CHF is a library, a center for scholars, and a museum and an archives. We preserve, study, and interpret the history of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences. Our staff and fellows study the past in order to understand the present and inform the future.

We focus on matter and materials and their effects on our modern world in territory ranging from the physical sciences and industries, through the chemical sciences and engineering, to the life sciences and technologies. We collect, preserve, and exhibit historical artifacts; engage communities of scientists and engineers; and tell the stories of the people behind breakthroughs and innovations.