Impacted Members/Scientists: Request a membership waiver, seek meeting support, and other resources. Learn more. For the latest public policy updates, please visit this page.
Membership is open to all interested AAS members, regardless of their status or background.
History: Established at the 209th Meeting, January 2007 in Seattle, in response to a report from the Historical Astronomy Division (HAD).
Members: Twelve members nominated by the HAD Executive Committee on the basis of their professional qualifications relating to the preservation of sites, astronomical instruments, and historical documents. Two additional members will represent the concerns of active research observatories.
Term: Three years staggered, terms beginning and ending at the close of the annual summer meeting. Members may be re-appointed.
Chair: Nominated by the HAD Executive Committee; confirmed by the AAS Board of Trustees.
Charge: The Working Group is charged with developing and disseminating procedures, criteria and priorities for identifying, designating, and preserving astronomical structures, instruments, and records so that they will continue to be available for astronomical and historical research, for the teaching of astronomy, and for outreach to the general public.
The Board of Trustees voted at its October 2024 meeting to extend the Working Group's term for another five years (from October 2024 to October 2029).
Reports:
- AAS Policy Letter on Holmdel Horn, 2 March 2023
- Report of the Task Force on a Historic Site Designation Program
- International Glass Plates Group: A Resource for Astronomical Glass Plate Preservation
- International Glass Plates Group Open Science Project
- 2022 WGPAH iPoster
- Antique Telescope Society
- Survey of Historical Astronomy Data, 29 October 2020
- Newly Discovered Papers of S. Chandrasekhar and an Ethical Dilemma, 21 July 2020
- Preservation of Our Astronomical Heritage State of the Profession White Paper for Astro2020, 9 July 2019
- Preservation of Our Astronomical Heritage, 20 March 2019
- Letter of support for the preservation of Yerkes Observatory by AAS President Megan Donahue, 10 July 2018
- University of Chicago's Letter in Response, 1 August 2018
- Letter of support for the preservation of Shattuck Observatory by Christine Jones, 20 February 2018
- Assessment of the Abt Archive for the American Astronomical Society, 20–21 December 2017
- HAD / WGPAH Assessment and Recommendations on Astrophysical Journal Archive Policies, 26 May 2008
- Census of Astronomical Photographic Plates in North America, 10 October 2008
- Report of the April 2012 Workshop on preserving astronomical records, including photographic plates
- Schechner, Sara J. & Sliski, David. 2016, “The Scientific and Historical Value of Annotations on Astronomical Photographic Plates," JHA, 47, 3 http://adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2016JHA....47....3S
- Appendix 1: "Preservation Recommendations for Historic Glass Astronomical Plates"
Brenda Bernier & Elena Bulat - Appendix 2: "Photography Recommendations for Historical Glass Plate Negatives"
Samantha van Gerbig & David Sliski - Appendix 3: "Preservation Recommendations for Historic Photographic Jackets"
Sara Schechner & David Sliski - Confidentiality Guidelines for the AAS Journals (part of the Professional and Ethical Standards for the AAS Journals)
- Increasing Editorial Discretion over Access to the Archives of the Publications of the AAS, 3 January 2017
The Working Group may interact with other academic, international, or governmental organizations, as appropriate to advance the preservation of astronomical heritage.