UNEARTHING THE BUCKLAND ARCHIVE AT OUMNH: AN ARCHIVIST’S INSIGHTS

ABSTRACT One of the great research resources at Oxford University Museum of Natural History (OUMNH) is the specimen and archive collection of geologist and theologian, William Buckland (1784–1856). When Buckland died in 1856, his papers and specimens were given to Oxford University and transferred to the new University Museum (now OUMNH) after it opened in 1860. Divided into three broad sections (correspondence, papers, and teaching illustrations), this archive collection reflects the passion for geology that permeated Buckland's life. After a major fundraising campaign in 2022, OUMNH acquired a further important collection of papers related to William Buckland, and as a result, is now home to the largest archive of this pioneering geologist and his family. Diving into the provenance of this unique and rare archive, this article will outline OUMNH's campaign to bring Buckland's papers together under one roof. The process of acquisition, conservation, and cataloguing are outlined, highlights from the Buckland archive are shared and a temporary exhibition in the year of the Megalosaurus bicentenary is described.