Descriptive Summary
Access
Publication Rights
Preferred Citation
Acquisition Information
Processing History
Collection Arrangement
Historical background
Collection Scope and Contents
Indexing Terms
Descriptive Summary
Title: University of California, Los Angeles Isotope Lab records
Date (inclusive): 1943-1997 & undated
Collection Number: UA 015
Creator:
University of California, Los Angeles. Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics
Creator:
University of California, Los Angeles. Isotope Laboratory
Creator:
Libby, Willard F.
Creator:
Berger, Rainer, 1930-
Extent:
46.88 linear feet
(51 boxes)
Repository:
Rivera Library. Special Collections Department.
Abstract: The University of California, Los Angeles Isotope Lab records document the daily operations of the University of California,
Los Angeles Isotope Lab. The records contain sample records, correspondence, commercial catalogs for equipment, chemicals
and electronics, grant proposals, procedural documents, date lists, punch cards and other material documenting the activities
of the UCLA Isotope Lab.
Languages: English
.
Access
This collection is open for research.
Publication Rights
Copyright Unknown: Some materials in these collections may be protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). In addition,
the reproduction, and/or commercial use, of some materials may be restricted by gift or purchase agreements, donor restrictions,
privacy and publicity rights, licensing agreement(s), and/or trademark rights. Distribution or reproduction of materials protected
by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. To the extent other
restrictions apply, permission for distribution or reproduction from the applicable rights holder is also required. Responsibility
for obtaining permissions, and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Preferred Citation
[identification of item], [date if possible]. University of California, Los Angeles Isotope Lab records (UA 015). Special
Collections & University Archives, University of California, Riverside.
Acquisition Information
This collection was transferred by former UCR Anthropology professor and director of the UCR Radiocarbon Lab, Dr. Erv Taylor,
in 2016.
Processing History
Processed by Andrea Hoff, University Archivist, 2022.
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged into eight series as described below. Series 2 consists of several sub-series, which are described
at the series level.
- Series 1. Catalogs of Companies, Electronics, Equipment and Chemicals, 1944-1979 & undated
- Series 2. Correspondence, 1943-1991 & undated
- Series 3. Grants, 1961-1991 & undated
- Series 4: Lab Operations, 1962-1984 & undated
- Series 5: Radiocarbon Date Lists, 1962-1969 & undated
- Series 6: Sample Records, 1952-1997 & undated
- Series 7: Tritium Dating, 1953-1962 & undated
- Series 8: Punch Cards, undated
Historical background
The UCLA Isotope Laboratory was the first of five labs devoted to radiocarbon dating in the UC system. The Isotope Lab operated
in the Institute of Geophysics and Planetary Physics from 1959 to 2004. It was founded by Professor Willard F. Libby (1908-1980),
a noted chemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1960 for his role in developing the science of radiocarbon dating. Libby
joined the Chemistry department at UCLA in 1959. In 1962, he was appointed director of the Institute for Geophysics and Planetary
Physics.
Prior to his tenure at UCLA, Libby earned his Ph.D. in chemistry from UC Berkeley. He began his career as an Assistant Professor
there in 1931. During WWII, Libby was actively involved in the Manhattan Project. He played a key role in developing a gaseous
diffusion method to separate the uranium isotopes, which was used in the process for uranium enrichment. After the war, Libby
joined the chemistry department at the University of Chicago, where he founded the nation's first laboratory devoted to radiocarbon
dating at the University's Institute for Nuclear Studies.
The UCLA Isotope Laboratory was supervised by Professor C. Rainer Berger (1930-2002) beginning in 1967. Berger was hired by
Libby as a research associate in 1963 to help develop the Isotope Lab. Throughout his long career at UCLA, Berger served as
a professor in several departments, including history, geography and anthropology. He retired in 1994.
In addition to their work in establishing and running the Isotope Lab, Libby and Berger authored numerous publications. Most
notably, Radiocarbon Dating (Libby, 1955) and Scientific Methods in Medieval Archaeology (Berger, 1970). Both Libby and Berger
received numerous distinctions throughout their respective careers.
Collection Scope and Contents
The University of California, Los Angeles Isotope Lab records document the daily operations of the University of California,
Los Angeles Isotope Lab. The records contain sample records, correspondence, commercial catalogs for equipment, chemicals
and electronics, grant proposals, procedural documents, date lists, punch cards and other material documenting the activities
of the UCLA Isotope Lab.
Indexing Terms
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the
library's online public access catalog.
Subjects
Radiocarbon dating
Anthropology
Genres and Forms of Materials
Correspondence
Research notes
Articles
Laboratory notebooks