Information Resources Management | Library

UW Library Resources in Support of Nanotechnology (New Program)

The following is a summary of University of Waterloo (UW) Library resources in support of the undergraduate program in Nanotechnology at UW, prepared by Anne Fullerton, Liaison Librarian for Chemical Engineering.

Library Resources

Library Holdings
The Library collection includes more than 200 recent books and conference proceedings in nanotechnology and nanoscience. Book purchase decisions are the responsibility of the Liaison Librarians for Chemistry, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Chemical Engineering in consultation with faculty, collection development policies, and the Approval Plan Subject Profile.

UW subscribes to most of the key journals in nanotechnology including - IEEE Transactions on Nanotechnology; Journal of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology; Nano Letters; Nanostructured Materials; Nanotechnology and Supramolecular Science. We have just ordered the journal Lab on a Chip and will add soon add the Virtual Journal of Nanoscale Science and Technology to our E-Journals website.

Database Resources
The Library subscribes to a number of Web based journal indexes which are essential to students working on design projects and other assignments where consulting the published literature is important. Depending upon the specific application, Biological Sciences, Chemical Abstracts (SciFinder Scholar); Engineering Index (Compendex2); Inspec and Web of Science cover the research literature while ABI/Inform covers business aspects.

Two databases cover current research, trade journals and news about nanotechnology at a level appropriate for 1st and 2nd year students. Our subscription to Applied Science and Technology Index should be upgraded to either full text or citations with abstracts. Similarly, General Science Abstracts could be upgraded to full text.

Financial Support
The current monograph budgets should be able to support this program. We will need additional funding to purchase new journals, increase the number of simultaneous users for journal indexes such as SciFinder Scholar and Compendex and to upgrade our subscriptions to Applied Science and Technology Index and General Science Abstracts as described above.

Library Services & Facilities

Physical Space
Davis Library is at capacity as a study space. The current renovation will improve the quality of the space but will not substantially increase the number of seats. We require funding for either the next phase of the renovation project or to add an addition to the Davis Library.

Information Assistance
The 3 Liaison Librarians would be pleased to develop program integrated modules to ensure students systematically learn information research skills during the program. Librarians will be available for consultation with individuals or small groups of students.

Document Delivery & Interlibrary Loan
Students can borrow nanotechnology materials from the University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier University using the TUG book and article delivery service.

For items not available in the TUG libraries, upper year students may request journal articles directly from CISTI Source using an undergraduate account or through RACER (Interlibrary Loan Service). The Library covers the costs of document delivery.

Conclusion
We are currently collecting materials in nanotechnology. We will need more funds to support journal purchases and database upgrades and to build more study space in the Davis Library.

Information Resources Management Committee
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August 4, 2005