Katie Frey, the interim Head Librarian for the Wolbach Library, announced in January that the library would be closing in March 2024. In her announcement, she said,
“This is happening outside of the control of anyone in the library. Wolbach Library has been honored to serve the astronomical community, and we truly appreciate our membership in the international astronomical community and collegial relationships.”
We are all deeply saddened to see the end of this valuable resource for the subjects of Astronomy and Astrophysics. The John G. Wolbach Library, which houses the Harvard College Observatory and Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory collections, dates back to 1975 in its current incarnation, but the roots of the library go back to the 1800s.
Beginning in the 1800s, the Harvard College Observatory and the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory developed a rich history of exchanging scholarly works. The Harvard College Observatory library was founded from this exchange. Later, in 1959, the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory library was founded when selected astrophysical works were relocated from Washington, D.C. to Cambridge, MA. The two collections were merged in 1975 and the Wolbach Library was born. The latest addition to the library’s holdings, the Harvard College Observatory’s Astronomical Photographic Glass Plate Collection, was added in 2022.
While you raise a glass to the end of this cherished institution, and perhaps listen to an appropriate soundtrack in the background (may we suggest Saying Goodbye from The Muppets or maybe Changes or Space Oddity by David Bowie), we ask if you could write down your memories and thoughts of the Wolbach Library. Once you’ve done that, you can send those memories to Jerrel and Emma by April 30th for inclusion in the Spring edition of the PAM Bulletin.
PAM Bulletin 