| Ref No | DF/DIR/933 |
| Alt Ref No | DF933 |
| Title | Director's Subject Files |
| Description | Among the earliest papers in the series are ten files in which S F Harmer kept selected papers and correspondence which seemed to be of importance. The registers and annotation are in Harmer's own hand. Papers cover a wide range of Museum topics, including Tanganyika dinosaurs, loan regulations, labourers and vacuum cleaners, the new whale room and relations with the Geological Survey and Museum.
The remainder of the series is largely made up of unregistered files kept by T C S Morrison-Scott and G F Claringbull from 1960 onwards, with only a few papers of earlier directors. From 1988-2004 the files were created by or for Neil Chalmers, including correspondence and reports to/from, with many records annotated with his thoughts and notes on various subjects.
Among the topics covered are relations with institutions such as the British Museum, the Powell-Cotton Museum, Birchington, Kent; the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; and the Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC. Other files relate to particular Museum activities such as anniversaries and special events inlcuding Millenium projects, corporate plans, electron microscopy, exhibition preparation, oceanography, palynology, and serology. There are files on honours and awards to Museum staff, on the appointment of Trustees and on the Zoological Museum, Tring. |
| Date | 1892-2012 |
| AccessStatus | Open |
| Related Material | The main bulk of the working papers and correspondence of successive directors are contained in the bound volumes of the Reports and Letters series (DF1000) and the Case and Policy files (DF1004). |
| Held By | NHM Archives |
| Extent | 199 files |
| Level | Series |
Show related Persons records.
Persons
| Code | PersonName | Dates |
| CX5929 | Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; 1820 - present | 1820 - present |
| PX40 | Scott; Sir; Terence Charles Stuart Morrison (1908-1991); Zoologist; Director of the British Museum (Natural History) | 1908-1991 |
| CX5975 | Smithsonian Institution; 1846-present | 1846-present |
| PX515 | Harmer; Sir; Sidney Frederic (1862-1950); Knight; Zoologist, Director of the British Museum (Natural History) | 1862-1950 |