About the Journal
The Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, first published in 1884, was the official organ of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society. It was among the earliest scientific journals to be issued in connection with a southern university - the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. After the founding of the North Carolina Academy of Science in 1902, both the society and the academy considered the journal their official publication. When the Mitchell Society dissolved in 1983, the academy assumed control of the journal, renaming it the Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science in 2002. Among the journal's early editors were notable scientists Francis P. Venable, William C. Coker, and John N. Couch. Covering all fields of science and issued quarterly, the refereed journal currently publishes papers from members and non-members, as well as the abstracts and proceedings of the academy's annual meetings.
About the Project
In 2005, the North Carolina Academy of Science and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Library embarked on a project to digitize the Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science. The aim of the project is to make the contents of the entire journal run available (the current volume becomes available only after the next volume begins.). Two essential steps initiated the collaborative project: the academy's desire to digitize its journal; and the University Library's sponsorship of the work, which included library staff involvement and the use of CONTENTdm (digital management software that allows users to search the journal on the Internet). In 2006, we selected and tested several features, such as the dpi, the color, and the format of the user interface, particularly the navigation and layout of the page. In mid-2007, we began scanning volumes in earnest. Users can search by author, title, and keyword and browse by year of publication and author. Scanning the past volumes continues.
About the Mitchell Society and the NC Academy of Science
The Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society was founded in 1883 by a group of scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to promote the professionalization of science on the campus. The society was the first of its kind to be connected with a university in the southern states, and its official organ, the Journal of the Elisha Mitchell Scientific Society, was a medium through which members could communicate their scientific discoveries. Following a century of service to science, the society officially disbanded April 8, 1983.
The North Carolina Academy of Science (NCAS), established in 1902, encourages public interest in science, conducts an annual meeting at a North Carolina college campus, provides leadership and support for its collegiate and student divisions, and publishes the Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Science. Several officers provide leadership and a board of directors, which includes the officers and other individuals, creates and enforces rules and regulations for the well-being of the academy. The organization also issues special publications covering such topics as social and environmental concerns.
