On the morning of May 7, 2026, the National Central Library hosted a donation and digital licensing ceremony for Taiwan’s leading science education publications, Science Monthly and its sister publication SciTech Reports, alongside the personal manuscripts of Professor Yuan-Tsun Liu. During the event, Acting Director-General Dr. Chih-Tsung Weng and Taipei Science Publishing Foundation Chairman Dr. Yuan-Tsun Liu signed a collaborative agreement to officially add these publications and manuscripts to the library’s archives. Together, these materials chronicle half a century of popular science education in Taiwan, marking a significant milestone in the preservation of the nation's scientific literature.

Science Monthly and SciTech Reports are published by the Taipei Science Publishing Foundation and managed by the Science Monthly Society. True to its founding mission of 'popularizing science and enlightening the public,' the society stands as Taiwan’s first scientific community formed by civic intellectuals. In his address, Acting Director-General Dr. Weng expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the pioneers who have long devoted themselves to Science Monthly, thanking them for taking the time to attend and witness this major cultural milestone. He highlighted that former Director-General Dr. Wang had actively campaigned to acquire these journals and manuscripts during her term. Thanks to Chairman Liu's generous approval, both parties successfully brought this sizable donation to fruition, contributing a new cultural asset to the nation's collections.

Acting Director-General Dr. Weng noted that Science Monthly and SciTech Reports have long served as a vital bridge between academia and the public. Science Monthly was founded in January 1970 by passionate youths, mostly U.S.-based graduate students like Hsiao-Hsin Lin, I-Yen Lee, Yuan-Tsun Liu, and Liang-Chi Tsao. Later, in 1982, SciTech Reports was launched by figures including Cheng-Kung Chou and Chih-Yuan Lu, who was then President of the Science Monthly Society. Science Monthly has played a crucial role in science education, inspiring countless students. Despite the challenging environment of its early days, the team overcame financial hurdles through sheer passion and strategic operational wisdom. Earning numerous accolades since the inaugural Golden Tripod Awards in 1976, its editorial excellence and scientific contributions remain widely recognized today. Conversely, the establishment and growth of SciTech Reports were deeply tied to Taiwan's tech community, pragmatically translating the monthly publication's core values into a social practice of "civic science." By offering free copies to the science and technology sector to generate advertising revenue, SciTech Reports became a long-term financial backbone for Science Monthly, ensuring the uninterrupted run of this enduring pillar of popular science.

Acting Director-General Dr. Weng also noted that former Director-General Dr. Wang worked actively during her tenure to expand the library’s archives beyond the humanities and social sciences. By strengthening the "natural sciences" collection, she made a special effort to acquire the "manuscripts of contemporary eminent figures." The current donation to the NCL encompasses Science Monthly issues 0 through 671, SciTech Reports issues 1 through 528, and Professor Yuan-Tsun Liu’s inaugural donation of 181 manuscript materials. This collection comprises 63 manuscripts, 86 letters, and 32 miscellaneous items, such as meeting proposals and official memos. The materials cover themes ranging from university education reforms and policy recommendations to advocacy for science education, alongside editorial and content planning for Science Monthly. Also exhibited at the event was a six-page handwritten letter sent by Chairman Liu during his military service to the esteemed physicist Ta-You Wu, along with select early publications. The fervent dedication to serving the nation expressed in these letters left younger attendees deeply moved. The NCL will promptly initiate the digitization of these donated materials. The results will be integrated into the "Contemporary Eminent Figures Manuscript Collection System" and the "Periodical Literature Information Network," and will eventually be searchable at the library’s Southern Branch. This initiative will bring fifty-year-old texts and handwriting to light once again, allowing readers worldwide to go online and intimately connect with the intellectual heritage of Taiwan's scientific pioneers.

In his address, Chairman Yuan-Tsun Liu expressed that it has been the honor of his lifetime to accompany the growth of Science Monthly from its very inception to the present day. He recently chronicled this personal journey in a chapter of his book, Recollections at Eighty: Educational Aspirations and Ideals for Improving Society, published this January. He recalled how, in the 1970s, a group of scientists studying across the United States and residing in Taiwan came together. Driven by a shared "idealism" and a deep passion for science education, they overcame numerous obstacles to successfully sustain Science Monthly to this day. Its uninterrupted run is a truly remarkable feat, making it the definitive journal for Taiwan's science education and "civic science."

Chairman Liu emphasized that the people behind Science Monthly were united by their shared interests and a passion for service, contributing their efforts generation after generation. Operating as an organization that has never had a "boss," its publications serve as a true "public asset." In 2024, the Science Monthly Society received the Tsai Wan-Tsai Taiwan Contribution Award, marking a significant societal endorsement of its ongoing work. While he expressed regret that late pioneers like Hsiao-Hsin Lin, Liang-Chi Tsao, and I-Yen Lee could not be there to witness this milestone, he found comfort in the fact that the reins of management were successfully passed to the younger generation over a decade ago. This new cohort has inherited the publication's founding ideals while successfully adapting to modern society. Chairman Yuan-Tsun Liu expressed special gratitude to former Director-General Dr Wang for her earnest dedication, noting she personally visited his office at Soochow University twice to discuss the donation. Beyond his writings on science and educational policy, the donated manuscripts also feature his student yearbooks containing handwritten messages of encouragement from his former teachers. As a parting memento, he gifted all attendees a set of bookmarks printed with his manuscripts, titled "Yuan-Tsun Liu's Maxims on Establishing Oneself and Helping Others Succeed."

The donation ceremony brought together Chairman Liu's family alongside numerous veterans of Science Monthly and SciTech Reports. Notable attendees included former Taipei Science Publishing Foundation Chairman Kuang-Ting Liu, former Science Monthly Society President Chih-Yuan Lu, Taipei Science Publishing Foundation Advisor Cheng-Kung Chou, and former Science Monthly Editor-in-Chief Chih-Chieh Chang. During the event, they each delivered remarks sharing their visions for the publications' future and reminiscing about unforgettable moments from the editorial process, creating a heartwarming atmosphere. Former President Lu also shared his hope that Science Monthly will continue its steady march toward its centennial milestone.

Science Monthly and SciTech Reports document the journey of scientific knowledge flowing from the academic 'inner circle' out to the broader public since the 1970s. Concluding his remarks, Acting Director-General Dr. Weng responded to Chairman Liu's hopes by emphasizing that the library's core mission is to preserve the nation's precious historical records. Through digitization and knowledge archiving initiatives, these invaluable publications will be preserved for posterity. They will continue to guide the future development of science education in Taiwan, ensuring that the founding vision of caring for society and students—'popularizing science and enlightening the public'—will sustainably inspire generations to come.