This collection contains both research materials and publication files from the Lick Observatory. Research materials document the work done by Lick astronomers, and contain research logs, reduction books, albums, various notes and charts, and drawings and photographs of astronomical objects. Publication files include mostly unpublished manuscripts and reports by Lick astronomers, as well as some promotional publications made by and about the Lick Observatory. Also included are various indexes from the Lick Observatory library, and correspondence related to the delivery of the Lick Observatory publications and bulletins to other institutions around the world.

The Lick Observatory was completed in 1888 and continues to be an active astronomy research facility at the summit of Mount Hamilton, near San Jose, California. It is named after James Lick (1796-1876), who left $700,000 in 1875 to purchase land and build a facility that would be home to "a powerful telescope, superior to and more powerful than any telescope yet made". The completion of the Great Lick Refractor in 1888 made the observatory home to the largest refracting telescope in the world for 9 years, until the completion of the 40-inch refractor at Yerkes Observatory in 1897. Since its founding in 1887, the Lick Observatory facility has provided on-site housing on Mount Hamilton for researchers, their families, and staff, making it the world's oldest residential observatory.

5.75 Linear Feet 6 boxes, 3 oversize boxes

Property rights for this collection reside with the University of California. Literary rights, including copyright, are retained by the creators and their heirs. The publication or use of any work protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use for research or educational purposes requires written permission from the copyright owner. Responsibility for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user. For more information on copyright or to order a reproduction, please visit guides.library.ucsc.edu/speccoll/reproduction-publication.

Collection is open for research.