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November 28, 2006

Some Electronic Resources to Try While the Reference Books Are Being Digitized

While most of the Thompson Library's reference collection is off to sunny California for digitizing, now is a good time to try out some of our electronic reference resources. Books in the Gale Virtual Reference Library are rapidly being added to Mirlyn; a dynamic list of them is available in this "canned search" (also read the pros and cons of using canned searches).

We also have a six-month trial to the clumsily named Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems. Forget the crummy name (think of it as EOLSS) - it's got sixteen reference encyclopedias you can search:


  • Encyclopedia of Biological, Physiological and Health Sciences
  • Encyclopedia of Chemical Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources
  • Encyclopedia of Development and Economic Sciences
  • Encyclopedia of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences
  • Encyclopedia of Energy Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources
  • Encyclopedia of Environmental and Ecological Sciences, Engineering and Technology Sources
  • Encyclopedia of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Engineering and Technology Sources
  • Encyclopedia of Human Resources Policy and Management
  • Encyclopedia of Institutional and Infrastructural Resources
  • Encyclopedia of Mathematical Sciences
  • Encyclopedia of Natural Resources Policy and Management
  • Encyclopedia of Physical Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources
  • Encyclopedia of Regional Sustainable Development
  • Encyclopedia of Social Sciences and Humanities
  • Encyclopedia of Technology, Information, and Systems Management Resources
  • Encyclopedia of Water Sciences, Engineering and Technology Resources

These are just a few examples - we have lots of other electronic resources on our website. Ask a librarian for help any time you need it. It's what we get paid to do!

Posted by pgstreby at 04:01 PM | Comments (0)

Reference Collection to be Digitized

On Friday, December 1, 2006, the Thompson Library will be sending selected, generally lesser-used or non-circulating portions of its collection to have the materials digitized by Google. These volumes will be off our shelves from that date until January 10, 2007. While we believe that inconveniences will be minimal, we have made arrangements with the University Library in Ann Arbor to provide reference and interlibrary loan backup to our own services in those areas.

Specifically, we plan to send a large number of bound reference collection materials, plus some older print abstracts/indexes. In addition, as Google processing capacity for this shipment permits, we will send volumes in Library of Congress classifications “A” (general works), “S” (agriculture), “T” (technology), “U” and “V” (military sciences), and “Z” (bibliography). The materials we will be sending represent about 3% of the Thompson Library’s print collection. For future digitization shipments – none of which have yet been scheduled - we will have considerably more lead time and will provide you with more notice.

If in the remaining weeks of the term you are working on projects that will require access to materials from the library’s print reference collection or from the classifications above, please contact our reference service and collection management librarian, Paul Streby (pgstreby@umflint.edu), so that we can make arrangements to meet your needs.

We are delighted to participate in this project. When it is completed users will be able to search the full-text of the seven-million-plus print volumes of the three-campus University of Michigan library system. We will effectively be opening up to you books that have hitherto been all too closed.

Bob Houbeck
Director, Frances Willson Thompson Library

Posted by pgstreby at 03:42 PM | Comments (0)