Vincent Scalfani earned a B.S. in chemistry and performed undergraduate research synthesizing inorganic metal clusters. He then earned a Ph.D. in polymer chemistry where he studied block copolymers. After graduating, he was undecided on his career and realized many of the skills he acquired from his chemistry training, such as literature research, critical thinking, and technical writing, could be applied to other fields besides the laboratory bench. He became interested in becoming a science librarian after noticing how integral the library was to his research as a graduate student. He now works as the Science and Engineering Librarian at the University of Alabama, where he applies his chemistry background through instruction sessions, managing a 3D printing lab,

1. From Studying Block Copolymers to
Chemical Information
A Journey of an Alternative Chemistry Career as an Academic Science Librarian
Vincent F. Scalfani
Science and Engineering Librarian
vfscalfani@ua.edu
The University of Alabama
Rodgers Library for Science and
Engineering
245th ACS National Meeting, New Orleans, LA

2. Education: Chemistry B.S. (2003–2007) 2
Chemistry B.S. 2007, State University of New York (SUNY) at Oswego
Performed undergraduate research w/ Casey Raymond.
Synthesized and modified inorganic metal clusters.
(Bu4N)2[Mo6Cl8Cl6] + excess Ag(OTf ) (Bu4N)2[Mo6Cl8(OTf )6] + 6 AgCl (s)
X (excess)
X = Cl–, RCN–, OR–,
RSO3
–, pyridine, etc.
[Mo6Cl8(X)6]2– or [Mo6Cl8(X)6]4+ + 6 OTf –
Johnston, D.H. et al. Inorg. Chem. 1992, 31, 1869.

3. Education: Chemistry Ph.D. (2007–2012) 3
2000 nm
200 nm
Chemistry Ph.D. 2012, Colorado State University
Studied polymer chemistry with Travis Bailey.
Block copolymers are hybrid macromolecules that
undergo microphase separation, order on the
nanoscale.
+
Anderson, K.S. et al. J. Appl. Sci., 2003, 89, 3757; Khandpur, A.K. et al. Macromolecules, 1995, 28, 8796.

4. Done w/ Graduate School…Now What? 4
Was very undecided on what to do after Graduate School (May 2012).

5. Top Skills Acquired From Chemistry Training 5
Chemistry/Science
Knowledge
Solid background of science and technology
Experimenting Laboratory techniques, instrumentation, data
analysis, procedures, not afraid of failure.
TechnicalWriting/
Graphics
Writing publications, dissertation, peer-review,
graphics, plotting data.
Teaching/
Communication
Taught chemistry lab classes, instrument TA,
mentored lab group members, presented research
findings.
Literature Research Knowledge of science databases and other tools.
Critical Thinking Independent learning, problem solving, alternative
hypotheses.

6. Did I need the Lab Bench to use these skills? 6
NOPE!
I enjoy the lab, but it is only a small part of my skills and what I enjoy doing:
Chemistry/Science Knowledge
Experimenting (does not have to be at lab bench!)
Technical Writing/Graphics
Teaching/Communication
Literature Research
Critical Thinking
Now I knew what skills I had. What about the actual job?

7. Career as a Librarian Was Very Attractive 7
Noticed that half or even more of my research as a graduate student was
performed using library resources.
Worked in Library as an undergraduate—enjoyed atmosphere.
Found searching for information fun in grad school—putting the pieces
together.
Changing role of libraries —Libraries are rapidly changing how they
operate, services offered, and how they serve campuses, for example:
• Dynamic spaces
• Support for mobile electronic resources
• Integration of Library services with curriculum
• Desire for Increased subject knowledge (take a look at library job ads)
• New emerging technologies
• Support for data management/ e‐science
1
2
3
4
ACRL Review Committee, C&RL News, 2010, 71, 286.; ACRL Review Committee, C&RL News, 2012, 73, 311.

8. Libraries are a Critical Component of Research 8
Research Project
Hypothesis
Research consultations,
classroom instruction, E-resources
database instruction
Literature Review/
Background
Materials/
Synthetic Schemes
Experimentation/
Lab Work
Analysis of
Data/
Observation
Writing/Publish
Data
Re-evaluate hypothesis/
additional experiments
that support or refute
support,
Reference services,
comparison to past data
Support software
Data
Storage/Sharing
Critical analysis
Helped me understand how I can fit in to the libraries.

9. With That, Accepted Current Position 9
Science and Engineering Librarian at
The University of Alabama Rodgers Library for Science and Engineering
5 libraries at UA (main, Business, Special Collections, Education, Science)
Approximately-- 4 Deans, 40 Librarians, 150 staff
At Rodgers we serve ~ 2000 patrons per day.

10. Responsibilities 10
Position Highlights: Full time, tenure track faculty
N.B. Some Librarian positions are tenure track, some not-- varies widely.
80%
Librarianship Reference, Instruction, and Outreach to
Chemistry, Chemical & Biological Engineering,
Physics, Astronomy, and Mathematics.
Research Publications, Presentations, Conference
Committees, etc.
Service UA committee work, taskforces, etc.
10%
10%

11. Transitioning from the Lab to the Library 11
Easier than you think... still view everything as an experiment. Knew going in that
this was critical or else I would not enjoy it.
???

12. How have I used my experience as a Chemist in the
Library? A few sample projects from year 1.
(And more importantly, ideas for how you can too!)

13. Project 1: Instruction Sessions 13
Example--Designing Posters, Presentations, and Figures
Many other great topics Chemists can teach out of library such as literature search
strategies, SciFinder, ChemBioDraw, peer-review, how to read a scientific paper,
organization of research paper, etc. You can get very creative.

14. Project 2: 3D Printing 14
Are we a research lab or a library?? Both!
Used my experience as a Chemist to manage a 3D Printing Lab at UA Libraries:
Open Access 3D Lab (Nov 2012)
• Two Step training process
• Introduced a scientific research
strategy. Students are free to
experiment which includes
failure and success.
• Very Successful Program—We
have trained over 150 users
from departments across
campus. 30 users have printed
objects independently.
Scalfani, V. F. and Sahib, J. Issues in Science & Technology Librarianship, 2013, accepted.

15. Project 2: 3D Printing 15
…and who ever sad you would not be doing science in the library, we are melt
processing polymers and experimenting!!

16. Project 2: 3D Printing 16
UA Student work, 3D fabricated objects in a library!

17. Project 3: E-Science/Data Management 17
Working on an e-science team to plan and help researchers with e-science related
issues.
Data management plans, file management, preservation, sharing data, metadata,
digital lab notebooks, etc.
Testing tools to help
researchers work
and share data

18. Project 4: Graduate Chemistry Research Course 18
Collaboration between UA Chemistry Department and UA Libraries to teach a new
Chemistry Research Methods course (Graduate 500 level CHEM/LIB) beginning Fall
2013.
Highlights: replacing literature seminar course, required 3 credit class for all 2nd
year chemistry graduate students, 10 page report, 20 minute seminar.
**Librarian (myself ) as primary instructor, Chemistry faculty as co-instructor.
Topics we will cover:
• Ethics, plagiarism and trust in science
• Chemistry information resources
• Literature searching techniques
• Critical analysis of literature
• Peer review
• Technical writing
• Presentations
For overview of Chemical Information Instruction in Universities, see:
Garritano, J. R. and Culp, B. F. Journal of Chemical Education, 2010, 87, 340.

19. Advice For New Graduates 19
If you are thinking about a career in Libraries:
• Outline skills and think about how they transfer. Is the lab bench required
for you?? #1 question is why do you want to be a librarian?
• Continue to think like a scientist, find ways to apply your skills.
• Read a lot of library science literature in order to better understand the
field and to determine if librarianship is for you.

20. Take Home Messages/Future Outlooks 20
• Changing role of libraries opens many opportunities.
• Libraries are a critical part of research and teaching.
• Chemistry degree is a great start for a career in librarianship. (Many
Academic librarian job ads seek “Advanced Scientific degree” and/or
Masters in Library Science.
• Librarians can work on exciting projects such as science instruction,
new technology, and data management issues.

21. Acknowledgements 21
Chemistry Advisors:
Travis S. Bailey (Ph.D., Colorado State)
Casey C. Raymond (B.S., SUNY Oswego)
Current Support:
UA Libraries Team
UA Chemistry Faculty
John Sandy
Mangala Krishnamurthy
Stephen Woski
Associate Dean Tom Wilson
Dean Louis Pitschmann