Collins Memorial Library: STS 345: Physics in the Modern World: Finding Background Info

Key Reference Sources

Reader's Guide to the History of Science by Arne Hessenbruch (Editor)
Call Number: Click title for availability and location information!
ISBN: 9781884964299
Publication Date: 2001
The Reader's Guide to the History of Science looks at the literature of science in nearly 600 entries on individuals (Einstein), institutions and disciplines (Mathematics), general themes (Romantic Science) and central concepts (Paradigm and Fact).

You'll find these print sources in the reference section on the main floor of the library! As you use these and other reference sources, keep these tips in mind:

Use the index to find your topic. Not all scholarly encyclopedias are arranged alphabetically, or your topic might be covered in a larger entry.
Try to find cross references. Look for 'see also' at the beginning or end of a topic.
Look for citations at the end of an entry. Helpful secondary books and articles may be listed, and you may even find citations to primary source material. Build a citation chain using this material.

Science, Technology, and Society: An Encyclopedia by Sal P. Restivo (Editor)
Call Number: Click title for location and availability information!
ISBN: 9780195141931
Publication Date: 2005
Emphasizing an interdisciplinary and international coverage of the functions and effects of science and technology in society and culture, this work contains over 130 A to Z signed articles written by major scholars and experts from academic and scientific institutions and institutes worldwide. Each article is accompanied by a selected bibliography.
Science and Its Times by Neil Schlager (Editor)
Call Number: Click title for location and availability information!
ISBN: 078763932X
Publication Date: 2000
The seven volumes are chronologically ordered from 2000 B.C. to the present, addressing a wide variety of scientific developments with explanations of underlying factors and their effects on politics, economics, culture and daily life. The entries -- more than 20 topical essays, 25 full biographies and 85 sketches of notable people in each volume -- move forward through history, describing notable scientific discoveries and achievements along with their social and historical impact.

Gale Virtual Reference Library

Start your search for background information with these resources. Gale Virtual Reference Library includes the full text of over 100 subject encyclopedias spanning multiple disciplines, including the Mcgraw-Hill Dictionary of Science & Technology and the Dictionary of Scientific Biography.

Online Reference Resources

Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography
Call Number: Click title for Online Access!
ISBN: 9780684313207
Publication Date: 2008
Comprehensive collection of biographical information about scientists, engineers, and inventors from classical times through modern day.
Encyclopedia of Science Technology and Ethics by Carl Mitcham
Call Number: Click title for online access!
ISBN: 0028659910
Publication Date: 2005
This encyclopedia considers both the professional ethics of science and technology, and the social, ethical, and political issues raised by science and technology.
The Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science by John L. Heilbron (Editor)
Call Number: Click title for online access!
ISBN: 9780195112290
Publication Date: 2003
This work presents a history of the field to those with an interest in the technology, ideas, discoveries, and learned institutions that have shaped our world over the past five centuries. Focusing on the period from the Renaissance to the early twenty-first century, the articles cover all disciplines, historical periods, concepts, and methodologies and philosophies.
Discoveries in Modern Science by Gale (Editor)
Call Number: Click on title above for online access.
ISBN: 9780028662442
Publication Date: 2015
Covers more than 300 of the most important scientific discoveries as defined by a Board of scientists and historians.

Selected Online Sources

Oral Histories at the Niels Bohr Library & Archives
A treasure trove of primary source material, the Niels Bohr Library and Archives of the American Institute of Physics holds more than a thousand tape-recorded interviews
Transcripts of the Oppenheimer
In December 1953, the Atomic Energy Commission (AEC) suspended the security clearance of Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer, and after a four-week, closed-door hearing in April and May 1954, formally revoked that clearance. In June 1954, the AEC released a redacted version of the hearing transcript, (see AEC press release), with security classified information deleted. Sixty years later, the Department of Energy has re-reviewed the original transcript and is making available to the public, for the first time, the full text of the transcript in its original form.

More Online Encyclopedias

Oxford Reference
Provides full text access to hundreds of Oxford reference titles, including dictionaries, encyclopedias, and handbooks
SAGE Knowledge
Provides full-text access to dozens of Sage reference books, with a strong emphasis on the social sciences.