How to Locate Conference Proceedings  Tags: proceedings symposia conferences preprints meetings transactions papers abstracts symposium engineering association science scientific  

AIME has sponsored a number of conferences over the years.  Many have separately published conference proceedings, while others were reprinted within AIME journals or transactions.  The Institute consists of 3 main divisions which have changed names considerably over time:

In the early years these were published in the Engineering and Mining Journal, Bulletin of the AIME and/or the Transactions. 

• From 1871-1904, they were published as separate pamphlets and also in the Engineering and Mining Journal.  Some of them were also reprinted in the Transactions. 
• From 1905-1920 they were published in the Bulletin of the AIME (which later changed into Mining and Metallurgy) and some were reprinted in the Transactions. 
• From 1920-1927 they ceased being available in Mining and Metallurgy and were only available in either the Transactions or as separate pamphlets.

Transactions have gone through a number of changes over the years as follows:

1871-1918          Transactions of the American Institute of Mining Engineers (AIME)

1919-1955          Transactions of the American Institute of Mining and Metallurgical Engineers (AIME) 

From 1919-1922, there were multiple volumes per year, on specific areas: Non-ferrous; Iron and Steel; Petroleum and Gas; and Geology, Mining, Milling, and Coal.

From 1923-1928 there were no separate divisions/topics visible on the outside of volumesIn 1928, AIME issued several unnumbered volumes (each with a unique title) and none of them mentioned they were part of the Transactions series.  Later on, Transactions volumes referred to these earlier unnumbered volumes as part of the Transactions series.

Starting with v.82 in 1928, and going through v.183 in 1949 – the individual divisions were listed on the outside of each volume that contained materials from division conferences including: Petroleum Division, Institute of Metals Division, Iron and Steel Division, Coal Division, Metal Mining and Non-Ferrous Metallurgy.

From 1949-1969, these were issued annually in three consecutively numbered volumes: v.1 Mining Branch, v. 2 Institute of Metals Division, Iron and Steel Division, and Extractive Metallurgy Division, v. 3 Petroleum Branch

1956-1969          Transactions of the American Institute of Mining, Metallurgy and Petroleum Engineers (starting with v. 205)

In 1970,            Transactions of the Metallurgical Society of AIME merged with Transactions of the American Society for Metals to become Metallurgical Transactions.  Transactions of the Society of Petroleum Engineers begin appearing in the Journal of Petroleum Technology and Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal.  Transactions of the Society of Mining Engineers continued as a separate entity.

1970-1985          Transactions of the Society of Mining Engineers

1986-1989          Transactions of Society of Mining Engineers, Inc.

1990-                Transactions of Society for Mining, Metallurgy, and Exploration, Inc.

In the preface of volume 1, 1871, it states that Institute practice has been to publish conference papers as part of an Institute journal – the earliest papers were published “in the Engineering & Mining Journal and many of them have been copied into other periodicals.”  A “selection of papers” have been republished in the Transactions each year.  If you need a paper from the AIME Transactions and are unable to locate it – use Compendex to see if the paper you are interested in was reprinted in another AIME publication, OR, use one of the following:

• Cumulative index of mining publications of SME/AIME, 1936-1968. Compiled by Winifred D. White.
• General index to petroleum publications (1921-1952)
• General index to publications of the Society of Petroleum Engineers of AIME (1953-1980)
• General index to publications of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (1981-1985)

Prior to 1946, papers regarded as having less permanent value were published as Technical Publications but were not included in any Transactions volume.  Most were reprinted in a division journal.  Starting in 1946, every Technical Publication was assured publication in at least one Transactions volume.

Papers in the Iron and Steel Division section of the Transactions were reprinted from Metals Technology and papers from the Petroleum Division were reprinted from Petroleum Technology (which later changed title to Journal of Petroleum Technology).

Starting in mid-1949 and going through 1969, Mining Division volumes say that missing pagination is for papers that were published in Mining Engineering instead of the Transactions.  The other 2 division volumes do NOT say anything similar.

From 1949-1988, Metallurgical Society papers were published in the Journal of Metals.

V. 205-214 of the Transactions were published separately, as well as in the Journal of Metals, Mining Engineering, and the Journal of Petroleum Technology.

In 1969, conference papers from the Society of Petroleum Engineers began appearing in the Journal of Petroleum Technology and Society of Petroleum Engineers Journal.