Until the early 1980's funding for the Technical Information Center (TIC) was received from various parent Headquarters' organizations through what were called Headquarters Transfer Allotments (HTAs) to the Oak Ridge Operations Office (ORO provided accounting support to TIC). In the mid-1980s TIC was able to elevate itself to a DOE Program Office status and changed its name to the Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) and began receiving its funding and staffing ceilings directly. It was also successful in establishing a separate funding line item in the Energy Supply Research and Development Appropriation where it stands today as the Technical Information Management Program (TIMP) line item. A driving force in these changes was the desire to become more directly related to the energy R&D programs of the Department with less visibility as an "overhead" function. While the change has been mostly positive and successful, the last decade has seen funding and staffing levels reduced by over 50 percent. While improvements in technology has offset some of this reduction, a reduced level of printing, publication, dissemination, and technical services has occurred. However, most of the funding for Departmental STI functions is provided through charge-backs or overhead assessments of the funding R&D programs of performing R&D contractors.
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