Mr. Matthew R. (Matt) Marsteller
Physics and Math Librarian
Carnegie Mellon University
4400 Wean Hall
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
Phone (office): 412-268-7212
FAX: 412-681-1998
E-mail: matthewm@andrew.cmu.edu

Office Hours:

Tentative
Mondays 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Tuesdays 9:30 AM to 10:30 AM
also by appointment.

Scheduled Class Sessions:

A schedule is to be announced.

Special Services Statement:

Students with learning disabilities and/or special physical requirements should make their needs known to me. I will make every effort to assist you.

Textbooks:

Due to the age of monographs suitable to this course, I have to chosen to gather selected readings in lieu of a textbook. I will also direct you to supplemental texts that will either be on reserve or in Clarion's reference collection. Note that these texts will usually be found at most large sized science libraries.

The Supplemental texts:

General texts:

• Scientific and technical information sources / Ching-chih Chen.  Z7401 .C48 1987 (ref collection)
• Using science and technology information sources / Ellis Mount and Beatrice Kovacs.   Q223 .M68 1991 (main collection and ref collection)
• Reference sources in science, engineering, medicine, and agriculture / H. Robert Malinowsky.
  Z7401 .M278 1994 (ref collection)
• Information sources in science and technology / C.D. Hurt.  Z7401 .H85 1998 (ref collection)
• Scientific and technical literature: an introduction to forms of communication / Richard D. Walker and C.D. Hurt.  Q223 .W34 1990

Special audiences:

• Science books & films' best books for children, 1992-1995 / edited by Tracy Gath and Maria Sosa.   Z7401 .S362 1996 (quarto Z collection)
• Science for children. Resources for teaching elementary school science / National Science Resources Center, National Academy of Sciences, Smithsonian Institution.  Z5818.S3 R47 1996 (quarto Z collection)
• Women and science : an annotated bibliography / Marilyn Bailey Ogilvie with Kerry Lynne Meek.  Z7963.S3 O35 1996
• Science experiments & projects index / edited by Lisa Holonitch.  Z7401 .S374 1994
• Vocational and technical resources for community college libraries : selected materials, 1988-1994 / edited by Mary Ann Laun.  T65.3 .V63 1995

More focused works:

• Using the biological literature : a practical guide / Diane Schmidt and Elisabeth B. Davis, Pamela F. Jacobs.  QH303.6 .D38 2002 (ref collection)
• A guide to the zoological literature : the animal kingdom / George H. Bell and Diane B. Rhodes ; illustrated by Emily R. Rhodes.  Z7991 .B43 1994 (ref collection)
• Guide to information sources in the physical sciences by David Stern.  rZ7141.S74 2000  (ref collection)

Class Participation:

Clarion University of Pennsylvania regards student participation in class as essential to the learning process. Therefore regular classroom attendance is required. It is understood that absence does not excuse the student from course work and the responsibility to complete assignments on time. The instructor should be notified in advance of planned absences and arrangements will be made to complete missed work. The instructor is not required to give make up examinations or accept class work missed as a result of an unexcused absence.

Statement of Scholarly Responsibility:

Students are expected to follow normal practice in acknowledging the source of facts, ideas, summaries, quotations, and paraphrases used in their written work. Direct quotations must be enclosed in quotation marks and the exact source acknowledged. The use of another's words without attribution and without enclosing the words in quotation marks is plagiarism. Using facts, ideas and summaries derived from another source without indicating the source is also plagiarism. A close paraphrase may also be considered plagiarism - even if the source is named. Submitting another student's work as though it were your own is always plagiarism - even if the original paper has been paraphrased or otherwise modified. If you are in doubt as to what constitutes plagiarism, you are encouraged to consult with the instructor. Any student suspected of plagiarism will have the suspect passage pointed out to him/her and will be given an opportunity to explain why it should not be regarded as plagiarism. Depending on the severity of the infraction, penalties for plagiarism include 1) receiving a reduced grade for the assignment 2) redoing the assignment on a different topic 3) receiving a failing grade for the assignment, or 4) receiving a failing grade for the course. Students who are dissatisfied with the instructor's decision in such a case may - without prejudice - refer the matter to the attention of the department chair, the college dean, the provost and academic vice president, and/or the university Conduct Board, as described in the Student Rights and Regulations Handbook.

I. Catalog Description:

Survey of the literature and practice of librarianship in major areas of the sciences, including biology, chemistry, engineering, geology, mathematics, medicine, and physics.

II. Objectives:

As a result of this course the student will:
A. Explore the information seeking behavior of scientists, engineers, and health care professionals.

B. Understand the basics of how to build, maintain, and manage a science or engineering library collection.

C. Become knowledgeable about various types of scientific literature and information resources.

D. Learn of the prevailing developments with the information landscape of science, medicine, and engineering.

E. Discover the challenges unique to budgeting for science, medical, and engineering library collections and their impact upon scholarly communication.

F. Gain practice with collection building for a particular discipline and setting of the student's choice.

III. Required Projects:

A. Exploring the information seeking behavior of the scientist, engineer, or medical professional:

In this project, the student will use the Discussion Board function of Blackboard to keep a journal on what they discover and the difficulties that they encounter with this project. The instructor will create a Discussion Board for each student.

I have provided you with a set of links below that will discuss a number of impressive young scientists and engineers. You will find the 2002 and 2003 "Brilliant 10" from Popular Science and the "Discover 20" from Discover magazine. These people were chosen as scientists to watch for the future based upon impressive early careers.

Choose a person from the lists whose work appeals to you. Let me know the person that you choose by January 19, 2004. You will be taking a look at the information that is available on the person that you choose to study. Most of the people have an affiliation with a college or univesity. Their web site and the references that they cite in their publications will be good sources of information. The goal of this assignment is to make observations of their information seeking behavior. Please DO NOT contact the person that you are studying. Consider this a good exercise in discrete information gathering.

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0,12543,364881,00.html
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0,12543,472942,00.html
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1511/10_21/65368921/p1/article.jhtml

Use the Discussion Board to let the rest of the class know about your progress. Comment upon your classmates' work in a constructive and collegial manner via their Discussion Board. I will be monitoring for significant progress and for a hearty level of interaction with your classmates. I will try my best to focus my lectures on topics that will aid your work on this project. At a bare minimum, consider the following questions:
Where might you find a more complete description of their research?
Can you see any patterns in their literature use?
Would they serendipitously scan for ideas? Where?
Where might they systematically look for information?
Are there interdisciplinary aspects to their work?
If so, how would this complicate their information seeking behavior?
Is there a possibility that their work pulls information from subdisciplines that have historically been working somewhat in isolation from one another?

As your learning progresses, give the class your recommendations regarding where this scientist/engineer should be looking for information. Include recommendations from the variety of literature that you are learning about in this class. I would recommend that you take the week or two before the end date of this project to compile your recommendations. The end date for this project will be March 15, 2004 (Yes, I always try to incorporate the Ides of March into Spring classes).

It's important to note that this project is meant to let the student gain some confidence in their ability to obtain general knowledge about topics that are often difficult to understand and/or totally unfamiliar. It is difficult, usually impossible, for librarians to understand the breadth and depth of the disciplines that they serve. However, even persons with a subject doctorate in the sciences or engineering will often be somewhat unfamiliar with a major portion of their discipline. It is my hope that you will all consider my philosophical approach to serving as a subject specialist in the sciences, medicine or engineering. The librarian as subject specialist should work to become the ultimate source of knowledge of the literature of the disciplines that they serve. At the same time, the librarian can always work to improve their general knowledge. In this class, I hope to share with you some techniques for accomplishing both goals.

B. Targeted collection development project:

The student will choose an actual academic, public, or special library setting for this project. The basic idea of the project is to select new or recent materials for purchase based upon the needs of your chosen setting. Please feel free to contact the instructor for help in choosing a setting for your project. Once you have chosen a setting, please get the instructor's permission to proceed with the project.

Hopefully you'll be able to base your choices upon the current holdings of the library. This may not be possible (especially in a corporate setting), but it would yield a more realistic exercise. You will also want to obtain the collection development policy that is in place if at all possible. Usually a polite note via e-mail, explaining your assignment will allow you to get a copy of the policy. If you have difficulties, please contact the instructor for help in securing a copy of the policy or with choosing a similar setting at a library that will be willing to share their policy.

For whatever setting you choose, you will be generating a list of proposed purchases amounting to $2,000 in circulating materials and $500 in reference materials. In addition, at least one, but no more than two, expensive reference purchases should be proposed - assuming that most settings will provide designated funds for purchases of this nature. Brief explanations or justifications should be given for each of the purchases (usually no more than three sentences per item). A longer justification should be given for the expensive purchase. Often a very good case must be made for a purchase of this nature.

In the academic setting, consider the overall mission of the educational institution (for example: undergraduate education, some masters level or professional programs, doctoral level research, an interdisciplinary research emphasis, a teaching emphasis, etc.). The focus of the academic settingcan be on an individual academic department (expected at a midsize to large university) or a cluster of departments (expected at a small liberal arts college). For the purposes of the exercise, get as familiar as you can with your chosen setting in order to make your choices more realistic and your justifications easier.

In the special library setting, consider the mission of the parent organization (a for-profit company, a government research facility, a non-profit research organization, etc.). Use product literature, web site(s), publications, annual reports, etc. to gain familiarity with the situation.

The public library setting would provide a different challenge. You will most likely not find a curriculum or research focus or product line to guide your purchases. Although some large public libraries do collect deep science collections, you will most likely be collecting for the purposes of building a popular collection. We will let the library's size drive the subject scope of your exercise.

The finished assignment, regardless of the setting, should include:

1. A brief description of the institution, company, or organization being served.
2. A more detailed description of the focus of the collection development activity.
3. A copy of the collection development policy that is in place.
4. The list(s) of proposed purchases and their justifications.
5. Recommendations that you would make for an ongoing search for additional literature purchases.

Deadlines for the project:

1. Have the setting chosen and the collection development policy in hand by March 1, 2004.
2. Have the project completed and posted in a special Discussion Board area of Blackboard by May 1, 2004.

C. Group tutorial/pathfinder project:

For this project, the class will divide into groups. I will give a list of subject areas for the groups. Each group will be tasked with the creation of a web-based tutorial or a pathfinder for a topic that falls within the subject area. A tutorial will often focus on a tool or a skill, whereas a pathfinder will use an example to highlight important tools in a library. There are plenty of examples in existence on the Internet at this point. Basic Google searches will retrieve many examples.

With that being said, many pathfinders and tutorials fall short of what I envision they should do. The pathfinder should use an intriguing example for library users to follow as you introduce them to what the library has to offer. Similarly, the tutorial should do the same (probably multiple examples for the tutorial) as you demonstrate the use of the tool or demonstrate the skill(s) you wish your user to develop.

Each group will have to come to an agreement on the following:

1. Whether or not you want to do a tutorial or a pathfinder.
2. The topic that you will use for your pathfinder or the tool/skill that you will teach in your tutorial.
3. The content of the project.

A Discussion Board will be created for the use of each group. The ideal split will be five groups of three or four students each. The instructor will use the flow of the discussion group to evaluate individual contribution toward the finished product. One of the team members will host their group's tutorial or pathfinder on their university provided web space.

The proposed subject areas for the groups are as follows:

1. Medicine/Life Sciences
2. Geology
3. Chemistry/Physics
4. Mathematics/Computer Science
5. Engineering
6. Interdisciplinary Study (a tutorial is recommended for this topic)

Each student is asked to inform the instructor about their top three choices for a subject area. The instructor will then determine the makeup of the teams.

Deadlines for this project:

1. Inform the instructor of your top three choices for a subject area by February 14, 2004.
2. Teams will be announced by the instructor no later than March 1, 2004.
3. A draft of the project should be ready to show to the instructor by March 31, 2004.
4. Links to the completed project should be sent to the instructor by April 30, 2004.

IV. Course Calendar:

Each week, with the exception of Winter Holiday and Spring Break (as noted below), students are expected to read the lecture that will be provided via Blackboard. Lectures will discussed further in a series of Virtual Classroom meetings. The class and the instructor will need to find a time to meet in the Virtual Classroom six times throughout the semester. Students are expected to attend one of the two available times for each of the six Virtual Classroom meetings. Students must attend four of the six Virtual Classroom meetings in order to avoid a penalty in their class participation score. For any missed Virtual Classroom meeting, the student should read the discussion in the Virtual Classroom Archives.

While in the Virtual Classroom, students are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner, and to participate actively in discussions regarding the required reading and exercises by asking and/or answering questions. Students should adhere to the schedule for readings identified in the course calendar in order to enhance the Virtual Classroom meetings.

Many of the weeks will have short assignments that the student should complete by the indicated assignment due date.

A. Week of 1/12/2004:
Introductions; Review of Course Syllabus; Guidance for Required Project A.

Readings: Note, these are the readings that will allow you to begin Required Project A. The links (identical to those listed above for Required Project A) will lead to collections of biographical sketches of the scientists and engineers, one of which will be the subject of your project.

http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0,12543,364881,00.html
http://www.popsci.com/popsci/science/article/0,12543,472942,00.html
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1511/10_21/65368921/p1/article.jhtml

B. Week of 1/19/2004:
Information Seeking Behavior of Scientists, Engineers, and Health Care Professionals; The Research Information Cycle


Readings:
Hallmark, Julie. "Information-Seeking Behavior of Meteorologists and Other Atmospheric Scientists: Access and Retrieval of Cited References." Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, No. 38 (Summer 2003). Accessed January 2, 2004 @ http://www.istl.org/03-summer/article1.html.

Murphy, Janet. "Information-Seeking Habits of Environmental Scientists: A Study of Interdisciplinary Scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina." Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship, No. 38 (Summer 2003). Accessed January 2, 2004 @ http://www.istl.org/03-summer/refereed.html.

Flaxbart, David. "Conversations with Chemists: Information Seeking Behavior of Chemistry Faculty in the Electronic Age." Science & Technology Libraries, Vol. 21, No. 3/4 (2001) pp 5-26. (available in the Course Documents section in Blackboard (see under "Readings")

Assignment Due: Notify the instructor of your choice of scientist or engineer for Research Project A by 1/19/2004.

C. Week of 1/26/2004:
Overview of Scientific and Technical Literature.

Readings: The instructor's lecture will cover this topic. It will be an updated version of what one will find in the second chapter of Science and engineering literature by Harold Robert Malinowsky, Littleton, CO: Libraries Unlimited, 1980 or an update to scattered information in Walker & Hurt's book (listed in the supplemental texts).

D. Week of 2/02/2004:
Reference tools for the scientist and engineer.
Readings: Exciting changes are taking place in this particular area. The instructor's lecture will cover this topic.

E. Week of 2/9/2004:
Print and Electronic Journals; The Serials Crisis; E-prints.
Readings:
Guédon, Jean-Claude. "In Oldenburg's Long Shadow: Librarians, Research Scientists, Publishers, and the Control of Scientific Publishing." Washington, DC: Association of Research Libraries, 2001. Accessed January 2, 2004 @ http://www.arl.org/arl/proceedings/138/guedon.html.

Assignment Due:
Inform the instructor of your top three choices for a subject area for Required Project C by 2/14/2004.

F. Week of 2/16/2004:
Citation Searches, Citation Counts, Journal Rankings, and All that Rot.

Readings:
History of Citation Indexing (from the ISI Web Site). http://www.isinet.com/essays/citationindexing/21.html/

Garfield, Eugene. "The Concept of Citation Indexing: A Unique and Innovative Tool for Navigating the Research Literature" (from the ISI Web Site). http://www.isinet.com/essays/citationindexing/1.html/

Garfield, Eugene. "The Impact Factor" (from the ISI Web Site). http://www.isinet.com/essays/journalcitationreports/7.html/

G. Week of 2/23/2004:
Databases, Indexes, and Internet Resources.
Readings: Forthcoming

H. Week of 3/01/2004:
The Special Challenges of Biological and Geological Literature.

Readings:

Joseph, Lura E. "Geology Librarianship: Current Trends and Challenges." Science & Technology Libraries, Vol. 21, No. 1/2 (2001) pp 65-85. (available in the Course Documents section in Blackboard (see under "Readings")

Assignment Due:

Setting chosen and collection development policy obtained for Research Project B by 3/1/2004.

I. Week of 3/08/2004:
Winter Holiday. No lecture - everyone takes a week off!

J. Week of 3/15/2004:
The Special Challenges of Chemical Literature.

Readings: Forthcoming

Assignment Due:

Research Project A is due 3/15/2004.

K. Week of 3/22/2004:
Standards and Codes.
Readings: Forthcoming
L. Week of 3/29/2004:
Lab Notebooks, Manufacturer's Literature, Trade Literature.
Readings:
The instructor's lecture will cover manufacturer's literature and trade literature.

Hentz, Margaret Bell. "How We Set Up Enterprisewide Access to Our Laboratory Notebooks." Computers in Libraries, Vol. 22, No. 4 (2002) pp 22-27. (available in the Course Documents section in Blackboard (see under "Readings")

Assignment Due:

A draft of Required Project C should be ready to show to the instructor by March 31, 2004 (this is the group project).

M. Week of 4/05/2004:
Spring Break. No lecture - everyone takes a week off!

N. Week of 4/12/2004:
Government Documents.

Readings: The instructor's lecture will cover this topic.

Assignments Due:
O. Week of 4/19/2004:
Patents; Grey Literature.
Readings:
Hopkins, Donna K. "The Seven Steps: Basic Novelty Patent Searching." Science & Technology Libraries, Vol. 22, No. 1/2 (2001) pp 23-38. (available in the Course Documents section in Blackboard (see under "Readings")

Thompson, Larry A. "Grey Literature in Engineering." Science & Technology Libraries, Vol. 19, No. 3/4 (2001) pp 57-73. (available in the Course Documents section in Blackboard (see under "Readings")

P. Week of 4/26/2004:
Current Awareness; The Beginning Bibliographer.
Readings:
Schlembach, Mary C. "Trends in Current Awareness Services." Science & Technology Libraries, Vol. 20, No. 2/3 (2001) pp 121-132. (available in the Course Documents section in Blackboard (see under "Readings")

Assignment Due:
Research Project C due to be posted by 4/30/2004.

Research Project B due to be completed and posted by 5/01/2004.

Q. Week of 5/03/2004:
Final Exam.

Please take the final exam located in the Assignments section of Blackboard. Please note that the exam will only be made available from May 3, 2004 through May 7, 2004. Please take the exam at any time during that period. Inform the instructor immediately if you have any trouble with access to the exam or if you will be unable to take the exam during this time frame for any reason.

V. Grading:

Information seeking behavior project - 15%

Targeted collection development project - 20%

Group tutorial/pathfinder project - 15%

Weekly assignments - 20%

Class Participation - 20%

Final Exam - 10%

Grading Scale

90 to 100%    A
80 to 89%      B
70 to 79%      C
60 to 69%      D
Below 60%    E