Joseph Francis Coates was born in 1929 in Brooklyn, NY. After receiving a
B.S. in Chemistry from the Polytechnic Institute of Brooklyn (1951) and an M.S.
degree in Organic Chemistry from Pennsylvania State University (1953),
he worked for several years as a research chemist,
first for the Atlantic Refining Company in Pennsylvania and later at the
Onyx Chemical Company in New Jersey. In 1962, he became a senior staff member
at the Institute for Defense Analyses, a position he held until 1970. Afterwards
he spent four years as a Professor Manager at the National Science Foundation
(1970-1974). Soon after the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) was established by
Congress in 1972, he began work there, first as the Assistant to the Director
(1975-1978) and then as a Senior Associate (1978-1979). In 1979, he left OTA
to form his own consulting company, J. F. Coates Inc., which later became
known as Coates and Jarratt Inc. He retired from Coates and Jarratt in April
2001, retaining emeritus status with the company thereafter. He continued his
career as a speaker on issues related to technology assessment in the years following
his retirement.
Born in 1930 in Anderson, South Carolina, Vary Taylor Coates received her
undergraduate education at Furman University, graduating with an A.B. in Political
Science in 1951. She later received an M.A. in Public Affairs (1967) and a Ph.D.
in Political Science (1972) from George Washington University. After
completing her degrees, she stayed on at GWU as Associate Director of the
Program of Policy Studies in Science and Technology and as the Head of the
Technology Assessment Group. During the late 1970s and early 1980s she was
Director of Policy Studies at Dames and Moore. Sometime after the founding of
J. F. Coates Inc. in 1979, she joined her husband in the company as
Vice-President and Project Director. She became a Senior Associate in the
Office of Technology Assessment in 1984, remaining in that position until the
government ceased to fund the OTA in 1995. After OTA's closure, Vary Coates worked
as President of the short-lived Institute for Technology Assessment until about 1998.
Throughout their long careers, both Joseph Francis and Vary Taylor Coates
worked and published extensively in the field of technology assessment. Joseph Coates'
activity in the field began with his position at the National Science Foundation, where
he oversaw publications relating to a variety of aspects of technology assessment. While at the
Office of Technology Assessment, he was part of the assessment staff for publications such as
Telecommunications and the Quality of Life in Rural America
(1975); he served as a consultant or contractor on several OTA publications
after leaving the Office,
including Information Technology R and D: Critical Trends
and Issues
(1985) and Rural America at the Crossroads: Networking
for the Future
(1991). During her employment at OTA, Vary Coates directed several assessment projects,
including Automation of American Offices (1985),
Electronic Bulls and Bears: U.S. Securities Markets and Information Technology (1990), and
U.S. Telecommunications Services in European Markets (1993).
The manuscript materials in this collection focus mainly on issues and activities
relating to technology
assessment and governmental involvement in technology assessment in the United States,
especially the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment, which functioned from 1972
to 1995. The first series contains manuscript and printed materials documenting the activities
of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) in the United States. Series 2 consists of a small amount of manuscript
material on the Institute for Technology
Assessment, a short-lived nonprofit organization that took up the cause of
technology assessment after
the OTA was closed in 1995. Papers, newsletters,
press releases, and conference materials
relating mainly to international technology assessment, especially technology
assessment in Western Europe are included in Series 3. Series 4 consists of a small amount of material
from the George Washington
University Program of Policy Studies in Science and Technology, where Vary Coates completed
her doctoral studies and served as Associate Director. The correspondence of Joseph Coates and Vary
Coates is found in Series 5, and Joseph and Vary Coates' writings have been placed in Series 6.
None.
Permission to publish materials from this
collection must be obtained from the Head of Archives and Special
Collections.
This collection includes almost 800 books and monographs, almost 600 of which are publications
of the Office of Technology Assessment. The OTA publications include
monographs, background papers, summaries, special reports and many other publications, on numerous
topics in science and technology. Publications such as annual reports of the OTA itself are
also included. Books on American and international technology
assessment published by others, such as the National Science Foundation, also form part of
this collection, as well as print copies of most of the U.S.
congressional hearings on the
Office of Technology Assessment that took place during the last half of the twentieth
century. These 800 titles are being cataloged and added to the Georgia Tech library's
collection, as part of the archival holdings.
Institute for Technology Assessment.
Program
of Policy Studies in Science and Technology.
Technology and state--United States.
Technology assessment--United States.
Technology assessment.
United States. Congress. Office of
Technology Assessment.
Please cite [Folder Title, Series Title] Joseph F. and Vary T. Coates Papers
(MS175),
Archives, Library and Information Center, Georgia Institute of Technology.
Obtained by gift, 2004 (accession #2004.085).
Christine de Catanzaro processed these papers in October 2005.
June 2006: This finding aid has been updated to comply with Describing
Archives: A Content Standard.
Cataloging of the print publications is in process at the time of processing (October
2005). Titles will continue to be added to the library's catalog as cataloging is completed.
A print copy of this finding aid is available in the Georgia Tech Archives reading
room.
Bimber, Bruce A. The Politics of Expertise in Congress:
The Rise and Fall of the Office of Technology Assessment. Albany, NY: State University
of New York Press, 1996.
Ferwerda, Vernon L. The Office of Technology
Assessment: Congress Creates an Institution for Social Impact Evaluation.
Troy, NY: Center for Technology Assessment--Rensselaer Polytechnic
Institute, 1976.
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SERIES 1:
Office of Technology Assessment,
1972-1995;
undated.
1.6 linear feet
(4 document cases)
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Scope and Content
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SERIES 1 contains manuscript and printed materials
documenting the activities of the Office of Technology Assessment (OTA) in
the United States.
In addition to the manuscript materials in Series 1, this collection includes
almost 600 of the Office of Technology
Assessment publications. Vary T. Coates served as Project Director
for several of these publications; Joseph F. Coates often contributed as either a contractor
or consultant. These titles are being catalogued as part
of the Georgia Tech library's collection.
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SERIES 1, Subseries 1:
History and Background,
1972-1993.
.4 linear feet
(1 document case)
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The first subseries of SERIES 1 provides an historical
background to the OTA through newspaper clippings and articles, through texts of the
congressional act and other
congressional statements about the Office, and through pamphlets and booklets
published by the Office. Particularly interesting is the draft copy of
"An OTA Handbook," a document written by Vary T.
Coates to provide
orientation to OTA practices and
procedures for employees.
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The folders in Subseries 1 are organized chronologically.
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Box
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Folder
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1
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1 |
The Technology Assessment Act of 1972,
December 1972
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2 |
"OTA Fact Sheets",
1976;
undated
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3 |
Report of the Chairman -
Technology Assessment Board, 94th Congress,
December 1976
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4 |
Clippings re: Office of Technology Assessment,
1968-1977;
undated
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5 |
Statements re: Office of
Technology Assessment before Subcommittee on Science,
Research and Technology,
March 1978
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6 |
Papers, articles re: Office of Technology Assessment,
1969-1978;
1995-1996
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7 |
"OTA Priorities 1979",
January 1979
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8 |
"An OTA Handbook" (draft),
June 1982
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9 |
OTA Focus newsletter,
May 1985
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10 |
Clippings,
1988-1990
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11 |
"What OTA Is, What OTA Does, and
How OTA Works",
July 1988
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12 |
OTA Assessment Activities,
May 1991
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13 |
Policy Analysis at OTA: A Staff Assessment,
May 1993
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SERIES 1, Subseries 2:
Contractors drafts,
1976-1990.
.4 linear feet
(1 document case)
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The main activity of the Office of Technology Assessment, which was to provide
Congress with information and research on
a variety of
technological and scientific issues, is reflected in its numerous publications. Most
of the results of
the research on each topic were published in full-length books, in shorter
background papers, and in pamphlet-sized
summaries. Series 1, Subseries 2 consists of a group of drafts submitted to OTA
by scientific companies and
consultants, who were hired as contractors to carry out some of the research
for these publications.
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Arranged alphabetically by title.
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Box
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Folder
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2
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1 |
Critical Connections: Communication
for the Future,
1990
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2 |
Insurance,
undated
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3 |
A Management Overview Methodology for Technology Assessment,
February 1981
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4 |
First Year Work Plan: An Integrated Technology Assessment
of Electric Utility Energy Systems,
1976
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5 |
A Process for Technology Assessment Based on Decision
Analysis,
undated
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6 |
A Summary of the Doctoral Dissertation 'A Decision
Theoretic Model of Congresional Technology Assessment',
undated
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7 |
Technology As Social Organization,
January 1981
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8 |
Technology Assessment in Asia:
Pitfalls and Potential,
January 1981
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9 |
Technology Assessment in the Private Sector: Some Findings
of Potential Use to OTA,
January 1981
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SERIES 1, Subseries 3:
Publication drafts and notes,
1975-1994.
.5 linear feet
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Series 1, Subseries
3 contains drafts of some of the Office of Technology Assessment publications.
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Arranged alphabetically by title.
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Box
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Folder
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3
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1 |
Anticipating the Impacts of Legislation
(repro master),
June 1979
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2 |
An Assessment of Community Planning for Mass Transit(summary report),
November 1975
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3 |
Biological Effects of Power Frequency Electric and Magnetic Fields (background paper),
1989
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4 |
Global Standards: Building Blocks for the Future (draft),
1992
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5 |
Information Security and Privacy in Network Environments,
1994
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Patents and the Commercialization of New Technology (draft),
March 1984
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7 |
A Program in Telecommunications, Computers and
Information Policies (draft),
September 1977
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Box
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Folder
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4
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1 |
Technology and the Quality of Life in Rural America,
Summary and Conclusions (draft),
August 1975
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2 |
Telecommunications, Computers and Information Policy
(working group workbook),
June 1977
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SERIES 1, Subseries 4:
Printed materials,
1976-1995.
.3 linear feet
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Subseries 4
includes printed materials such as news
releases, report briefs and small pamphlets issued by the Office of Technology Assessment.
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News releases, report briefs, and pamphlets are grouped together.
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3 |
Memoranda,
1984-1993
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News releases,
1976-1979
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5 |
News releases,
1981-1985;
1988
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6 |
News releases,
1990
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News releases,
1991-1992
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8 |
News releases,
1993-1994
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9 |
OTA's One Pager,
1978
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10 |
OTA Publication Brief,
1979-1981
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11 |
OTA Report Brief,
1982;
1985-1987
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12 |
OTA Report Brief,
1988-1990
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13 |
OTA Report Brief,
1991-1992
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14 |
OTA Report Brief,
1993;
1995
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15 |
OTA Update - Trading Around the Clock,
undated
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16 |
"Health Care Reform",
1993
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17 |
"Coastal Effects of Offshore Energy Systems",
December 1976
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18 |
"Proposed New Energy Technologies off the
Shores of New Jersey and Delaware",
undated
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19 |
"The Automobile: It's Driving Us to Think",
August 1978
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SERIES 2:
Institute for Technology Assessment,
1995-1998;
undated.
.2 linear feet
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Scope and Content
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SERIES 2 contains a small amount of manuscript
material on the Institute for Technology
Assessment, a short-lived nonprofit organization that took up the cause of
technology assessment after
the OTA was closed in 1995. Largely funded by grant money, the ITA operated
from early 1996 to about 1998 with Vary T.
Coates as President, and Joseph F. Coates as one of
the Directors. Documents include
unpublished papers, newspaper clippings, correspondence, and a publication list
of the organization.
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Box
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Folder
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5
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1 |
Institute for Technology Assessment,
1996-1997;
undated
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2 |
Institute for Technology Assessment,
1995-1998
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2 |
Institute for Technology Assessment,
1995-1998
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2 |
Institute for Technology Assessment,
1995-1998
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3 |
Institute for Technology Assessment: Clippings,
1995-1996
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4 |
Institute for Technology Assessment: Publication lists,
undated
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SERIES 3:
International Technology Assessment,
1973-2004;
undated.
.4 linear feet
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Scope and Content
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SERIES 3 includes papers, newsletters,
press releases, and conference materials
relating mainly to international technology assessment, especially technology
assessment in Western Europe. Both Joseph and Vary Coates maintained connections to the
international technology assessment community by publishing in foreign journals and speaking
at international conferences. Both names appear frequently in this series.
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Box
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Folder
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6
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1 |
Author and title indexes: Journal of the
International Society for Technology Assessment,
December 1975
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2 |
Consensus conference and technology assessment,
1995-1998;
undated
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3 |
EU-US Scientific Seminar program (Seville, Spain),
May 2004
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4 |
"Impact of Cable Television on Education"
(Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers),
1975
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4a |
"Parliamentary Technology Assessment in
Europe: A Comparative Perspective" (draft),
December 7, 1990
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5 |
Postnote 74, 77, 79-84 (Parliamentary
Office of Science and Technology, Britain),
1996
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6 |
Press release: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development,
1974
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7 |
Press release: Technology Assessment: A
Feminist Perspective,
undated
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8 |
Project Publication (Danish Board of
Technology),
1992-1995
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9 |
"Public Assessment of Technology" (pamphlet),
undated
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10 |
Rathenau Institute,
1995;
undated
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11 |
Social Science Technology Research and
Technology Assessment: A Bibliography (draft),
February 1983
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11a |
"State-of-the-Art Report on Technology
Assessment in the United States Government",
January 1981
undated
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12 |
"Technology Assessment in Sweden: Nine
Case Studies",
1973
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12a |
"Technology Assessment, Soviet Style",
June 1980
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13 |
"Workshop on Creating an Institutional Structure
to Provide Science and Tech Advice to the U.S. Congress",
June 14, 2001
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SERIES 4:
George Washington University Program of Policy Studies
in Science and Technology,
1969-1972;
undated.
3 linear feet
(1 folder, 1 flat file folder)
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Scope and Content
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SERIES 4 consists of a small amount of material
from the George Washington
University Program of Policy Studies in Science and Technology, where Vary Coates completed
her doctoral studies and served as Associate Director. The series mainly
contains a group of studies in the form of oversize charts, presenting analytical
frameworks and social impact studies of technology assessment, social justice,
civil aviation, and other subjects
relating to public policy.
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Drawer
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Folder
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1g
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MS175-1 |
Analytical frameworks, social impact studies,
1969-1972;
undated
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Box
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Folder
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6
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14 |
Project descriptions list (incomplete),
undated
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SERIES 5:
Correspondence--Joseph and Vary Coates,
1975-1998;
undated.
.4 linear feet
(1 document case)
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Scope and Content
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SERIES 5 is made up of the correspondence of Joseph Coates and Vary
Coates. The letters focus almost exclusively on topics relating to technology assessment. Particularly
well-documented in the correspondence of Vary Coates are the months leading up to the closing of
the Office of Technology Assessment, especially her efforts to save the office from closure. Some
folders also include articles on the OTA.
series is divided into two subseries: Subseries 1 contains the correspondence of Joseph Coates;
Subseries 2 contains that of Vary Coates.
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Arrangement
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The correspondence in each of the two subseries is arranged chronologically.
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SERIES 5, Subseries 1:
Correspondence--Joseph Coates,
1975-1991.
7 folders
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Box
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Folder
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7
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1 |
Correspondence,
1975
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2 |
Correspondence,
1976-1977
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3 |
Correspondence,
1979-1980
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4 |
Correspondence,
1983;
undated
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5 |
Correspondence,
1986
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6 |
Correspondence,
1989
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7 |
Correspondence,
1991
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SERIES 5, Subseries 2:
Correspondence--Vary Coates,
1975-1998.
9 folders
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8 |
Correspondence,
1975
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9 |
Correspondence,
1980-1990
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10 |
Correspondence,
1982
undated
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11 |
Correspondence,
December
1994-January 1995
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12 |
Correspondence,
February-May 1995
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13 |
Correspondence,
June 1995
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14 |
Correspondence,
July-August 1995
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15 |
Correspondence (includes articles on OTA),
September 1995
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16 |
Correspondence (includes article on TA),
1998
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SERIES 6:
Writings--Joseph and Vary Coates,
1974-2001;
undated.
.4 linear feet
(1 document case)
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Scope and Content
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SERIES 6 includes unpublished and published drafts, excerpts, and
prints of articles and book reviews on technology assessment by Joseph Coates and Vary Coates. (See also Series 1, Subseries 2 and 3. Both
Joseph and Vary Coates published extensively in this field. Copies of the print publications in this
collection have been catalogued and added to the Georgia Tech library's holdings.
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Arrangement
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The writings in each of the two subseries are arranged alphabetically by title.
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SERIES 6, Subseries 1:
Writings--Joseph Coates,
1975-1998.
8 folders
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Box
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Folder
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8
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1 |
Anticipating the Environmental Effects of
Technology (excerpt),
November 1975
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2 |
Articles,
1977-1979
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3 |
Book reviews, notes,
1974-1989;
undated
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4 |
Book review,
October 1978
undated
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5 |
Speeches,
February 1975
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6 |
Telecommunications and the Quality of
Life in Rural America (draft) (folder 1 of 3),
August 1975
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7 |
Telecommunications and the Quality of
Life in Rural America (draft) (folder 2 of 3),
August 1975
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8 |
Telecommunications and the Quality of
Life in Rural America (draft) (folder 3 of 3),
August 1975
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SERIES 6, Subseries 2:
Writings--Vary Coates,
1974-2001.
1 folder
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9 |
Articles,
1974-2001
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