Librarian
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:
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 PapersNational 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 Subject [Advanced] 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 by This work gives biographical details of nearly 3000 scientists' lives, works and accomplishments around the globe. It should be a useful resource for information on women's history, individual scientists or science history, and includes A-Z entries, with indexes and suggestions for further reading.- Dictionary of Scientific Biography byThe standard reference work now over 16 volumes
- A Historical Catalogue of Scientists and Scientific Books byLists over 14,000 scientists and where biographical information has been published on each.
International Encyclopedia of Women Scientists by "The International Encyclopedia of Women Scientists is an invaluable and authoritative resource for students of science and women's studies- Prominent Scientists byISBN: 1555701140Arranged alphabetically, this biographical reference on scientists lists over 14,000 significant scientists whose biographies appear in 330 collective biographies. The emphasis is on books published since 1960. Entries include specialities, birth and death dates, and bibliographic sources.
