Chemical Heritage Foundation

Monday–Friday, 10:00 A.M.–4:00 P.M.

Researchers are encouraged to contact staff to make an appointment in advance of a visit. All researchers must provide a photo ID upon arrival

• Ronald Brashear, Arnold Thackray Director of the Othmer Library, 215-873-8284 rbrashear@chemheritage.org (PACSCL Rep)
• Elsa B. Atson, Director of Library Services, 215-873-8205, elsaa@chemheritage.org (PACSCL Alternate Rep)
• Ashley Augustyniak, Assistant Librarian/ Fellowship Coordinator, 215-873-8269, aaugustyniak@chemheritage.org
• Robert Hull, Digital Librarian, 215-873-8229, rhull@chemheritage.org
• Andrea Tomlinson, Technical Services Manager, 215-873-8257, andreat@chemheritage.org
• James Voelkel, Rare Book Curator, 215-873-8271, jvoelkel@chemheritage.org

Chemical Heritage Foundation's (CHF) Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Library of Chemical History, created in 1988, encompasses the history of the chemical sciences and industries. The library is a product of the vision and generosity of Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer, and it has a unique emphasis: the history of chemical achievement. The Othmer Library's holdings include more than 130,000 volumes of monographs, reference works, rare books, and professional journals published from 1478 to the present.

The Roy G. Neville Historical Chemical Library, a collection in the Othmer Library of Chemical History, represents one of the richest single deposits of books on the history of chemistry in the world. Roughly 6,000 titles in all, the Neville collection dates from the late 15th century to the early 20th century and includes many of the most important works in the history of science and technology from this period. Many of the works written before 1800 are especially rare, and some 400 titles are unique to the collection. Important manuscript materials, dissertations, and pamphlets complement the books and serials in the collection, which also includes several documents previously unknown or thought lost.

CHF's archives include an image archives collection comprises some 200 framed pieces of artwork ranging from oil portraits to lithographs, plus over 10,000 images in all photographic formats, including the William Haynes' collection of 1,500 photographs from his six-volume work The American Chemical Industry. CHF holds the personal papers of such innovators as Paul Flory, Carl Marvel, and Donald Othmer, and the unpublished records of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the Chemists’ Club, and several other organizations. The instrument and artifacts collection features hundreds of 20th-century chemical instruments. Artifacts range from awards, scrapbooks, and some of the first preproduction nylon stockings to early batteries, glassware, and apparatus.