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The Science and Technology Section (STS) was established in 1961 as the Agriculture and Biological Sciences Subsection, a part of the ACRL Subject Specialists Section. In 1972, when the Subject Specialist Section was dissolved, its subsections were given full section status. The resulting Agriculture and Biological Sciences Section later changed its name in 1979 to the Science and Technology Section to better reflect the interests of the membership.

During its first twenty years, section activities were primarily focused on providing science-oriented programs at conferences and granting the Oberly Award for Bibliography in the Agricultural Sciences every two years. However, in the early 1980's, new challenges were taken on, leading to a surge in activity and a growth in membership. In 1983, the section formed its first large task force in order to explore the world of conference publications. This task force divided into four ad-hoc committees, each dealing with specific aspects of conference proceedings. One product of these endeavors was the issuance of guidelines for publishers of proceedings in 1986. The Subject and Bibliographic Access Committee developed out of this initial effort and continues to monitor access to scientific materials of all types. Soon after the Task Force on Proceedings began its work, the level of activity in the section was further boosted by the creation of a second large task force to study organizational changes in academic libraries. This later became the Comparison of Science and Technology Libraries Committee whose work has included the collection, analysis, and distribution of comparative data. This committee was later deactivated and a new committee was formed, the Assessment Committee, whose charge is to provide focus, direction and leadership in the key areas of assessment for the Section.

During the 1990s the section branched out in many ways. A Government Information Committee began to monitor legislative issues. Research forums were sponsored at annual conferences and several discussion groups provided a channel for those with an interest in science and technology librarianship to share ideas and concerns. Communication among the members was also facilitated by the Section's newsletter, the STS Signal, as well as an active listserv, STS-L, and an electronic journal, Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship. In addition, the Continuing Education Committee coordinated and promoted continuing education activities in the section and its Collegial Counsel service assisted in the mentoring process for those new to the field. The Collegial Council was renamed the STS Sci/tech Library Mentors.

In the new millennium scholarly communication is increasingly “virtual.” STS programs address issues related to the shift from print to electronic collections such as subscription costs, preserving access, and archiving content. The increase in library collaboration through consortial arrangements and information literacy requirements in the information age are also areas of interest.

In 2000, faced with declining attendance at the annual evening reception, the section substituted a reception to follow the Section program and a poster session at each Annual Conference.

During the 2005 Annual Conference, several changes were approved and subsequently implemented during the 2006 Midwinter and Annual Conferences. Five discussion groups were reduced to four. The original five discussion groups included:

College Science Librarians

General

Publisher/Vendor Relations

Science and Technology Information

Issues in Science and Technology Management

The four Discussion Groups beginning in Midwinter 2006 included:

College Science Librarians

Annual Hot Topics

Publisher/Vendor Relations

Midwinter Hot Topics

It was also decided to hold two Discussion Groups at Midwinter, Publisher/Vendor Relations and Midwinter Hot Topics, and two at Annual, College Science Librarians and Annual Hot Topics, to avoid conflicts in the schedule. An All-Member Breakfast was added to the Sunday morning schedule and a Welcoming Reception was added to the Friday evening agenda prior to Council 1. The Information Literacy Committee was also approved at the 2005 Annual Conference after having been a successful task force for several years.

In 2006 the Section approved the creation of two new elected member-at-large positions to serve staggered terms as members of the Executive Committee. In the 2007 election, this position was ratified by the STS membership. The Liaison Committee was approved at the 2007 Annual Conference after two years as a task force. that coordinated ACRL Action Plan funding for STS members who served as liaisons to other professional organizations. Its successful proposals for Action Plan funding for the STS Liaison Program led to the decision to make it a more permanent part of the STS structure as a committee.

In 2008 the first member-at-large was elected and began serving at the end of Annual Conference. Member-at-Large is a two year term, staggered, and we now have two of them. The two Hot Topic Discussion Groups were merged into one, with four members whose responsibilities include planning discussions for both Midwinter and Annual Conferences.

This table will be updated to include additional data as the information is received.

Elected Officers of the Science and Technology Section are as follows:

STS program titles follow:

• 2008: One Part Inspiration: Creative Trends That Further Science Learning
• 2007: Issues and Trends in Digital Repositories of Non-Textual Information: Support for Research and Teaching
• 2006: Kaleidoscope of Scientific Literacy: Fusing New Connections
• 2005: The New Crossroads: Science Librarians in the 21st Century
• 2004: Making Connections on Campus: Collaborative Approaches to Information Literacy in the Sciences
• 2003: Partners in Science: An Exploration of a Scientist-Librarian Relationship
  
  
• 2002: Old, New, Borrowed, and Blue: Science and Technology Intellectual Property Issues in the Digital Age
• 2001: Quantum Leaps by Decade: Forty Years of Science Librarianship Through Collaboration
• 2000: Communication and Information Models for the New Millennium: Scientists and Librarians Face the Future
• 1999:The Future is Here: Changing Realities for Sci-Tech Librarians
• 1998: Engineering the Future: A New Look at Organizational Thinking and Hyper-learning
• 1997: Scientific Researcher: Hardwired for Retrieval or Wedded to Print?
• 1996: Leaders on the Web Trail: Redefining the Scholar's Workstation
• 1995: Preserving the Record of Science and Technology: a Call to Action
• 1994: Scholarly Resources on the Internet: Beyond the Basics
• 1993: Technological Tobasco: Hot Ideas for Keeping up with Technology
• 1992: Issues in Sci-Tech Information: Librarians' Right to Know
• 1991: Promoting Scientific Literacy and Education: Can Libraries Meet the Challenge?
• 1990: Access for Success: Addressing Scientific Information
• 1989: Designer Genes: A Crash Course in Biotechnology Issues and Resources
• 1988: Libraries Without Walls: Emerging Technologies and Practical Information Access
• 1987: Artificial Intelligence: Convergence of Mind and Machine
• 1986: End User Searching : Issues in Instruction, System Selection, and Administration
• 1985: Mathieson Report on Integrated Automated Information Management Systems

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STS IS A SECTION OF THE , A DIVISION OF THE .