Papers of John S. Burley, 1950- , 1986-1998: Guide.
Overview
This collection focuses on the work John S. Burley completed as Research Director of the Southeast Asia Program at the Arnold Arboretum. It contains correspondence, administrative documents, and reports dating between 1986 and 1998.
Dates
- Creation: 1986-1998
Terms of Access
Researchers seeking to examine archival materials are strongly encouraged to make an appointment. The Director, or an office of origin, may place restrictions on the use of some or all of its records. The extent and length of the restriction will be determined by the Director, office of origin, and the Archivist and will be enforced equally for all researchers.
Terms of Use
The copyright is held by The President and Fellows of Harvard College for the Arnold Arboretum Archives of Harvard University. The copyright on some materials in the collection may be held by the original author or the author's heirs or assigns. Researchers are responsible for obtaining written permission from the holder(s) of copyright and the Arnold Arboretum Archives prior to publishing any quotations or images from materials in this collection.
Photocopies may be made at the discretion of the Arnold Arboretum Archives staff. Permission to make photocopies does not constitute permission to reproduce or publish materials outside the bounds of the fair use guidelines.
Extent
3.5 linear feetThis collection contains correspondence, administrative information, and reports related to projects undertaken by John S. Burley during his tenure as director of the Arnold Arboretum’s Southeast Asia Programs. Dated between 1986 and 1998, the majority of the collection deals with the GEF Indonesian Biodiversity project based in Bogor, Indonesia. Also documented are plant collection missions throughout Southeast Asia for the National Cancer Institute and the National Science Foundation.
Biographical Note
Born in 1950, John S. Burley grew up in Brighton, England and attended university at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. There he earned a Bachelor of Science in 1982, as well as his Ph.D. in systematic botany in 1986. Burley was the recipient of several prizes in Botany, including the Dickie Prize, the Collie Prize, and the Turner Scholarship in Biology.
By 1987 Burley was awarded a Mercer Fellowship at the Arnold Arboretum . First, Burley was simultaneously a research associate in the Program for Collaborative Research in Pharmaceutical Science (a partnership with the University of Chicago) and a taxonomist for the National Cancer Institute’s program to screen Southeast Asian rainforest plants for anti-cancer and anti-AIDS properties. Burley coordinated many of the NCI collection expeditions to the Philippines and Indonesia. In 1987, as part of a NCI mission, Burley collected a sample from a tree in a swamp forest in Sarawak, Borneo. Researchers found that an extract from this sample essentially halted the replication of HIV-1. Though difficult to harvest, AIDS researchers continue to work with the extract, looking for a cure. This experience in Southeast Asia became the groundwork for Burley’s largest undertaking at the Arnold Arboretum.
Beginning in 1991, Burley became research director and spearheaded the Arnold Arboretum’s partnership with the Global Environment Facility of the World Bank and the Indonesian government to overhaul the facilities of the Herbarium Bogoriense in Bogor, Indonesia. Additionally, he assisted in securing training for curatorial and field workers. Along with several other prominent international botanists, Burley advised the World Bank and the Indonesian government on the creation of a database of the nation’s unique biodiversity with the aim of making information available to researchers.
From 1991 to the end of his tenure at Harvard University, Burley was deeply involved with the Indonesian undertaking. Unfortunately, the project was cut two years short in September 1998 due to escalating civil unrest in Indonesia. The University chose to end the contract with the government and the World Bank over concern for the safety of their researchers. At this point, Burley ended his time at the Arnold Arboretum.
Arrangement
The John S. Burley collection is organized in 5 series:
- Series: I. GEF Correspondence
- Series: II. GEF Biodiversity Project Administrative Documents
- Series: III. GEF Bound Reports
- Series: IV. National Science Foundation Research
- Series: V. National Cancer Institute Research
Physical Location
Arnold Arboretum Archives = II A-15.
Other Finding Aids
Current version of this finding aid is available at the Archives of the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University.
Additional John S. Burley correspondence can be found by searching the Arnold Arboretum Correspondence Database.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The papers of John S. Burley were acquired by the Arnold Arboretum Archives from the office of former director Robert Cook in 2006.
General note
Access to Finding Aid record in HOLLIS.
Processing Information
Kayleigh Hinckley, February 2011.
- Title
- Burley, John S., 1950-. Papers of John S. Burley, 1950- , 1986-1998: Guide.
- Author
- The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University
- Language of description
- und
- EAD ID
- ajp00053
Repository Details
Part of the Arnold Arboretum Archives Repository
The Arnold Arboretum Horticultural Library is a specialized collection devoted to the study of temperate woody plants. We collect works on botany, horticulture, floras, urban forestry and taxonomy. The library contains more than 25,000 volumes and 40,000 photographs, and includes an archive that both documents the Arboretum's history and is a repository for 19th, 20th, and 21st century horticultural and botanical collections.