(With my apologies to Mr. Benchley, the librarian, and all librarians – it was the first title that “Popped!” into my mind.)

Truly, a librarian is coming for a visit to Nantucket. And by this posting, she has come and gone. (And yes, there are librarians on Nantucket) This librarian is from the US Naval Observatory and she and I were coincidentally connected via Harlow Shapley’s granddaughter working on a large research project about Shapley – the director of the Harvard College Observatory and quite the astronomer with a long list of accomplishments. During her work at the US Naval Observatory, Shapley’s granddaughter was introduced to a box of images that at some point came to the USNO via someone connected to Margaret Harwood. As you may remember, she was the MMA’s first astronomer and director of the observatory. 

And given the wonders of the Internet, ZOOM, and ye old telephone, we all connected. They didn’t know who was in the box (i.e. the images) or what some of them were of. Many of them are of the MMA and people associated with the MMA and astronomers and others who visited – including Cecelia Payne Gaspochkin (who you see here – and the image is small and crooked as they are meant just as a record – not something we will use)! So, the USNO librarian acted as the courier to bring the images here so that we can photograph them for the MMA to have copies and I can help to identify the people and places. It was a lot of fun – and we discovered some images that I do not think the MMA has – but we do now! And of course, it was a lot of fun to meet and work with a new collaborator. Here is to more!

JNLF



Image Courtesy of the US Naval Observatory