About the Science Library
Location
Woodland and Lorain Sts. (Rte. 511)
The library is on the ground floor of the central section of the Science Center, adjacent to the Commons (the center's 2-story atrium). See the Science Center Site Plan.
A large lot for visitors is available off Woodland Street, immediately across from the Science Center. Drive through the section reserved for staff to reach the parking lot extension for visitors.
History
The Science Center Library opened in August 2001. Selected materials from the main library in Mudd were moved into the new science library along with the collections from Kettering (Class of 1904 Science Library) and Wright (Physics Reading Room). Those materials include all books with LC call numbers beginning with QB-QR. Government documents from the U.S. Geological Survey also moved to the new library.
Collection & Other Resources
The collection numbered approximately 67,000 volumes as of June 2006, including materials in Carnegie storage. Materials are primarily collected in the following areas:
Pure sciences: Astronomy, Biochemistry, Biology, Botany, Chemistry, Geology, Neuroscience, Physics, Zoology (Library of Congress classification QB-QR).
In addition, science education, history of science, philosophy of science and applied sciences such as agriculture, environmental technology, soil science, and medicine are well represented in the collection (Library of Congress classes Q, R, S, and T). Computer Science, Mathematics, and Psychology materials are in the Main Library.
Documents published by scientific agencies of the federal government are also shelved in the science library, including those issued in print by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Envrionmental Protection Agency, Fish and Wildlife Service, Forest Service, Geological Survey, National Institute for Standards and Technology, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A very substantial collection of microfiche and CD-ROMs from those same agencies is housed in the main library.
Maximum collection size - 90,000 volumes
Approximately 35,000 volumes were transferred to storage from the Kettering and Wright collections from 1981-2001. The new library has allowed us to halt the annual transfer of current materials to storage, and should accommodate the growing collection for at least 17 years. We have cancelled more than 100 print journals subscriptions and recently removed hundreds of volumes of journals that are available electronically, either from JSTOR or the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center, which allowed significant expansion of the book and government documents sections of the collection. The additional government documents and books in the applied sciences were transferred from main to the science library in July 2006. See the science library blog for more info.
Data ports & wireless computing
All of the large reading tables and individual study carrels offer electricity and teledata ports, either from the tabletop or adjacent floor boxes. Teledata outlets are also on the walls near the window seats and under small tables. Wireless networking is available throughout the library and the Science Center Commons. The library has six iBook laptops (Macintosh) for loan. (Use policy for the laptops).
Primary user population
The library serves approximately 34 faculty in the departments of biology, chemistry, geology, neuroscience and physics/astronomy. There are typically 130 seniors each year who graduate with a major in one of these natural science areas. The science library is also used by students who are not science majors, who are, of course, very welcome! The library strives to support the science curriculum, research, and teaching, as well as expansion of scientific literacy among the community at large. Speaking of Science, the science library blog, is part of that effort.
For more facility information and photos, visit the Science Center web site.