Purpose and Program Description

The Libraries seek to support research in the history of science and technology, e.g., cosmology, foundations of mathematics, chemical revolution, origins and species before and after Darwin, molecular revolution in biology, quantum theory, as well as the history of computing and information technology. It supports the needs of undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. students, the teaching faculty, post-docs, and research staff members.

New courses include the history of medicine, Arabic history of science and technology and history of computing.

Areas of established specialization are history of science and technology, especially in the field of physics, cosmology, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and transportation.

General Selection Guidelines (See classed analysis for further details)

Overall, the Libraries’ existing collection, its current acquisitions commitment, based upon available resources, and its collecting goal for History of Science, are all at the research level.

Specific Delimitations

1. Formats collected: We collect annuals, monographs, periodicals, reference tools and scholarly series extensively and audio-visual material, CD-Roms and other electronic tools, textbooks, and dissertations selectively. We do not presently collect maps or newspapers relating to History of Science.

2. Imprint Dates Collected: We collect current publications and twentieth-century materials extensively. Nineteenth-century and earlier materials are collected selectively.

3. Chronological Focus: We collect materials focusing on twentieth-century, nineteenth-century, and earlier research topics extensively. Current topics are collected selectively.

4. Languages Collected: We collect English extensively and French, Russian, and German selectively. All others are excluded.

5. Place of Publication: We collect North American, Western European and Russian materials extensively and materials published elsewhere selectively.