ALA08 Poster Online

The Chemistry Between Traditional Library Services & Web 2.0 Norah Xiao & Sara Tompson [email_address] [email_address]

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Serving all science and engineering information users at USC, especially graduates, researchers and faculty

910 Bloom Walk Science & Engineering Library University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA 90089-0481

USC Chemistry Department

One of biggest departments in the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences of USC

32 full-time tenure faculty, 130 full-time Ph.D. candidates, 55 post-doctoral research associates, and many senior, visiting scholars

1 Nobel Prize winner (Prof. G. Olah)

Several research centers and cross-discipline projects with other university departments

Chemistry Information

“Chemistry is a highly collaborative science” built on fundamental information

primary literature, especially journal articles covering both cutting adage and archival topics

disseminated in all kinds of ways: traditional publishing channels, internet and websites (open-access, general public), etc.

Flaxbart, D. (2001). Conversations with chemists: Information-seeking behavior of chemistry faculty in the electronic age. Science and Technology Libraries, 21 (3/4), 5-26.

Chemistry Users’ ISB

Good computer literacy in doing electronic databases search

Focus on several key databases

Highly reply on primary literature, especially journal articles

Prefer “browsing” the TOC

Background and Issues

Newly hired S&E Librarian specialized in Chemistry

MSc. in Chemistry and MISt. in Library Science with good understanding of new technologies and users’ needs

need of building up contact with USC chemistry information users

so to fully understand their needs and then direct her own work in collection development, references, instructions, etc.

Background and Issues

Chemistry information users

were not aware of e-references and e-journals the library provides

did not fully use the services the librarian provides

for graduate students, they did not receive any chemistry subject specialized library research training. It is very critical for our students to learn how to effectively conduct a literature search at the beginning of their study

Web 2.0 as Catalyst