2009 Annual Conference, Washington, DC, June 14-17
Theme I: Scientific Information Workflow: Librarian Perspectives, Best Practices, and Models in the Digital Era
Shared with the Physics-Astronomy-Mathematics; Chemistry; Engineering; Food, Agriculture & Nutrition; Science-Technology Divisions.
Sponsors: Springer, Knovel Corporation, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Nature Publishing Group and ACS Publications.
Moderators: William W. Armstrong, Irene Laursen and Christine Pikas (Chemistry); Dianna Magoni (Engineering), and Darra Balance & Mary Frances Lembo (Sci-Tech)
Coordinator: Donna Cromer, Librarian, University of New Mexico
Theme II: Innovations and Best Practices in Biomedical and Life Sciences Libraries
1. SEN Tour: A Self-Guided Video Tour for a Special Library
Mangala Krishnamurthy (mkrishna@ua.edu), John Sandy, Wayne Rau, Jim Blansett, Eloise Griffin; Rodgers Library for Science and Engineering, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL
Abstract: SEN Tour is an innovative development of the Science & Engineering Library at the University of Alabama. SEN Tour aims to introduce students to the library using video, digital images, and audio. Students tour the library using a Sony Video MP3 media player, loaded with carefully scripted programming for seventeen (17) stops, each stop describing a specific service or collection.
2. Information Portals for Physics Students; Exploring & Learning
Michael Fosmire, Purdue University; Debra Kolah (dkolah@rice.edu), Rice University
Abstract: An important component of lifelong learning is keeping up with one’s field. The content a student learns in pursuing a degree has a shelf life of only a few years. Thus, institutions of higher learning understand that students need to ‘learn how to learn’, and in particular they need to determine for themselves what it is they need to learn.
Developing good reading habits is an important component of this, and to that end, librarians at Rice University and Purdue University developed an Information Portal exercise for students to create a one-stop shop for the latest information needed for their research. Using freely accessible resources such as PageFlakes and NetVibes, students created web pages that piped the latest information from journals, news outlets, podcasts, seminal static links, and even video clips, to a central web page for easy digestion. Students learned good information search, retrieval, and organization skills through the creation of effective portals, learning as part of a discovery process. This poster demonstrates the assignments used in courses at Rice and Purdue, sample results, and an assessment of student reaction to this new way for them to manage their information.
3. Using Web of Science to Study STEM Faculty Publishing and Citation Patterns
Luti Salisbury (lsalisbu@uark.edu), Librarian/University Professor, University of Arkansas Libraries, University of Arkansas
Abstract: This poster provides information on a research project undertaken at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville to study the faculty publications for the entire campus with an emphasis on the STEM (agriculture, science, engineering and mathematics) disciplines at the macro level for a three year period. The overall objective of the study was to provide at least some evidence-based data for journal use that will assist with collection decisions at the university level. We used the Web of Science database (Science Citation Index, Social Science Citation Index and Arts and Humanities Citation Index) to identify the journals in which faculty published and identified the characteristics of journals that the faculty cite in their publications. The results were used to identify to what extent our collections are satisfying the needs of our researchers and to determine the percentage of journals published by Elsevier, Wiley and IEEE journals in which the faculty publish and cite.
4. More Information, Less Time: Streamlining Information Research by Effectively Using “Free” Services from E-Resources
Norah Xiao (nxiao@usc.edu), Science and Engineering Librarian, University of Southern California Libraries
Abstract: In our current digital information age, it is challenging to find exactly what we want in the rapidly expanding information resources environment. It seems that users never have enough time to search and find information, so they either begin with or return to Google without fully benefiting from our expensive e-resources. Yet many e-resources have been providing “free” services with the help of Web 2.0 in order to improve e-information workflows. Will these services help our users in their e-information workflows? Will users willingly try information management services to help keep their research topics current? Will they truly benefit from these services?
This poster will give you some practical examples of how a S&E librarian helps users adopt innovative tools (and services) from e-resources to employ in information workflows, including teaching users to find information with keyword tags in Engineering Villages 2, setting up two kinds of customized search alerts (citation alerts, and journal alerts) in Web of Knowledge to keep current (and similar services from other e-resources), encouraging researchers to use ResearcherID from Web of Knowledge to improve research collaboration opportunities as well as research visibility (e.g. http://cqist.usc.edu/publications/), and helping users with various bibliographic management tools (EndNote, Zotero, RefWorks, BibTex). As a result, users are able to streamline their information research process which eases their information research anxiety, maximizes the value of e-resources, and also encourages further development of such “free” features for end users.
5. References to Wikipedia in Chemistry Journals
Brad Brazzeal (BBrazzeal@library.msstate.edu); Dr. Deborah Lee; University Libraries, Mississippi State University
Abstract: Much has been written about the strengths and weaknesses of Wikipedia. Whatever its advantages or disadvantages, it is clear that this resource is gaining popularity not only with students but also with the scholarly community, with a relatively small but increasing number of references to Wikipedia appearing in peer-reviewed scientific journals. This study focuses on the latter phenomenon by examining both the frequency of references to Wikipedia in articles in select peer-reviewed Chemistry journals and also the way that authors reference Wikipedia in those articles.
6. Redefining Library Partnerships: Sharing Physical and Digital Space with the Campus Community
Jeanine Scaramozzino (jscaramo@calpoly.edu), College of Science and Mathematics Librarian ; Marisa Ramirez (mramir14@calpoly.edu); Cal Poly State University
Abstract: The Cal Poly State University Librarians are engaging faculty, staff and students by transforming physical and digital library spaces to better support teaching and learning. A Science Café program, hosted in the Learning Commons Library Café, provides new informal opportunities to come together over coffee, share current faculty research, and make salient the connections that exist between the numerous and seemingly unrelated areas of study on campus: science, humanities and the social sciences.
The campus institutional repository (IR), DigitalCommons@CalPoly, is an ever-growing digital archive of faculty research and campus documents, which has facilitated new collaborations between faculty, new campus constituents and the library and has elevated the visibility of faculty research. The IR has enabled the library to become a more active advocate for open access and copyright issues, and is reframing the role of the library as publisher with increased interest in digitally publishing and archiving campus journals.
Sharing of physical and digital space provides an opportunity to provide dynamic, campus-centered programs and initiatives, bringing together technology, information, and people to create a myriad of connections. These initiatives are redefining physical and digital library spaces and catalyzing renewed interest in the library.
7. What if you build it and they don’t come? Promoting Library Services for Scientific Information Workflow
John J Meier (meier@psu.edu), Science Librarian, Physical and Mathematical Sciences Library, Penn State University Libraries
Abstract: Libraries have developed a large and diverse array of services aimed at helping faculty, students, and researchers take advantage of the modern electronic state of information. Libraries have provided custom search alerts from dozens of licensed databases, multiple citation management software solutions, blogs, and wikis, and have consulted in planning the management of data repositories. However, a reality check is needed of the assumption that “if you build it, they will come.” The overarching challenge with these services is, How do you teach, market, and promote to reach effectively as many members of a diverse user population as possible? To capture the attention of our users and bypass the “filters” they use to screen out interruptions, classic face-to-face interactions can be used. For each service mentioned above, I will provide a visual example of successful attempts to give scientific information workflow services a personal touch and tailor them to the needs of a user group to increase their appeal and utility.
8. LibGuides: Making Information More Visible and Well Used
Li Zhang (lzhang@library.msstate.edu), University Libraries, Mississippi State University
Abstract: How can we as librarians or information professionals develop good and effective ways for students, faculty, and researchers to obtain and process information? What are the new developments in information technology and services that make library resources more accessible? LibGuides is one of the powerful tools that many academic libraries use to reach out to their clients. This poster session will focus on the use of LibGuides in the science disciplines at Mississippi State University. The specialized subject guides have quickly become an important venue for helping students with research problems, collaborating with teaching faculty, announcing new library resources and services, and promoting librarian-student relationship.
9. “Then the Scientific Journals Went Digital. And My System Collapsed.”: Responding to Changing Current Awareness and Personal Information Management Needs
Meghan Lafferty (mlaffert@umn.edu), Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Librarian, Science & Engineering Library, University of Minnesota
Abstract: Over the last few years, the University of Minnesota Libraries conducted two studies of research-related habits of faculty, graduate students, and other researchers; one addressed the social sciences and humanities, and the other focused on the sciences. A major goal was to identify needs not currently being met where the libraries might be able to play a role in providing solutions. One key observation was the growing difficulty scholars and researchers have keeping up with the literature in their fields and subsequently managing that information. In response to this problem, the libraries formed an exploratory group with the goal of finding a more systematic approach to current awareness and personal information management. The group assessed existing tools, developed guiding principles for responding to this issue, and made recommendations for how the Libraries should proceed.
10. Optimizing Intellectual Workflow: Which Collaborative Platform Works for You?
Jay Bhatt, Dana Denick, Peggy Dominy (dominymf@drexel.edu), Tim Siftar; Drexel University Libraries
Abstract: Several new platforms designed to support collaboration between researchers have launched in the past year, giving rise to a need for evaluative criteria and a basis for recommendation by Drexel Librarians. The authors reviewed several collaborative platforms to compare the features offered by each. Among the platforms reviewed were: ResearcherID, 2collab, Academia.edu, and MyNetResearch. Faculty and PhD researchers in the Drexel University community were surveyed for their intellectual workflow habits and collaborative platform preferences. The data collected from the survey was then mapped to the features of various platforms to determine the best “fit” to our researcher’s needs and habits.
11. Mathcad Enabling of Engineering e-Content on Knovel
Sasha Gurke (sgurke@knovel.com), SVP & Co-Founder, Knovel; presented by Diana Bittern (dbittern@knovel.com), Director of Product Management, Knovel.
Abstract: Knovel recently released Mathcad enabled Roark’s Formulas for Stress and Strain and (Hicks) Handbook of Civil Engineering Calculations.
The release of these titles represents a quantum leap from Knovel’s standard interactivity such as tables, to a full scale engineering solution. Desktop 3d party software (Mathcad© from Parametric Technology Corp.) has been seamlessly integrated with standard engineering content online. Mathcad is a Computer Aided Design platform with calculation, graphing, text formatting and reporting capabilities, which can be used to transcribe engineering content, e.g., calculation examples. Challenges encountered during creation of this unique product, product features, expansion plans for the offering and initial customer response are discussed by an engineer who spearheaded the effort.