HES subscribers: At the recent European Conferences on the History of Economics, several of us discussed ways of moving toward greater electronic access of archival material in the history of economics. While we agreed that the ideal would be direct electronic access to all archival material from any spot on earth, we recognized that this ideal is still a distant dream. In the interim, we wanted to take some concrete steps toward making archival materials more accessible to working historians of economics. [A note on archival material in history of economics: among the types of materials of interest would be collections of papers of economists, correspondence collections, departmental archives, archives of major research institutions or foundations, collections related to national organizations such as the AEA or CEA, editorial papers of major journals, and so on. In other words, any materials that historians of economics might find of relevance.] One of the concrete steps is the creation of HES, which allows historians working with archival materials to raise questions in a forum in which there may be some who can offer help (cross- references, location of other material, etc.). A second concrete step is the formation of a gopher service for historians working in archives related to the history of economics. The gopher will provide specific information about many different archival collections which might be of interest to historians of economics. While the location of the gopher server is still undecided, we can begin now to collect the information. Some of the major collections are being approached directly: for example, info on the Duke Univ. collection will be provided by Neil di Marchi, and I have most of the information on collections at the University of Chicago and the London School of Economics. Suggestions regarding people to contact to help with major collections can also be sent to me. The template below covers what I believe to be the relevant information we are looking for. If you have worked with archival material in the history of economics, please help by taking the time to return a copy to me (privately please, not to the list!!). If you know someone who has done some of this type of work, pass this on to them. And if you think the template needs improving, please write me. Ross Emmett [log in to unmask] Name of Collection: Nature of Collection (correspondence, manuscripts, etc.): Archive: Address: Catalogue (Y/N): Catalogue searchable on-line (Y/N): Archivist: email address: Archive Hrs.: Accessibility: Notes (room for personal comments about use of collection which would help other researchers): Ross B. Emmett, Augustana Univesity College, Camrose, Alberta CANADA T4V 2R3 voice: (403) 679-1517 fax: (403) 679-1129 e-mail: [log in to unmask] or [log in to unmask]