Collection Development: Celebrating Chemistry, February 1, 2011
Feb 1, 2011
A hundred years after Marie Curie received her Nobel Prize in Chemistry, this arm of science is pointing the way to a more sustainable future. Growing movements like green chemistry, which strives to create alternative and new chemical reactions that produce no harmful waste products, and molecular engineering hold great potential for industry, the environment, and crossover fields like medicine and physics.
To celebrate chemistry’s promise and achievements over the past century, 2011 has been declared the International Year of Chemistry (IYC) by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). This is a great time to update your chemistry collection and celebrate the IYC 2011 theme, “Chemistry: Our Life, Our Future.”
Stopping the race to the bottom
Even as we recognize great advancements in chemistry and related fields, there is a growing worry that the United States is falling behind in science and technology. Other countries outperform our students on science and math tests, and too few graduates enter science and technology programs. Women and minorities are underrepresented in research programs, industry, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) education. In response, federal and state government agencies and private organizations are funding many grant opportunities to promote science and technology participation and achievement at all levels of education. Schools across the country are taking advantage of these opportunities to start STEM programs, so look for more chemistry interest from your community in the future.
A formula for success
The key to collection development is to know your service population. All collections need a few good general chemistry references. Most libraries also need an authoritative chemistry encyclopedia, although small libraries might rely on a good science and technology encyclopedia. Subscription databases can also be invaluable. McGraw-Hill’s AccessScience (www.accessscience.com) is a comprehensive science platform that offers high school or college students searchable content from McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, 10th edition. Gale’s Science in Context (www.gale.cengage.com/InContext/science.htm), formerly Science Resource Center, serves younger students well.
Beyond that, knowing your patrons’ interests will help you make the best use of your budget. Do you have significant interest in popular science or biographies? For many libraries, the majority of chemistry reference questions come from students. Are these questions posed by middle school, high school, and/or college students? Do you support a homeschool population? Does your high school have an Advanced Placement chemistry program? Do you get questions from people working in nearby industries? Is your library used by health-care professionals?
Review your chemistry books after five years. The basic principles of chemistry do not change quickly, but current editions of handbooks and reference books should be purchased for up-to-date information on new developments. Encyclopedias are published infrequently and may be retained between editions. Books on the periodic table of elements should acknowledge 114 elements or more (the number of heavy ion elements is somewhat debatable), and those prior to 1995 will be outdated.
Current books on chemistry education will stress inquiry, applications for the real world, and connections to social and political issues. Collections of activities or lesson plans are popular with teachers. Safety is of special concern with minors, so weed outdated juvenile science experiment books and purchase new editions as published. For future collection development planning, expect to see more titles about the aforementioned green chemistry, an important development in the field.
The selective bibliography below will help public, high school, and college libraries celebrate a century of chemistry, or simply identify the most important titles to update their collections. Core purchases are designated with a star [
].
BIOGRAPHY & HISTORY
Brian, Denis. The Curies: A Biography of the Most Controversial Family in Science. Wiley. 2005. 438p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780471273912. $30.
Brian takes the reader deep inside the private lives of Marie and Pierre Curie and their fascinating descendants. (LJ 8/05)
Coffey, Patrick. Cathedrals of Science: The Personalities and Rivalries That Made Modern Chemistry. Oxford Univ. 2008. 379p. photogs. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780195321340. $29.95.
Coffey’s entertaining history of early modern chemistry reveals science’s human side.
Goldsmith, Barbara. Obsessive Genius: The Inner World of Marie Curie. Atlas Bks., dist. by Norton. (Great Discoveries).2005. 257p. illus. bibliog. ISBN 9780393327489. pap. $14.95.
The material for this portrait of a unique and private woman was drawn from Marie Curie’s papers and family interviews. (LJ 3/1/05)
Hager, Thomas. The Alchemy of Air: A Jewish Genius, a Doomed Tycoon, and the Scientific Discovery That Fed the World but Fueled the Rise of Hitler. Harmony: Crown. 2008. 336p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780307351784. $24.95; pap. Three Rivers: Crown. 2009. ISBN 9780307351791. $15.
This tension-filled account tells of scientists Fritz Haber and Carl Bosch’s search for a fertilizer that could end starvation; they saw their work used to create weapons put into action in both world wars.
Levi, Primo. The Periodic Table. Everyman’s Library. 1996. 241p. tr. from Italian by Raymond Rosenthal. ISBN 9780679444633. $21; pap. Schocken. 1995. ISBN 9780805210415. $14.
A chemist and Italian Jew, Levi used 21 elements to structure this brilliant and surprisingly humorous reflection on his life, including surviving Auschwitz.
Redniss, Lauren. Radioactive: A Tale of Love and Fallout. HarperCollins. 2010. 205p. illus. ISBN 9780061351327. $29.99.
Redniss merges art and biography in an atmospheric exploration of Marie and Pierre Curie’s relationship and the impact their work had on the world. Redniss’s artwork is on exhibit January 14–April 17 at the New York Public Library in collaboration with the Parsons New School for Design.
Sacks, Oliver W. Uncle Tungsten: Memories of a Chemical Boyhood. Vintage: Random. 2002. 337p. photogs. index. ISBN 9780375704048. pap. $15.
Before he discovered medicine, the author of popular neuroscience titles such as The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat spent his childhood experimenting with chemistry. (LJ 11/1/01)
POPULAR SCIENCE
Frankel, Felice C. & George M. Whitesides. No Small Matter: Science on the Nanoscale. Belknap: Harvard Univ. 2009. 182p. illus. ISBN 9780674035669. $35.
Explore physics and chemistry on the molecular level through amazing advanced technology imagery of viruses, large molecules, and other nanostructures.
Grossman, Elizabeth. Chasing Molecules: Poisonous Products, Human Health, and the Promise of Green Chemistry. Shearwater: Island. 2009. 249p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781597263702. $26.95.
An investigative reporter relates how green chemists are working toward healthy, sustainable alternatives to traditional manufacturing processes and products.
Kean, Sam. The Disappearing Spoon: And Other True Tales of Madness, Love, and the History of the World from the Periodic Table of the Elements. Little, Brown. 2010. 391p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780316051644. $24.99; pap. Back Bay. Jun. 2011. ISBN 9780316051637. $14.99.
This compilation of tales featuring the elements is a pure pleasure, drawing the reader in from the first vivid description of the author’s mother corralling “supple spheres” of mercury spilled from a broken thermometer. (LJ 10/1/10)
Nicolaou, K.C. & Tamsyn Montagnon. Molecules That Changed the World: A Brief History of the Art and Science of Synthesis and Its Impact on Society. Wiley-VCH.2008. 385p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9783527309832. $55.
Fascinating stories of organic molecules and the chemists who worked with them; for larger popular science collections.
FOR TEACHERS & PARENTS
Bretz, Stacey. Chemistry in the National Science Education Standards: A Reader and Resource Manual for High School Teachers. 2d ed. American Chemical Society. 2008. 157p. illus. ISBN 9780841269910. pap. $24.95.
High school chemistry teachers will find a wealth of useful information here, from chemistry education research to cross-disciplinary strategies to working with English- language learners.
Gallagher-Bolos, Joan A. & Dennis W. Smithenry. Teaching Inquiry-Based Chemistry: Creating Student-Led Scientific Communities. Heinemann. 2004. 122p. illus. ISBN 9780325006710. pap. $23.75.
This resource will help teachers bring student-directed chemistry inquiry into the high school classroom.
Robertson, William C. & others. Chemistry Basics. 2007. 112p. ISBN 9780873552394.
Robertson, William C. & others. More Chemistry Basics. 2010. 153p. ISBN 9781933531472.
ea. vol: NSTA Pr. (Stop Faking It! Finally Understanding Science So You Can Teach It). illus. index. pap. $24.95.
Chemistry fundamentals are explained in these volumes for teachers and homeschooling parents.
SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS
Cobb, Cathy & Monty L. Fetterolf. The Joy of Chemistry: The Amazing Science of Familiar Things. Prometheus. 2010. 393p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781591027713. pap. $19.
This well-written compilation of interesting everyday chemistry will serve as a source for science project research and reference questions.
Goldberg, David.Schaum’s Outline of Beginning Chemistry. 3d ed. 2009. 360p. ISBN 9780071635370.
Kuchel, Philip & others. Schaum’s Outline of Biochemistry. 3d ed. 2010. 506p. ISBN 9780071472272.
Meislich, Herbert & others. Schaum’s Outline of Organic Chemistry. 4th ed. 2009. 512p. ISBN 9780071625128.
Odian, George & Ira Blei. Schaum’s Outline of General, Organic, and Biochemistry for Nursing and Allied Health. 2d ed. 2009. 528p. ISBN 9780071611657.
Rosenberg, Jerome & others. Schaum’s Outline of College Chemistry. 9th ed. 2009. 408p.ISBN 9780071635301.
ea. vol: McGraw-Hill. ilus. index. pap. $18.95.
A popular study guide series for advanced high school and college students. Select titles by topic interest.
Gonick, Larry & Craig Criddle. The Cartoon Guide to Chemistry. HarperResource: HarperCollins. 2005. 249p. illus. index. ISBN 9780060936778. pap. $16.99.
Funny cartoons teach fundamental chemistry principles, from states of matter to logarithms. Popular with students and teachers.
Kiernan, Denise & Joseph D’Agnese. Science 101: Chemistry. Harper: HarperCollins. 2007. 218p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780060891381. pap. $15.95.
Published in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution, this wonderful guide covers the topics of an introductory chemistry class in an attractive, magazine-style layout. Appropriate for all public libraries.
Thompson, Robert Bruce. Illustrated Guide to Home Chemistry Experiments: All Lab, No Lecture. O’Reilly. (DIY Science). 2008. 415p. illus. index. ISBN 9780596514921. pap. $29.99.
Providing the information you need to experiment safely at home, this is a great resource for high school science projects and adults who want to set up their own labs.
REFERENCE BASICS
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. 92nd ed. CRC Pr. 2010. 2650p. ed. by William M. Haynes. illus. index. ISBN 9781439820773. $149.95.
This comprehensive annual handbook will serve high school and college students, professionals, and medium-sized or larger reference collections; information about the online version can be found at www.hbcpnetbase.com. The CD-ROM version (ISBN 9781439846544. $169.95) offers advanced data searching and compiling capabilities, which makes it particularly useful in academic and industry settings.
A Dictionary of Chemistry. 6th ed. Oxford Univ. (Paperback Reference). 2008. 584p. ed. by John Daintith. illus. ISBN 9780199204632. pap. $17.95.
All libraries need at least one reliable dictionary of chemical terms, and this gem comes at a bargain price. (LJ 12/08)
Gray, Theodore. The Elements: A Visual Exploration of Every Known Atom in the Universe. Black Dog & Leventhal, dist. by Workman. 2009. 240p. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781579128142. $29.95.
This gorgeously photographed guide to the elements can be used as a visual reference, but its brief entries are packed with intriguing tidbits that also make it a fascinating read.
Lewis, Richard J. Hawley’s Condensed Chemical Dictionary. 15th ed. Wiley-Interscience: Wiley. 2007. 1400p. illus. ISBN 9780471768654. $165.
More than just a dictionary of chemistry terms, this trusted reference also compiles information on thousands of chemicals and chemical processes. Appropriate for large public libraries and those serving industries or college students. Also available as a CD-ROM (ISBN 9780471768968. $165) and online (ISBN 9780470114735) at bit.ly/gWwgbS. Price varies depending on license agreement.
The Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals. 14th ed. Merck: Wiley. 2006. 2520p. ed. by Maryadele J. O’Neil. illus. index. ISBN 9780911910001. $125.
This authoritative reference to the chemical properties, uses, toxicity, and regulation of more than 10,000 compounds is essential to larger libraries and all science and medical collections. (LJ 11/15/06)
Speight, James G. Lange’s Handbook of Chemistry. 16th ed. McGraw-Hill. 2004. 1000p. illus. index. ISBN 9780071432207. $165.
Covering inorganic and organic chemistry, this classic reference will be invaluable to large libraries or those that serve college students, researchers, or industry. Online version available through Knovel at bit.ly/i6MMgS.
Van Nostrand’s Encyclopedia of Chemistry. 5th ed. Wiley-Interscience: Wiley. 2005. 1856p. ed. by Glenn D. Considine. illus. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780471615255. $250.
An authoritative and reliable encyclopedia suitable for all but the smallest reference collections. (LJ 11/1/05)
WEBSITES
General Chemistry Online!
antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/index.shtml
Learning tools and tutorials from Frederick A. Senese, Department of Chemistry, Frostburg State University.
The International Year of Chemistry 2011
www.chemistry2011.org
Learn more about IYC 2011, find activity ideas, and connect with other programmers.
MIT OpenCourseWare
ocw.mit.edu/courses/chemistry
Lecture notes, video lectures, and other free resources for learning college-level chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Rader’s Chem4Kids
chem4kids.com
Simple explanations of chemistry principles suitable for upper elementary and older students.
WebElements
www.webelements.com
An interactive periodic table of the elements from Mark J. Winter, Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, England.
| Author Information |
| Susannah Hamm is the Science & Technology Specialist at Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH, and has worked in reference and collection management in public libraries for 12 years. She believes that even reluctant readers find interest in science when it is communicated with enthusiasm and shown to be relevant to their lives. She wishes she had made this connection during her three years of college chemistry! |
