Logbooks
The University of Chicago Library conserves, catalogs, and digitizes logbooks from Yerkes Observatory related to the Glass Plate Collection.
Just over 90 logbooks record information about the data on the glass plate negatives taken at Yerkes as well as information about the people who recorded and used this data.
The Preservation Department’s Conservation and Digitization Units conducted condition reviews on logbooks, performed treatments to stabilize items when necessary, and digitized the logbooks according to national guidelines and project standards.
The logbooks were digitized using high-resolution cultural heritage cameras and imaging equipment. The process involved reviewing images to ensure completeness and accuracy and generating master files for archiving and access copies for online viewing.
For this project, image files were created that will be used to produce print facsimiles for the collection. While use of the digital materials is wide-ranging, it is useful to have physical copies on hand as well.
Browse the logbooks
Digitized logbooks are available to download as individual PDFs. The logbooks are not yet transcribed or optimized for in-text searching. Associated plate series are available to search. The best way to open these .csv files and maintain formatting is to download them to your computer, then use the File> Open method in your spreadsheet program of choice (Excel, Numbers, Google Sheets, etc.) Double-clicking to open will work, but formatting of special characters may display incorrectly. If you have additional questions about the logbooks, or the plates referenced, please contact the Yerkes Project Team.
Currently available logbooks are listed below. The series that are more extensive and from telescopes producing wider fields of view are listed first. Telescopes are Yerkes Observatory instruments, including those used at McDonald Observatory, unless otherwise indicated. In a few cases, specialized series from different telescopes are listed together, for example "Moon" and "Halley's Comet."
General series
Series name | Telescope | Plate numbers | Date range | Series README | Series full csv |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barnard |
10-in Bruce 6-in Bruce 3-in Ross Other |
I-XXXVII-d 10B 48.5–1925 6B 1-1831 3B 4-1842 Bd 48a-416 F 1-328 FP 1-108 |
1897-1899 1902-1934 1897-1925 1897-1926 1903-1920 1900-1930 1905-1926 |
README | Full csv |
Barnard Comets |
10-inch Bruce 6-inch Bruce Other |
C 1-608 | 1893-1924 | README | Full csv |
Ross |
10-in Bruce (10R) 6-in Bruce (6R) 5-in Ross (5R) 3-in Ross (3vR) 3-in Ross (3gR) Other |
10R 1-1506 6R 3-400 5R 562-1405 3vR 234-675 3gR 92-957 CR 287a-1136 357-1506 |
1921-1949 | In process | In process |
40-in F 1 40-in F 2 |
40-in refractor |
F 1-780 F 329-780 |
1900-1925 1937 |
In process | In process |
40-in FRy | 40-in refractor | FRy 1-49 | 1900-1901 | README | Full csv |
40-in O Assc notebook |
40-in refractor | O 1-192 | 1905-1925 | In process | In process |
40-in Sch 1 40-in Sch 2 40-in Sch 3 |
40-in refractor |
Sch 1-561 Sch 1-516 Sch 571-944 |
1903 1903-1904 1904-1906 |
In process | In process |
Pi | 40-in refractor | π 1-28811 | 1906-2002 | In process | In process |
Rcam | 40-in refractor | 1-534 | 1960-1962 | In process | In process |
Kapteyn | K 1-65 | 1906-1909 | In process | In process | |
41-in 1 41-in 2 41-in White 41-in Monet |
41-in reflector |
Yk41 1-1110 Yk41 1111-1528 Yk41-White 1-12 & Yk41 254-259f Yk41-Monet 1-26 |
1969-1980 1980-1996 1973 1974 |
README | Full csv |
UVITS | 41-in reflector | 740, 856-891 | 1975 | In process | In process |
24-in R 1 24-in R 2 24-in R 3 24-in R 4 24-in R 5 |
24-in reflector |
Ry 1-69, R 1-1951 R 1952-3519 R 3520-4631 R 4632-4923 R 4924-5667 |
1901-1907 1907-1916 1916-1923 1923-1926 1926-1940 |
README | Full csv |
24-in Rsnbg 1 24-in Rsnbg 2 24-in Rsnbg 3 24-in Rsnbg 4 |
24-in reflector |
YO 1-30 YO 31-48 YO 49-73 YO 74-75; OP 879-926 |
1934 | In process | In process |
Cook Ast 1 1 Cook Ast 1 2 Cook Ast 2 |
10-in Cook 5-in Cook 4-in Cook |
CA 1-840 CA 841-1624 CA 1625-2404 |
1950-1951 1951 1951-1952 |
In process | In process |
8-in Sch 1 8-in Sch 2 8-in Sch 3 |
8-in Schmidt |
1-595 596-787 593-813 |
1953-1954 1954-1955 1954-1957 |
In process | In process |
7-in Sch | 7-in Schmidt | 1-186 | 1977-1997 | README | Full csv |
Sullivan S | 6-in attached to 40-in refractor | S 1-55 | 1904-1907 | README | Full csv |
Moon
Series name | Telescope(s) | Plate numbers | Date range | Series README | Series full csv |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Moon | 40-in refractor |
M 1-59 M 60-132 M 201-202 |
1910-1919 1946 1963 |
In process | In process |
Moon | 6-in reflector | MP 1-16 | 1892 | In process | In process |
Lunar 1 Lunar 2 |
40-in refractor |
L 1-1598 L 1601-1809 |
1958-1961 1961-1962 |
README | Full csv |
Halley's Comet
Series name | Telescope(s) | Plate numbers | Date range | Series README | Series full csv |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
HD HE, HE Tessar |
Several 6-in Brashear, 2.25-in Tessar |
HD 7-36 HE 1-60 HE-T 1-10 |
1910 |
README README |
Full csv Full csv |
Mount Wilson
Series name | Telescope(s) | Plate numbers | Date range | Series README | Series full csv |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
60 PN | Mt. Wilson 60-in reflector | 60PN 1-62 | 1911-1932 | In process | In process |
Lick
Series name | Telescope(s) | Plate numbers | Date range | Series README | Series full csv |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Barnard L and LC |
Lick Willard 6-in Lick Dalmeyer 5.5-in Lick Lantern lens Lick Voightlander 1-in |
L 1-161 LC 1-40 |
1889-1899 1889-1894 |
README | Full csv |
Spectra
Series name | Telescope(s) | Plate numbers | Date range | Series README | Series full csv |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
In process | In process | In process | In process | In process | In process |
Miscellaneous
Series name | Telescope(s) | Plate numbers | Date range | Series README | Series full csv |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
IT | 40-in refractor | 1-71 | 1976-1980 | In process | In process |
TV 1 TV 2 |
1-65 H 1-12 |
1939-1940 1939 |
In process | In process | |
Uranus/Saturn | 1;1-147;60 | 1949-1950 | In process | In process | |
McDonald CC | McDonald 82-in | CC a-1140 | 1939-1972 | In process | In process |
Microschmidt | MicroSchmidt | 1-19 | 1958 | In process | In process |
3-in Ross | 3-in Ross | 92-230 | 1937-1938 | In process | In process |
Support for this project comes from the National Science Foundation (Grant AST-2101781), University of Chicago College Innovation Fund, John Crerar Foundation, Kathleen and Howard Zar Science Library Fund, Institute on the Formation of Knowledge, and Yerkes Future Foundation.