Institutional Records

The Institutional Records of the James D. Watson Collection is composed of material accrued during Watson’s tenure as Director (1968-1994), President (1994-2003), Chancellor (2003-2007), and Chancellor Emeritus (2007-2011) of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The papers consist of correspondence, memoranda, reports, meeting minutes, manuscripts, and other supportive documents. Watson also served on the Board of Directors from 1965-1968, and those papers are also collected here.

As Director of CSHL, Watson oversaw the revitalization of the world renowned, but financially unstable, scientific campus. The Institutional Records cover all aspects of life at CSHL, including scientific meetings and courses, fundraising, the annual Symposium, educational programs, and the administration of the Lab (Finances, Human Resources, Public Affairs, etc.). It also includes a large amount of files related to organizations with ties to both Watson and the Lab, including Diagnostic Products Corporation (DPC), SIBIA, Pall Corporation, and the Charles A. Dana Foundation. Of particular note are the records of the Long Island Biological Association (LIBA), which was the predecessor of the current laboratory at Cold Spring Harbor.

The majority of material dated 1994 and later is currently restricted, with some exceptions. See archivist for details. This record group has not been digitized.

The record group is organized into 15 series:

1. Administrative (1964-2007)

2. Banbury Center (1977-2007)

3. Buildings and Grounds (1968-2003)

4. CSHL Press (1970-2007)

5. DNA Learning Center (1988-2007)

6. Educational Programs (1970-1998)

7. Finances (1967-2005)@$@

8. Human Resources (1967-2009)

9. Meeting and Courses (1968-2008)

10. Office of Development (1967-1972, 1988-2011)

11. Office of Public Affairs (1971-2009)

12. Research and Development

13. Related Organizations (1953-2001)

14. CSH Symposium (1961-1995)

15. Watson School of Biological Sciences (1997-2008)