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Ad-Lib: A Monthly for Freshman Advisers adlib(a)fas.harvard.edu
February 2004 Issue 3
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IN THIS ISSUE:
-- Our Three-Part Concentration Fest Kicks off
7 descriptions of how Harvard College librarians work with
academic programs and departments
-- Readings for Advisers
A _Chronicle of Higher Education_ piece on undergraduate
"infobesity"
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CONCENTRATION FEST: Part I
7 descriptions of how Harvard College librarians work with academic
programs and departments
What's happening with first years this spring? Among other things,
they're busy sizing up concentrations, testing the fit in one or two of
their courses, learning about application procedures, and getting ready to
submit their Plans of Study in May.
As we know, however, concentration decisions are rarely simple and
straightforward affairs. Your advisees may be discovering that their
interests have shifted dramatically since September. A first year who was
bent on working in Engineering when he arrived at Harvard may have
recently revealed, for example, that he's now thinking of becoming a
writer instead. Other freshmen may be struggling to distinguish between
what seem to be departmental shades of gray. Hist and Lit . . . or just
History . . . or maybe Lit? Social Studies or Government? Biology or
Biochemical Sciences? How different will the experience be?
Opportunities to explore concentrations are everywhere, as listings in the
Freshman Yard Bulletin each week attest. Departments hold special office
hours to accommodate first years; they publish concentration handbooks or
post information on their web sites; the FDO hosts a January
"Concentration Fair."
What can the Harvard Libraries contribute to the selection process?
* We can help first years understand what the work in a particular
academic field is like;
* We can talk to them about what kinds of information sources scholars
and researchers in a discipline routinely use;
* We can tell them about the kinds of course-related workshops and
sessions we offer;
* We can point them to handouts and guides we've produced for students in
many courses and departments;
* We can talk to them about the types of interactions we have with
concentrators as sophomores, juniors, and senior thesis-writers;
* We can encourage them to develop good information-seeking habits early
in their career;
. . . and more.
In this and our next two issues, Ad-Lib will introduce you to librarians
who work closely with concentrators in many departments and
degree-granting programs. This month, we cover Physics, Romance
Languages, Chemistry, Government, East Asian studies, English and American
Lit, and Earth and Planetary Sciences. We hope you'll pass the
information along to advisees who may be considering these concentrations.
And as always, if you like Ad-Lib, pass this issue along to a
friend!
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*** PHYSICS
Library Research Contact: Ellie Clement, Head of Reference, Cabot
Science Library [496-8442; clement@fas]
One of many good ways for undergraduates to explore a concentration is to
learn something about the way that researchers in the field communicate
with one another and where they look for information. Cabot Science
Library has produced a whole series of handouts that can help. You and
your advisee can get access to them here:
http://hcl.harvard.edu/cabot/Reference_Guides_Basic/index.html.
Our "Getting Started in Physics Research" guide highlights the databases
that are essential for locating journal literature, current research, and
conference proceedings. We also identify some of the specialized
research tools that physicists consult for definitions and data.
These are tools your advisee will become familiar with using in the
concentration next year.
*** ROMANCE LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE
Library Research contact: Mary Beth Clack, Research Services,
Widener Library [496-7465; mclack@fas]
As liaison to the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, I
collaborate with faculty in preparing presentations for students on
library resources and research strategies. We design these sessions
around the themes of the course and the specific information needs of the
students enrolled in it. Faculty also encourage students to meet with me
individually for follow-up consultations on their projects and papers.
Your advisees can see some sample of the research guides I've prepared for
coursework in Romance Languages and Literature here:
http://hcl.harvard.edu/widener/services/research/guides.html#4.
Concentrators are always welcome to seek me out in person, too, by
stopping by the Widener Reference Desk.
*** CHEMISTRY
Library Research Contact: Ellie Clement, Head of Reference, Cabot
Science Library [496-8442; clement@fas]
Especially in the sciences, students can expect to spend some of their
research time in departmental libraries. Undergraduates concentrating in
the sciences can find out more about these special spaces and collections
by consulting this list:
http://lib.harvard.edu/libraries/listings_sciencelib.html.
If your advisee is considering a concentration in the chemical sciences,
encourage him or her to visit the Department of Chemistry and Chemical
Biology (http://www.chem.harvard.edu/library/). It combines the
"traditional charm of our tranquil reading room" with a "dynamic
collection of primary literature, electronic resources, and reference
material."
The main emphasis of the Chemistry and Chemical Biology Library collection
is primary literature published in journals, although books and textbooks
can also be found here. Weekdays, from 9-5 p.m., there's even a librarian
on site, and concentrators are welcome to bring her their questions about
organic and inorganic chemistry, medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, and
chemical biology.
*** GOVERNMENT
Library Research Contact: Sue Gilroy, Reference, Lamont Library
[496-5403; sgilroy@fas]
The College Library assigns most academic departments a single research
contact (sometimes called a "library liaison") who works closely with
concentrators, graduate students, and faculty. Government has
three--partly because of its size, of course, but also because of the
Department's range of teaching interests and the complexity of students'
research and information needs.
The courses that sophomores, juniors, and seniors take often require them
to locate journal literature and policy studies, to interpret statistical
data, and to make use of publications produced by governments,
international agencies, and non-governmental organizations. Frequently,
Government concentrators cross disciplinary borders into related areas
like history, sociology, philosophy and economics. They learn to work
with the research tools of practitioners in these fields, too.
Let your advisees know that they don't have to fear getting lost in the
vast and varied landscape of politics and government. Librarians are
always ready to be their resource guides. Encourage them to drop by
Lamont and talk with me this Spring, as they think the concentration over.
I'll give them a preview of resources they'll find helpful and have them
meet the other members of my team: Meghan Dolan, a Data Reference
Librarian in Littauer Library and John Collins, an expert in the
Government Documents collection in Lamont, on Level 1.
*** EAST ASIAN LANGUAGES AND LITERATURE
Library Research Contact: Cheryl LaGuardia, Research Services,
Widener Library [496-4222; claguard@fas]
For a sample of the online research tools we make available to students in
this department, have your advisees take a look at the East Asian Studies
Research Guide I've produced. It's available on the College Library web
site
(http://hcl.harvard.edu/widener/services/research/eastasian/part_1.html).
This guide includes links to East Asian news sources, full-text journal
articles, and key databases in the field (including the Bibliography of
Asian Studies). It also provides a detailed set of web sites of interest
to East Asian researchers, a host of essential print reference sources,
and much more.
Widener Library contains a rich collection of Western language materials
to support East Asian Studies; however, for materials in the
vernacular languages--Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Manchu, Vietnamese, and
Mongolian--the Harvard Yenching Library is the real jewel in the crown. A
fuller description of its extraordinary collections is given here:
http://hcl.harvard.edu/harvard-yenching/collections/overview.html. At
both Widener and Yenching, concentrators will find that we're eager to
guide their use of these collections, so please encourage them to contact
us!
*** ENGLISH AND AMERICAN LITERATURE
Library Research Contact: Laura Farwell Blake, Research Services,
Widener Library [496-0108; farwell@fas]
English concentrators will find that the libraries are richly supplied
with the disciplinary tools of their trade: literary texts, criticism,
biographical studies, historical and contextual materials of all kinds.
