A Challenging Reference Question is A Nice Way to Start the Day

Today I arrived at my desk a little before 12 noon since I am working on the late shift today.  As a "ritual" I turn on my computer and then check my phone for messages.  It seems unusual these days that old-fashioned Alexander Graham Bell technology is used for reference.  Anyway, I recieved a question from a graduate student asking for information on the analysis of pentachlorophenol.  He said he had trouble narrowing his answer set in Scopus and Science Direct.  He was not familiar with Scifinder Scholar.  Since he only came to campus once a week, I told him I could do the search and e-mail the results.

In my e-mail I explained the steps in doing the search and that the next step was for him to evaluate the abstracts to see if the retrieved references answered his question.

I Appreciate Donations to the NJIT Library

Over the past two days I have received two donations of books to the NJIT Library. Two people from the vicinity have gone through their basements and brought to my attention a few hundred technical books. I appreciate the fact that people do not want to discard publication they have held for years. They want students and faculty to have access to them.

Most of the donations we receive are placed on shelves outside the library for students to take for their personal use. Whenever I receive a donation I examine each item and check the catalog to see if we hold it. If we don’t, I check the date of publication. We don’t input dated materials into our collection. However students usually take older textbooks for their personal use.

I thank all of those who donated books to the NJIT Library.

There is a glut of Ph D chemists

Last week I read this article in the Chemical and Engineering News:

Bethany Halford

Doctoral Dilemma Chemical and Engineering News January 31, 2011 Volume 89, Number 5 pp. 46 - 52

I consider myself a hyphenated librarian (Chemistry-Librarian).  I don't recall commented in this blog about my previous career as a chemist.  I received a masters degree in chemistry at the University of Rhode Island and worked for 3 years as a laboratory chemist before changing careers.  I never had the desire to pursue a doctorate in chemistry since I always considered myself a generalist.  All reference librarians are likely generalists.

The article states that the American Chemical Society estimates that 196 programs (including NJIT) grant doctoral degrees in chemistry.  Both George Whitesides of Harvard and John Deutch of MIT state that academic chemistry is overpopulated.

The sad thing is that so many new graduates can not get jobs commensurate with that degree.  Many become postdocs for many years or remain underemployed inside or outside chemistry.  With the numerous mergers and acquisitions in the pharmacetical industry in recent years, many excellent scientists have lost their jobs and have difficulty being re-employed.

Magazines are not dead

I certain read many popular magazines at home or on my commute.  I found an advertisement in one of them saying "We surf the Internet.  We swim in Magazines."

It contiues by saying that during the 12 year life of Google magazine readership increased 11 percent.  A new medium doesn't necessarily displace an existing one.  For example, the Ipod didn't replace CD players.

I enjoy flipping through pages of a magazine and choosing the articles that I want to read in depth.  Sometimes I am content on reading the captions or just looking at the pictures.  It is rare that someone wants to read every article of a technical journal.

I am certain that printed versions of technical journals are dieing, but magazines are here to stay.

Will An Optional Information Literacy Session Work?

About 10 years ago I offered an optional general session to the Graduate Student Association teaching the generalties of database searching.  Only 5 students came.  Here is part of an e-mail that I just received from a chemistry professor:

I ask the students to search chemical literature to come up with ideas for projects. (Students work in teams of two/team). Basically I want them to find one or more papers (mainly computational in nature) on a particular topic of interest to them. Then I will work with them to refine the project to a "do-able" level. I've already suggested that they look at JOURNNAL OF MOLECULAR STRUCTURE (THEOCHEM) for project ideas.


But browsing a journal is different than searching the lit.



The course has 20 grad students (18 MS & 2 PhD) & 5 undergrads. About 10-12 of the grad students attended your chemical lit searching seminar in our dept last Sept--but they prob'ly forgot it already. & since you didn't have internet access, it was difficult for you to explain. None of the undergrads have any idea of how to search the lit.

The professor said that she didn't have the time for me to come to her class.  I had two suggestions:

1. I could hold an optional session at 5 PM, one hour before their class begins.
2. I can invite students to make appointments with me for an individual or group session

Perhaps I am being a bit cynical, but I really wonder how many students will come. I am going to suggest option #2.