Science is often described as a sequence of breakthroughs associated with individuals. But the history of science points toward a broader, more community-centered understanding of science: as craft, mentorship, institutional life, and shared stories. Collecting, preserving, and interpreting organizational records, personal papers, oral histories, photographs, memoirs, and born-digital materials helps make these relationships visible. As scientific work becomes increasingly digital and distributed, it is more important than ever to help people see themselves as part of science’s past, present, and future.

Drawing on work at the American Institute of Physics and themes from his books After Disruption: A Future for Cultural Memory and The Theory and Craft of Digital Preservation, Trevor Owens will explore how collaborative documentation can build belonging while creating a richer historical record of the physical sciences. Owens argues that documenting the past is ultimately an act of remembering the future together. Examples include projects documenting women’s contributions to the physical sciences, partnerships with the HBCU Library Alliance, and national initiatives to build capacity for preserving born-digital records of 21st-century science.

Archives are much more than repositories of the past. They are infrastructures for community memory that connect generations, invite participation, and help communities reflect on who they are and who they aspire to become. The central challenge of preservation is not primarily technical but social: creating systems of care, trust, and participation that help everyone involved in the scientific enterprise find connection and belonging in its unfolding story.

Dr. Trevor Owens is the Chief Research Officer at AIP, where he leads interdisciplinary research spanning the history, policy, workforce, and culture of the physical sciences, including oversight of the Niels Bohr Library & Archives. His work explores how historical research, social science, and digital infrastructure can strengthen scientific communities and the institutions that support them. Before joining AIP, Owens served in leadership roles at the Library of Congress and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, where he helped shape national strategies for digital preservation, digital libraries, and public access to cultural heritage. He is also Public Historian in Residence at American University and teaches for UCLA’s California Rare Book School. Owens is the author of four books, including After Disruption: A Future for Cultural Memory (2024) and the award-winning The Theory and Craft of Digital Preservation (2018). His research has appeared in journals including Science Communication, Archival Science, Digital Humanities Quarterly, and Curator: The Museum Journal. His work has been recognized with the University of Wisconsin–Madison Luminary Award, the Frederick G. Kilgour Award for Research in Library and Information Technology, and the Society of American Archivists’ Archival Innovator Award.