LIS 834 Source/Servs Science & Technologylast updated: 6/2/2011
834 (813) Information Sources and Services in Science and Technology
Instructor: Suzanne BellLocation: [online]
E-mail: Phone: 585.275.9317 (w), 585.281.6437 (cell)
Office Hours: phone anytime; Fax: 585-276-3583
Google chat ();
GoToMeeting labs asindicated in schedule;
CATALOG DESCRIPTION:
A study of the reference literature of science and technology; the structure of the literature; and services of the various information sources in those fields. 3 credits.
GENERAL DESCRIPTION:
This course will explore the nature of science and technology in several ways: the literature and information sources important to these fields and how to use them, publishing issues in this area – patterns of journal pricing, Open Access, etc., and the people in the fields: SciTech librarians and their clientele, in the latter group, their similarities and differences, and how they judge achievement and recognition. Having learned about the sources and the people, we can discuss issues of how services to this community may best be achieved, especially in light of the rapid electronification-of-everything. While the course will be entirely online and students will generally work independently, synchronous “recitation” sessions will be offered regularly using GoToMeeting. In all, the course will endeavor to demystify science and technology for those without a science background, enhance the understanding of those with a science or technology undergraduate degree, and help all the students decide whether or not this is an appropriate career path.
PREREQUISITES:
Graduate standing; L&I Sci 571(P).
OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:
- List and describe the broad categories and structure of the fields of science and technology.
- Describe the processes of communication within the scientific and technical communities.
- Approach the information needs of scientists and engineers knowledgably, and choose appropriate resources to meet these needs.
- Effectively use selected information resources, print and electronic, basic to particular, in a selection of scientific and technical disciplines.
- Discuss the day to day working life of a science or technology librarian, and how this has changed over time.
- Critically evaluate and discuss current issues in the provision of information resources for academics and practitioners in the sciences and applied technical fields, and what what the future of science and technology libraries may be.
METHOD:
Lecture, including guest lecturers/Discussion/Assignments and Fieldwork; synchronous “recitation” meetings using the GoToMeeting software.
Students with special test and note-taking needs should contact the instructor as early as possible for accommodations. See policies below.
TEXTS:
Required: Science And Technology Resources: A Guide For Information Professionals And Researchers. James E. Bobick and G. Lynn Berard, ABC-CLIO, 2011.
Readings will be assigned from sources available through UWM subscriptions, publicly on the web., or in rare cases provided for you. Additional readings for those interested in learning more about specific topics are also provided.
COURSE SCHEDULE:
Week: / Topics:1 / Introductions.
Welcome; what this course will cover, and how we’ll do it, what you can expect. First look at the worlds of science and technology… and what science isn’t.
Assignments/Activities; Readings:
A/A: 1) Fill out pre-class survey; 2) Post your intro to the discussion board 3) Look at, file away for future reference: NSDL Science Literacy Maps:
Read: 1) Textbook, pp. 1-14
2) The Nature of Science:
3) The Nature of Technology:
4) Lower, Steven. Pseudoscience: What is it? How can I recognize it? [Web page].
2 / Literature of science & tech, part 1: types of publications, their producers, movement to ejournals, pricing issues.
Finding these “literatures” – general purpose, less expensive or free databases (Wilson, Google Scholar, Scitopia.org)
A/A: Settle the “subject area” groups
Read: 1) Textbook, pp. 15-31; 43; 49-51; 63-69
2) Bosch, S., K. Henderson & H. Klusendorf. Periodicals Price Survey 2011 | Under Pressure, Times Are Changing. Library Journal April 14, 2011.
3) Academic publishing: Of goats and headaches. The Economist May 26, 2011.
Optional reading for those interested:
a) Van Orsdel, Lee C. and Kathleen Born. Periodicals Price Survey 2006: Journals in the Time of Google. Library Journal April 14, 2006.
3 / Literature of science & tech, part 2: Finding the lit – high end multidisciplinary databases (Web of Science, ScienceDirect).
What are the “best journals”? How to use Journal Citation Reports.
Other publishing models: Open Access, IRs.
A/A: 1) Subject groups: use JCR to find and post the “top 10” journals in your area to the shared Google Doc.
2) Attend synchronous “lab session” to go over the Web of Science db
Read: 1) Textbook, pp. 32-40;
2) Tenopir, Carol et al. (2003) Patterns of Journal Use by Scientists through Three Evolutionary Phases. D-Lib Magazine 9(5).
3) Kaiser, Jocelyn. Free Journals Grow Amid Ongoing Debate. (20 August 2010) Science329 (5994), 896-98.
Optional readings for those interested:
a) Worlock, Kate. 2004. The pros and cons of Open Access. Nature.
b) Open-Access Publication of Medical and Scientific Research: A Public Library of Science Background Paper. 2003.
c) Horrocks, Gary. Battle of the giants: a comparison of Web of Science, Scopus & Google Scholar. ICIC 2006, TheInternational Conference on Trends for Scientific Information Professionals. October 23, 2006. [link provided in D2L]
4 / SciTech librarianship, part 1: views from the field (guest pod casts); how to quickly get a grounding in any subject using guides and database lists; 3 major trade journals: Science & Technology Libraries, Issues in Science & Technology Librarianship., Sci-Tech News
A/A: Interview a science/technology librarian.
Read: 1) Textbook 73-85 (focus on the “general purpose” resources); also read 2-3 of the Subject Bibliographies in the Appendix (choose ones that are interesting to you). Then go to UWM’s “Research & Course Guides,” and see how UWM’s LibGuide for the subject compares to the one in the textbook.
2) Science Majors Needed (ACRL Brochure from 2006):
3) Haines, Laura L. et al. (2010) Information-seeking behavior of basic science researchers: implications for library services. Journal of the Medical Library Association 98(1): 73-81.
5 / Focus on: Computer Science. Who are they? Special literatures: technical reports, conference proceedings. Databases: ACM Digital Library, Citeseer, Inspec
A/A: 1) Attend synchronous “lab session” to go over databases.
2) Database evaluation/Decision making assignment: Inspec case write up.
3) Visit shared Google Docs file, see how values have been filled in for this subj group
Read: Textbook, chapter 11; and pp. 196-8.
6 / Focus on: Engineering. Who are they? Special literature: standards. Databases: IEEE Xplore, Compendex
A/A: 1) Engineering Ref Q assignment; 2) engineering group add information to shared Google doc, lead discussion on discussion board. 3) Attend synchronous “lab session” to go over databases.
Read: 1) Textbook, chapter 10; and pp. 215-218, 252-425.
2) Pinelli, Thomas E. et al. (2010) Engineering Literatures and Their Users [ELIS Classic], Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences, 3rd ed, 1: 1, 1708-1728.
3) Wild, Peter J. (2010) A diary study of information needs and document usage in the engineering domain. Design Studies 31(1): 46-73.
Optional readings for those interested:
a) McAlpine, H. et al. (2006) An investigation into the use and content of the engineer’s logbook. Design Studies 27(4): 481-504.
b) Hertzum, Morten and Annelise Mark Pejtersen. (2000) The information-seeking practices of engineers: searching for documents as well as for people. Information Processing & Management 36: 761-778.
7 / Patent literature (important to many disiciplines); getting out and meeting a scientist or engineer in person.
A/A: 1) Interview a science or engineering faculty member. As prep, watch a Science 360 video ( on an individual scientist/research team discussing their specific work such as a “Scientist at work” or “Profiles of Sciences & Engineers” video. Most videos are under 10 minutes; fine to watch a short one.
Read: 1) Textbook, chapter 9.
2) Brown, Cecelia (2010) Physical Sciences and Mathematics Literatures and Their Users. Encyclopedia of Library and Information Sciences 3rd ed, 1: 1, 4180-4191.
Optional readings for those interested:
Science & Technology Libraries 2001, Vol. 22 Issue 1/2 is devoted to articles on patent searching.
8 / Focus on: Physics & Math. Who are they? Special literature: preprints. Databases: arXiv, Knovel
A/A: 1) Physics/Math Ref Q assignment; 2) physics/math group add information to shared Google doc, lead discussion on discussion board. 3) Attend synchronous “lab session” to go over databases.
Read: 1) Textbook, pp. 91-95, 242-247, 266-269.
2) Hadro, Josh. ArXiv seeking funds for second year of collaborative support model. Library Journal May 5, 2011. (2 pgs)
3) Jamali, Hamid R. and Daivd Nicholas. Interdisciplinarity and the information-seeking behavior of scientists. Information Processing and Management 46 (2010): 233-243.
4) Renear, Allen H. and Carole L. Palmer. Strategic reading, ontologies, and the future of scientific publishing. Science 325, 14 August 2009. pp. 828-832
9 / Focus on: Chemistry. 2 guest lecturers. Special literature: encyclopedias, handbooks. Databases: SciFinder
A/A: 1) Chemistry Ref Q assignment; 2) chemistry group add information to shared Google doc, lead discussion on discussion board. 3) Attend synchronous “lab session” to go over databases.
Read: 1) Textbook, pp. 186-191.
2) Garritano, Jeremy R. (2010) Trends in Chemical Information Literacy and Collection Development, 2000-2009. Science & Technology Libraries 29(3): 235-257.
10 / Focus on: Biology. Who are they? Special literature: taxonomies. Databases: PubMed, Biological Abstracts, BioMed Central
A/A: 1) Biology Ref Q assignment; 2) biology group add information to shared Google doc, lead discussion on discussion board. 3) Attend synchronous “lab session” to go over databases.
Read: 1) Textbook, pp. 211-214, 170-175
2) Park, Ji-Hong. (2009) Motivations for web-based scholarly publishing: do scientists recognize open availability as an advantage? Journal of Scholarly Publishing 40(4): 343-369. (Not specific to biologists; continuing the ‘open access’ thread)
11 / Focus on: Earth/Environmental Science (EES). Who are they? Databases: GeoRef. Guest database: CSA Illustrata: Natural Sciences
A/A: 1) EES Ref Q assignment; 2) EES group add information to shared Google doc, lead discussion on discussion board. 3) Attend synchronous “lab session” to go over databases.
Read: 1) Textbook, pp. 206-210, 231-234.
2) The Anthropocene: A man-made world. The EconomistMay 26, 2011.
3) Niu, Xi et al. (2010) National study of information seeking behavior of academic researchers in the United States. JASIST 61(5): 869-890.
12 / SciTech librarianship (2) – management of the SciTech library (guest lecture). Do you want to be a SciTech librarian? Competencies and recruitment issues.
A/A: Analysis of SciTech librarian job ads over time.
Read: 1) Berard, G. Lynn. The Management of SciTech Libraries: Services, Staff, Facilities, and Outsourcing. Science & Technology Libraries, 2008, Vol. 28 Issue 1/2, p 101-121.
2) Stanton, Jeffrey M. et al. Education for eScience Professionals: Job Analysis, Curriculum Guidance, andProgram Considerations. 2011. J. of EducationforLibrary and Information Science, Vol. 52,No. 2 (Spring): 79-94.
3) Mitchell, Victoria S. 2004. The Top Ten Things a new Sci/Tech Librarian Should Know: Developing Core Competencies. Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship (Winter).
Optional readings for those interested:
a) Leach, Michael R. Collection Development Competencies for Science and Technology Libraries. Science & Technology Libraries, 2008, Vol. 28 Issue 1/2, p11-22.
b) Paster, Amy et al. (2006) Assessing Reference: Using the Wisconsin-Ohio Reference Evaluation Program in an Academic Science Library. Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship (Spring).
c) Science & Technology Libraries; 2006, Vol. 27 Issue 1/2: entire issue of articles on education and recruitment.
13 / Future of SciTech libraries (guest lecture). Other matters to ponder: dubious practices in science and technology publishing; patterns of scientific communication; what’s important and why.
Read: 1) Roth, Dana (2010) The Future of Librarianship in Science and Technology Libraries,Sci-Tech News 64 (3): 6-9.
2) Butkovich, Nancy (2010) How Much Space Does a Library Need? Justifying Collections Space in an Electronic Age, Issues in Science and Technology Librarianship 62 (Summer); 8 pp.
3) Guterman, Lila. Copycat articles seem rife in science journals, a digital sleuth finds. The Chronicle of Higher Education January 24, 2008.
4) Farid, H. (2009) Seeing Is Not Believing. IEEE Spectrum, 46(8):44-48; and: (2008) Digital Image Forensics. Scientific American, 298(6):66-71.
5) Abbott, Alison, et al. Metrics: Do Metrics Matter?Nature. 465, 860-62 (2010).
Optional reading for those interested:
a) Harley, Diane, et al. (2010). Assessing the Future Landscape of Scholarly Communication: An Exploration of Faculty Values and Needs in Seven Disciplines - Executive Summary. 20 pp. UC Berkeley: Center for Studies in Higher Education. Retrieved from:
14 / Post projects
A/A: Read and comment on projects
15 / Wrap up.
ASSIGNMENTS:
Assignments are due on the specified date. Grades will be reduced for late papers (one point for each day or part thereof the assignment is late). As all work must be submitted electronically, obviously all assignments will be word-processed; Microsoft Word is preferable, saved as .doc or .docx. All assignments should include your name, title of the course, and the date. You may not resubmit work that has already been used in fulfillment of the requirement of this or any other course. Rules of academic conduct require that you not use the work of others without clearly indicating it as such. Academic misconduct may result in a lowered grade, no credit for a given assignment, or removal from the course.
It is expected students will consult and appropriately cite the research and professional literature where merited. This means citing a variety of sources. Consulting a source such as Wikipedia is fine as an initial step, but using it as the entirety of your research efforts is unacceptable and will result in a failing grade for the assignment. Grades will also be reduced for papers that include irrelevant content to “fill up space” to meet the length specifications for a paper. Please rely on a commonly used style manual for your submissions (e.g. Turabian, Chicago, APA, MLA). These are available in the Library or UWM Bookstore or may be purchased through online book vendors. If you are uncertain about how to cite electronic sources, consult one of the many electronic guides to citing electronic sources available on the net. Minimal citation content includes: author (if known), date (if given), title, URL, and date accessed.
ASSIGNMENT DESCRIPTIONS:
Reference Questions – 25 pts
There are five subject specific research exercises, worth 5 pts each:
- Reference Q, due in Week 6 (Engineering)
- ReferenceQ, due in Week 8 (Physics & Math)
- Reference Q, due in Week 9 (Chemistry)
- Reference Q, due in Week 10 (Biology)
- Reference Q, due in Week 11 (Earth/Environmental Science)
Database Evaluation/Decision Making – 5 pts
The new head of Collections sends you an email asking what you think about cancelling Inspec completely. Write a one page response for or against this proposal. Information will be posted in D2L on how to do the research to inform your response.
Interviews / Photo Essays – 15 pts
Using the interview protocols posted in D2L, you will:
- interview a science or technology librarian (7 pts)
- interview a practicing scientist or engineer, either academic faculty or in industry (8 pts)
including taking photos of the various items listed in the protocol. Post your photo essay to the appropriate discussion board.
Leading Discussion for Subject Units – 10 pts
At the beginning of the semester, we will form five groups of [n] students, depending on enrolment and topical preferences. Topic groups will lead the discussion for their assigned week’s subject, e.g. Biology, Chemistry, etc. (The first one, Computer Science, will be modeled for you by the instructor.)
Each group will be responsible for filling in values for their subject area in the on-going chart hosted in Google Docs: “top 10” journals for discipline, average journal prices for discipline, and any characteristics or idiosyncrasies of the discipline. In addition to the provided readings, each week’s group will find and assignone or two additional readings they found useful, and pose questions, comments to guide the postings on the discussion board.
Sci/Tech Library Jobs Then and Now – 10 pts
Evaluate two science librarians’ job descriptions from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. Write up a 1-2 page report on changes and continuities in job requirements. Consult past issues of College and Research Libraries or The Chronicle of Higher Education for job postings.
MajorProject – 20 pts
Choice of:
- Using a combination of ethnographic methods (such as observation, surveys, interviews, focus groups) and a review of the relevant literature, re-design a current science or technology library to be the sci/tech library of the future. Information on the methods and samples will be provided to those choosing this option.
- Create a learning module on a science or technology subject area not covered in detail in class (ex.: Astronomy, Botany, Geology, Meteorology, Zoology…), to teach us about that area. Such a module should include: the most important types of literature in that area, major reference works, key journals, subject specific databases (with appropriate exercises to demonstrate their use), and important names in the field, historical and modern. Note: a “learning module” is not a static “library guide” – this option must be created as an engaging, ideally interactive, multimedia presentation. The instructor will be happy to brainstorm ideas and provide suggestions to those choosing this option.
Assignment submissions must clearly identify the assignment and include your name.
Late assignments will be accepted ONLY under exceptional circumstances, and upon prior arrangement with instructor.
CLASS PARTICIPATION:
Class participation will be based on the thoroughness with which you access the materials available in D2L, and substantive contributions to class discussions.
EVALUATION:
Assignment / ValueReference question exercises / 25%
Database evaluation/decision / 5%
Interview/photo essays / 15%
Leading discussion for the week (group) / 10%
Analysis of library job ads / 10%
Major project / 20%
Participation (other discussion board assignments, responses, etc.) / 15%
Total: / 100%
GRADING SCALE:
96-100 / A / 74-76.99 / C90-95.99 / A- / 70-73.99 / C-
87-90.99 / B+ / 67-69.99 / D+
84-86.99 / B / 64-66.99 / D
80-83.99 / B- / 60-63.99 / D-
77-79.99 / C+ / Below 60 / F
ACADEMIC POLICIES:
Grade requirement for MLIS students:
If you are pursuing an MLIS degree, you need to earn at least a B to pass the course. See the policy at:
UWM AND SOIS ACADEMIC POLICIES
The following links contain university policies affecting all SOIS students. Many of the links below may be accessed through a PDF-document maintained by the Secretary of the University: Undergraduates may also find the Panther Planner and UndergraduateStudent Handbook useful ( For graduate students, there are additional guidelines from the Graduate School ( including those found in the Graduate Student and Faculty Handbook: