COLLECTION AREA
History of Science
GENERAL PURPOSE
There is no specific history of science program at Dartmouth; instead the history of science is interdisciplinary in nature, and, as such, spans the academic programs across campus.
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE PROGRAM
While there is no specific history of science program or department, there are (at least) three specific activities at Dartmouth which directly bear on the history of science; they are:
- Studies in History and Philosophy of Science and Technology (SHAPST): which "provides a curricular and extracurricular focus for students and faculty seeking to examine the historical, philosophical and social traditions that have shaped the construction of science and technology, and the effects of science and technology on other intellectual, social and political activities."(Organization, Regulations, and Courses) While SHAPTS is not a department or program and does not offer a major, it does identify "a core of Dartmouth faculty...interested in the history , philosophy or social relations of science and technology, and the interdisciplinary courses they offer in these areas." (Organization, Regulations, and Courses)
- The establishment of a tenure-track position in the history of science; the faculty member is currently in the Department of History.
- The addition of an Assistant Professor in the Earth Sciences Department, who is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of History. This faculty member is a part of the SHAPST teaching team and does extensive research and publishing in the area of the history of science.
GENERAL SUBJECT BOUNDARIES
While history of science and technology is not usually found outside the science and technology areas, the subject area is becoming more interdisciplinary in nature. In fact, areas within the social sciences and humanities now contain a growing number of titles which deal with a variety of science/technology history themes; e.g., the sociology of knowledge, the philosophy of science, the anthropology of science, and gender studies, to name a few.History of science material is generally found in the following Library of Congress classifications: general history of science is classified in Q and the histories of specific science fields are within the classification of that subject. For example, QE, the history of geology, QC, the history of physics, QL, the history of zoology, etc. In addition, the history of technology, which classes in T, contains a number of sub-classifications which deal with history, e.g., aviation, the automobile, mining, etc.
In the Dewey system, 506 (organizations and societies) and 509 (history of science) are the areas in which material is classified. Most Dewey-classed material is approximately 1960 and earlier.
At Dartmouth, history of science materials are collected within a specific subject area and will, for the foreseeable future, continue.
LANGUAGES
The collection is primarily in English, but no language is excluded.
CHRONOLOGICAL SCOPE COLLECTED
The collection spans from the beginning of written records (approximately 1500) to the present, with strong emphasis on modern history of science works.
GEOGRAPHIC AREAS
Coverage is world-wide with an emphasis on North America, Western Europe and Asia; however, no area is specifically excluded.TYPES OF MATERIAL COLLECTED
Monographs and sets, serials, government publications, conference proceedings, dissertations and theses, and various indexes, abstracts and bibliographies are included in the collection. No material type is excluded.A special type of material collected is the papers of Dartmouth science faculty. Special Collections makes every effort to identify faculty who have made significant contributions to science and technology and they actively solicit the ownership of the material. In addition, they encourage suggestions from faculty, colleagues and librarians.
FORMAT OF MATERIALS COLLECTED
The predominant format is print, but no format is excluded.
SELECTION RESPONSIBILITY
Acquiring materials in the history of science is the responsibility of all librarians with collecting assignments in the sciences. For instance, the engineering bibliographer is responsible for history of technology resources; for biology, chemistry, physics, earth sciences, mathematics, computer science and astronomy, individual science bibliographers are responsible for historical material in their disciplines. The philosophy bibliographer collects material in the philosophy of science and the history of the philosophy of science. Rare books and incunabula dealing with the history of science are the responsibility of the rare books bibliographer, although staff in the biomedical libraries collect special items in biology and medicine. Literature on modern science from approximately 1960 through the present is acquired by the history bibliographer. For more details and specific collecting intensities, see the Collection Policy Statements for specific science and technology subjects.
OTHER RESOURCES AVAILABLE
Special Collections and Manuscripts in Baker Library holds both printed and manuscript materials relating to the history of science. Included are incunabla and early printings of scientific works as well as a large collection of primary and secondary works on Benjamin Thompson, Count Rumford (1753-1814). The Stefansson Collection on Polar Exploration contains works on the exploration, both geographic and scientific, of the Arctic and Antarctic regions from the 18th through the 20th centuries. Notable collections of manuscripts include the papers of George Stibitz (1904- ) on the history of computing; Count Rumford on physics and optics; Charles Augustus Young (1834-1908) on astronomy; and Gordon Ferrie Hull (1870-1956) on physics. The College Archives is an important resource for the scientific history of Dartmouth College.Instructional Services (OIS) maintains a collection of films back to circa 1920 and videotapes/case tapes back to 1970. These resources contain lectures by Dartmouth faculty and are, as such, an important addition to the history of science collection.
Dana Biomedical Library houses a wide variety of old and rare materials. Materials are added to this collection as they are discovered in the open collection or received as gifts. The Quinn Room contains the most valuable 16th, 17th, and 18th century books as well as more modern ones, such as Darwin's Origin of Species. The Locked Grill contains the Raymond Pearle Longevity Collection as well as a number of large anatomical and botanical atlases and the Muybridge photography books. In addition, the Biomedical Libraries house archival copies of Dartmouth Medical School publications such as DMS Alumni Magazine and Masters' theses in Biology. Overall, there are a number of works providing a rich resource for the history of medicine and biology.
The Sylvanus Thayer collection is located in Feldberg Business and Engineering Library. The collection includes personal books of General Thayer and other material relating to civil engineering during the 19th century. Included are books relating to military campaigns with bridge building a prominent focus.
The Curator of Scientific Instruments: a position currently held by a Department of Physics and Astronomy faculty member. This individual is responsible for the acquisition, identification, maintenance and suitable display of historical scientific instruments. Much of the collection bears a direct relationship to Dartmouth faculty achievements and developments.
Creation Date
October 1994, (Susan George, Jon Brown, Connie Rinaldo, Bill McEwen)
Revision Date
LC Class
Q
Bibliographer
Bill McEwenConnie Rinaldo
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Policy Table of ContentsCMDC Home Page Last updated January 29, 1999 by: CMDC@Dartmouth.Edu (jdh)