St Aloysius Mangalore Papers

Content Description

St Aloysius is a private, Jesuit, deemed university, founded in 1880, in Mangalore. It was one of the earliest colleges to be established in the region, catering to only boys until the 1980s. They started offering undergraduate degrees in the natural sciences in 1882. This accession consists of papers from St Aloysius College dated from 1880 to the 1990s. It includes a periodical as well as papers belonging to Fr Leo D'Souza, a former Principal at the college who also started the first research laboratory there. The Mangalore Magazine started in 1897 as a quarterly, founded and edited by Fr John Moore, an Ireland-born Jesuit priest who was the Principal of the college from 1898-1904. It dealt with affairs of the town, activities at the college, notable alumni, as well as themes such as research into the history and culture of South Canara (now Dakshina Kannada), geography, ethnography and climate of the Canara region, administration and public works, literature, education (including science and mathematics) and comments on contemporary developments (including in science and technology). It received much acclaim from the rest of India and also abroad. From 1906, the magazine became less frequent and from 1914 it became an ‘illustrated annual’. In 1934, the Mangalore Magazine was renamed College Annual and its scope was narrowed to contributions by students and staff only. Fr Leo D’Souza’s papers consist of items related to his early and higher education in India, his research training in Germany, his theological studies and his administrative and research work while at St Aloysius College. There are 77 issues of Mangalore Magazine, encompassing issues from 1897 to 1933 that will be archived (along with some documents that were found placed inside the magazines); and about 34 items from Fr Leo’s papers that he has left to the institution.

Condition Description

Some of the volumes of Mangalore Magazine are in very poor condition, highly fragile, with the paper crumbling, and signs of insect damage. Since the region is highly humid and the corner of the library where the magazines were originally stored was not protected from high temperature or humidity, we took some measures to protect it from further damage. We first wrapped each volume in turmeric seasoned kora cloth and placed sachets of silica gel in the shelf racks. Later, we moved them into a HINISO humidity-controlled cabinet. These papers require minimal handling. Wearing a mask is advised as there is dust and residue. Keep away from sun, moisture and wind. Fr. Leo’s papers are secure as most are stored in a steel almirah inside an airconditioned room in the research laboratory. Some of the papers are very frail and will need to be handled with care.

Accession Date

2025-04-08

Dispostion

This accession comprises three sections: Mangalore Magazine, miscallaneous material found inside the magazines and Fr Leo D’Souza Papers. The Mangalore Magazine Series consists of volumes of the magazine published from 1897 to 1933. All these issues will be digitised. In 1934, the Mangalore Magazine was renamed College Annual. Due to limited funds, we cannot digitise these volumes at the moment. There are also issues of a publication called College Calendar with interesting information about the syllabus and curriculum of the courses provided from 1888, but we will not be digitising these for now. Fr Leo D’Souza's papers include various items related to Fr Leo D’Souza’s academic and theological career. A selection of about 34 items from his personal collection has been selected for digitisation.

Acquisition Type

Loan

Provenance

St Aloysius are the publishers of Mangalore Magazine, and the issues we are digitising have always been with them. Fr Leo D'Souza’s papers were left behind in the possession of the institution by Fr Leo, upon his retirement. All the material is housed in the university - either in the library (magazine) or in the Laboratory of Applied Biology (Fr Leo’s material). The first two volumes of Mangalore Magazine and a section of the third have been digitised by the institution in a previous archiving effort that was incomplete. However, the quality of the digitisation does not meet NCBS Archives standards so we plan to re-digitise them.

Retention Rule

This accession is relevant to the history of Mangalore, from the perspective of the 140-year-old St Aloysius College (SAC). SAC has been offering science education since the 1880s. The magazines that comprise this accession cover content of scientific nature as well as information about science education in the area. Fr Leo D'Souza is a 93-year-old scientist who started the first research laboratory of SAC in the 1970s. He was crucial in opening up the boys-only institution to girls and women in the 1980s. In this way, the accession (comprising the magazines and material from Fr Leo) fits the scope of PAST as well as the work of Labhopping Science Media Forum. The physical material will remain in SAC for perpetuity. It has been made available to the grantee on loan for the period of project of the grant, but all the material survey and digitisation within the campus itself. The digital copies of the material can be permanently housed at Archives at NCBS. The digital copies with the grantee may be retained and used for research and storytelling purposes.

Language of Description

English

Script of Description

Latin

Restrictions Apply

Yes

Access Restrictions

Collection is open for access unless mentioned in specific folders of the finding aid.

Use Restrictions

Copyright may not have been assigned to Archives at NCBS. Permission for reproduction or distribution must be obtained in writing from the Archives at NCBS (archives@ncbs.res.in). See access guidelines for more information (https://archives.ncbs.res.in/access). The Archives at NCBS makes no representation that it is the copyright owner in all of its collections. The user must obtain all necessary rights and clearances before use of material and material may only be reproduced for academic and non-commercial use.