#  About the Collection 

 



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   ![CHSI Library](/sites/g/files/omnuum6316/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/chsi/files/ss_chsi_libes.jpg?itok=pMV795L4) 

 

### As researchers at Harvard have advanced the sciences, the artifacts of their work continue to inform.

Since its inception in 1948, various Harvard departments and private benefactors have added material to the original nucleus of the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments, which now contains over 20,000 objects dating from about 1400 to the present. A broad range of scientific disciplines are represented, including astronomy, navigation, horology, surveying, geology, calculating, physics, biology, medicine, psychology, electricity, and communication. Significant instruments, made obsolete by new technologies, continue to be incorporated. Many of the documents detailing the purchase and use of the instruments have been preserved, and are available for research in the Collection's adjunct library.

In an effort to provide greater access to these important objects and records, we have instituted the use of a state-of-the-art data management system, including an exciting online component called [**Waywiser**](https://chsi.emuseum.com/collections). Using Waywiser, online visitors can simply browse and discover the Collection, quickly search for information about particular items, assemble their own online collections, or enjoy groups of instruments pre-selected by Collection curators in conjunction with special themes or exhibitions.

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### Mission Statement


The Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments at Harvard connects scholars and community members to nearly 25,000 historical scientific instruments to enhance an understanding of the human history of scientific education, practice, and discovery.

CHSI advances the educational and research needs of the Harvard community and beyond, engaging visitors through guided access to collections, experimental exhibitions, and innovative programming.

### History

Harvard University has been acquiring scientific instruments since 1672. CHSI was established in 1948 by David P. Wheatland to preserve these objects as resources for teaching and research in the history of science and technology. CHSI is one of the three largest university collections of its kind in the world. Stewarded by Harvard’s Department of the History of Science since 1987, the collection is an integral resource for student and faculty engagement in the Greater Boston Area. As a founding member institution of the Harvard Museums of Science and Culture, CHSI is an essential partner in achieving HMSC’s mission to foster curiosity and a spirit of discovery and enhance understanding of and appreciation for science.

### Vision

From within the hub of Harvard’s Science Center, the Collection of Historical Scientific Instruments invites you to join us in exploring what we know and how we came to understand it.


#### Download a copy of our current [Strategic Plan](https://chsi.harvard.edu/file_url/1073) and the [AY 2026 Update](https://chsi.harvard.edu/sites/g/files/omnuum6316/files/2025-07/CHSI%20Strategic%20Plan%20AY26%20update.pdf).



 

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As part of his participation in "[**University as Collector**](https://www.radcliffe.harvard.edu/event/2015-university-collector-conference)," a 2015 conference sponsored by the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, Professor Peter Galison used several celebrated objects from the core of the CHSI to illustrate the unique role that acts of collecting have played (and continue to play) in the furtherance of Harvard's educational mission.

"University as Collector" featured in the [**Harvard Gazette**](http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2015/04/the-things-harvard-has/)**.**