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Science, Technology & Engineering [1]

Tabbed

Landscape

Graphic showing distribution of popularity of subject areas in recent publications in History of Science. 2014

The History of Science, Technology, and Engineering (STE) is an eclectic discipline, with faculty working with an extensive range of sources and utilizing a variety of methodologies. The history of science attracts a broad range of interest in its various domains, from philosophy and mathematics, to physical and biological sciences, to technology and agriculture. Scholars are interested in all eras of history, from the pre-modern era to the 20th and now into the early 21st century.

As a discipline, STE historians see interconnections between the history of science and the history of civilization broadly conceived. Historians examine not only the writings, theories, logic, and discoveries of scientists, but also the external social and cultural factors that influence scientific thought and development. Additionally, historians seek to understand how scientists interacted with their subjects, the public, and the world at large.

Sources for this research, understandably, vary considerably. Scholars consult traditional resources such as monographs, manuscripts, early printed serials, and academy publications. They investigate scientists’ personal papers, diaries, correspondence, drafts and unpublished works. As the field deepens and expands, scholars employ an increasing range of source material including images, films and video; designs, artifacts, and tools employed in the development of scientific research; textbooks, advertising and published content intended for a popular audience; and now digital resources (especially data) created and employed in the scientific process.

An important area of growth is the interest in source materials coming from outside of Europe. Corresponding to an overall growing research interest in globalization as well as colonial and post-colonial studies, STE historians are paying increased attention to cross-cultural analysis and anthropological studies that shed light on how non-European cultures understand encounters with science and with “Western man.” Additionally, STE historians are starting to employ new methodologies such as computational analysis and other tools and resources to assess bodies of texts and better understand the relationships between scientists.

In addition to CRL’s own rich collections in the History of STE (see next tab), CRL’s Global Resources Partnership with the Linda Hall Library of Science, Engineering and Technology [2] enables access to the trove of resources collected and maintained by Linda Hall in areas including engineering, physics & astrophysics, and chemistry (among others). CRL facilitates document delivery and digitization of articles, monographs [3], and historical serials [4] from the collections of CRL and Linda Hall.

STE was an “early adopter” of digital publishing, and distribution of new content in digital format is the norm in the field. However, digitization of older print material has not seen similar growth. A 2013 assessment of CLOCKSS showed only 28% of the preserved titles are archived from the first volume forward, which indicates that the majority of journal collections from publishers--particularly the smaller professional societies--are incomplete. STE is not widely represented in digitized monograph collections, either: In HathiTrust, for example, less than 12% of all content is from the fields of STE (LC Classes Q & T). Overall, the digital archives are not nearly covering the full spectrum of the scholarly record in the STE areas. Digitization of print serial content within copyright protection remains problematic, due in large part to the requirements for identification of all rightsholders for permissions. At the same time, As scientific information and process is increasingly born-digital, libraries and historians must develop means of identifying and preserving the electronic record of scientific discovery to facilitate future research in the discipline.

CRL Collections

The references below feature many of the strengths of CRL’s holdings. Links point to more detailed descriptions in the CRL catalog, as well
as digital versions of the content or digitized finding aids for microfilm where available. Collecting in this area continues through the purchase programs [5].

Collections of Works

Books and manuscripts of John Dee, 1527-1608.
Adam Matthew Publications
1527–1608

This set, Series I of the Renaissance Man microfilm collection, contains the reconstructed library of John Dee. The reconstruction is based on Roberts & Watson’s John Dee’s Library Catalogue published by the Bibliographical Society, London, in 1990. Dee was a pioneer of scientific exploration in Renaissance England and an avid collector of contemporary and historic works of scientific value. Manuscripts and books include works by Roger Bacon, Aristotle, Euclid, and a host of other scholars in the Arabic, Hebrew, and Greek schools of thought. These works are the originals from Dee's library and many contain his own annotations. The collection covers a wide range of subjects, including alchemy, arithmetic, astronomy, geometry, mathematics, medicine, music theory, navigation, numerology, the occult, optics, rhetoric, and theology. CRL has all parts of Series I.

  • Part 1: John Dee’s Manuscripts from the Bodleian Library, Oxford
  • Part 2: John Dee’s Manuscripts from Corpus Christi College, Oxford
  • Part 3: John Dee’s Manuscripts and Annotated Books from Cambridge University Library
  • Part 4: John Dee’s Manuscripts and Annotated Books from the Library of the Royal College of Physicians, London
  • Part 5: John Dee’s Annotated Books from the Library of the Royal College of Physicians, London
  • Part 6: John Dee's Annotated Books from the Library of the Royal College of Physicians, London
  • Part 7: John Dee's Manuscripts and Annotated Books from the British Library, London
  • Part 8: John Dee's Manuscripts and Annotated Books from the British Library, London
  • Part 9: John Dee's Manuscripts and Annotated Books from Trinity College, Cambridge and the Bodleian Library, Oxford

GUIDE: Renaissance man: the reconstructed libraries of European scholars, 1450-1700: a listing and guide to the microfilm collection. B-43287 (part 1); B-46073 (part 2); B-47334 (part 3)

  Catalog Record [6]     Online Guide [7]  

History of Nursing
University Microfilms International
17th-20th century

Includes more monographs and documents concerning the history of nursing, medicine and hospitals, from the 15th through the early 20th centuries; publication dates range from 1603 to 1982, with the bulk having been issued in the 19th and 20th centuries

  Catalog Record [8]     Online Guide [9]  

Plant taxonomic literature microfiche collection
Meckler/Chadwyck-Healey Publishing
16th - 19th century

James A. Mears selected 4,679 important works in plant taxonomy from Stafleu and Cowan's Taxonomic Literature (second edition). These works are included in this microfiche collection. The collection has been analyzed and individual works are best found using the guide to the collection. The catalog record link below is a canned search on the series title.

  Catalog Record [10]     Online Guide [11]  

Textbooks
18th - 20th century

The textbook collection includes U.S. imprints of primary and secondary schoolbooks, textbooks for post-high school non-degree schools such as business and trade schools, and foreign language grammars and readers through college level. The publication dates range from the 18th century, although most holdings were published in the 20th century. There are 70,000 volumes in the collection occupying 8,000 linear feet of shelf space.

All subjects commonly taught in U.S. primary and secondary schools are represented. The most extensive holdings are in English studies and mathematics; there are substantial holdings in the social sciences, health, science, and foreign languages.

In recent years the collection has been useful for researchers and professors interested in how a subject was taught during various periods of time. There are several scripted searches that can be used to bring all cataloged works together with a subject heading:

  • Agriculture [12]
  • Biology [13]
  • Chemistry [14]
  • Science [15]

Not all works have been cataloged.

    Online Guide [16]   Uncataloged

Institutional Records

Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia. Minutes and correspondence, 1812-1924.
Scholarly Resources
1812–1924

GUIDE: CRL Reference Folder #88 This set contains the papers of the Academy from its founding date through 1924. Includes minutes (1812–1925), correspondence received (1812–1924), correspondence sent (1814–76), summaries of archival collections, memberships (1812–1924), nominations for membership (1812–1924), and donations (1812–1924). Correspondents include Franz Boas, Charles Darwin, Edward D. Cope, Mahlon Dickerson, Asa Gray, Edward E. Hale, Ales Hardlicka, Joseph Leidy, George G. Meade, Titian R. Peale, Boies Penrose, Oren Root, Henry R. Schoolcraft, and Carl Schurz.

  Catalog Record [17]     Online Guide [18]  

Astronomers Royal. Records, 1675-1764.
Public Record Office
1675–1764

GUIDE: CRL Reference Folder #27 These records are in the Public Record Office of Great Britain, the Royal Greenwich Observatory (PRO RGO 1-3: formerly RGO 1-135). The microfilm set contains the papers of the first three Astronomers Royal:

  • John Flamsteed, 1675–1719 (RGO 1/1-76)
  • Edmond Halley, 1720–42 (RGO 2/1-19)
  • James Bradley, 1742–62 (RGO 3/1-45).

Also included are a small number of the papers of Nathaniel Bliss, 1762–64. The records are sufficiently complete to be representative of the work of the Royal Observatory from its foundation in 1675 by King Charles II. They contain observation and computation books, star catalogs, notes, and private and official correspondence.

  Catalog Record [19]     Online Guide [20]  

Personal Papers

George Washington Carver papers, 1860-1975
Carver Research Foundation
1860–1975

Carver (c. 1864–1943) was an American scientist, botanist, inventor, and educator. This microfilm set of the collection of Carver papers at Tuskegee Institute and other repositories also includes memorabilia and writings about Carver. Wikipedia [21]

  Catalog Record [22]  

Papers of Emma Hart Willard, 1787-1880
UPA collection from LexisNexis

Emma Hart Willard pioneered expanding women’s education to include the teaching of science and mathematics. Willard’s Troy Female Seminary, founded in 1821, became a model for its academic program shattering the then popular myth that women were not fit to handle academic subjects.  In 1866 she was elected an honorary member of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

  Catalog Record [23]     Online Guide [24]  

Sir Isaac Newton: manuscripts and papers.
Chadwyck-Healey
1642–1727

GUIDE: Sir Isaac Newton: A catalogue of manuscripts and papers. F-4726 This set includes the complete collections from Cambridge University Library, King’s College Library, Cambridge, and the Jewish National and University Library with other important holdings from Great Britain, Europe, and the United States.

  Catalog Record [25]  

Research and Development Reports

British Library Research and Development Reports.
1965–93

The British Library Document and Supply Centre in Great Britain provided a backfile of these reports on microfiche, beginning with number 5001. To 1975, the reports were issued by Great Britain, Office of Scientific and Technical Information. The reports are on topics relating to information processing and computer applications. Holdings are incomplete for the period of 1990–93. For assistance in accessing this uncataloged material, please contact Mary Wilke, CRL’s Member Liaison and Outreach Services Director. [26]

  Uncataloged

German and Axis technology reports.

GUIDE: Allied Forces. Supreme Headquarters. Comparative list of C.I.O.S. final reports by C.I.O.S and U.S. Publications Board numbers. Z7165.A436 Great Britain. British Intelligence Objectives Sub-committee. B.I.O.S., C.I.O.S., F.I.A.T. series 1936–39. Great Britain. British Intelligence Objectives Sub-committee. Classified list. Great Britain. Stationery Office. Reports on German engineering industry B.I.O.S., C.I.O.S., and F.I.A.T. series published between 1946 and 1949. Z7165.G3G721 U.S. Department of Commerce. Office of Technical Services. Technical Industrial Intelligence Division. Reports resulting from the investigation of German technology 1945–46, and Index of personnel. See CRL Reference Folder #228. For assistance in accessing this uncataloged material, please contact Mary Wilke. [26]

This collection includes reports on technology, engineering, and industries, mainly in Germany, during and immediately following World War II. The information was collected by various governmental intelligence agencies; the reports cover subjects such as the German clock and watch industry, chlorine plants, pharmaceuticals, viscose rayon plants, radar, and chemical industries. CRL’s holdings and the reporting agencies:

  • Allied Forces. Supreme Headquarters. Report [of the] Combined Intelligence Objectives Sub-committee (C.I.O.S.) file, no.1–33 [incomplete]. (Includes about 500 reports)
  • Germany (Territory under Allied Occupation, 1945—U.S. Zone). Field Information Agency, Technical. F.I.A.T. final report, no.46–1313 [incomplete]. (Includes about 500 reports)
  • Great Britain. British Intelligence Objectives Sub-committee. B.I.O.S. final report, no.1–1874 [incomplete]. (Includes about 1,500 reports)
  • Great Britain. British Intelligence Objectives Sub-committee. B.I.O.S. miscellaneous report, no.1–113 [incomplete]. (Includes 15 reports)
  • U.S. Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency. J.I.O.A. [report], no.1–174 [incomplete]. (Includes about 75 reports)
  • U.S. Joint Intelligence Objectives Agency. J.I.O.A. final report, no.68 and 80 only.
  Uncataloged

Human environment.
Microfiche Publications
1972

GUIDE: Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. The human environment. D-9594

This microfiche set contains a selection of the documents and reports prepared for the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, Stockholm, 1972. The guide to the set is a two-volume publication: one volume is a bibliography of all the reports and documents prepared for the conference; the other volume contains summaries of the reports.

  Catalog Record [27]  

Joint Publications Research Service reports.
Readex
1958–80

GUIDE: Index to Readex microprint edition of JPRS reports (Joint Publications Research Service), 1958–76. (5 vols.) Z1033.M5P82 Contained in the set United States Government publications (non-depository). Reports are arranged by year, month and report number. OCLC 7080782 

The Joint Publications Research Service (JPRS) reports are translations of technical documents from communist bloc countries reprinted within the microprint set of non-depository U.S. documents. CRL holds JPRS reports from 1958 to 1980. The Monthly Catalog of U.S. Government Publications [28]provides bibliographic access to these reports, which are circulated as nondepository documents. Please cite the Monthly Catalog number or the JPRS report number when requesting these documents. For assistance in accessing this uncataloged material, contact Mary WIlke, CRL’s Member Liaison and Outreach Services Director. [26]

 

  Uncataloged

U.S. Office of Scientific Research and Development. OSRD reports.

GUIDE: CRL Reference Folder #262 [29]

Office of Scientific Research and Development reports are technical reports of research conducted during World War II on warfare (for example, ballistics, fire control, radar, optics) and on medical topics. The reports were declassified and distributed to libraries beginning in 1946; CRL’s collection resulted from deposits by member libraries and is not complete but is extensive. The reports are not cataloged, but are arranged on the shelf by OSRD number or, if the report was not assigned a number, by the division under whose administration the report was produced. Two bibliographies are useful in identifying and verifying citations to reports:

  • Library of Congress. Navy Research Section/Technical Information Division. A catalog of OSRD reports. Z1223.S35 (This work covers only divisions 1–8 of the 23 administrative divisions.)
  • U.S. Department of Commerce. OSRD reports; a bibliography and index. (This work covers only reports with assigned OSRD numbers and only those declassified at the date of publication: June 1947.)

For assistance in accessing this uncataloged material, please contact Mary Wilke, CRL’s Member Liaison and Outreach Services Director. [26]

  Uncataloged

Related Resources

CRL / LHL Global Resources Partnership in Science, Technology, and Engineering [2]

 

Isis Current Bibliography
The bibliography of the history of science continues today through the Isis Current Bibliography, which recently celebrated its 100th year of publication Isis adds approximately 4,000 entries annually covering the natural and social sciences, engineering, technology, medicine, agriculture, and veterinary sciences.

 

History of Science, Technology & Medicine: Guide to Resources (University of Oklahoma)
http://guides.ou.edu/content.php?pid=328424 [30]

 

Digital History and Philosophy of Science (dHPS)
http://digitalhps.org/ [31]
dHPS brings together historians and philosophers of science, with informaticians, computer scientists, and reference librarians with the goal of thinking of new ways to integrate traditional scholarship with digital tools and resources.

ECHO (exploring and collecting history online)
http://echo.gmu.edu/ [32]



See also the CRL resources below related to Science and technology:

FOCUS

CRL’s quarterly publication examining the challenges of preservation and access for primary source materials in various fields.

Access to News in the Digital Era, Summer 2013 - CRL’s recent roundtable Beyond the Fold: Access to News in the Digital Age  explored new scholarly uses of news databases, and the role of libraries in ensuring long-term access to news in all its...
[33]
Preserving Electronic News, Fall 2009 - The Fall 2009 issue of our quarterly newsletter highlights CRL activities and initiatives that support the development of preservation systems for electronic news.
[34]
The Manhattan Project, Fall 2008 - The Fall 2008 issue of FOCUS on Global Resources highlights CRL resources that support research and teaching on the Manhattan Project and development of the Atomic Bomb.
[35]

CRL Programs

Communities of interest working under the CRL umbrella.

TRAIL - TRAIL works to ensure preservation, discoverability, and persistent open access to government technical publications regardless of form or format.  TRAIL identifies, acquires, catalogs, digitizes...
[36]

CRL Reports

Chronopolis Audit Report 2012 - The Center for Research Libraries (CRL) conducted a preservation audit of Chronopolis (chronopolis.sdsc.edu) between November 2010 and December 2011, and on the basis of that audit certifies...
[37]
Long-Lived Digital Collections - Funded by the National Science Foundation under its Strategic Technologies for Cyberinfrastructure Program, CRL initiated a two-year project (Jan. 2008-Dec. 2009) to analyze established, "long-...
[38]
Science and technology [39]
All Topic Guides [40]

Source URL: https://www.crl.edu/collections/topics/science-and-technology

Links
[1] https://www.crl.edu/collections/topics/science-and-technology
[2] https://www.crl.edu/collections/global-resources-partnership/grp-science-technology-engineering
[3] https://www.crl.edu/news/linda-hall-library-begins-digitizing-monographs
[4] https://www.crl.edu/news/crl-and-linda-hall-library-digitize-historical-serials
[5] https://www.crl.edu/collections/collection-building/cooperative-resource-development
[6] http://catalog.crl.edu/record=b1347978
[7] http://www.ampltd.co.uk/collections_az/listing.aspx?l=R
[8] http://catalog.crl.edu/record=b2877275~S1
[9] http://catalog.crl.edu/record=b2877965~S1
[10] http://catalog.crl.edu/search/Y?SEARCH=Plant%20taxonomic%20literature%20microfiche%20collection&searchscope=1&x=6&y=15
[11] https://dds.crl.edu/crldelivery/14287
[12] http://catalog.crl.edu/search~S1/X?SEARCH=d:%28Agriculture%29&searchscope=1&SORT=D&b=txbk
[13] http://catalog.crl.edu/search~S1/X?SEARCH=d:%28biology%29&searchscope=1&SORT=D&b=txbk
[14] http://catalog.crl.edu/search~S1/X?SEARCH=d:%28Chemistry%29&searchscope=1&SORT=D&b=txbk
[15] http://catalog.crl.edu/search~S1/X?SEARCH=d:%28science%29&searchscope=1&SORT=D&b=txbk
[16] http://www.crl.edu/collections/textbooks
[17] http://catalog.crl.edu/record=b1200686
[18] http://dds.crl.edu/guide/088.pdf
[19] http://catalog.crl.edu/record=b2569236~S1
[20] http://dds.crl.edu/guide/027.pdf
[21] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington_Carver
[22] http://catalog.crl.edu/record=b1304644
[23] http://catalog.crl.edu/record=b2853311~S1
[24] http://cisupa.proquest.com/ksc_assets/catalog/100436.pdf
[25] http://catalog.crl.edu/record=b1160902~S1
[26] mailto:mwilke@crl.edu
[27] http://catalog.crl.edu/record=b1312876~S1
[28] https://www.fdlp.gov/monthly-catalog-of-u-s-government-publications
[29] https://dds.crl.edu/guide/262.pdf
[30] http://guides.ou.edu/content.php?pid=328424
[31] http://digitalhps.org/
[32] http://echo.gmu.edu/
[33] https://www.crl.edu/focus/summer-2013
[34] https://www.crl.edu/focus/fall-2009
[35] https://www.crl.edu/focus/fall-2008
[36] https://www.crl.edu/programs/trail
[37] https://www.crl.edu/reports/chronopolis-audit-report-2012
[38] https://www.crl.edu/reports/long-lived-digital-collections
[39] https://www.crl.edu/facets/science-and-technology
[40] https://www.crl.edu/collections/topics