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Collections Summary

Mineral samples collected either by Bernard Hubbard (active period 1920-1962), his brother John Hubbard (a geologist) or former SCU chemistry Professor Paul Galtes, S.J., who began teaching at SCU in 1917, make up these collections. These collections are housed in the Ricard main dome and the Daly Science building. There are about 320 cubic feet of specimens. The collection is un-inventoried and is in fair to poor condition, with Hubbard’s specimens showing more advanced deterioration than Galtes’. A preliminary inventory and assessment is underway.

Ricard Observatory was formerly used as a seismic station and (obviously) an observatory. Although the building function has changed over the decades, much of the original scientific instruments and equipment remain in the domes and basements in varying levels of condition:

The historic collections installed in Ricard include two in situ telescopes with a variety of counterweights, spare (some underground) lenses and miscellaneous accessories scattered in the domes and basements. The main telescope was built in 1882 by Alvan Clark, the premier American telescope builder of the 19th century. At that time it was the fourth largest telescope in the world. Our Alvan Clark is a long-focal-length refractor with a 16"-diameter primary lens (the smaller telescope in the west dome has an 8”-diameter primary lens.) The telescope was purchased by the people of Rochester, New York for Lewis Swift, hardware store owner and amateur astronomer known locally as the "Professor." Using this telescope and others, Swift discovered a large number of comets, including the one known as Swift-Tuttle. (The annual Perseids meteor shower is a result of Earth's annual passage through the trail of dust left behind by Swift-Tuttle.) Younger, larger siblings of this telescope can be found at the Lick Observatory and the Yerkes Observatory. Also part of this collection is a Mead astronomical clock, which is currently housed in the lobby of Media Services.

The Father Hubbard collection consists of a portion of a vast and rich collection, portions of which are housed at other entities on campus. What remains in Ricard is a multitude of photographic equipment used by Hubbard in WWII during his stint as a Navy photographer and from his world-wide travels (primarily Alaska). Also present is his dog sled, harnesses, one of his dogs (“taxidermied”) two sealskin kayaks, numerous black and white gelatin prints, dozens of reel-to-reel movies, and other miscellaneous items from his travels.

Permanent Collection

Permanent collection objects and associated records are those that have been acquired and accessioned by the CRM FACILITY into the permanent collection. The permanent collection is the core research collection of the CRM program and is a physical manifestation of the historical record of Mission Santa Clara and the University and is considered a unique and irreplaceable resource. This collection is stored in locked areas of the CRM Facility and is armed with a security system. Objects in the permanent collection are subject to the highest standards of registration, care, and fiduciary responsibility. No object can be deaccessioned from the permanent collection or loaned to another person or entity (including SCU) without approval from the CRM Director, who currently manages the collection.

Education/Type Collection

The education collection is comprised of objects acquired by the CRM Facility but deemed unacceptable for accession into the permanent collection. Objects for the Type Collection are acquired in several ways: they may be deaccessioned from the permanent collection due to poor condition, lack of adequate provenience, or redundancy; they may be collected from disturbed areas of construction fill specifically for this purpose, or they are objects or materials purchased specifically for pedagogies use.

The education collection contains major classes of objects that are routinely found in archaeological deposits in and around Santa Clara. They are used primarily in the research and analysis phase of CRM reporting. Objects in the education collection are catalogued and inventoried, but are subject to a lower standard of care. These objects may be handled by non-museum or archaeological professionals and children. They include skeletons of domesticated and native animals, a human skeleton (biological specimen, not Native American), ceramics, glass, metal, shell, and stone objects. They are housed in special cabinets in the “dry lab” room within the CRM building and are easily accessed for research.

Document Collection

The CRM Facility maintains documentary (archival and photographic) records on the permanent collection that constitute an invaluable and irreplaceable resource. This material includes, but is not limited to, correspondence, field records, descriptions of objects, accession records, exhibition records, deaccession files, grant proposals, purchase receipts, and images and recordings related to the permanent collection and to archaeological sites and field schools, CRM publications, museum history, and exhibits. Documentary collection items are catalogued as necessary to enhance points of physical and intellectual accessibility.

Map Collections

The map collection primarily consists of modern U.S.G.S. topographic quadrangles for the southern Santa Clara Valley and copies of historic plat, survey and Sanborn Fire Insurance maps from the immediate University neighborhood. There are no original copies of historic maps. CRM project maps and engineered drawings/blueprints reside in the collection as well.