About History and Archives
History and Archives House in the Fermilab Village (Photo by Nadezhda Shemyakina, October 10, 2003)
The Fermilab History and Archives Office traces its origins back to the Fermilab History Committee, which was established in January 1977, as the lab approached its tenth anniversary. The lab’s first archivist, Lillian Hoddeson, began collecting Fermilab historical records and artifacts in January 1978.
The mission of the History and Archives Office is to identify, collect, organize, preserve, and make accessible records of enduring value that document the activities of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory and the field of high-energy physics. The History and Archives Office also works closely with Records Management to ensure that records designated as permanent on the Department of Energy’s records retention schedules are preserved. This work supports the activities of Fermilab’s staff, its users, and outside researchers interested in the history of Fermilab or of particle physics and related disciplines. To accomplish these goals, the Fermilab Archives acquires records (including both print and digital) and artifacts created by Fermilab as well as other organizations and individuals. The History and Archives Office also conducts oral history interviews with individuals knowledgeable about Fermilab or other institutions and experiments that had a significant impact on the field of high-energy physics. Additionally, the Fermilab History and Archives Office collects select books and other special materials that complement the archival and oral history collections. These archives, oral histories, books, and other materials are collectively known as the History of Accelerators and Particle Physics Collection.
The Milton G. White History of Accelerators Room, adjacent to the Fermilab Library on the 3rd floor of Wilson Hall, is a research reading room where portions of the collections are located. Most of the collections are stored in the History and Archives House, located at 18 Neuqua Street in the Fermilab Village. Additional materials are stored at an offsite records storage facility
The historical collection from the archives of the Superconducting Super Collider was accessioned into the Fermilab Archives in 1995. A limited amount of the collection has been processed and is available for research. Please contact the Archivist for assistance.
For research assistance, please contact the Archivist at vhiggins@fnal.gov or 630-840-2543. You may also submit an Archives Request online.
Copying facilities for documents and photographs are conveniently located. Assistance with collections of sound and visual recordings is available upon request.