Browsing by Subject "astronomy libraries"

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    Open Access
    Astronomers' contribution to library and information services in their quest to understand the Universe
    (2024) de Young, Theresa; Raju, Jaya
    Astronomers rely heavily on access to scientific publications to conduct astronomical research leading to discoveries that push the frontiers of our understanding of the Universe. This article argues that astronomers contributed to the development of the astronomical library at the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), over a two-hundred-year period of the historical development of astronomy in South Africa. It draws from a qualitative empirical study where data were collected at the SAAO through interviews with experts in the fields of astronomy and library and information services (LIS); the analysis of relevant documents from the SAAO archive; autoethnography; and a review of relevant global literature. The research findings provide the basis for this article’s argument, with three overarching LIS themes presented, giving evidence and contributing a South African and African angle as to how astronomers started and developed astronomical LIS, whilst introducing conversations around what this means for current astronomical LIS.
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    Open Access
    Histories intertwined: tracing the evolution of the South African Astronomical Observatory Library and information service within the historical development of astronomy in South Africa
    (2024) de Young, Theresa; Raju, Jaya
    This paper explores, in detail, how library and information service provision to the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO) evolved in the context of the historical development of astronomy in South Africa. It is based on empirical research that collected data through the examination of literature, SAAO archival material as well as via semi-structured interviews with a purposefully selected sample of individuals who are experts in the field of astrophysics or astronomy libraries. The study collected information on the role of library and information services in astronomy and documented the historical significance of the library in the context of astronomical research at the SAAO. This paper aims to contribute toward the existing literature covering the history of the SAAO, close the gap in the literature covering the history of its library and information service, as well as to contribute towards the international history of astronomy. The paper suggests a future library and information service that remains closely tied to exciting developments in astronomical research within an electronically connected research landscape.