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.

Resources

The collection numbered approximately 65,000 volumes as of June 2005, including materials in Carnegie storage.

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 many years...

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).

Electronic resources and their impact on print materials

The library should have room for at least 17 years of collection growth (through 2018). Accommodation for future growth of the collection depends in part on the number of periodical titles we choose to cancel in print format. Nearly 100 print journal subscriptions have been cancelled since we moved to the new library. All of these titles are accessed through and archived in the OhioLINK Electronic Journal Center or a major scholarly society web site, e.g., American Physical Society, the American Geophysical Union and the American Chemical Society.

Primary user population

The library serves approximately 34 science faculty in astronomy, physics, chemistry, biochemistry, geology, biology, neuroscience, biopsychology. There are approximately 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.