Emerging Issues in the Electronic Environment: Challenges for Librarians and Researchers in the Sciences

Citation

Lee Eden, B. (2006), "Emerging Issues in the Electronic Environment: Challenges for Librarians and Researchers in the Sciences", Collection Building, Vol. 25 No. 3, pp. 100-100. https://doi.org/10.1108/01604950610677602

This book examines the current challenges and skill levels required from librarians working in scientific and technical libraries in the areas of information technology, advanced subject knowledge, electronic information and access, and print versus online resources.

The first two chapters of the book focus on an extensive examination and history of the information‐seeking behavior of scientists, followed by techniques that sci/tech librarians can incorporate to maximize serendipity of scientists to search and identify electronic information. The next four chapters contain up‐to‐date information on working with e‐journals, from the impact of e‐journal holdings on collection development decisions and associated issues such as economics, research use, archiving and content; to citation data on the impact and usefulness of digitization projects for retrospective journal contents; to what should be considered the primary archival resource, the print or the electronic article; and a case study in bibliometrics on various issues related to online file formats.

Two chapters follow on the data collection process and how to simplify it, geared towards sci/tech librarians themselves: how to identify needed sources using e‐mail filtering technologies and current awareness services, and organizational methods available for managing and offering up large collections of electronic articles. The book concludes with four chapters related to very specific technologies and/or services to patrons of sci/tech libraries: biology databases for the new life sciences, map and spatial data acquisitions, Webinar technology and how to incorporate this application into the reference process, and the issue of archiving and preserving digital information into the future.

There are very few resources available for those librarians working in the scientific and technical arena. It is such a specialized area, with a specialized user population, and this book attempts to provide both advice and assistance in issues related to the delivery and maintenance of electronic information for sci/tech librarians to this specialized user group. This is an excellent and well‐organized resource for these professionals.

Bradford Lee Eden

University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA