Penn State University Libraries - Women and Gender in the History of Science, Technology and Medicine

The History of Women and Science, Health, and Technology: a Bibliographic Guide to the Professions and the Disciplines. Call # HQ1397.H57 1993, Life Sciences Reference, 4th Floor Paterno Library, also Engineering Library, 325 Hammond Bldg

Reader's Guide to the History of Science. Call # Q125.R335 2000, Arts and Humanities Reference Collection, 2nd Floor Pattee Library. Contains essays highlighting significant works on over 900 topics, including Gender and Science, prominent women scientists, and science in specific countries/regions

Women and Science: An Annotated Bibliography. Call # Q130.O35 Life Sciences Reference, 4th Floor Paterno Library. A list of resources by topic

Women and Technology: An Annotated Bibliography. Call # T36.B55, Arts and Humanities Reference, 2nd Floor Pattee Library. A list of resources on the topic

Dictionary of Concepts in the Philosophy of Science. Call # Q174.7.D87 1988, Life Sciences, 4th Floor Paterno Library, also Business Reference, 3rd Floor Paterno Library

Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in non-western Cultures. Call # Q124.8.E53 1997, Physical Sciences Library, 230 Davey Laboratory

International Encyclopedia of Women Scientists. Call # Q141.O27 2002, Life Sciences Reference Collection, 4th Floor Paterno Library

McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. Call # Q123.M34 1994, Life Sciences Reference, 4th Floor Paterno Library. Q123.M5 2002 newest edition on order for Engineering Library, 325 Hammond Building

Statistical Record of Women Worldwide. Call # HQ1101.S73, Social Sciences Reference, 2nd Floor Paterno Library

Timetables of Science a Chronology of the Most Important People and Events in the History of Science. Call # Q125.H557 1988, Life Sciences, 4th Floor Paterno Library. Also, Physical Sciences Library, 230 Davey Laboratory

Women in Science. Statistics. A collection of links to reports compiled by various agencies. The page was created by the Association for Women in Science

Papers and Other Primary Sources

The library has acquired reproductions in paper and on microfilm materials for prominent scientists. To determine if the library has sources for the scientist you are interested in try a keyword search in The CAT using the name of the scientist combined with one of the following terms: Letters, Papers, Sources, Correspondence, Diary/Diaries, Archives.

Many papers and other primary sources have not been published and can only be accessed at the library or archive holding the original documents. To identify libraries that may have items of interest consult the following:

ArchivesUSA
A subject guide to special collections in archives across the country. Contains entries from the National Union Catalogue of Manuscript Collections (NUCMC). You can also search detailed finding aids contained in the National Inventory of Documentary Sources (NIDS), Call # MICRO 4 NIDS, News and Microforms Library, Basement West Pattee

You can find documents (primarily published texts) for some scientists online. For example:

• Ava Helen & Linus Pauling Papers (Oregon State University). Linus Pauling is also part of the National Library of Medicine's "Profiles in Science"
• Barbara McClintock Papers. National Library of Medicine, "Profiles in Science"
• Margaret Sanger Papers Project (New York University)
  

Biographies of Women Scientists

The easiest way to locate a biography of a scientist is to do a Browse Subject search in The CAT. Enter the name of the scientist as the subject. For autobiographies do an Author search.

Unfortunately the above approach only works if the entire book is about the one individual. Many people are not famous enough to have entire books devoted to them (or you may not want to read an entire book!) In these cases your best bet is to consult a biographical dictionary or encyclopedia. Typically these sources provide a brief essay (a paragraph to a few pages) summarizing the individual's major accomplishments. The library has hundreds, if not thousands, of these sources. The ones below will get you started.

The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science : Pioneering Lives from Ancient Times to the mid-20th Century. Call # Q141.B5285 2000, Life Sciences Reference Collection, 4th Floor Paterno Library, also Engineering Library, 325 Hammond Bldg

Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Call # Q141.D43, Life Sciences Reference, 4th Floor Paterno Library. The standard reference work now over 16 volumes

A Historical Catalogue of Scientists and Scientific Books: From the Earliest Times to the Close of the 19th Century. Call # Q141.G38 1984, Life Sciences Reference, 4th Floor Paterno Library. Lists over 14,000 scientists and where biographical information has been published on each

International Encyclopedia of Women Scientists. Call # Q141.O27 2002, Life Sciences Reference Collection, 4th Floor Paterno Library

Prominent Scientists: An Index to Collective Biographies. Call # Q141.P398 1994, Life Science Library Reference, 4th Floor Paterno

Many of the sections above contain useful web resources. The links below are for general sites that provide starting points for research.

Penn State's Science, Technology, and Society Program

Association for Women in Mathematics

Association for Women in Science. A good source for statistics, with links to related organizations

Center for Women and Information Technology

Female Nobel Prize Laureates

H-Sci-Med-Tech

A discussion list for those in the field. The Web site also contains a list of links to Internet sites

Society of Women Engineers

U.S. Graduate Programs in the History of Science

Services for History Students, Faculty and Researchers

History Department (UP)

History of Science