The Calvin Wells Archive Collection, created by renowned palaeopathologist Calvin Wells (1908-1978) will be the focus of a brand new cataloguing project thanks to a grant of nearly £140,000 from the Wellcome Trust.

The project which started in June 2017 and will run for 18 months, will undertake the cataloguing, digitisation and promotion of the Calvin Wells Archive and Book Collection with the intention of creating a valuable resource for the study of palaeopathology, osteology and bioarchaeology.

Once catalogued, it is anticipated that Wells’ bone reports, associated research notes, and radiographic and photographic material will inform and motivate new and on-going scientific research. The catalogue will be made available for consultation on Archives Hub and digitised items will be viewable via the University of Bradford Special Collections’ online portal.

In addition to the archive collection, the project will catalogue Wells’ significant library of medical, archaeological and anthropological texts.  The books, which date from the 17th century to the 1960s, include works on early humans, on ancient civilisations and on archaeological topics such as frost tombs.

The project is being led by Dr Jo Buckberry from the Biological Anthropology Research Centre, School of Archaeological and Forensic Sciences, and Alison Cullingford from Special Collections, both based at the University of Bradford. Delivering the project will be Project Archivist James Neill with the assistance of an Osteologist, Conservator, Librarian and Placement Student.

Please visit our project blog at: https://puttingfleshonthebones.wordpress.com/

The project recently featured in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2017/aug/11/the-bone-collector-eccentric-archaeological-treasury-to-be-digitised