varied collection of unpublished and primary source materials documenting the history of science in Australia. Over its 60-year history, the collection has evolved into a substantial resource providing a rare and valuable window into Australian scientific discovery in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

The Academy’s archives provide an invaluable window into early Antarctic exploration and research, including that of Welsh-Australian geologist Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David. His involvement with Antarctic research spanned four decades—first as a scientist and explorer, and later as a steadfast advocate for expeditions.

Digitisation at the Academy is opening new pathways into the historic archive and library collections donated by numerous Fellows of the Academy, other prominent scientists and scientific organisations.