Science and Technology Studies Collection Policy

OVERVIEW

subject description and guidelines

  • This collection focuses on material pertaining to all periods of science and technology, from the ancient world to the present. Particular emphasis is placed on the history of the physical sciences, the philosophy of science, the relationship between science and technology and society and the social science and history of medicine. All major periodicals are collected. Biographies of scientists, as well as personal papers and memoirs are included. Reprints of early scientific and technical works are also collected. Materials collected are for the general circulating stacks, rare materials are collected by the History of Science Collection in Kroch Library. The history of agriculture is collected in Mann Library, the history of mathematics is collected in the Math Library. Other materials are complemented by the Area, Asia, Jewish Studies, Physical Sciences, and Women’s Studies collections. The clientele for the Science and Technology Studies collection are the Department of Science and Technology Studies (http://www.sts.cornell.edu/programintro.php) and related programs in history, philosophy, sociology, and politics of science and technology in the Engineering College, the Agriculture College, the Arts College, and the College of Human Ecology.

COLLECTION SCOPE

collection strength

  • Overall, the collecting goals for Chemistry are suitable for dissertation-level research and undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate education.

collection level

  • research 

geographical guidelines

  • There are no geographical limitations on imprints. Most items, however, are published in the United States and Western Europe.

areas of significant geographic coverage

country (self-governing)

  • United States of America 

transnational region

  • western Europe 

language guidelines

  • Selected foreign language material included, primarily Western European in addition to English language material.

chronological guidelines

  • General collection holdings date back to mid-1800s in print and electronic holdings.

exclusions

  • Juvenile literature, manuscripts and archives, rare books, textbooks are not part of this collection.

material types

  • Genre Science and Technology Studies emphasizes scholarly communication through academic journals, institutional publications, monographic series, and scholarly monographs. Format Electronic format is the preferred format for journals and monographic series when available. Print format is acquired when electronic is not available or when otherwise appropriate.

COLLECTION CONTEXT

housed in

  • Uris Library 

special collections or noteworthy resources in the field

  • RMC – History of Science

related library subject collection

AFFILIATIONS

academic department

  • Communication (COMM) 
  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) 
  • Information Science (INFOSCI) 
  • Science and Technology Studies (S&TS) 

graduate field/program

  • Science and Technology Studies 

  • Communication 
  • Ecology and Evolutionary Biology 
  • History 
  • Information Science 
  • Peace Studies and Peace Science 

academic unit

  • Judith Reppy Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies 
  • Society for the Humanities 

organization

  • History (HIST) 

RESPONSIBILITY

library contact

  • Cusker, Jeremy - Engineering Librarian