Schwerdtfeger Library News -- September 2004
 

Schwerdtfeger Library News - October 2004

By Jean Phillips, Librarian

Library Workshops

The Schwerdtfeger Library offered several workshops during October. Links to the presentations are provided below. The same series will be offered again. To schedule a group or class presentation, contact Jean Phillips.

Research Databases in the Atmospheric Sciences: An introduction to databases specific to the atmospheric sciences, what they contain and do not contain, how to search them effectively and locate articles of interests. Includes a review of some important and new features in MadCat.

RefWorks: Bibliographic Database Manager: An introduction to the basic features of RefWorks, including organization of records, searching and sorting records, importing records electronically from various databases, formatting records for bibliographies, using Write-N-Cite.

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Featured Database: NASA Technical Reports Server

The NASA Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Program's mission is to collect, archive, and disseminate NASA aerospace information. This includes research reports, journal articles, conference and meeting papers, technical videos, mission-related operational documents, and preliminary data. The information, searchable through the NASA Technical Report Server (NTRS), is there to provide students, educators, and the public access to NASA's technical literature. NTRS also collects scientific and technical information from sites external to NASA to broaden the scope of information available to users.

Links to this database and other research databases crucial to the multidisciplinary nature of atmospheric science are available on the Schwerdtfeger Library's home page.

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FY 2005 Appropriations

As of October 13, 2004, only 1 of 20 (that of DOD) appropriations bills has been signed into law. Congress sent three more to the President for his signature over the weekend, but then adjourned until November 16. The President has signed a continuing resolution (CR; temporary appropriations bill) extending funding for the remaining appropriations bills at FY 2004 levels through November 20. The remaining appropriations, including R&D funding for all agencies except DOD and DHS, will be resolved in a post-election lame duck session in an omnibus appropriations bill. (AAAS Science & Policy)

The Schwerdtfeger Library regularly posts NASA, NOAA and NSF budgets and budget requests to Congress. To track the status of federal legislative information, consult THOMAS. There, you can also monitor the status of FY2005 appropriations bills.

The National Science Foundation has also just released, Federal R&D Funding by Budget Function:
Fiscal Years 2002-04.

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Librarians -- Britain's brainiest professionals?

A big victory for UK librarians!!! “Scoring a thrilling (220:160) win over Oxford University Press, the British Library emerged victorious in the final of BBC2's ‘University Challenge’ -- The Professionals. The tournament, which began in April 2004, featured teams from 22 of the UK's brainiest professions (including diplomats, journalists, lawyers, politicians and zoologists ... The British Library team comprised Kathryn Johnson, Curator of Theatrical Manuscripts; Ron Hogg, a Slavonic specialist; Colin Wight, editor of the Library's website and Bart Smith (Captain) a Humanities reference specialist. After the event the team attributed their victory to ‘team-work, a thirst for knowledge and a real hunger to win’. The team captain said, ‘Our victory not only reflects the knowledge and expertise of British Library staff but is a tribute to the skills of the library profession, whose members are true information providers with an ability to access virtually every subject under the sun, however seemingly obscure.’ ” (NSF Sci-Tech Newsletter, September 2004).