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In the following sections, the Tracer Bullets are presented chronologically, by decade.
When they were first produced the Library of Congress Science Tracer Bullet series publications were short three to four page bibliographies on various subject areas of science. They were originally inspired by the MIT Pathfinder. The most prolific year for the Science Tracer Bullet series was 1972, their first year, when twenty guides were produced.
The first Science Tracer Bullet was on Acupuncture. According to the head of the Science Reference Section at the time this guide was compiled after journalist James Reston wrote of the relief provided by acupuncture and traditional treatments in a Chinese hospital following his appendectomy, leading to an influx of reference requests.
The Energy Crisis of the 1970s inspired the production of guides on the Energy Crisis, and the search for alternative energy sources led to guides on the topics of Wind Power, Solar Energy, Geothermal Energy, Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion(OTEC), and Tidal Power. The trend toward achieving decreased dependence on petroleum products also inspired such guides as Organic Fuels and Synthetic Fuels. Other headline science inspired guides on the debate over gene-splicing and Recombinant DNA and the existence of Black Holes.
In all, the decade saw the publication and update of over 100 guides on various aspects of hot topics in science, technology, and medicine, and special guides for parents, teachers, and students, including guides for science projects.
Twenty Science Tracer Bullets were published in 1972. Links to digital versions from HathiTrust Digital Library are provided when available.
In 1973, nineteen Science Tracer Bullets were produced. Links to digitized versions on HathiTrust Digital Library or the Internet Archive Wayback Machine are included when available.
Ten Science Tracer Bullets were produced in 1974. Links to digitized versions on HathiTrust Digital Library or the Internet Archive Wayback Machine are included when available.
In 1975, fifteen Science Tracer Bullets were produced. Links to digitized versions on HathiTrust Digital Library or the Internet Archive Wayback Machine are included when available.
In 1976, ten Science Tracer Bullets were produced. Links to digitized versions on HathiTrust Digital Library or the Internet Archive Wayback Machine are included when available.
In 1977, fourteen Science Tracer Bullets were produced. Links to digitized versions on HathiTrust Digital Library or the Internet Archive Wayback Machine are included when available.
In 1978, twelve Science Tracer Bullets were produced. Links to digitized versions on HathiTrust Digital Library or the Internet Archive Wayback Machine are included when available.
Twelve Science Tracer Bullets were produced in 1979. Links to digitized versions on HathiTrust Digital Library or the Internet Archive Wayback Machine are included when available.
Nineteen Science Tracer Bullets were produced in 1980. Links to digitized versions on HathiTrust Digital Library or the Internet Archive Wayback Machine are included when available.
