American Institute of Physics Placement Service records, 1946-1978
Repository
American Institute of Physics. Niels Bohr Library & Archives.
Papers created by
American Institute of Physics. Placement Service
Size of collection
5 linear feet.
10 manuscript boxes
Short description of collection
This collection includes registration forms, survey forms and results, correspondence, publications, and magazines and news articles created and used by the American Institute of Physics’ Placement Service from 1946-1978.
Language(s) of collection
English
Collection number:
AR205
The American Institute of Physics (AIP) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, a federation that aims to advance the success of its Member Societies, and an institute that engages in research and analysis with the goal of empowering positive change in the physical sciences. The mission of AIP is to advance, promote, and serve the physical sciences for the benefit of humanity. It was founded in 1931 for the purpose of promoting the advancement and diffusion of the knowledge of physics and astronomy, and has since expanded to include Member Societies representing several fields within the physical sciences, including physics, physics education, astronomy, acoustics, crystallography, meteorology and atmospheric sciences, rheology, materials science, optics and photonics, and medical physics.
Although the first Placement Register event was held in Baltimore in 1942, World War II interrupted AIP’s job placement activities. It was not until 1946 that the Placement Service was officially launched by Dr. Donald E. Kirkpatrick. Tasked with facilitating the matching of jobseekers with employers in the physical sciences, the Placement Service conducted surveys of employers to distribute to jobseekers and maintained a register of jobseekers to match to employers, as well as arranging interviews through the Placement Register.
Further information about the earlier years of the Placement Register can be found in Physics Today, Volume 8, Issue 11, November 1955 (https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3061817)
This collection partially documents the activities of the American Institute of Physics’ Placement Service from 1946 to 1978, with the bulk of records from the mid-1950s to early 1970s. The collection is far from a complete record of the activities of the Placement Service. The records were selected in 1990 by then-Director of the Center for History of Physics Spencer Weart for “surviving files,” indicating that many records had already been lost by that time. As such, these records should be taken as a sample of the Placement Service’s activities rather than a complete documentary record.
The collection contains the products and publications of the Placement Service and the correspondence and other administrative documents that were involved in their creation. These included the flagship Placement Service Register, and publications included Positions Open booklets for industry, academia, and government; Summary of Academic Openings; Faculty Register for Summer Employment; Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships; Masters Degree Programs in Physics; and Retired Physics Personnel Register. It also contains other statistics conducted by the Service and other correspondence such as “fan mail” from registrants who successfully found employment or employees through the Placement Service Register and words of praise to the Placement Service staff from AIP officers.
Permission of an officer of depositing organization required for access to records less than 25 years old. Please contact us at nbl@aip.org for more information.
These papers have been indexed in theInternational Catalog of Sources for History of Physics and Allied Sciences (ICOS)using the following terms. Those seeking related materials should search under these terms.
Persons
Hutchisson, Elmer, 1902-
Institutions
American Institute of Physics
American Institute of Physics. Career Services.
Subject terms
Physicists -- Career in physics.
Physicists.
Physics -- Employment.
Physics -- Publishing.
Physics -- Societies, etc.
The records are arranged in three series: 1. Placement Service Register, 1955-1978. 2. Correspondence, 1962-1971. 3. Surveys and Publications, 1946-1972.
Series 1 is arranged in chronological order by earliest date for each folder.
Series 2 is divided into two subseries: Subseries A, General Correspondence, 1971; Subseries B, Fan Mail, 1962-1970.
Subseries A is arranged in alphabetical order by last name or institution of primary correspondent. Contents within each letter group are not further arranged alphabetically; for example, “Alders” and “Atkinson” will both be contained in the “A” folder, but “Alders” may not necessarily come before “Atkinson” within that folder. Furthermore, the correspondence was filed usually by the last name of the correspondent, but sometimes by the name of the institution the correspondent represented. For example, a letter to W.J. VenPelt, Assistant General Manager for Personnel Relations at Armstrong Cork Company, is in the “A” folder for “Armstrong” rather than “V” for “VanPelt.” Such decisions seem to have been made by the creators of the records arbitrarily, so when looking for a specific individual, one may have to search both by their last name and by the institution they represented.
Subseries B is arranged alphabetically entirely by last name.
Series 3 is divided into seven subseries, one for each publication produced by the Placement Service and a final subseries for general statistics and reports. Each subseries is arranged chronologically by earliest date for each folder.
- Subseries A: Positions Open, 1964.
- Subseries B: Summary of Academic Openings, 1960-1972.
- Subseries C: Faculty Register for Summer Employment, 1963-1978.
- Subseries D: Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships, 1954-1964.
- Subseries E: Masters Degree Programs in Physics, 1965.
- Subseries F: Retired Physics Personnel Register, 1969-1971.
- Subseries G: General Statistics and Reports, 1946-1971.
Selected April 1990 from Placement Service offices by Spencer Weart for surviving files.
This collection was processed by Benjamin Henry in 2025.
Original order was preserved only when some discernable order was present (e.g. alphabetical correspondence), otherwise the collection has been artifically arranged for ease of access.
Box [number], Folder [number], AIP Placement Service records, 1946-1978. American Institute of Physics, Niels Bohr Library & Archives, College Park, MD 20740, USA.
Title
Finding Aid to the AIP Placement Service records, 1946-1978
Publisher
American Institute of Physics Niels Bohr Library & Archives
One Physics Ellipse
College Park, MD 20740
USA
nbl@aip.org
2025
Encoding Information
Machine-readable finding aid encoded by Benjamin Henry in 2025. Any revisions made to this finding aid occurred as part of the editing and encoding process.
| Box 1 |
Folder 1 |
25th anniversary meeting, 1955-1956 |
|
Folder 2 |
Placement register event, 1958-1959 |
|
Folder 3 |
Placement Service Register summaries, 1959-1978 |
|
Folder 4 |
General statistics and placement register summary, 1960 |
|
Folder 5 |
AIP Placement Service registrants' qualification book (1 of 3), 1970 |
|
Folder 6 |
AIP Placement Service registrants' qualification book (2 of 3), 1970 |
|
Folder 7 |
AIP Placement Service registrants' qualification book (3 of 3), 1970 |
|
Folder 8 |
AIP Placement Service, registrants (non-attending) (1 of 4), 1971 |
|
Folder 9 |
AIP Placement Service, registrants (non-attending) (2 of 4), 1971 |
| Box 2 |
Folder 1 |
AIP Placement Service, registrants (non-attending) (3 of 4), 1971 |
|
Folder 2 |
AIP Placement Service, registrants (non-attending) (4 of 4), 1971 |
|
Folder 3 |
Sample of forms filled out by AIP Placement Service registrants (1 of 2), 1974 |
|
Folder 4 |
Sample of forms filled out by AIP Placement Service registrants (2 of 2), 1974 |
|
Folder 5 |
Registrants 4700-4737, 1974-1975 |
|
Folder 6 |
Registrants 4738-4777, 1974-1975 |
| Box 3 |
Folder 1 |
Registrants 4778-4814, 1974-1975 |
|
Folder 2 |
Registrants 4815-4849, 1974-1975 |
|
Folder 3 |
April 1975 meeting registrants (1 of 4), 1975 |
|
Folder 4 |
April 1975 meeting registrants (2 of 4), 1975 |
|
Folder 5 |
April 1975 meeting registrants (3 of 4), 1975 |
|
Folder 6 |
April 1975 meeting registrants and index (4 of 4), 1975 |
Subseries A: General Correspondence, 1971
| Box 4 |
Folder 1 |
Correspondence, A, 1971 |
|
Folder 2 |
Correspondence, B, 1971 |
|
Folder 3 |
Correspondence, C, 1971 |
|
Folder 4 |
Correspondence, D, 1971 |
|
Folder 5 |
Correspondence, E, 1971 |
|
Folder 6 |
Correspondence, F, 1971 |
|
Folder 7 |
Correspondence, G, 1971 |
|
Folder 8 |
Correspondence, H, 1971 |
|
Folder 9 |
Correspondence, I-J, 1971 |
|
Folder 10 |
Correspondence, K, 1971 |
|
Folder 11 |
Correspondence, L, 1971 |
|
Folder 12 |
Correspondence, M, 1971 |
|
Folder 13 |
Correspondence, N, 1971 |
| Box 5 |
Folder 1 |
Correspondence, O, 1971 |
|
Folder 2 |
Correspondence, P, 1971 |
|
Folder 3 |
Correspondence, R, 1971 |
|
Folder 4 |
Correspondence, S, 1971 |
|
Folder 5 |
Correspondence, T-V, 1971 |
|
Folder 6 |
Correspondence, W, 1971 |
|
Folder 7 |
Correspondence, Y-Z, 1971 |
Subseries B: Fan Mail, 1962-1970
| Box 5 |
Folder 8 |
Fan mail, A-D, 1962-1970 |
|
Folder 9 |
Fan mail, E-H, 1962-1970 |
|
Folder 10 |
Fan mail, I-M, 1962-1967 |
|
Folder 11 |
Fan mail, N-T, 1963-1969 |
|
Folder 12 |
Fan mail, U-Z, 1962-1968 |
|
Folder 13 |
Fan mail, survey response slips, 1963-1964 |
Subseries A: Positions Open, 1964
| Box 6 |
Folder 1 |
Positions open, academic and institutional research, 1964 |
|
Folder 2 |
Positions open, industrial, 1964 |
|
Folder 3 |
Positions open, government, 1964 |
|
Folder 4 |
Positions open, government, 1964 |
|
Folder 5 |
Positions open, industrial, 1964 |
|
Folder 6 |
Positions open, academic and institutional research, 1964 |
Subseries B: Summary of Academic Openings, 1960-1972
| Box 6 |
Folder 7 |
Summary of academic openings file (1 of 4), 1960-1965 |
|
Folder 8 |
Summary of academic openings file (2 of 4), 1965-1969 |
| Box 7 |
Folder 1 |
Summary of academic openings file (3 of 4), 1965-1969 |
|
Folder 2 |
Summary of academic openings file (4 of 4), 1967-1968 |
|
Folder 3 |
Summary of academic openings, 1962 |
|
Folder 4 |
February 1972 summary of academic openings correspondence and drafting documents, 1971-1972 |
|
Folder 5 |
May 1972 summary of academic openings correspondence and drafting documents, 1971-1972 |
|
Folder 6 |
August 1972 summary of academic openings correspondence and drafting documents, 1972 |
|
Folder 7 |
November 1972 summary of academic openings correspondence and drafting documents, 1972 |
Subseries C: Faculty Register for Summer Employment, 1963-1978
| Box 7 |
Folder 8 |
Faculty register for summer employment, 1963 |
|
Folder 9 |
Faculty register for summer employment, 1966 |
| Box 8 |
Folder 1 |
Faculty register for summer employment, original applications of registrants A-L, 1968 |
|
Folder 2 |
Faculty register for summer employment, original applications of registrants L-Z, 1968 |
|
Folder 3 |
1968 faculty register for summer employment requests (1 of 2), 1967-1968 |
|
Folder 4 |
1968 faculty register for summer employment requests (2 of 2), 1967-1968 |
|
Folder 5 |
1968 faculty register for summer employment follow-up, 1968 |
Subseries D: Graduate Assistantships and Fellowships, 1954-1964
| Box 8 |
Folder 6 |
Future Scientists of America Brochure, 1954 |
|
Folder 7 |
Scholarship and fellowship announcements, 1954-1956 |
|
Folder 8 |
Shell News magazine, June issue, 1955 |
|
Folder 9 |
Fellowship announcements, 1955 |
|
Folder 10 |
Student scholarship brochures, 1955 |
|
Folder 11 |
NY Times clippings re: scholarships, 1955 |
|
Folder 12 |
Fellowships and scholarships promotional material, 1955-1956 |
| Box 9 |
Folder 1 |
Summer employment, fellowship, and other promotional materials, 1955-1956 |
|
Folder 2 |
Scholarship and fellowship announcements, 1955-1956 |
|
Folder 3 |
Graduate assistantships and fellowships survey correspondence, 1955-1956 |
|
Folder 4 |
Graduate assistantships and fellowships survey correspondence, 1956-1958 |
|
Folder 5 |
National Science Foundation fellowship announcements, 1956 |
|
Folder 6 |
National Merit Scholarship Corporation announcements and editorial material, 1956 |
|
Folder 7 |
Scholastic Teacher magazine, v. 72 no. 5, 1958 |
|
Folder 8 |
Follow-up letters for assistantships and fellowships survey (fragile), 1958 |
|
Folder 9 |
National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellowships, 1958 |
|
Folder 10 |
List of colleges and universities offering physics majors, 1958 |
|
Folder 11 |
Hutchisson, invitation to join listing of available graduate assistantships and fellowships, 1958 |
|
Folder 12 |
Academic year 1959-1960 survey of graduate assistantships and fellowships, A-D, 1958 |
|
Folder 13 |
Academic year 1959-1960 survey of graduate assistantships and fellowships, E-M, 1958 |
|
Folder 14 |
Academic year 1959-1960 survey of graduate assistantships and fellowships, N-Z, 1958 |
|
Folder 15 |
Graduate assistantships and fellowships in physics for 1959-1960, 1960 |
|
Folder 16 |
Graduate assistantships and fellowships in physics in academic institutions, 1964 |
Subseries E: Masters Degree Programs in Physics, 1965
| Box 10 |
Folder 1 |
Masters degree programs in physics survey responses by state, 1965 |
|
Folder 2 |
Masters Degree Programs in Physics publication, 1965 |
|
Folder 3 |
Academic year 1966-67 survey of master's degree programs in physics response sheets, 1965 |
|
Folder 4 |
Academic year 1966-67 survey of master's degree programs in physics response sheets, 1965 |
Subseries F: Retired Physics Personnel Register, 1969-1971
| Box 10 |
Folder 5 |
1969 retired list, 1969-1970 |
|
Folder 6 |
1970 retired list, 1970-1971 |
Subseries G: General Statistics and Reports, 1946-1971
| Box 10 |
Folder 7 |
Placement Service statistics Emily Wolf office copies, 1946-1962 |
|
Folder 8 |
Statistics - Placement Register, 1959-1971 |
|
Folder 9 |
Summer employment lists, 1960-1971 |
|
Folder 10 |
Other statistics - Dorothy Lasky etc., 1962-1971 |
|
Folder 11 |
Placement studies by Dr. Slack's office, 1968-1970 |
