« April 2008 | Main | August 2008 »

May 2008

May 30, 2008

New Feature in This Issue of STM News @ USF Libraries

STM News @ USF Libraries in constantly changing and improving and welcomes any and all feedback from you! There is another new feature added this month and there are other changes in the works.  The purpose of this newsletter is to deliver the latest information from the USF Libraries directly to the desktops of the USF science population in a timely manner.  Our goal is also to provide you with direct contact to the research librarians who are most closely connected to the science disciplines that they represent. Please let us know how we are doing!

The new permanent feature premiering with this issue is linked over on the right hand column of the newsletter:   

  • Scholarly Communication - Open Access Journals - Scholarly Communication is a term that is used to describe the process that academics, scholars, and researchers use to share and publish their research findings so that their research can be made available to the wider academic research community.  The term “open access” refers to providing free, permanent online access to full-text, scholarly journal articles or other research materials. This site links to information about the issues involved in the current "crisis" in scholarly communication and a list of open access resources.

The following new features premiered in the last issue of STM News @ USF Libraries:  

  • Alerting Services - Links to all of the Sci/Tech databases that provide email alerts for new journal articles in your research area, table of contents for the journals in your field, or citation alerts to let you know when someone has cited one of your articles.
  • E-Resources @ the USF Libraries - Links to the latest information on newly-acquired electronic resources in all academic disciplines.
  • Science.gov - Links to the vast amount of scientific and technical information that is available online from United States government agencies.
  • Subject Guides for Science & Engineering - Links to Subject Guides in the Sciences and in Engineering.  These guides provide a listing of databases, e-books, print resources, and related web resources in science and engineering.

Coming Soon!  Listings of New Books by Discipline and the latest information on the USF Libraries' ARL collection initiatives.  Stay Tuned!

Updated Version of Beilstein CrossFire

Xf Beilstein CrossFire Commander 7.1, the latest online version of the Beilstein's Handbook of Organic Chemistry, is now available.  The Beilstein CrossFire database contains the world's largest compilation of chemical facts and is an essential resource that can be used to generate new leads, plan synthetic routes, determine bioactivity, physical properties, and the environmental fates of chemical compounds.  Beilstein CrossFire indexes three primary data domains: substances, reactions, and literature.

Beilstein CrossFire provides a comprehensive collection of articles about a compound, collated from different publications into one single record. The over 320 million experimental data contained in these records provides an overview of the compound's properties and the different reaction conditions, that can be exported in order to review or compare data and tables.  With this latest update, Beilstein CrossFire now contains the experimental properites and ID data for over 10 million compounds.

To download Beilstein CrossFire to your computer, you will need to click on this link: Beilstein CrossFire Installation Instructions. You will need to have a Net ID and password in order to access this MDL/Elsevier software program and if you are accessing Beilstein CrossFire from a remote location (not on the USF network, either hardwired or wireless) it will also be necessary to set up a USF Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection on your computer. All of the instructions needed to download the software to your computer is located on the Beilstein CrossFire pages, located on the USF Libraries’ website, including links to Academic Computing's instructions for setting up a USF VPN. If you need any assistance in downloading Beilstein CrossFir, please contact Cheryl McCoy, USF Site Administrator for Beilstein CrossFire and Research Librarian for the Natural Sciences.

May 29, 2008

SciFinder Scholar 2007 for Macs!

Scholar Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) has issued an updated version of SciFinder Scholar for MacIntosh. This version is designed for Mac OS X and will not work on older Mac operating systems. If you still have an older Mac OS, and have not already downloaded SciFinder Scholar to your computer, you will need to contact, Cheryl McCoy, USF Site Administrator for SciFinder Scholar, for assistance in obtaining access to the older version of SciFinder Scholar.

Enhancements for SciFinder Scholar 2007 for Mac OS X include the ability to: Combine two answer sets of the same kind; Access journal titles; View full journal titles in Analyze by Journal Name histograms; Include abbreviated and full journal titles in Tagged and Quoted Save As formats; Explore or Refine from a substance display by inserting a copied structure directly into the Structure Drawing window; Export commercial source information to Microsoft Excel®; and Print substance records in grid format.

To download SciFinder Scholar to your computer, you will need to click on this link: SciFinder Scholar Installation Instructions. You will need to have a Net ID and password in order to access the CAS software program and if you are accessing SciFinder Scholar from a remote location (not on the USF network, either hardwired or wireless) it will also be necessary to set up a USF Virtual Private Network (VPN) connection on your computer. All of the instructions needed to download the software to your computer is located on the SciFinder Scholar pages, located on the USF Libraries’ website, including links to Academic Computing's instructions for setting up a USF VPN. If you need any assistance in downloading SciFinder Scholar, please contact Cheryl McCoy, USF Site Administrator for SciFinder Scholar and Research Librarian for the Natural Sciences.

May 08, 2008

ISI Web of Knowledge - Training Opportunities for June 2008

Thomson Scientific is offering a series of free, web-based training classes for EndNote Web and ISI Web of Knowledge. The training is provided using the online conferencing tool WebEx, which can easily be downloaded to your computer minutes before the scheduled training ready to begin. You can attend a live, interactive training session or take advantage of recorded training sessions that can be viewed anytime. 

Upcoming Training Classes - Sign Up Now!
Click a product name below to view the scheduled training classes coming up in June:

EndNote Web
ISI Web of Science
ISI Web of Knowledge
ISI Web of Knowledge en Français
ISI Web of Knowledge in Italiano
ISI Web of Knowledge - Deutsch

Recorded Training Classes - Anytime, Anywhere - 24/7
Don't have time to attend a class? View ISI's  recorded training modules.

New Acquisition: Porphyrin Handbook

The USF Tampa Library has just purchased all twenty volumes of the Porphyrin Handbook, which is a major reference source for scientists in the fields of mathematics, physics, chemistry, biochemistry, biology, and medicine who are currently investigating porphyrins and their numerous analogues and derivatives. Porphyrins are being used as platforms for the study of theoretical principles, as catalysts, as drugs, as electronic devices, and as spectroscopic probes in biology and medicine.   

The Porphyrin Handbook is located on the first floor of the USF Tampa Library in the Reference Collection.  The call number for this handbook series is Ref QD401 .P824 2000.

E-Resource Update: Referex for Engineering, Chemistry, and Environmental Science

Referex_context The USF Libraries have acquired three Referex ebook collections from Elsevier, in support of engineering, chemistry, environmental sciences, and related fields.    

Referex:  Mechanical Engineering and Materials, a collection of handbooks, professional resources, and practical guides covering automotive, aeronautical, and marine engineering, metallurgy, tribology, maintenance, quality systems, health and safety.   Includes such titles as: Plant Engineer's Reference Book; Nanomaterials: Design and Simulation; Handbook of Advanced Ceramics: Materials, Applications, Processing and Properties; Additives for Plastics Handbook; Handbook of Offshore Engineering; Handbook of Pumps and Pumping; Handbook of Valves and Actuators; and Reinforced Plastics Handbook.

Referex:  Electronics and Electrical is comprised of a comprehensive range of books for electrical power engineers, electronics engineers and circuit designers, embedded systems and computer engineers, and communications engineers.  The breadth of this collection is reflected in its key titles which include: Power Electronics Handbook; Electrical Engineer's Reference Book; Handbook of Image and Video Processing; Handbook of Medical Imaging; Texas instruments Op Amps for Everyone; Marty Brown's Power Supply Cookbook; and Video Demystified.

Referex:  Chemical, Petrochemical and Process provides the leading titles in energy, chemical engineering, chemical hazards, process engineering, oil and gas engineering, and environmental engineering. Key titles include: the definitive Bretherick's Handbook of Reactive Chemical Hazards; and the unique handbooks from Gulf Professional Publishing, such as Standard Handbook of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering and Rules of Thumb for Chemical Engineers.

For this  database and other library resources visit http://www.lib.usf.edu.  Click on Databases by Title/Subject to begin.

Faculty Serials Review - Survey of Print Journals - Thanks for Your Input

We want to thank everyone who participated in the Faculty Serials Review - Survey of Print Journals that was recently sent to all of the natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering faculty. The survey  included a list of journal titles,  sorted by discipline, that were only available in print, without any electronic equivalent, and other print titles with varying levels of full-text through one or more of the libraries’ databases.

The response rate for the survey was high and the results will be analyzed later this month.  The final results of the survey will be made available for further faculty review in September 2008. Your participation in the survey is greatly appreciated. If you have any questions or comments about the Faculty Serials Review, please contact Cheryl McCoy (Natural Sciences), John Abresch (Social Sciences) or Matt Torrence (Engineering). Thanks for your input.


Cheryl McCoy                            John Abresch                         Matt Torrence
cmccoy@lib.usf.edu                   jabresch@lib.usf.edu             torrence@lib.usf.edu
(813) 974-3530                         (813) 974-7221                      (813) 974-2779

Google Search


About USF Libraries

  • The USF Library System
    consists of four main campus libraries and two special libraries. Together, the USF Libraries provide access to more than 2 million volumes and an extensive collection of electronic resources.