PREREQUISITES:
MAS students: Completion of the MAS Core courses, plus permission of the instructor.
MLIS and Dual students: Some electives can be taken in conjunction with the MLIS Core courses; consult with the MLIS Program Chair for recommendations.
GOAL: The goal of this course is for students to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary for a librarian in a scientific setting. The course content introduces students to the scientific method, specific resources and information seeking behaviour in science and technology disciplines and explores some of the trending developments in science and technology libraries.
OBJECTIVES:
Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
- Describe the scientific method.
- Differentiate between scientific communities (e.g. physical sciences, natural sciences, engineering and technology) with respect to information needs, user behaviours and communication practices.
- Differentiate between types of science libraries, and the services and issues relevant to each.
- Characterize the scientific literature and utilize resources for collection development and evaluation.
- Select and search the most appropriate resources to respond to reference and instructional needs.
- Identify and critically evaluate the needs of science libraries today and in the future in the context of current societal issues.
CONTENT:
- A brief history of science, science libraries and librarianship.
- A practical overview of the major resources in the physical sciences, natural sciences, engineering and technology, including standards and patents
- A practical approach for reference questions in these subjects areas.
- Services and issues specific to different libraries (e.g. academic, government, industry, public libraries).
- Current trends in science and technology librarianship namely science communication, open scholarship, research data management, scholarly communication, and publishing.
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