Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation

The Hunt Institute is pleased to announce the launch of the Botanical Article Bibliographic Records database, a newly developed resource that enhances access to periodical literature from the Bibliographia Huntiana (BH) project. Representing more than six decades of collaborative work, the Botanical Article Bibliographic Records database offers detailed records of botanical articles published between 1730 and 1840.

Originally known as the "B forms," these records were created during the BH project as handwritten or typed entries documenting individual articles from historical periodicals. Each entry includes the author, article title, abbreviated citation and notes. Previously available only in a physical format, the entries have now been transcribed and digitized into a searchable online format.

This dataset is the most comprehensive resource of its kind, bringing together material that has never been available in a single searchable collection. For the first time, researchers have direct access to a nearly complete record of botanical articles from this formative period. While earlier bibliographies have offered partial coverage, no other single source provides such extensive access to data about the periodical literature from this era. This new resource opens unprecedented avenues for discovering, verifying and citing the published botanical scholarship of a very important period, filling a longstanding gap in the historical record of botanical science. It supports historical research in botany by preserving and contextualizing primary literature from a period marked by the development of modern classification systems, the expansion of global botanical exploration and the rapid growth of scientific publishing.

Development of the database is ongoing. Future updates will include linking to digital copies of the article and its associated periodical as well as integration with other Institute databases to further enrich access to the botanical literature. The Botanical Article Bibliographic Records database is designed to operate in conjunction with the Institute's BPH Online and Biographical Records databases, enabling users to explore connections between authors, articles and the journals in which they appeared.

For additional information on the Botanical Article Bibliographic Records and their role in the BH project, see "News from the Bibliography Department" in Bulletin 35(1).