Publications

• May 2010 – Federated search as a transformational technology enabling knowledge discovery: the role of WorldWideScience.org (692-KB PDF), published in: Interlending & Document Supply Vol 38 Issue 2 pp. 82-92
  
  

  One of the few articles to describe in depth the important work being done by the U.S.
  Office of Scientific and Technical Information in the field of search and discovery
  
  With tools such as Science.gov and WorldWideScience.org, the patron gains access to multiple, geographically dispersed deep web databases and can search all of the constituent sources with a single query.

• June 2009 – Office of Scientific and Technical Information 2009-2013 Strategic Plan (2181-KB PDF)
  
  

  OSTI works to ensure that U.S. scientists and engineers, educators, entrepreneurs, and the public find the right science information fast.
  
  

  What if we could speed the pace of science so that tomorrow’s solutions arrive sooner? We would thus raise our standard of living, improve our quality of life, and increase the security of our Nation. These grand outcomes can be achieved by committing to openly sharing scientific research data and spreading the world’s great scientific discoveries faster. This Strategic Plan outlines steps that would improve the competitiveness of our scientists and engineers by providing them with fast and efficient access to national and international bodies of knowledge relevant to their fields, and to ensure that quality science content is readily findable for citizens everywhere.

  
  
• Spring 2009 – A Unique Insight into Department of Energy Research Accomplishments: A Special Collection
  
  

  The Bulletin of IEEE Technical Committee on Digital Libraries featured the DOE R&D Accomplishments

   

  A Unique Insight into Department of Energy Research Accomplishments: A Special Collection was written by OSTI staff member Mary Schorn, who is product manager of DOE R&D Accomplishments. Landmark documents such as The Eightfold Way: A Theory of Strong Interaction Symmetry and The First Weighing of Plutonium are among approximately 300 specially-selected documents included in the collection. A fact card and poster are available for download with the Bulletin’s feature. DOE R&D Accomplishments is a central forum for information about the outcomes of past DOE R&D widely recognized as remarkable advances in science.

  
  
• April 2007 – Workshop Panel Report on Accelerating the Spread of Knowledge About Science and Technology: An Examination of the Needs and Opportunities (850-KB PDF)
  
  

  Superior access to quality content key to accelerating scientific advancement
  
  

  A workshop chaired by Al Trivelpiece and convened February 27, 2007, by OSTI has issued a report important for advancing science: Accelerating the Spread of Knowledge About Science and Technology. The purpose of the workshop, held at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., was to discuss strategies to accelerate the spread of knowledge about science and technology. Recognizing that science progresses only if knowledge is shared, the workshop concluded that scientific and technological progress can be accelerated by accelerating the spread of knowledge. Panel members also emphasized the negative consequences, particularly to American competitiveness and security, if knowledge diffusion strategies are not implemented. An essential finding was: “Superior Access to Quality Content is key to accelerating science and technology.”
  
  

• June 2006 – DOE Science Accelerator booklet (655-KB PDF)
  
  

  Finding the fast lanes for the spread of knowledge
  
  

  It is impractical for scientists to spend time finding and sifting through hundreds, if not thousands, of information sources in various disciplines. The DOE Science Accelerator, currently in prototype, will enable scientists to allocate their research energy as well as the nation's research resources on what's really important — using that information for life-altering discovery. Through innovation and research, OSTI is finding the fast lanes for knowledge diffusion to propel researchers toward scientific discovery. The DOE Science Accelerator will be the resource that allows scientists to search the whole of deep web science directly from their desktops.
  
  

• November 5, 2004 – The State of Data Management in the DOE Research and Development Complex (172-KB PDF)
  
  

  Need reported for recognizing life-cycle data management as integral to research programs and projects
  
  

  In July 2004, data management experts from seven data centers in the Department of Energy, as well as representatives of OSTI and other DOE organizations with interests in data management, met in Oak Ridge , Tennessee , to discuss data access and preservation from a DOE perspective. Also participating were Christopher Greer, then Executive Secretary to the National Science Board's Long-Lived Data Collections, and Jeffrey Hayes, Space Science Program at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The participants agreed the first priority in addressing the issues and opportunities associated with data management in the Department is the need to develop a unified data policy to encourage best practices access and preservation of valuable data resources in the advancement of science.
  
  

• April 2001, Report of the Workshop on Strengthening the Public Information Infrastructure for Science (6-MB PDF)
  
  

  Over 60 participants from 35 different organizations participated in the "Strengthening the Public Information Infrastructure for Science" workshop held April 18–19, 2001 at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). The result was formation of the Science.gov Alliance and endorsement of the concept for Science.gov, an interagency science portal. The Workshop was sponsored by DOE and organized by the CENDI Information Managers Group, the University of Maryland Center for Information Policy, the DOE, the NIST, and the National Science Foundation.
  
  

• May 2000, Workshop Report on a Future Information Infrastructure for the Physical Sciences - The Facts of the Matter: Finding, understanding, and using information about our physical world
  
  

  OSTI convened a distinguished panel of experts in science, science policy, information science, and scientific publishing at the National Academy of Sciences. Panelists and participants considered issues related to communication, dissemination, and use of information in the physical sciences and make recommendations for increasing the productivity of the scientific enterprise in the United States. The Workshop Report laid the foundation for Science.gov.
  
  

• 1992, "The Oak Ridge Technical Information Center – A Trailblazer in Federal Documentation" by William McGill Vaden, former Deputy Manager, Technical Information Center (29-MB PDF)
  
  

  Excerpt: "… The creation of a single organizational component to centralize and manage (on behalf of all the AEC's constituent parts) the myriad complicated and detailed issues related to the control and dissemination of technical information was both natural and wise… ." The technical information activities highlighted in this book span three decades, 1947-1977.