About EnergyFiles

EnergyFiles is a virtual library of over 500 science and technology databases and Web sites.   Sponsored, developed, and maintained by the Department of Energy's Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI), EnergyFiles provides access to  information, tools, and technologies relevant to the Department of Energy (DOE), with an emphasis on the physical sciences.

Energy Files is a DOE Science Accelerator Resource. The DOE Science Accelerator searches multiple science resources, including EnergyFiles. These resources, developed by OSTI, reside in the deep Web where popular search engines cannot go. The DOE Science Accelerator provides a "deeper" search that yields results ranked by relevancy. This search may take a little longer, but returns more comprehensive, higher quality science information.

OSTI is a program within DOE's Office of Science, the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. OSTI leads DOE's e-government initiatives, and coordinates the Department-wide Scientific and Technical Information Program (STIP), a collaboration forged to lead DOE in the Information Age.  Visit About OSTI to learn more.

Background

The inception of the EnergyFiles initiative was Spring 1997. An EnergyFiles Development Team was tasked with defining a virtual library within the context of the scientific and technical information (STI) created and maintained by the Department of Energy, and building a prototype to demonstrate the concept. A brief overview of the initial concept is found at The Energy Science and Technology Virtual Library Environment: Conceptual Framework Summary (6K).

The Web site prototype was unveiled at the annual meeting sponsored by OSTI, InForum, in May 1997. Shortly thereafter, EnergyFiles’ availability was expanded to the public and was showcased at two East Tennessee Technology Corridor summits. During March 1998 the site was chosen as a Scout Report Selection.

In August 2005, EnergyFiles was listed as a top portal site by the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL), along with several other OSTI sites, including Federal R&D Project Summaries and the GrayLit Network. The ACRL is the largest division of the American Library Association, serving the information needs of the higher education community.

Collection Development

As the number of information collections included in EnergyFiles has grown, a collection development plan has been adopted. The Web site has been restructured around the EnergyFiles subject areas. As the development of EnergyFiles progresses, objectives to be met include:

• the continuing collection development of, and increased access to, energy-related STI and related resources;
• the incorporation of increasingly effective mechanisms for accessing, searching, and retrieving information from distributed locations
• the addition of state-of-the-art tools and technologies to enable researchers, scientists, engineers, and program managers to experiment, collaborate, and share results through a dynamic, easy-to-use electronic medium.