The APS Open Data Initiative
The Center for Digital Scholarship at the American Philosophical Society Library & Museum has an active Open Data Initiative. Under this initiative, we (1) identify content in the APS Library that is conducive to being reconfigured as datasets; (2) encourage the use and reuse of the data by opening the data to all, and by easing access to the data.
These datasets are available for anyone to evaluate, share, reuse, and remix as they wish under the APS Open Access Policy. They are ideal resources for use in college classrooms, and in digital humanities projects like mapping and text analysis to reveal new insights.
Available Datasets
Eastern State Penitentiary Records of Admissions, 1838-1850
These three admissions books were created upon the incarceration of individuals in the Eastern State Penitentiary between 1838 and 1850, and contain many social and demographic details authored by the institution's "moral instructor." Data includes inmate name, crime, sentence, place of origin, race/ethnicity, time in and time out, and comments on moral and educational condition. Some also include notes on previous convictions or progress made while incarcerated.
Available in the APS Library: Volume A; Volume B; Volume D
Available on GitHub
Featured digital gallery using this data: Eastern Apps: Visualizing Historic Prison Data
Benjamin Franklin's Post Office Records: Post office ledgers, lists, and records ranging from 1737-1768
Benjamin Franklin was appointed Postmaster of Philadelphia in 1737, and a long and fruitful career in the postal service followed. The records created during his tenure, however, have not been objects of much study. These reveal a wealth of previously untapped information about colonial correspondence. Further datasets concerning Franklin's postal affairs will be available soon.
Available in the APS Digital Library: Post Office Book, 1748-52; Post Office Record Book No. 3, 1743; Post Office Accounts, 1748; Post Office Book (letters received), 1767-68
Available on GitHub
Featured digital gallery using this data: Franklin's Philadelphia Post Office Ledgers: A Glimpse into Colonial Correspondence Networks
Records of Indentures and Apprenticeships in the Port of Philadelphia, 1771-1773
This volume contains between 4,000 and 5,000 contracts for indentured servitude and apprenticeship at the Port of Philadelphia in the two-year span of 1771-1773. The entries provide demographic, economic, and social information regarding bound individuals and their employers.
Available in the APS Digital Library
Available on GitHub
Featured digital gallery using this data: Investigating Indentured Servitude: Visualizing Experiences of Colonial America
Benjamin Franklin's Accounts: Business and personal financial account books and transactions ranging from 1730-1787
Benjamin Franklin and his wife Deborah Read Franklin operated a print shop and general store in Philadelphia for many years. Of the many financial documents of the Franklins' held in the APS, three account books/ledgers details transactions in the shop from 1730-1748.
Available in the APS Library: Ledgers A & B, 1730-1740; Shop Book, 1737-1739; Ledger D, 1739-48
Available on GitHub
James Madison's Montpelier Meteorological Records, 1784-1793
Meteorological observations were recorded at James Madison's Virginia plantation, Montpelier, from 1784 to 1793. These volumes show daily weather and notes of plant sowing, harvesting, bird migration, and other seasonal phenomena.
Available in the APS Library
Available on GitHub
David Rittenhouse: Meteorological observations, volume 1, 1788-1792
Astronomical and weather observations recorded by David Rittenhouse.
Available in the APS Library