Collections Policy Statements

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

The Library of Congress collects broadly and extensively in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) to support the work of the Congress, the scientific community, and the nation’s educators and students. The Library strives for comprehensive coverage in the history of science, technology, engineering, and innovation in all languages and formats. It collects heavily in the area of STEM education, emerging technologies, materials science, and all aspects of engineering, including civil, environmental, and structural. Materials chronicling breakthroughs in science, medicine, and technological innovation are collected heavily, as are works discussing the effects of science and technology on society and their importance to the economic growth of the nation. Technical reports, standards, and works reporting the results of research and development, invention, manufacture, and industrial design are collected, as are materials on automation, cybernetics, and information science. The emphasis is on original texts, critical editions, scholarly commentaries, compendiums, journals, reference works, and biographies as well as STEM-related oral histories, electronic resources, and archives of STEM-related blogs.

Science

The Library collects heavily in the life and environmental sciences, e.g., biology, sustainable agriculture, conservation of natural resources, ecology, economic botany, animal and plant anatomy, physiology and behavior, genetics, and molecular biology. It collects in the earth sciences, e.g., oceanography, geology, paleontology, and natural disasters such as earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, and volcanic eruptions. It collects in the physical sciences, e.g., astronomy, chemistry, physics, and meteorology. The emphasis is on materials of current interest to the Congress and to the scientific community. Although the Library collects extensively in health, medicine, and agriculture, it defers to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) and the National Agricultural Library (NAL) for clinical medicine and technical agriculture respectively.

Technology

The Library collects comprehensively in virtually all areas of technology, especially technological innovation, technological assessment, technological forecasting, and technology transfer. Its collections are particularly strong in aeronautics and astronautics and in the material sciences, including nanotechnology, chemical technology and biotechnology. Its collections of technical reports and industrial standards chronicle the history of research and development and highlight military and civilian contributions to the advancement of technology. Technological change, technology literacy, and the effect of technology on society are widely collected, as are materials on the exploration of the universe, information technology, and robotics. The collections reflect the interests of Congress, the scientific community, and the business community.

Engineering

The Library collects heavily in all areas of engineering science, including aeronautical, civil, computer, chemical, mechanical, mining, municipal, ocean, sanitary, and nuclear. Its holdings of materials relating to infrastructure, public works, transit, public utilities, water supply and quality, and waste disposal are considerable. The number of titles on structural engineering, materials testing, earthquake construction, urban planning, and environmental engineering is substantial, as are the Library’s holdings on energy efficient construction and new modes of transportation. The Library also collects in high performance computing, computer security, and cyber infrastructure.

Mathematics

Mathematics is used as a critical tool in a number of scientific fields, including engineering, astronomy, physics, chemistry, natural history, ecology, and computer science. The Library’s collections in all areas of mathematics are extensive and include materials in various formats on numbers, arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, logic, algorithms, statistics, cryptography, and numerical analysis as well as computer modeling. The publications of all major mathematical societies, institutes, and universities in the world are housed in the Library and these mathematical collections serve the interest of the Library’s staff, Congress, and the general public.