XVI. Oversize Photos,, undated

The documents comprising the papers of Selman A. Waksman (1888-1973), Rutgers professor and director of the Institute of Microbiology, span the period 1916-1977, although the bulk of them cover the years 1943-1971. The papers are primarily concerned with Waksman's patents, patent royalties, publications, and honors arising from his work isolating antibiotics and organic acids. Related to this is material concerning his duties as director of both the Waksman Institute and of the Rutgers Research and Education Foundation. There is limited material related to Waksman's other professional activities and awards. His teaching activities and his work at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution are not documented.

The Selman Waksman Papers are arranged in sixteen series. Included in the papers are correspondence, memoranda, reports, minutes, research notebooks and diaries, financial records, agreements, patents, patent applications, patent royalty statements, U.S. Patent Office proceedings, other legal proceedings, manuscripts, book reviews, clippings, scrapbooks, photographs, reprints, and secretarial notebooks and calendars.

The General Correspondence files document Waksman's interactions with other scientists and the public. Waksman's General Subject Files, Research Notebooks and Diary files, and his records pertaining to patent activities found in the Patent License Files, Patent Litigation Files, and Patent Royalty Files all provide extensive documentation of Waksman's activities in regard to antibiotics and organic acids. The Patent Litigation Files also contain materials pertaining to suits against Waksman, including that brought by his former student Dr. Albert Schatz in 1950. Also documenting this work and his achievements are materials in his Scrapbooks and the Clippings series. The Publications series contains many reprints of Waksman's articles, articles by and about Waksman, and some of his book manuscripts at various stages of the editorial process.

Waksman's participation in professional associations is documented in the Professional Organizations, Institutes, and Symposia series. Waksman was also often asked to give a speech or lecture at conferences and commemorative events and was often himself the recipient of honors and awards. The Speeches and Lectures contain copies Waksman's talks. The Memorabilia series contains many objects given to Waksman to honor him and his achievements. These include, plaques, medals, ribbons, keys, and pins.

This collection also contains the stenographic notebooks of Waksman's secretaries in the Secretarial Notebooks series. Because they are written in shorthand, they are mostlikely illegible to the average researcher. There are also a small number of films (on microbiological subjects) and photographs in the collection.