An Indepth Look at Physics, Astronomy and Math Libraries

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An In-depth Look at Physics, Astronomy and Math
Libraries

• By Ian Walls
• LSC 523 Special Libraries
• Dec. 6th, 2005

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What we will be covering

• University PAM collections, including
• UC Berkeley
• Cal Tech
• Columbia
• MIT

• Other PAM Libraries, in areas such as
• Nuclear Physics
• Meteorology
• Seismology
• Acoustics
• Astronomy

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University PAM Libraries

• As we discussed in class, many universities have
  strong collections in Physics, Astronomy and
  Math.
• Science libraries in universities are usually
  either departmental, or folded into a separate
  science library that serves the entire campus.
• Some schools have labs that contract out to
  businesses and government agencies.

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UC Berkeley

• The Mathematics-Statistics Library is
  departmental
• The Physics-Astronomy Library is in the main
  science library.
• This being California, there is also the
  Earthquake Engineering Research Center Library

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Earthquake Engineering Research Center Library

• Collects geology, seismology, and earthquake,
  geotechnical and seismological engineering
• Holds 52,000 items, including 3,300 non-book
  materials, 12,000 slides, 15,000 photos, and 200
  videos.
• Staffed by 2 professionals and 1 other
• It is open to the public for reference
• Located in Richmond, CA, off the main campus.
• While the collection is primarily English, there
  are a few non-English materials, as well.

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Cal Tech

• Departmental Libraries
• Astrophysics Library
• Geology and Planetary Sciences Library
• Much like Berkeley, there is an Earthquake
  Engineering Research Library
• As you recall from class, the Jet Propulsion Lab
  is a part of Cal Tech that contracts out to the
  government.

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Jet Propulsion Lab

• Collects Astronautics, space sciences,
  astronomy, engineering, and communications
• Holds 87,500 books, 38,500 bound periodical
  volumes, 45,500 technical reports, 1.3 million
  microforms
• Staffed by 9 professional and 7 others
• It is not open to the public
• Known to work with NASA

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Columbia University

• Departmental Libraries
• Math/Science Library
• Physics/Astronomy Library
• Off campus, in Palisades, NY, there is Lamont
  Doherty Earth Observatory

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Lamont Doherty Earth Observatory

• Collects geophysics, geochemistry, oceanography,
  marine biology, seismology, and meteorology
• Holds 20,000 volumes
• Staffed by 1 professional and 2 other
• It is open to the public
• Founded in 1960

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MIT

• Departmental Reading Rooms
• Mathematics Reading Room
• Physics Reading Room
• Dynamics of Atmospheres and Oceans Library,
  collecting meteorology, oceanography,
  geophysics, applied math, physics, and
  astrophysics
• Lindgren Library, collecting geology,
  meteorology, geophysics, geochemistry, and
  planetary sciences

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MIT, continued

• Haystack Observatory Library, located off Rt. 40,
  in Westford, MA.
• Plasma Science and Fusion Center - David J. Rose
  Library, collecting nuclear fusion, plasma
  science, plasma physics, and fusion engineering
• Lincoln Lab Library, another university lab to
  contract out.

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Lincoln Laboratory

• Collects electronics, physics, space sciences,
  electrical engineering, and computer science
• Holds 166,000 volumes, 19,000 bound periodical
  volumes, 700,000 technical reports, 5,200 maps,
  and 6,200 journals on microfilm
• Staffed by 15 professionals and 15 others
• It is not open to the public

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Non-University PAM Libraries

• Businesses, government organizations and private
  groups also have PAM libraries.
• We will focus more narrowly on
• Nuclear physics and accelerators,
• Meteorology/seismology,
• Acoustics, and
• Astronomical observatories and societies.

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Nuclear Physics

• Non-university libraries with special collections
  in this subject are usually either
• Government-affiliated agencies, or
• Particle Accelerator labs
• The collections tend to consist of technical
  reports and preprints, since these libraries are
  so close to the new discoveries.

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Nuclear Physics

• Bechtel BWXT Idaho LLC, Idaho Falls, ID
• Collects Nuclear Energy and Technology, physics,
  reactor engineering and safety, math, health
  physics and nuclear biology, nuclear physics,
  optics and lasers, and more.
• Holds 53,000 books, 3,020 periodicals, 206,550
  reports, 899,400 microfiche and 73,000 microcards
• Staffed by 11 professionals and 5 others
• It is under contract with US Dept. of Energy, and
  holds copies of their reports.

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Nuclear Physics

• CERN - European Organization for Nuclear
  Research, Geneva, Switzerland.
• Collects particle physics and related
  science-technology subjects
• Holds 60,000 volumes and 550,000 preprints and
  reports
• Staffed by 7 professionals and 10 others
• Open to scientists in the field.

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Accelerators

• Fermi National Accelerator Lab, Batavia, IL
• Collects high energy physics, particle
  acceleration, particle physics, engineering, and
  computer science.
• Holds 12,000 books, 10,000 bound periodical
  volumes, 5,000 preprints and reports, 3,000
  microfiche, reports, and microfilm.
• Staffed by 5 people
• Has a special collection of high-energy physics
  preprints

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Accelerators

• Brookhaven National Lab - Information Services
  Division, Upton, NY.
• Collects physics, chemistry, math, nuclear
  science, etc.
• Holds 78,000 books, 42,000 bound periodical
  volumes, and 6,000 reels of periodicals.
• Staffed by 12 professionals and 11 others
• Open to the public by appointment
• Under contract with US Dept. of Energy

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Meteorology/Atmospheric Science

• Again, strong collections held by government
  agencies and affiliated groups.
• Often collected in conjunction with
  seismology/earth sciences, since they are related
  environmental topics.

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Meteorology/Atmospheric Science

• American Meteorological Society - Brooks Library,
  Boston, MA.
• Collects Meteorology, history of meteorology
• Holds 6,000 books and 350 bound periodical
  volumes.
• Staffed by Half a person (according to the
  DSLIC)
• Founded in 1965

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Meteorology/Atmospheric Science

• U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric
  Administration, Silver Spring, MD.
• Collects geodesy, geophysics, geodetic
  astronomy, meteorology, climatology, atmospheric
  physics, math, computer science, etc.
• Holds 800,000 volumes, 100,100 bound periodical
  volumes, 100,400 bound documents, 19,500
  microfiche, 34,000 reports, maps, charts, etc.
• Staffed by 14 professionals
• Has branches in Seattle, WA and Miami, FL.
• Part of US Dept. of Commerce

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Seismology

• Most seismology collections are part of
  universities with Earthquake Engineering
  programs. These seem to be, naturally enough,
  clustered in California.
• Earthquakes are not a strictly Californian
  phenomenon, however.
• When an earthquake occurs underwater, and
  triggers a massive wave, this is called a tsunami.

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Seismology

• International Tsunami Information Center,
  Honolulu, HI.
• Collects on tsunamis, earthquakes, and
  oceanography
• Holds 2,000 volumes
• Staffed by 2 professionals and 1 other
• maintained by US National Weather Service, under
  an international agreement by UNESCO

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Acoustics

• Collections are held not only by science
  libraries, but businesses, music schools and
  military institutions, each with a different
  informational need from the same material.
• Businesses aim to control or limit sound
• Music schools aim to master sound artistically
• Military groups use sound to detect enemies

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Acoustics in Business

• Acoustical Engineers, Inc.
• Salt Lake City, UT. Holds 500 items on
  acoustical engineering, noise control, and
  vibration.
• Cambridge Acoustical Associates, Inc.
• Cambridge, MA. Holds 1,000 books, 150 bound
  periodicals, 2,000 other cataloged items on
  acoustics, vibration, physics, and computers
• Wyle Laboratories, Inc.
• El Segundo, CA. Holds 15,000 books and 50 bound
  periodical volumes on noise control, acoustics,
  and sound insulation.

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Acoustics in Music

• New England Conservatory of Music - Harriet M.
  Spaulding Library, Boston, MA
• Collects music and music literature, acoustics,
  etc.
• Holds 85,000 books and scores, 250 theses, 500
  reels of microfilm.
• Staffed by 5 professionals and 4 others
• Remember our lecture on Music Libraries

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Acoustics in War

• Naval Surface Warfare Center - Carderock
  Division, Bethesda, MD.
• Collects acoustics and vibration, naval
  subjects, etc.
• Holds 225,000 books and reports, 14,000
  classified documents and 280,000 microfiche.
• Staffed by 7 people
• Remember our lecture on Military Libraries

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Astronomy

• Collected by both observatories and astronomical
  societies.
• Observatories can be either optical or radio, and
  tend to be in out-of-the-way places to get the
  clearest view.
• Astronomical society libraries are generally
  small and independently staffed they serve the
  only members of the society.

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Observatories

• Lowell Observatory, Flagstaff, AZ
• Collects physics, astronomy, math.
• Holds 10,000 volumes, manuscripts, archives, and
  microfilm.
• Staffed by 1 professional and 1 other
• Best optical observatory in America, gets lots of
  contracts for intra-stellar observation
• Collection is primarily historical, including
  Percival Lowells work
• Founded 1894

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Observatories

• Arecibo Observatory, Arecibo, Puerto Rico.
• Collects astronomy, radio and radar astronomy,
  upper atmospherics, physics, computer science,
  and engineering.
• Holds 5,200 books, 5,080 bound periodical
  volumes, 180 theses, maps, charts, etc.
• Radio Observatory
• Associated with Cornell University
• Collects materials along with other major
  observatories

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Observatories

• National Radio Astronomy Observatory,
  Charlottesville, VA.
• Collects astronomy, physics, math, electronic
  engineering, computer science, and general
  science.
• Holds 19,725 monographs, 27,400 bound periodical
  volumes, 650 linear ft of observatory
  publications, 458 reels of microfilm, 4,800
  microfiche, and 2,200 star charts.
• Staffed by 2 professionals
• Has collections in Green Bank, WV, Tucson, AZ and
  Socorro, NM. Open to qualified users.

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Observatories

• Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory Library,
  Tucson, AZ.
• Collects astronomy
• Holds 20,000 items
• Staffed by 1 person
• The large optical telescope is actually near La
  Serena, Chile.
• Part of the National Optical Astronomy
  Observatory (NOAO), operated by the Association
  of Universities for Research in Astronomy (AURA),
  Inc. under the National Science Foundation.

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Astronomical Societies

• Planetary Society, Pasadena, CA.
• Collects astronomy and planetary science
• Holds 600 books and periodicals
• Staffed by 2 people
• Not open to the public

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Astronomical Societies

• American Association of Variable Star Observers,
  Cambridge, MA.
• Collects astronomy
• Holds 6,000 books and 350 bound periodical
  volumes
• Staffed by Another half person
• Not open to the public
• Library itself is named C.Y. McAteer Library

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About PAM Librarians

• Primary Association SLA PAM division, with
  over 200 members.
• Primary Publication (for science libraries in
  general) Science Technology Libraries, by
  Haworth Press.
• More specifically PAM Bulletin, by the SLA.

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Sources consulted

• The Directory of Special Libraries and
  Information Centers, 31st Edition. Published by
  Thomson Gale
• The SLA PAM division website, at
  http//www.sla.org/division/dpam/
• Lectures from LSC 523, by Tony Stankus.
• Columbia Universitys Library Homepage,
  http//www.columbia.edu/cu/lweb/indiv/libraries.ht
  ml
• Cerro Tololo website, http//www.ctio.noao.edu/
• Lowell Observatory Library, http//www.lowell.edu/
  Research/library/

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Thank you for your attention!