SEL Re:Source

        Science & Engineering Library
        State University of New York at Buffalo         		 August 2001
        Volume 6 Number 1

        Table of Contents

        SEL Directions New Resources at SEL
        Welcome to SEL SEL at Your Service!
        SEL Reference Services Fun Things @ Buffalo
           

        Credits

        		  

      SEL Directions Logo

      New Graduate Students Get Connected at UB!
      Judy Adams-Volpe

      The iConnect program is sponsoring two short workshops to introduce new graduate students to computing at UB, and the wide array of networked information resources available at UB via the University Libraries BISON system. New graduate students are invited to attend on Friday, August 24, in Capen 201A (near the SEL Reference desk) 9:00-10:15 -or- 10:30-11:45 AM. The sessions will be jointly presented by a CIT professional and librarian specialists in sciences, social sciences, and humanities. The session content includes the following:

      • Changing your password
      • Initializing your UB email
      • Forwarding your email to a personal account
      • BISON: the University Libraries Web site
      • Establishing your UBIT email name/password
      • BISON full-text articles, eBooks, Reserve, more
      • BISON online resources/databases in your discipline

      And, there will also be drop-in sessions on Saturday, 8/25:

      • Email get acquainted sessions – 1-hr sessions: 10:45 & 11:45 am, 1:45 & 2:45pm. 201A Capen
      • Computing help – 10 am-3 pm, Cybrary area, Undergraduate Library, Capen 1st floor
      • Open tutorial sessions – 10 am-3 pm, Cybrary area, Undergraduate Library, Capen 1st floor

      Individual computing assistance from student consultants.

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      Welcome to the Science and Engineering Library

      The Science and Engineering Library (SEL), located on the 2nd and 3rd floors of Capen Hall on the North Campus, specializes in scientific and technical information for biology, chemistry, computer science, engineering, geology, mapping, mathematics, physics, and technology.

      SEL has more than 400,000 books, proceedings, and technical reports in its collection. Reference books are adjacent to the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor. Other books, monographs, government documents, UB Masters theses and Ph.D. dissertations, and bound journals are found on the 3rd Floor.

      SEL receives over 1,200 journals. At SEL, current issues are organized alphabetically by title in the “Current Periodicals” section on the 2nd floor. Bound journals are on the 3rd floor and are arranged by Library of Congress call number.

      The Map Collection at UB, the largest in Western NY, contains over 300,000 maps, 4,000 aerial photos, and 500 atlases in Room 316 on the 3rd floor.

      Cybraries made their appearance on campus three years ago as designated areas in Lockwood Library, the Undergraduate Library, and SEL, offering students access to personal computers for library research and general computer use. The SEL Cybrary is on the 3rd floor. Group study areas and rooms, study carrels, and quiet study areas are also found on the 3rd floor.

      SEL librarians provide in-class instruction on a number of topics related to library research: how to use the UB Libraries Catalog for specific subjects; what databases are best for locating journal articles and how to effectively use them; and how to locate specific Internet and WWW resources. Library instruction takes place in a number of computer labs for hands-on demonstrations of specific databases and resources.

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      SEL Reference Services

      Reference service is provided in the Science and Engineering Library 58 hours a week, including evenings and weekends. Reference Desk schedule.

      SEL reference librarians have broad expertise in helping you find materials in both print and electronic media, by:

      • Answering to your basic questions, whether locating chemical properties of a substance or an address of a consulting firm;
      • Locating specific resources, such as journal articles and reference books;
      • Developing search strategies for locating references in BISON and other online and print databases;
      • Conducting customized searches in a variety of databases;
      • Verifying references cited in reports or papers;
      • Arranging individual or group instruction on the use of SEL, the UB Libraries Catalog, and Internet resources.

      There are two clusters of workstations in the reference area. CD-ROM workstations provide access to databases such as SciFinder Scholar, Properties of Organic Compounds and Beilstein CrossFire. The BISON workstations offer easy access to many databases using the WWW, such as Compendex, Biological Abstracts, MEDLINE, GeoRef, NTIS, and ISI’s Web of Science.

      SEL provides reference services in person, by phone, fax, or email, and welcomes any questions you have. You can contact us by using our email reference service at ASKSEL@acsu.buffalo.edu, by phone at the Reference Desk at 645-2947 ext. 233, or by fax at 645-3710. Let us know how we can help you.

      New Resources at SEL

      Ergonomics Abstracts Online
      This interdisciplinary database provides access to references plus abstracts to the international literature of ergonomics and human factors.

      Earthscape
      SEL has a subscription to Earthscape, an online earth sciences information resource developed and maintained by Columbia University

      ACS Journals Online
      SEL provides print and online access to 33 journals published by the American Chemical Society. Access is also available from the SEL e-journals page.

      Instant Message Reference
      Along with the other UB Libraries, SEL has initiated Instant Librarian as a real-time online reference service that allows people to ask questions of a librarian without visiting or calling the library. SEL’s Jill Hackenberg serves as IM Reference Coordinator this year

      Elsevier ScienceDirect
      This year the University Libraries entered a SUNY-wide agreement to bring online, full-text access to more than 750 journals via Elsevier Science’s ScienceDirect service. Click on the “Group-wide Login” icon and then select either the “Browse” or “Search” functions.

      SciFinder Scholar
      SciFinder Scholar is the enhanced, online version of Chemical Abstracts. This multidisciplinary bibliographic database provides online access to information going back to 1947 (and, hopefully, back to 1907, by year’s end). SciFinder Scholar requires special client software before it can be searched on any PC or Mac.

      IEEE Journals & Conferences Online
      Journals and selected conferences published by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers are now available for full-text, online access from the University Libraries.

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      SEL at Your Service!

      ASKSEL: ASKSEL@acsu.buffalo.edu is our electronic reference service. Email us questions you have and a subject librarian will answer them.

      Carrels: Private study carrels are on the 3rd floor; priority users are Ph.D. candidates. Contact Ruth Oberg in Room 228 to apply for your carrel. Other carrels are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

      Circulation: The Circulation Desk on the 1st floor of UGL is used also for SEL materials. Call 645-2944 x245 for information. Books, maps, theses and dissertations can be checked out for 4 weeks. SEL journals do not circulate, except to faculty and graduate students for a 2-hour period. To check out a journal, come to the SEL Reference Desk on the 2nd floor.

      Classes and Tours: SEL offers instruction or tours for classes or individuals who request it. Please let us know how we can help by contacting Jill Hackenberg.

      Cybrary: On the 1st and 3rd floors, Cybrary workstations offer access to word processing, spreadsheet, course software and email (including Mulberry). Workstations are centrally connected to high-speed lasesr printers. Users must be UB affiliated persons.

      Databases: The libraries’ Online Resources page offers access to more than 120 searchable databases on the web. Some of the most popular sci-tech ones are Compendex, Current Contents, CA Student Edition, and Web of Science.

      Document Express: Using Document Express, you can request that an item on one campus to be sent to you on the other campus through campus mail or fax. Forms are located near the SEL Reference Desk or on the Web.

      Donations: SEL gladly accepts donations of books or other materials. Contact Nancy Schiller or Ruth Oberg.

      Faculty Copier: Faculty may set up an account to use the Faculty Copier, in Room 231 (near the Reference Desk). Application forms are in 231, at the SEL Reference Desk, or see Ruth Oberg in 228.

      Group Study Rooms: Group study rooms are located on the 3rd floor and are not reserved--they are first-come, first-served.

      Interlibrary Loan: ILL forms may be filled out in person at a table next to the SEL Reference Desk , or on the Web. If you have questions about your request, contact ILL at 645-2812.

      Library Fines: The Bison Billing and Borrowing Office near the Circulation Desk, 1st floor, handles fines.

      Lost and Found: Items found in SEL and UGL go to the Circulation Desk, 1st floor. Hint: Don’t leave your personal items unattended!

      Map Room: The Map Room on the 3rd floor has U.S. and world maps, atlases, and many databases about cartography and the weather. See the Map Room Web page or contact Ernie Woodson.

      Microform Readers / Printers: Microfiche readers and a printer are located near the SEL microfiche collection, 2nd floor. One is also in the UGL Reference Area, 1st floor. The charge is 10 cents; a vendacard is required.

      Photocopying: SEL copiers are located on the 2nd and 3rd floors. A copy is 10 cents. Vendacards can be purchased for 60 cents from the vendacard machines on the 2nd floor near the elevators and the 1st floor near the copiers.

      Purchase Requests: SEL takes materials requests over email (ASKSEL@acsu.buffalo.edu) or through the web. There are also forms at the SEL Reference Desk.

      Renewals: Library items can be renewed 3 times as long as there are no Holds placed on that item. Renew using the web.

      Workstations: SEL has many workstations that offer access to BISON and CD-ROM databases. There are also workstations that offer Web access on both the 2nd and 3rd floors.

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      Fun Things @ Buffalo

      Your focus at the UB is the pursuit of knowledge through study and research. However, you should take time to explore Buffalo and its environs. Here are a few fun places to visit that carry a science theme. A more comprehensive list of Fun Things @ Buffalo is found on the SEL Web site.

      • Buffalo Audubon Society
      • Buffalo Museum of Science
      • Buffalo and Erie County Botanical Gardens
      • Butterfly Conservatory

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        Credits

        SEL Reference Staff
        SEL Hours

        SEL Re:Source Staff
        Editor: Frederick W. Stoss
        Production: Ruth V. Oberg
        Web Editor: David J. Bertuca

        SEL Re:Source is published 10 times a year and is available in electronic format at: http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/units/sel/resource.html. Printed copies of SEL Re:Source are available at SEL. A .pdf copy of the print edition of this issue is also available.

        Please note that information and links are time-sensitive. Some of the above links and announcements may be outdated by the passage of time. Since this is an online record of the monthly newsletter, SEL will not update links in the online SEL Re:Source, with very few exceptions. For more current information, visit the SEL Web site, or contact the SEL staff.

        © 2001 Science and Engineering Libraries, University Libraries, State University of New York at Buffalo.