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E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Chestnut Run Technical Library materials

Creation: 1945-2005
 Collection
Accession: 2631

Abstract

DuPont Company's Chestnut Run Laboratories first laboratory was the Textile Research Laboratory whose purpose was to test the effects of normal wear and tear on DuPont's line of synthetic fibers and fabrics, it opened in 1954 near Wilmington, Delaware. The Chestnut Run Technical Library is a branch of the DuPont Technical Libraries, which began in 1958. This collection consists of files related to the work of the scientists at the laboratory; their speeches, research articles, and some periodicals and scrapbooks related to textile design. There are also materials related to human resources polices and procedures; documents from a program about the future growth of the company; and a library subject file.

Dates

  • Creation: 1945-2005

Creator

Extent

19 Linear Feet

Historical Note

E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company is a chemical company more commonly referred to as the DuPont company. The company was established in 1802 by Pierre Samuel du Pont de Nemours (1739-1817) and his son Éleuthère Irénée du Pont (1771-1834) the company began with the production of gunpowder. Throughout the 1900s and 1910s, the company shifted its focus away from gunpowder production and towards chemistry and synthetic materials. By 1926 the company officially dissolved the powder production unit, although it had already been inactive for many years.

DuPont's Chestnut Run Laboratories were opened in 1954 near Wilmington, Delaware. The first laboratory was the Textile Research Laboratory whose purpose was to test the effects of normal wear and tear on DuPont's line of synthetic fibers and fabrics. The 165 acre complex went on to house eight laboratories and an administration building. The eight service and research laboratories were: The Textile Research Laboratory, Polychemicals Sales Services Laboratory, Elastomers - Freon Products Laboratory Film Service Laboratory, Pigments Laboratory, Electrochemicals Laboratory, the Sales Technical Laboratory of Industrial & Biochemicals Department, and the Plastics Technical Services Laboratory.

Chestnut Run Technical Library is a branch of the DuPont Technical Libraries. The main library at the DuPont Company is the Lavoisier Library, which is located at the Experimental Station, a large industrial research facility focused on innovative advancements in chemistry located in Wilmington, Delaware. The Lavoisier Library was established in 1917 as the DuPont Technical Library and was within the Chemical Department. The Library was organized by Dr. Charles Reese (1862-1940), the director of the Chemical Department. In 1950 the library was named after the renowned chemist Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794). There are several branches of DuPont Technical Libraries. The Chestnut Run branch first began at the Textile Research Laboratory in May of 1958 and in 1960 became Chestnut Run Technical Library.

Scope and Content

The collection is divided into five series spanning the years 1945 to 2005.

Series I. DuPont Authors, 1945-2000 is arranged alphabetically and retains the order in which it came from DuPont. Included are speeches and scholarly articles written by top level management as well as various chemists and scientists.

Series II. DuPont’s Leadership for Growth Program, 1997-2000 documents meetings held with regard to the future direction of the company.

Series III. Policies and Procedures, 1949-2003 contains various Human Resources manuals and guides on topics ranging from salaries to safety and health. Of particular note are a supervisory guide from the Chestnut Run site dated 1976-1985 and a weaving guide from the Newport plan for Rayon.

Series IV. Textiles and Textile Design, 1947-2003 contains issues of American Fabrics and later American Fabrics and Fashions as well as scrapbooks created by DuPont related to textile design.

Series V. Subject Files, 1945-2005 contains various files held by the library at Chestnut Run. These files cover topics such as the anniversary of Nylon and Teflon, pollution control systems from DuPont, as well as files on Paul Morgan and Wallace Carothers.

Access Restrictions

Items in this collection are subject to a twenty-five year time seal from the date of their creation.

Use Restrictions

Copyright restrictions may apply.

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Provenance

Received from DuPont's Chestnut Run Technical Library, 2011.

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title:
E.I. du Pont de Nemours & Company, Chestnut Run Technical Library materials
Author:
Andrew Engel
Date:
2015
Description rules:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description:
English
Script of description:
Latin

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Manuscripts and Archives Repository

Contact:
PO Box 3630
Wilmington Delaware 19807 USA
302-658-2400