Collins Memorial Library: STHS 301 : Technology &amp; Culture: Subject Encyclopedias

Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments Series

If you are interested in a specific technology, the Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions and Discoveries series can be an excellent starting point!

Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions, and Discoveries of the 18th Century by Jonathan Shectman
Call Number: Click title for location and availability information!
Publication Date: 2003
In over 60 alphabetical entries, Shectman examines at the tremendous scientific discoveries, inventions, and inquiries of the period. Familiar topics such as the steam engine and hot air balloon are covered, along with lesser-known topics such as the Watt copy press and Newton's experimentum crucis.
Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions, and Discoveries of the 19th Century by Michael Windelspecht
Call Number: Click on title for location and availability!
Publication Date: 2003
The 19th century is known as the modern era of science. Many of the ideas, theories, and inventions developed during this time are used everyday in today's society. Windelspecht investigates the century's tremendous discoveries, inventions, and inquiries in more than 60 alphabetical entries. This reference presents familiar subjects, such as the telephone and elevator, as well as those less frequently studied, such as the spectroscope and Pasteur's development of the germ theory.
Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions, and Discoveries of the Ancient World by Robert E. Krebs; Carolyn A. Krebs
Call Number: Click title for location and access info!
Publication Date: 2003-12-30
This reference work describes the trial-and-error experiments, discoveries, and inventions of early humans who lived from before recorded history to the Middle Ages.
Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions, and Discoveries of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance by Robert E. Krebs
Call Number: Click title for location and availability information!
Publication Date: 2004-03-30
The Middle Ages and the Renaissance were a period of scientific and literary reawakening. This reference work describes more than 75 experiments, inventions, and discoveries of the period, as well as the scientists, physicians, and scholars responsible for them. Individuals such as Leonardo da Vinci, Marco Polo, and Galileo are included, along with entries on reconstructive surgery, Stonehenge, eyeglasses, the microscope, and the discovery of smallpox.
Groundbreaking Scientific Experiments, Inventions and Discoveries of the 17th Century by Michael Windelspecht
Call Number: Click title for location and availability information!
Publication Date: 2002
Over fifty entries, arranged alphabetically, illustrate how this was a time marking the first wide-spread application of experimentation and mathematics to the study of science--an exciting time brought to life through this unique exploration.

Online Subject Encyclopedia Collections

The following links will take you to large digital collections of subject encyclopedias. The Gale Virtual Reference Library is an especially good place to start for STS courses, as it includes the Mcgraw-Hill Dictionary of Science & Technology and the Dictionary of Scientific Biography.

Gale eBooks
Provides full text online access to Gale electronic books, including encyclopedias and other reference resources.
Oxford Reference
Contains the complete texts of many Oxford companions, encyclopedias, dictionaries and other reference titles in a fully indexed, cross-searchable database. Included in addition to articles are images, maps, timelines, bibliographies, photographs and much more.
SAGE Knowledge
The social sciences platform for SAGE and CQ Press books, reference materials and other content.
ABC CLIO eBooks This link opens in a new window
This eBook Collection contains encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and guides from ABC-CLIO, Greenwood Press, Libraries Unlimited, and Praeger.

Print Reference Sources

You'll find these print sources in the reference section on the main floor or in the main stacks! 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.

Building the World: An Encyclopedia of the Great Engineering Projects in History by Frank Paul Davidson (Compiled by); Kathleen Lusk-Brooke
Call Number: Print Reference T56 I44 2006
ISBN: 9780313333743
Publication Date: 2006
This two-volume encyclopedia covers engineering projects from the aqueducts of Rome up to more recent projects like the Chunnel. Each article includes an overview of the planning for and building of the project, primary source documents, and suggestions for further reading.
Encyclopedia of Ethics in Science and Technology by Nigel Barber
Call Number: Click title for location and availability info.
ISBN: 0816043140
Publication Date: 2002-03-01
Historically and internationally comprehensive, the encyclopedia features more than 400 entries that describe the varied ethical controversies in science and technology: laws, precedent-setting cases, regulations, agencies and organizations, ethical principles, concepts, people, and important event
Medieval Science, Technology, and Medicine by Thomas F. Glick; Steven John Livesey (Editors)
Call Number: Click on title for location and availability
Publication Date: 2005
Medieval Science, Technology and Medicine: An Encyclopedia examines the state of scientific and medical knowledge, as well as technology, in the middle ages. The coverage spans numerous disciplines and various countries, relating their advancements of science and placing discoveries within their cultural context.
Science, Technology, and Society: An Encyclopedia by Sal P. Restivo (Editor)
Call Number: Click title for location and availability information!
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.