White Memorial Chemistry Library Blog
Signing up for SciFinder Web
January 8th, 2009 by Svetla
The Web version of SciFinder Scholar (SFS) is now available to UM students, faculty, and staff and can be accessed through Research Port or from the Chemistry Library Web page (select “Databases”). Please be aware that you must first create an account using your @umd.edu email address to access the web version of SciFinder Scholar. We will continue to provide alternative access to SFS through a software installed on all public computers in the Chemistry Library or on individual personal or office computers. More information on SciFinder is available at www.cas.org
SFS Content at a Glance:
- More than 15 million single- and multi-step reactions
- More than 1 billion predicted property values
- More than 2 million experimental properties
- The CAS REGISTRY database is updated daily
- Patent records are available online within 2 days of the patents’ issuance
- Sequences combined from CAS and GenBank databases, which are indexed and linked to scientific journal and patent literature
- Searching MEDLINE and Chemical Abstracts (CAPLUS) individually or at the same time
UM has a license for a limited number of simultaneous users for SFS; so, if you are denied access to it at a certain time, it means that all “seats” are being used at that time, and you would need to try to access it at another time.
Questions regarding SFS should be addressed to Svetla Baykoucheva (sbaykouc[at]umd.edu; 301-405-9080).
Posted in Chemistry resources | No Comments »
Retiring the 2006 Version of SciFinder Scholar
January 7th, 2009 by Svetla
On January 30th, 2009, CAS will discontinue access to the following versions of SciFinder®: SciFinder Scholar 2006 for Microsoft® Windows AND SciFinder Scholar 2006 for MAC OS X
Those using these versions should download SciFinder 2007 or switch to the web version of SciFinder to continue accessing SciFinder Scholar.
The new web version of SciFinder runs on a browser (no need to download and distribute desktop software) and provides more robust features and functionality beyond SciFinder’s client versions. These include powerful refine capability that allows you to “Categorize” your answer set, combine options now with multiple answer sets, refine by atom attachment, new Keep Me Posted features…and much more, including content enhancements. For instructions on how to sign up for SciFinder Web see the next posting on the Chemistry Library Blog.
You can find the installation software for 2007 SciFinder Client version at:
http://www.lib.umd.edu/itd/help/SOFTWARE/Scifinder/sfs2007.dmg
for Mac OSX users
http://www.lib.umd.edu/itd/help/SOFTWARE/Scifinder/sfs2007.exe
for windows users.
For Windows users the attached license file site.prf will still work. Be sure it is placed in the default installation folder usually c:\sfschlr.
Mac OS X users need a new site.prf —attached as siteox.prf. Be sure to rename it and place it in the folder “/Library/application support/scifinder scholar”
Alternatively, on Mac OSX the license can be added to the SciFinder Scholar package by following these instructions from CAS
http://www.cas.org/support/academic/sf/tech/schosx/sfsinstall.html
Contact for problems with installation:
Caedmon W Walters
Director - Information Technology
LFSC-Chemistry & Biochemistry
0107A Chemistry Building
University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742-2021
Phone:+1 301 405 1404
If you have any other questions regarding SciFinder or if you would like additional information on the web version, please contact Svetla Baykoucheva (sbaykouc[at]umd.edu), 301-405-9080.
Posted in Chemistry resources | No Comments »
Social Networking Sites
December 23rd, 2008 by Svetla
The American Chemical Society (ACS) has posted a list of social networking sites for chemists and other scientists.
Posted in Chemistry resources, Education, Social Networking | No Comments »
Building Your Own Library While Surfing Online: The Case of Zotero
December 19th, 2008 by Svetla
An article about Zotero was published today in the New York Times. Zotero is a free program that allows you to build a library of books and articles that you encounter while surfing online. It’s free to download and easy to install. When you visit a Web page that contains bibliographic information about books, newspaper articles, soundtracks, films, etc., it extracts that information and allows you to save it to your Zotero library.
Posted in Information retrieval & Organization | No Comments »
NatureNews: Publish in Wikipedia or perish
December 18th, 2008 by Svetla
NatureNews has announced that anyone submitting to a section of the journal RNA Biology will, in the future, be required to also submit a Wikipedia page that summarizes the work. The journal will then peer review the page before publishing it in Wikipedia.
“The novelty is that for the first time it creates a link between Wikipedia and traditional journal publishing, with its peer-review element,” says Alex Bateman, who co-heads the Rfam database. The aim, Bateman says, is to boost the quality of the scientific content on Wikipedia while using the entries to update the Sanger database.
Posted in Scientific Publishing | No Comments »
ACS Twitter Sites
December 16th, 2008 by Svetla
|
Tweet, tweet, Twitter!
Looking for short news blasts of information about chemistry, scientific research, and science policy? Check out the ACS’ newest micro blogs: www.twitter.com/ACSpressroom Using the Twitter web service, the ACS Office of Public Affairs (OPA) is offering the science community news and information on the latest science discoveries and public policy issues. Twitter is a social messaging application that allows folks to stay connected. The platform limits posts to 140 characters, making it ideal for mobile texting, instant messaging, or web browsing. To follow the latest OPA happenings, simply click on the URLs above, hit “follow,” and join. |
Posted in Chemistry resources, Social Networking | No Comments »
ACS Offers Information about Experience Opportunities in Chemistry
November 25th, 2008 by Svetla
Experience Opportunities in Chemistry
Undergraduate Research, Internships, Coops, Summer Work, and Study Abroad Opportunities for Chemistry Majors
Get ready for your career! Experiential programs are a crucial component of undergraduate education for students majoring in chemistry or related chemical sciences. Gaining real-world experience through research, an internship or a study abroad program can give you the professional edge when applying for a job or graduate school.
Listings are updated regularly, so be sure to check back often.
- Undergraduate Research
Find research opportunities and read our comprehensive guide to undergraduate research. - International Research Experiences for Undergraduates (IREU)
Develop scientific skills and experience living and working in a European country through the ACS IREU program. - Internships and Fellowships
See a listing of internships and fellowships. - Summer Jobs
Find a summer job. - Cooperative Education (Coops)
Gain practical experience while earning your degree by participating in a coop. - Study Abroad
Find study abroad programs and learn how to incorporate international study into your education.
Posted in Education | No Comments »
Printing to UM Libraries’ Printers
November 19th, 2008 by Svetla
The UM Libraries’ system allows students, faculty, and staff to send print jobs from non-library computers (e.g., laptops, department/dorm computers, etc.) to ANY “Pay-For-Print” networked printer. To use this service, you have to download appropriate software (once only) for your operating system and then send your print job to the UM Libraries’ print system. Within 4 hours, you can go to any public library print station, select your job from the queue, pay for it, and print it out. Please refer to the instructions on how to use the UM Libraries’ print system posted at http://www.lib.umd.edu/PUBSERV/printing/personal.html#initial
Posted in Library Services | No Comments »
Accessing Journals and Databases Directly from the Chemistry Library’s Web Page
November 19th, 2008 by Svetla
Patrons can access chemistry and life sciences journals and databases from the Chemistry Library Web Page (select “Journals” or “Databases”). This is a faster way than accessing them through Research Port. The journals related to these disciplines are grouped in one place, which allows users to select them from an alphabetical list.
Posted in Chemistry resources, Library Services | No Comments »
Budapest Conference on the Economics of Archiving Scientific Data
November 17th, 2008 by Svetla
The Alliance for Permanent Access has just completed its annual conference in Budapest devoted to archiving scientific data.
The Alliance’s international membership includes strategic partners from the research community, libraries, publishers, and digital preservation organizations. Participants called upon the Alliance to act as an umbrella organization to secure sustainable funding for permanent access in Europe.
A conference report, Power Point presentations, abstracts and authors’ biographies are available online at http://www.alliancepermanentaccess.eu/index.php?id=3
Posted in Scientific Publishing | No Comments »
