Scope and Content of the Albert B. Sabin Archives

Scope and Content of the Albert B. Sabin Archives

The Sabin archives occupy nearly 400 linear feet and consist of correspondence, laboratory notebooks, manuscripts, and other research papers generated by Sabin during his long and active medical career. This extensive collection also contains his honors, awards, medals and other memorabilia, as well as research materials such as microscope slides, lantern slides and some raw material. In addition, there are hundreds of photographs and many videocassettes and audiotapes. The collection spans the years 1930 to 1993, with the bulk of material being from Sabin's tenure in Cincinnati from 1939 to 1969.

Highlights of Sabin's collection include his:Some major correspondents include:
poliomyelitis researchJohn R. Paul
development of the live, oral poliovirus vaccineJonas E. Salk
military careerMikhail P. Chumakov
handwritten laboratory notebooks from 1947 to 1969 Hilary Koprowski
manuscripts of lectures and publicationsThomas Rivers
research on other diseases Thomas Francis
non-scientific activities and viewsHerald Cox

These materials offer unique perspectives on a broad range of topics such as:
international cooperationscience and the media
medical ethicspublic health
politics and sciencemilitary medicine
community health campaignstropical medicine
virology vaccine development
medical imperialism scientific cooperation

Organization and Arrangement

The collection is organized into twelve series, each with several sub-series. The arrangement is mostly by topic, format, and then chronological. Occasionally, the format is emphasized followed by a topical, then chronological arrangement. Lastly, some materials lend themselves only to a format, chronological structure.


Inventory and Cataloging

Inventory and Series List of the Albert B. Sabin Archives

There are currently draft inventories for most of the series and some Scope and Content notes for those near completion. Links to the latter can be found in the series list. The final inventory will be published electronically in Encoded Archival Description (EAD) format on this web site. A print version will also be available. Bibliographic records of the collection, inventory, and Sabin's awards and medals will be created and added to UCLID, the University of Cincinnati's online library catalog.


Progress chart

A progress chart (required Adobe Acrobat Reader) has been developed for tracking movement toward the final organization of the collection and publication of the inventory. For a more up-to-the-minute look at the status of the collection's organization, please check the monthly progress chart. (required Adobe Acrobat Reader)