Bonnie J. M. Swoger is a Science and Technology Librarian at a small public undergraduate institution in upstate New York, SUNY Geneseo. She teaches students about the science literature, helps faculty and students with library research questions and leads library assessment efforts. She has a BS in Geology from St. Lawrence University, an MS in Geology from Kent State University and an MLS from the University at Buffalo. She would love to have some free time in which to indulge in hobbies. She blogs at the Undergraduate Science Librarian and can be found on twitter @bonnieswoger.
The Open Access Button: Discovering when and where researchers hit paywalls
Last week, an intriguing new tool for researchers was launched, the Open Access Button. The Button has two main goals: Track when and where researchers encounter publisher pay walls (articles unavailable because the user hasn’t paid a subscription or access fee).
Vestiges of print publication in scientific journals
The first scientific journals were published in the late 17th century, and these print publications changed very little over time. Developments in printing technology, distribution and the advent of the commercial publisher all impacted the process, but the basic form was easily recognizable.
You can’t read just one: Reproducibility and multiple sources
There are lots of ways to mess with the heads of undergraduate students. (This is a recent favorite). Giving them a research assignment and failing to specify a minimum number of references needed is just one example.
The prettiest information resources: Geologic maps
Today is Geologic Map Day, which gives me a great excuse to write about one of the most interesting, beautiful and informative information sources available, the geologic map.
A few funny* things about citations
In honor of the recent Ig Nobel prizes, awarded for achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think,” I present a few funny* things about scholarly citations.
But the Cheetos bag said they were healthy! Evaluating diet and food information sources
On the Cheetos package are the words “0 grams trans fat.” They must be healthy, right? Grocery store packaging is one of the main ways that consumers get information about food and diet.
Psychology’s brilliant, beautiful, scientific messiness.
The changing nature of how and where scientists share raw data has sparked a growing need for guidelines on how to cite these increasingly available datasets.
Can you take it with you when you go? Portable peer review
Being the first to do something matters. Just ask Pete Conrad and Alan Bean. Being the first to tell other folks that you did it matters too.
Famous people like libraries and librarians!
Starting a conversation about data
Textbooks and open educational resources
Pragmatism, Idealism and DeepDyve's Five Minutes in Heaven
It's not about predators, it's about journal quality
Database creators take note: have URLs that work
Elsevier (giant for-profit scholarly publisher) buys Mendeley (free citation manager and discovery tool)
Mobile Apps for Searching the Scientific Literature
On Girl Scouts, glaciers, and great women
Good news about sharing scientific research
Providing context for the metrics used to evaluate the scientific literature
On Identifiers: DOI, ISBN, CASRN, SSN, ISSN, etc.
When journal articles are hard to find
What is metadata? A Christmas themed exploration.
Managing Personal Knowledge, Data and Information
Making implicit knowledge and skills more explicit in science education