Chemistry Division
Special Libraries
Association
Special Libraries Association
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Special Libraries Association |
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Introductions: 8:30 -8:45 am
8:45-9:30 am Keynote Speaker
David Stern,
Director of Science Libraries and Information Services
Kline Science Library, Yale University
New knowledge management systems: the implications for data
discovery, collection development, and the changing role of the librarian.
Stern Presentation
The Trisociety Symposium demonstrates the exciting collaboration possibilities available for information/knowledge managers and service providers. Here we find the development of skill sets and the creation of visions and R&D projects to design, test, and revise present and future information tools and techniques. The three key areas I will be discussing are: the enhancement of traditional tools, and the development of novel tools for federated and seamless data discovery (and manipulation); new trends in collection development (i.e. differential pricing, aggregators and package plans, and potential alternative revenue sources); and the changing role of the librarian in this new information world. I will review existing options and present questions to consider as we develop these new knowledge management systems.
9:30-10:00 am
Making the Transition from Print to Electronic Serial Collections: a new model for chemistry libraries?
Tina E. Chrzastowski,
Chemistry Librarian and Professor of Library Administration
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC)
Chrzastowski Presentation
The transition from a print-based to an electronic journal collection has taken place at a very swift pace. Within the last five years, the UIUC e-journal collection has grown from a handful of titles to over 350 in chemistry alone, hundreds more when related subjects are included. Probably more than any other discipline, chemistry journal titles have been at the focus of this transition, with publishers recently producing backfiles of important and heavily used (not to mention expensive) chemistry serials.
Like planets lining up to signal a special event, circumstances aligned at UIUC in 2001 to signal that a new-model approach to chemistry library research might be at hand. These circumstances began with a School of Chemical Sciences (SCS) faculty and student population with a strongly expressed desire for electronic journals. In addition, as a growing collection of e-journals and backfiles became available, a chemistry library remodeling plan was proposed that allowed for zero growth and a library remote storage facility was announced to be available in 2003. The climate at the University Library also favored the migration to electronic journals, with the library entering into agreements with major publishers for entire suites of titles. These factors led the SCS Chemistry Library Committee to suggest a new model for the chemistry library. They proposed the library would 1) actively acquire electronic access to journals; 2) store bound backfiles (to Volume 1) of electronically-available journals off site; and 3) keep only current year issues in print in the library, sending complete volumes to the remote storage facility (when e-journal access is available). The purpose of the model is to continue to archive print journals, storing them off-site, while making library space available to students for studying, for accessing electronic resources, and for a computerized classroom for library resource instruction.
This paper will incorporate results from the faculty survey on the new model, including comments from faculty on how they use the library (both physically and virtually). Journal use statistics (both print and online) will be included to demonstrate the migration of use from print to electronic journals at the UIUC Chemistry Library. In addition, the barriers to this model will be discussed including bandwidth, human perceptions, and, as always, money.
10:00-10:30 am
Changing Use Patterns of Print Journals in the Digital Age: Impacts of Electronic Equivalents on Print Chemistry Journal Use
K.T. L. Vaughan,
NCSU Libraries Fellow
Scholarly Communication Center and Collection Management Department
North Carolina State University
There is little data available that can help librarians and publishers solve issues surrounding print vs. online journals management, including when print journals are no longer needed in the library. This study examines the short term effects of online availability on usage of print chemistry journals. The Duke University Chemistry Library gained access to Elsevier titles via the ScienceDirect product in February 2000. With this acquisition, approximately half of all print titles available in the library were also available online. By comparing reshelving data for the print journals from 1999, 2000, and 2001, this study identifies the short term changes in journals usage that can be directly and indirectly attributed to the introduction of the ScienceDirect product. Within the first year after electronic access is introduced, usage of print Elsevier journal equivalents declined by nearly a third. Usage of non-Elsevier journals with online versions, all of which had been introduced before ScienceDirect, suffered a similar decline initially. Usage of journals with no electronic version also declined, but not as precipitously. In light of studies showing increased reading among scientists and heavy usage of electronic resources, the diminished usage of the print collection has important implications for collection management in sci-tech libraries.
10:30-11:00 am
Errata for Online Journal Articles in the Physical Sciences
Emily Poworoznek,
Engineering and Physical Sciences Librarian and Assistant Professor
University of New Hampshire
Comparison of the treatment of errata in online versions of selected high-impact physical science journals, across titles and publishers, yielded surprising variability. In addition, examination of several bibliographic databases showed that errata may be indexed, but the ease of retrieval varies. Errata, or corrections, are often published well after the original article, but can be vital to scientists using information from the original article. Historically, the National Library of Medicine has included fields for errata and retractions in the MEDLINE entries for original articles; some medical libraries use this information to advise readers of retractions or corrections in printed journals. In the physical sciences, there has been little focus on errata although reproducibility of experiments is essential, laboratory safety requires detailed attention to methods, and the publication of standard data in primary literature demands a high degree of accuracy. The rise of online journals and hypertext linkages has given publishers the opportunity to make errata and related information readily available to readers of the original article online. However, variability in the presentation and availability of errata indicate that this practice is not well-developed across the field. The development of standard practices for the linkage of errata to original articles is recommended.
11:00-11:30
The Evolving Electronic Library: Linking, Integrating, and Indexing Content
Terry Wright, PhD & Timothy Hoctor
MDL Information Systems
Electronically searchable content has dramatically increased the availability of information. But with so much information, the challenge in scientific libraries is to unify disparate sources and relate similar information so access is simplified. Using sophisticated integration and linking software services, and meta-indexed applications, related relevant information can now be retrieved with a single query.
This session will cover the evolution of electronic information with respect to the benefits of integrated content. Examples will be presented that integrate electronic versions of four major reference works in organic chemistry with other related content sources using citation, reaction, and structure indexing meta-layers.
7th Quadrennial Trisociety No-host Lunch 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
1:00-1:30 pm
Beyond Journals: Building the Digital Research Environment
Harry Boyle
Chemical Abstracts Service
A number of developments signal either the decline of the traditional scientific journal or at least a major transformation. Scientists who read the literature and help to create it are concerned with rising prices and intellectual property issues, while journal publishers engage in both competition and cooperation as they move toward an increasingly electronic delivery platform for their content. But these changes affect the larger context of producing and accessing information, since the journal has been for centuries at the center of the exchange of findings and ideas. Database producers have an interest in common with journal publishers and research scientists in delivering the information that journals have always provided but enhancing the distribution of this information through the latest electronic capabilities. Access must become as efficient as possible and incorporate search and retrieval, online full text, and the ability to link related literature. And all of this should be centered on the Web, to ensure universal participation. CAS has called this new approach to information delivery "the digital research environment," and though a final blueprint does not exist, the foundation of this revolutionary artifact is already under construction. Many organizations are building its components. Lack of a shared vision or blueprint ensures that the pieces will not fit together optimally (at first) but the work must proceed anyway. CAS and the Publications Division of the ACS, along with many other STM publishers and service providers are working together to build the digital research environment of the future. This presentation will provide examples of these efforts, as seen through the eyes of research scientists and administrators.
1:30-2:00 pm
Reaction Search Online, Science of Synthesis
Kristina Kurz, Ph. D.
Sales Manager, Electronic Products
Thieme New York
Kurz Presentation
Synthetic chemistry has become a widespread tool for scientists in almost all fields of research. Researchers design and create molecules with properties that will help them understand complex biological systems, improve our health and lifestyle and boost industries that, classically, were based on engineering and physics. The understanding and knowledge of synthetic chemistry methodology is essential for the design of the desired molecule. To meet this need for information, reaction databases with millions of examples of molecular transformations have become increasingly popular. However, the wealth of information available makes a critical evaluation of the information necessary. Science of Synthesis is a unique reference work in synthetic methodology, providing chemists with a critical review of the literature and delivering reliable experimental procedures to the desk top.
I will give a brief introduction to the basics of reaction and substructure searching and show examples using the Science of Synthesis reaction database.
2:00-2:30 pm
Intranets in the Corporate Search Environment
Randy Nielsen
CAS Product Marketing Manager
Nielson Presentation
Forecasters predict that within 4-5 years most libraries will be 100% digital. This prediction, along with the increased use of the Internet for searches by corporate end users has left information professionals looking for ways to become more valuable to their corporate end users. The corporate Intranet has emerged as a key opportunity for information professionals to stake out a leadership role as either an Intranet site administrator or as a key Intranet team member for handling content and search issues.
Technology is now available that makes setting-up sci-tech database searching on a corporate Intranet easier then has previously been available. No longer must information professionals invest significant time in learning HTML or in other extensive technical training to allow their end users to gain access to sci-tech information.
2:30-3:00 pm
Taking advantage of electronic Resources: a corporate library move to a virtual library
Marilynn Dunker & Steve Elliott
Business Information Services
The Procter & Gamble Company
Dunker and Elliott Presentation
With more and more of the information traditionally found in physical libraries becoming available electronically, Business Information Services (BIS) of The Procter & Gamble Company saw an opportunity to move to a virtual library. Components of the project include an intranet presence with the electronic resources such as journals and databases, a virtual reference desk which provides service to existing clients as well as employees that traditionally did not have library & information services, a network of experts for in-depth searches, and electronic resource training. Electronic chemistry resources have become an integral part of the services offered. Chat technology is available so reference desk workers can communicate with clients and so that a reference desk worker unfamiliar with chemistry resources to contact chemical information professionals for help with requests for chemical information."
3:00- 3:30
Managing Tradeoffs in the Electronic Age
A. Ben Wagner
Physical Sciences Librarian
Science & Engineering Library, University of Buffalo
Wagner Presentation
Electronic resources have brought many blessings to scientific libraries and their patrons. Most popular are the speed and 24x7 availability of Web resources. This paper will examine what our libraries and information services have gained and what we have lost in the rush to the web, such as content ownership and neglect of information in non-Web sources. Specific examples including a comparison of printed, command line, and SciFinder Scholar searching of Chemical Abstracts will be presented.
The responsibilities of our profession in both acquiring and promoting electronic resources while pointing out and managing their shortcomings will be discussed. Methods for the evaluation of the inevitable tradeoffs we face will be reviewed. Taking advantage of experience by the presenter in both corporate and academic libraries, it will be shown how the differences between these two settings lead to different approaches and solutions to this problem. Basic to this evaluation is a clarification within the environment of the individual library of what is truly valued.
3:30-4:00 - Follow-up, Discussions, Questions
*The Trisociety Symposium is a joint venture of the American Chemical Society Division of Chemical Information, Chemistry Division of the Special Libraries Association and the American Society for Information Science and Technology Special Interest Group on Scientific and Technical Information Systems. Its aim is to advance co-operation among the chemical information professionals of the three participating societies by holding a joint one day symposium on a topic of mutual interest every four years. This will be the seventh symposium.
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Susanne J. Redalje
Chemistry Division
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This page updated May 2002