S523: Science & Technology Information
Skills Log Requirements
Address topics related to the eleven sections of the course: Logs 1-11. Each set of problems is displayed on a separate page.
Log 1: Starting Points
Conduct a general Google search for a specific topic of interest related to a science discipline such as air pollution, nanotechnology, gestational diabetes, or Hubble space telescope. Don’t choose a person. Examine the first few links and answer the following questions
· What were your search terms/words?
· What kinds of websites appear?
· What is their authority related to this topic?
· Are they likely to be accurate and timely? Why or why not?
· What seems to be missing?
· What are the pros and cons to using search engines for specialized information in this area?
Using the Grant Wood example from the course readings as a model, conduct your own Google search of the person of your choice from any science discipline.
Share your results from each of the ten Google search categories such as Google Images and Google Maps.
Do a Wikipedia search for a wikipedia article in one of the major disciplines such as entomology, bioengineering, glaciology, aerospace engineering, immunology, or astrophysics. It’s fine if you want to be more specific.
Do some fact checking. Check a few of references (notes) and the external/further reading sources. Are these authoritative? Are they reliable sources?
List three questions that you wouldn’t be able to answer using Wikipedia.
In a few sentences, share the word you examined, the URL, three questions, and two examples of sources you checked and your conclusions.
Explore a professional association website connected with a science or technology discipline such as the American Chemical Society.
Provide the name of the association, the URL, and a few of the information sources at the website that support professionals.
List three professional LIBRARY organizations, special interest groups, journals, blogs, or social media sites that you think will be useful in exploring discipline-specific library resources such as the Medical Library Association and Science & Technology Librarianship journal.
Think beyond the traditional science and technology disciplines.
Describe an example of a topic, field, or discipline in each of the following four areas: multidisciplinary, trans-disciplinary, cross-disciplinary, and interdisciplinary. For instance, art administration is interdisciplinary combining the arts and business.
Log 2: Information Seekers
Provide the citation of an article that you read from the course readings about information behavior among a specific group within (e.g., physicians, health professionals).
Share three characteristics of this group as they relate to information seeking behavior.
Log 3: Research Guides
Choose one of the science/technology disciplines and browse the suggested LibGuides.
Share your three favorites including the name and URL.
Explore two libraries that are using Pinterest. Compare how they are using it for subject-area information.
Provide the name, URL, and brief descriptions and comparison.
Based on your readings (provide a source), share three characteristics of a particular type of science/technology scholar/professional (e.g., chemist, nurse, farmer) or obstacles they face that set them apart from other disciplines.
Log 4: Reference Sources
Visit Credo Reference, Gale Virtual Reference Library, and Oxford Reference Online through IUPUI. Which of these subscription-based reference databases do you think contains the best resources for a particular sub-discipline? State your sub-discipline of interest (e.g., agriculture, computer science, physics, medicine, health care) and your selected database. State why do you like this database is better than the other two. List a specific example source such as the title of an encyclopedia, dictionary, or handbook. Also, provide a term you searched for inside this information source and your results. What type of information seeker would use this resource (e.g., novice, expert, professional, hobbyist, student)? Why?
Select a person well-known in science and technology (e.g., computer science, biology, medicine, healthcare, physics). Go to Wikipedia, Encyclopedia Britannica, and a subject-specific bibliographic reference you find through IUPUI. Compare and contrast the results from these three sources. Which is most comprehensive? Are there discrepancies? Are references or external links provided? How does the structure of the articles compare? Are there illustrations? What are your conclusions?
Hint: Go to http://www.wikipedia.org/
Hint: Go to http://search.credoreference.com.proxy.ulib.uits.iu.edu/content/title/ebconcise
Hint: Go to the course page in the biographic sources section for subscription-based databases.
Log 5: Books and Ebooks
The IUPUI Library provides an interface for conducting an e-book search. It's also possible to browse for ebooks. Use the BROWSE E-BOOKS BY SUBJECT option and do some exploring.
Hint: Go to http://rx8kl6yf4x.search.serialssolutions.com/?L=RX8KL6YF4X&tab=BOOKS
Identify two books on on the same topic from different subscription-based ebook databases. Compare the interfaces and options for searching, downloading, and ebook reading. Be sure to share the names of the databases and titles of the books.
Go to the Books24x7 or Books@Ovid collection. Seek out a work in a very specialized area. Then, do a Wikipedia search on the same topic. How is the level of depth in the book different than what can be found in an encyclopedia? Share the book citation and your thoughts.
Go to ScienceDirect or SpringerLink E-books and select a full-text electronic book to
browse. Provide a citation for the book. How might reading an entire book be more or less useful than reading a few articles on the same topic? What's the advantage of books as information sources?
Hint: Use the IUPUI links on the course page for access.
Skim a text from AccessMedicine or AccessSurgery. Use the search tools to search within the book. Compare the experience of searching within a print and electronic book.
Hint: Use the IUPUI links on the course page for access.
Go to Overdrive and explore their nonfiction titles. You need an account at a library to download ebooks, but you can browse the half-million books for free. Choose PUBLISHER from the right navigation bar and find a publisher in your discipline of interest. Share one book you found that would be of interest to the general public rather than scholars.
Hint: Go to https://www.overdrive.com/subjects/nonfiction
Explore Strategies for Searching Library Catalogs.
• Use IUCAT or another library catalog. Apply at least three of the search strategies discussed in the mind map or in the course materials. Share your results.
Log 6: Gov’t Documents
Go to Google Patents. This is a quick and easy tool to access government patents. Explore the same patent through the US Patent Office website. Compare the interfaces and how information is presented. Search for a particular type of tool, instrument, or term.
Hint: Google Patents https://www.google.com/patents
Hint: US Patent Office Search http://patft.uspto.gov/netahtml/PTO/search-bool.html
Explore the Science.gov. Choose one of science topics from the list. Explore three of the website in this area. What types of questions could be addressed with information from this website. List the name and URL of three websites. Then, write three questions and answers that could be found using these information sources.
Hint: Go to http://science.gov
Explore the institutes within the National Institutes of Health. Choose one of the institutes that is connected to you or your family personally.
List the name of the institute, the URL, and your personal connection.
After browsing government resources, pick three government websites or other government information source you think might be particularly useful in your area of interest. Use GovInfo for ideas.
List the names and URLs of the three resources along with a one sentence reason for each.
Log 7: Periodicals & Databases
Browse Ulrich's Periodical Directory. Choose the Advanced Search and choose active journals. Then, choose a subject area or search by a discipline. Identify two scholarly publications in a discipline related to your course. Compare and contrast the information found at Ulrich's about each journal. Think about how this resource might be useful in building a list of useful journals in a particular area of study. List the two journals, your comparison, and thoughts about use of Ulrich’s.
Hint: Go to http://ulrichsweb.serialssolutions.com.proxy.ulib.uits.iu.edu/
Locate a journal in the science, technology, and mathematics, medical or health area using any database you wish. Examine the cover and first few pages as well as the last few pages. Also, look at the table of contents to see how the articles and other information are organized within the journal. What information is provided that might be useful in matching the journal with readers? What type of reader might be interested in this journal.
List the title of the journal and share your findings in a few sentences.
Go to Web of Science. This database contains 8500 high impact journals within many different collections. Click the orange DOWN ARROW button after the words Web of Science Core Collection. This will list the many different subscribed collections. Explore the Zoological Record. Search for an endangered animal such as the desert tortoise. What articles can you find? List the animal and the citation of one recent article you found.
Hint: Go to http://ulib.iupui.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=http://webofknowledge.com/ZOOREC
Explore MEDLINE from EBSCO, Ovid MEDLINE, PubMed, and also MedLinePlus. Compare and contrast both the interfaces as well as the search results. Which are easiest to use? Which provide the most full-text articles? Select an area of healthcare and explore the resources. Write a short paragraph about your findings.
Hint: Go to http://ulib.iupui.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.asp?profile=web&defaultdb=cmedm
Hint: Go to http://ulib.iupui.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=https://proxy.medlib.iupui.edu/login?url=http://ovidsp.ovid.com/autologin.html
Hint: Go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
Log 8: Bibliographies
Browse some research journals in your discipline. It's fine to use online databases. Examine the bibliographies at the end of the articles. Look for their publication guidelines at the front or back of the journal. Do they provide citation style guidelines with the article submission information? If not, search for the journal's website and see if the submission guidelines are detailed at the website. List three journals and the citation style required.
Try some backward citation chasing. Choose a citation from an article in any area of science or technology. Use Citation Linker to locate an article cited in the article. Provide the original citation and the citation for the backward citation. Apply the citation style from the original article.
Hint: Go to http://ulib.iupui.edu/findit/linker
Do a little citation analysis. Select an article in your discipline area. Check the citations against the resources you have available in your physical and digital library or the IUPUI library.
Provide the citation of the article and report how many of the books, journal articles, etc. are available in your library such as 8 of 12 items.
Compare Web of Science (Under MORE SETTINGS choose Science Citation Index) with Google Scholar. Use the same author or the same article for the comparison.
Hint: Go to http://ulib.iupui.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=http://webofknowledge.com/WOS
Hint: Go to http://scholar.google.com
Log 9: Grey Literature
Go to Dissertations & Theses Global from ProQuest. Be sure to click the "advanced search" and explore the options. Also try the BROWSE option. Then, browse NDLTD and SIGLE for comparison. Share a recent dissertation you find interesting.
Go to NTIS and SciTechConnect. Explore the various types of information available. How are the grey literature types available alike and different? Share three types of grey literature you found. List one document you found particularly interesting.
Hint: http://www.ntis.gov/
Hint: http://www.osti.gov/scitech/
Go to ArXiv.org and explore an area of interest. Notice how the documents are organized and accessed. Browse the recent additions. List a citation for a paper you found. Describe the type of document and why you think it's found in this grey literature repository. How do you envision users making use of this database?
Compare two subscription services that focus on technical reports including SAE Technical Papers and SPIE Digital Library. Share three situations when these types of reports would be useful. Provide examples.
Hint: Go to http://ulib.iupui.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=http://digitallibrary.sae.org/quicksearch/
Hint: Go to http://ulib.iupui.edu/cgi-bin/proxy.pl?url=http://www.spiedigitallibrary.org
Explore institutional repositories. Then, do a Google search for more such as science institutional repository or chemistry institutional repository.
Compare the types of materials that are found in these repositories. How are they alike and different? List a repository you located, the URL, and few examples of the types of information sources located in the repository.
Log 10: Archives, Libraries & Museums
Explore at least 6 of the collections listed in the course materials. Choose two. Then, compare and contrast their collections, resources, and approaches to sharing. List the names and URLs of the two collections. Share your comparison is a few sentences.
Hint: Find a list of digital collections on the course page.
Go to the National Library of Medicine and the National Agricultural Library. Compare their libraries. How do these libraries reflect the needs of their users? Share three examples.
Hint: Go to http://www.nlm.nih.gov
Hint: Go to http://www.nal.usda.gov/
Do a Google search for a museum focusing on a science and technology topic such as a medical museum or science museum and locate their website. Do they have a library or archives? Is it open to the public? Can requests be made?
List the museum, the URL, and your findings.
Log 11: Technology Resources
Download a mobile app in a discipline related to the course. If you don't own a mobile device, find a friend who does. You need to know how this works! Review the app. What do you think? How might it be useful as an information source? Who's the audience?
Share your findings.
Create a list of "go to" online tools that work for you that you feel confident sharing. List a dozen of your favorite online tools.
Explore social media tools. Select one to examine in-depth. Discuss how it might be used in a library to share information sources with a particular audience. Why do you think it would be effective for this audience?
Provide a link or a screen capture of an example.
Explore Wolfram Alpha and Wolfram MathWorld. How might these online tools be useful in addressing science and technology questions?
Hint: Go to http://www.wolframalpha.com/
Hint: Go to http://mathworld.wolfram.com/
Your job is to make the case for images, audio, or video information in a sub-discipline of your choice. Select a particular form of information such as images (i.e., maps, technical drawings, photos), audio, or video to explore.
Identify at least 4 examples. Use these examples to discuss why you think this particular format is particularly important in this sub-discipline.
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Skills Log