NJIT Library Holiday Lunch Today

Most of the staff came to the holiday luncheon at the Rio Rodizio in Newark.  We had gone to this restaurant several times in the past when it was known as Seabras.  Apparently it was sold and the new owners changed the name.  Everyone enjoyed themselves as we got away from the office for a few hours.

Tomorrow is the last day before the break.  It will likely be very slow in the library.  So this will be my last journal entry of the year.  I wish all reader of this journal whether you come by for a few seconds or stay to read about my library expereinces a happy and healthy holiday season and new year.

Today's Adventures in Chat Reference

Question #1

Chat Transcript: Why were the middle colonies the most successful
Librarian 1:
09:16:41 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Note: Patron's screen name: john
Librarian 1:
09:17:45 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Librarian 'NJ INSTofTECH Bruce' has joined the session.
Librarian 1:
09:18:16 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Hi, I'm Bruce Slutsky, a librarian at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Your library and my library are part of a nationwide cooperative of libraries that staff this service. I'm reading your question now.
Librarian 1:
09:18:37 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) John, have you done any research on this already?
Patron:
09:18:47 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) no
Librarian 1:
09:19:04 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Please give me a few minutes
Librarian 1:
09:19:32 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) I need a clairification, successful in what regard?
Librarian 1:
09:19:39 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) clarification
Patron:
09:20:03 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) what does that mean
Librarian 1:
09:20:36 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) What do you mean when you say successful? Is it in colonization, economics or what?
Patron:
09:20:59 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) both
Librarian 1:
09:21:14 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Please give me a few minutes
Patron:
09:21:57 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) thanks
Librarian 1:
09:22:32 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) http://www.socialstudiesforkids.com/articles/ushistory/13colonies2.htm Is this web site at the reight level for you?
Patron:
09:23:46 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) yes
Librarian 1:
09:24:24 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Here is another site http://www.columbia.k12.mo.us/pke/phillips/colonies/middlecolonies.htm
Librarian 1:
09:25:28 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/database/article_display.cfm?HHID=684
Patron:
09:26:04 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) thanks
Librarian 1:
09:26:10 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Here is one more site http://www.radford.edu/~rvshelton/Middle.htm
Patron:
09:27:21 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) thanks that should be good for now. bye
Patron:
09:27:29 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Patron ended chat session.
Librarian 1:
09:28:21 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Note: Set Resolution: Answered

Question #2

Patron:
09:50:02 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Chat Transcript: Some examples of art that are either for or against the government ?
Librarian 1:
09:50:02 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Note: Patron's screen name: Hanna
Librarian 1:
09:50:33 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Librarian 'NJ INSTofTECH Bruce' has joined the session.
Librarian 1:
09:50:46 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Hi, I'm Bruce Slutsky, a librarian at the New Jersey Institute of Technology. Your library and my library are part of a nationwide cooperative of libraries that staff this service. I'm reading your question now.
Librarian 1:
09:51:15 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Hanna - does this have to be the United States government or any government?
Patron:
09:53:17 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) any government
Librarian 1:
09:53:42 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Please give me a few minutes. I'll check Art Index
Patron:
09:54:18 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) preferable u.s. government, it would be easier to discuss
Patron:
09:54:27 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) okay !
Librarian 1:
09:56:06 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) ARe you looking for articles or web sites?
Patron:
09:58:02 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) pictures
Patron:
09:58:07 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) web sites
Librarian 1:
10:01:09 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Try this for starters http://fineartamerica.com/art/paintings/anti-government/framed+prints
Librarian 1:
10:01:39 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/211507/pablo_picassos_guernica_the_most_powerful.html?cat=7
Librarian 1:
10:02:07 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) http://www.antiwarart.co.uk/
Librarian 1:
10:03:43 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Zimbabwe-Government-Bans-Offensive-Paintings-101803193.html
Patron:
10:04:35 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) this is great !
Patron:
10:04:43 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) would you be able to find soething on our government?
Librarian 1:
10:04:53 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Here is a book http://www.amazon.co.uk/Political-Theory-Painting-Reynolds-Hazlitt/dp/0300063555/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1292857454&sr=1-4
Patron:
10:04:53 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) that way, i can further elaborate on its topic
Librarian 1:
10:07:21 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) http://fineartamerica.com/art/paintings/political+satire/all
Librarian 1:
10:08:03 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) http://www.suite101.com/content/jackson-pollocks-drip-paintings-in-context-a151464
Librarian 1:
10:08:47 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) My shift at QANDANJ is over. I hope I have been helpful to you. If you still need more assistance, please loginto the chat service again.
Librarian 1:
10:09:04 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) HAve a happy and healthy holiday seasson and new year
Patron:
10:10:33 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) thank you
Patron:
10:10:35 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) you too !
Librarian 1:
10:14:02 2010/12/20 (GMT-5) Librarian ended chat session.

Some Thoughts at the End of the Fall Semester

The semester just ended at NJIT. All of a sudden the campus is empty with just some diligent graduate students using the library. Many international students do not return to their native countries and find the intersession period a fruitful time to do their research. We even get one or two complaints that the library will be closed from December 24 – January 2.

I have now worked at the NJIT library for 37 semesters plus summers. We don’t keep reference statistics but anecdotally the number of transactions at the traditional reference desk plummeted this semester. There has been a downward trend over recent years, but the interactions at the desk were very low. Most of my “business” is from people who know me or are referred by faculty. It may mean that researchers are learning to use databases by themselves. The statistics for Scifinder Scholar show 800-1000 searchers per month, but so few ask me for assistance. My statistics for this database indicates that approximately half the searches are done using the desktop version which will cease at the end of June 2011. I keep advising people of this and encouraging them to move to the web version, but inevitably people will ask me “What happened to Scifinder” when they can’t access the client version next July.

From now until the beginning of the spring semester I will spend time catching up on some low priority projects. I will go to the VALE annual meeting on June 5th and the METRO Science Librarians SIG on January 10.

List of My Libguides

How to Find Information in Civil and Environmental Engineering

How to Find Information in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Environmental Science

Selected Information Resources in Pharmaceutical Chemistry

Selected Resources in Biomedical Engineering

Selected Information Resources in the Biological Sciences

How to Find Physical and Thermodynamic Properties of Chemical Substances

Starting to Plan for the 2011 New Jersey Chemistry Olympics

Last evening I had a meeting with Borislaw Bilash and others from NJIT and local high schools to start planning the event from May 18, 2011.  The official web site at http://sites.google.com/site/njchemistryolympics/home is still under construction, but will be revised in January 2011.  We discussed several events that will be held.  As usual I will be leading Event #7 Information Search and Molecular Model Building.  The theme this year will be Top-Selling Pharmaceuticals.  I found the list in the 2010 Healthcare Business Market Research Handbook.  The teams participating in this event will have to construct a model of one of six molecules that I selected from that list.  In the second part of the event they will have to answer questions from the Internet or a list of databases about the drug compounds.  I am sure that the event will be a rewarding experience as it has been in the past.

A Comment on Journal Pricing

I would like to make some comments based on what I have read in this article Paying by the Pound for Journals. I do feel that the new digital pricing model called “value based pricing” as practiced by American Chemical Society Publications is not fair since it applies only to corporate and governmental agencies. Pricing for academic institutions is based on historical usage, size and Carnegie classification. Certainly prices of journals are high for customers in both the profit and not for profits areas. Under the value-based pricing model, the Society charges subscribers according to how many times articles are downloaded from a particular journal.


When an article is downloaded, we assume the researcher reads the article completely. But this is not the only way that journals are being used. Many scientists and engineers use journal primarily for current awareness. They only need to peruse through journals and read only titles and abstracts to keep abreast of developments in their field. Thus, measuring journal usage only by the number of downloads is likely not accurate.


I suggest that the American Chemical Society drop “value based pricing” for government and corporate customers and develop a new pricing algorithm comparable to that used for academics and not base it on downloads.

Finally Created a Delicious Bookmark of Web Sites

My list of bookmarks on my work computer is cluttered to say the least especially since I have both work and  leisure related sites.   I don't use many of these sites, while others are likely dead.  This list of  bookmarks http://www.delicious.com/bruceslutsky will be my NJIT sites only.