A Nobel Prize–winning cancer biologist, leader of major scientific institutions, and scientific adviser to President Obama reflects on his remarkable career. A PhD candidate in English literature at Harvard University, Harold Varmus discovered he was drawn instead to medicine and eventually found himself at the forefront of cancer research at the University of California, San Francisco. In this “timely memoir of a remarkable career” (American Scientist), Varmus considers a life’s work that thus far includes not only the groundbreaking research that won him a Nobel Prize but also six years as the director of the National Institutes of Health; his current position as the president of the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center; and his important, continuing work as scientific adviser to President Obama. From this truly unique perspective, Varmus shares his experiences from the trenches of politicized battlegrounds ranging from budget fights to stem cell research, global health to science publishing.

During the past few years, groups like the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, Center for Education have been placing great emphasis on the significance of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education. In brief, the US is seen as falling behind the rest of the world in science and technology education. In response, the curricula have been revised in many educational institutions and school districts across the country. It is clear that for STEM to be successful, other community organizations, most particularly libraries, need to be closely involved in the process. Library staff realize the importance of getting involved in STEM education, but many have difficulty finding comprehensive information that will help them plan and successfully implement STEM direction in their organization. This book is designed to meet that need. It is timely and relevant. How to STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education in Libraries is by and for libraries who are involved in contributing efforts into advancing these subjects. It is organized in 9 parts including funding, grant writing, community partnerships, outreach, research, and examples of specific programming activities. Authors are drawn from the professional staffs of educational institutions, libraries, and non-profit organizations such as science museums. The book contains eight parts, each emphasizing a different aspect of how to succeed with STEM. Part 1 emphasizes how hands-on activities that are both fun and educational can be used to further STEM awareness. Parts 2 and 3 contain chapters on the uniting of STEM with Information Literacy. Innovative collection development ideas are discussed in Part 4 and Part 5 focuses on research and publishing. Outreach is the theme of Part 6 and the programs described in these chapters offer an array of ways to connect with students of all ages. The final section of How to STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Education in Libraries addresses the funding of these programs. Librarians of all types will be pleased to discover easy-to-implement suggestions for collaborative efforts, many rich and diverse programming ideas, strategies for improving reference services and library instruction to speakers of English as a second language, marketing and promotional tips designed to welcome multicultural patrons into the library, and much more.

The Council on Library and Information Resources' (CLIR's) College Libraries Committee began its study of the innovative uses of technology on college campuses in the spring of 1998. A letter was sent to heads of libraries of colleges and mid-sized universities in the United States encouraging librarians who felt their institutions had used technology in a way that significantly enhanced teaching and learning and who were willing to host a study team for a site visit to apply to the project. Nine campuses were selected out of the 41 applicants and site visits were conducted between September 1998 and January 1999. A two-day conference in March 1999 focused on the environment that is most conducive to organizational change. Representatives from each of the nine case study sites were present to discuss which features of the programs they studied had been most successful. Sites included: (1) California Institute of Technology, Sherman Fairchild Library - A New High-Tech Library; (2) Carnegie Mellon University - A New Electronic Archives; (3) Indiana University/Purdue University at Indianapolis - Librarian-Scholar Collaboration in Learning Communities; (4) Lafayette College - An Interdisciplinary Team Approach; (5) Point Park College and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Library Center - A Public-Private Library Partnership; (6) Southern Utah University, Gerald R. Sherratt Library - One Librarian Introduces EAD (Encoded Archival Description) Finding Aids; (7) Stevens Institute of Technology - Electronic Access, Not Subscriptions; (8) Wellesley College, Margaret Clapp Library - A New High-Tech Center; and (9) West Virginia Wesleyan College - Laptops for Every Student. Four speakers provided additional perspective on the case studies. William Haden opened the conference by noting that with rapid developments in information technology, colleges today face new pressures to remain relevant, competitive, and effective. This was followed by two presentations, by Susan Jurow and Barbara Hill, on making change in higher education. Brian Hawkins then prepared participants with observations on the transformation of higher education. The presentations are provided in part 1 of this report, as are summaries of the ensuing discussion and recommendations for follow-up activities. Case studies appear in part 2 of the report. The CLIR Belmont conference participant list is appended. (AEF)

This book, first published in 1988, celebrates the development of sci-tech libraries in honour of the one hundredth anniversary of the founding of the first library school in the United States. The expert contributors provide a survey of the development of sci-tech libraries as well as some thoughts about their future. This comprehensive volume covers several types of sci-tech libraries, information retrieval, and library education. Library professionals will be fascinated but the journey of progress detailed in these well-written chapters.

"This set of books represents a detailed compendium of authoritative, research-based entries that define the contemporary state of knowledge on technology"--Provided by publisher.

This book, first published in 1990, examines the relationship between sci-tech materials and trade literature, commonly called manufacturers’ catalogues. Because very little has been published about the value and nature of trade literature in regard to sci-tech libraries, this volume is important in informing librarians about a little-known segment of the larger picture of sci-tech information sources, thus adding to the value of their services to their clients. It addresses the problems of handling sci-tech trade literature in a corporate technical library, a large public library, and a government library devoted to American history. Experts offer practical advice on selecting and organizing trade literature and on managing the growth and extent of a collection of trade literature. They discuss modern literature and older publications, which often have great historical value. Libraries that collect both old and new materials are identified, as are publishers of trade literature. The book also focuses on how a publisher of classic trade literature views its role.