Census of Astronomical Photographic Plates 2026

The International Glass Plates Group (IGPG) team is compiling a census of existing astronomical plates. This is being done in conjunction with the International Astronomical Union Commission B2 Working Group on the Preservation and Digitization of Photographic Plates (WG-PDPP) and the American Astronomical Society Working Group on the Preservation of Astronomical Heritage (WGPAH).

We are asking repositories worldwide to indicate whether or not they hold astronomical photographic plates at their institutions by completing this survey. We are eager for observatories, universities, archives, and other repositories to complete the survey, even if they no longer hold these astronomical glass plate negatives. You can easily fill out this four-question survey here.

The census specifically seeks to identify collections of plates containing astronomical data (images of the sky, astronomical spectra, solar images, etc.), whether on glass plates or film. Photographs of instruments, staff members, observing sites, telescopes, and the like should not be included. We will use this survey to help connect institutions and, when appropriate, direct researchers.

This webpage is another way we hope our colleagues across the globe can find and complete this short survey.
 

If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact individual members of the IGPG team:
 
Jennifer Bartlett, jennifer.bartlett[at]cfa.harvard.edu
Sharon Hunt, sharon.hunt[at]noirlab.edu
Wayne “Ozzie” Osborn, wayne.osborn[at]cmich.edu
Thom Burns, thom.burns[at]cfa.harvard.edu