CLASS MATERIALS

• Class Web Page for an Organic Laboratory Class
  Grace Baysinger (accessed Jan 1999)
  The site includes the chemical information lecture slides for this class, plus lists and descriptions of resources useful for organic laboratory students. Categories include Hints for Identifying Unknowns; Finding "Parent " Compounds; Finding Derivatives Nomenclature Resources; Spectral Resources; Bibliography. (For a description of the chemical information component of the organic laboratory course see Baysinger, Grace in the Teaching - Instructional Initiatives section.)

• MEDLINE and Beyond: Survival Skills for Scientific Communication
  Kerryn Brandt (accessed Jan 1999)
  Since this course material is from 1996, some resource descriptions may be outdated. This graduate level medical school course introduces the Internet, information technology, and information sources ranging from MEDLINE to the World Wide Web as research tools in the basic sciences. Readings, exercises and lecture schedule are provided. Syllabus is linked to brief lecture topics, readings, and assignments. Several lectures are devoted to the Internet. Databases covered include MEDLINE , BIOSIS and sequence databases. Other lectures cover HTML, sequence analysis servers, mapping, and organizing/managing information.

• Integration of Active Learning in the Chemical Information Classroom,
  Nan J. Butkovich, Penn State University (accessed Jan 1999)
  Describes active learning modules integrated into a chemical literature course. Through the use of collaborative in-class exercises and homework assignments, students are presented with questions which require them to synthesize information rather then merely reciting it. (see also: Abs. Papers Am. Chem. Soc. April 13, 1997, 213 (pt. 1) 37 CINF)

• An Introduction to Computer Searching of Chemical Abstracts, STN International
  Education Committee, Chemical Information Division, ACS (accessed Jan 1999)
  Web version of the print material created and distributed by the Education Committee of the ACS Division of Chemical Information. Very useful for instructors who need examples of searches in different areas of chemistry. Contains teaching materials which can be used as class examples. Includes information on the basics of online searching and STN search commands. Annotated search examples are provided for: Author searching, Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, General Subject, Inorganic/Physical Chemistry, Organic Chemistry (property), and Organic Chemistry (synthesis) (last updated 1997)

• Manual and Computer-aided Literature Searching - CH361A
  J. J. Gosper, Brunel University (accessed Jan 1999)
  Describes the types of chemical literature (primary, secondary, tertiary) and describes some major print resources (e.g. Beilstein, Chemical Abstracts Citation Indexes) with basic instructions on how to use them. The document does not contain internal links to its contents hence the user must scroll the document. Gives detailed instructions on using print Beilstein with links to examples. A unique feature is a demonstration of how to use the print Chemical Abstracts Ring Indexes. Exercises for using print sources and BIDS, a British database system , are included. The author states that these notes have largely been taken from the excellent chapter "The Literature of Organic Chemistry" in Jerry March's book Advanced Organic Chemistry: Reactions, Mechanisms, and Structure, Appendix A, 4th Ed., John Wiley & Sons.(Site was last updated in 1995)

• Chemical Literature (Chem 184/284) Chuck Huber, University of California, Santa Barbara (accessed Dec 1998) Home page for a one-quarter course on the chemical literature. Contains class schedule with readings and assignments. Includes links to extensive lecture notes which are well organized in an outline form useful for instructors looking for ideas on how to present a topic. Class consists of 17 lectures. Also includes sample assignments (with answers) for an exercise on finding compound information in various handbooks/compendia. The term project (locating information on a research topic) is described. Oral and written reports which describe the search process are required. Lectures include: primary literature; two lectures on compiled and evaluated data (the first lecture contains an excellent annotated list of major sources; the second lecture covers Beilstein and Gmelin); abstract and indexing services (includes criteria for selecting an appropriate database); electronic databases, including Science Citation Index; chemistry on the internet; and a series of lectures on Chemical Abstracts. Three lectures on print Chemical Abstracts provide details on indexing with good examples. Four lectures on online Chemical Abstracts via STN include extensive transcripts from database searches and link to additional sources such as instructional material from CA. Structure searching using STN commands is described.

• Project UCAIR ( Undergraduate Cooperative Access to Information Resources)
  Landolt, R. G. Texas Wesleyan University (accessed Jan 1999)
  Landolt's home page contains several links to information on Project UCAIR. The project was funded by the Robert A. Welch and the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundations with the cooperation of STN International/Chemical Abstracts, and aimed to provide Chemistry faculty, librarians, and students at 35 primarily undergraduate institutions with focused, user- friendly access to electronic information sources on their home campuses. On-site visits consisted of workshops for faculty members and librarians, and classroom time with students, to familiarize them with the data bases. Undergraduate students in targeted schools learned about information sources, how to retrieve information, and to judge quality of what is found, in the context of the intermediate level chemistry curriculum. Schools visited (as of Spring 1998: 26) are listed on a map.

• From 300 Baud to STN Easy: Familiarizing Chemistry Students with On-Line Literature Searching from 1980-1996 at a Canadian Undergraduate University
  Brian Lynch, St. Francis Xavier University (accessed Jan 1999)
  The development of the course over a period of years is traced. Current course content, problem assignments and an exam are presented. An annotated STN search of Chemical Abstracts is included. (see also Abs. Papers Am. Chem. Soc. April 2, 1997, 213 (pt. 1) 41 CINF)

• Web pages for an undergraduate Chemical Literature Course
  Fred J. Matthews, Austin Peay State University (accessed Jan 1999)
  Includes a list of the course handouts and sample exercised. Thirteen exercises are provided. Topics include: Using the library; reference books/handouts, periodical literature, patents and government documents, the literature of each of the major chemical subdivisions (organic, inorganic etc), major resources such as Science Citation Index, and several exercises on Chemical Abstracts. (For a description of the course see the J. Chem. Educ. article by Matthews.

• Webercise Sampler
  Steven Murov, Modesto Junior college (accessed Jan 1999)
  Go to the bottom of Murov's home page for some examples of a new educational product currently (Spring 1998) under development for John Wiley and Sons, Inc. Webercises provide questions which can be answered using the Internet and guide students to appropriate sources, using a Chemical Webercises Directory. Three sets of Webercises are planned: introductory/chemistry and society; preparative and general chemistry; organic chemistry.

• Virtual School of Molecular sciences (Mirror site)
  Peter Murray-Rust, University of Nottingham (accessed Jan 1999)
  The VSMS offers virtual courses at postgraduate level in emerging technologies which enable and enhance chemical/scientific communication such as VRML, Chemical Mime, cheminformatics, bioinformatics and QSAR. The courses are designed to be modular and self-paced. Site lists past and planned courses. As of Jan 1999, a course on Structure-based drug design was underway and a course on Java for scientists is planned for 1999. A fee is required. Information from several presentations by Peter Murray-Rust is also available at this site (under Talks and Tours).

• Class web page for undergraduate chemical information course
  Alison S. Ricker, Oberlin College (accessed Jan 1999)
  Provides the class syllabus and exercises for a one semester undergraduate chemical information course. Topics include: Chemical Abstracts, print and online (STN), other databases such as Science Citation Index; ChemDraw, chemical resources on the web, evaluating chemical information (This exercise provides a good list of criteria for evaluating an information source) Two term projects are included. In one, students are assigned a compound and over the term are asked for various types of information it. Students submit a written report on the compound. In the other project groups of students are assigned a topic and present an oral report with a written handout (the topics are listed on the web site). The site also includes some guidelines on how to approach a literature research project by working through a sample topic, reviewing possible approaches and sources.

• Introduction to Chemical Information Technology
  Henry Rzepa, Department of Chemistry, Imperial College (accessed Jan 1999)
  This course syllabus (8 lectures and 4 labs) includes brief summaries of each lecture. The course emphasizes structure based searching and using web tools such as Internet search engines, electronic journals and web resources such as the Molecule of the Month sites and Chemweb. Includes some specifically British sources such as the BIDS database system and the British Library catalog. Sources covered include Beilstein Crossfire, ISIS, CAS via STN, Science Citation Index, Cambridge Crystallographic Database, Brookhaven Protein Databank . Exercises and grading are described and a list of project topics is provided. Detailed instructions are provided on how to use the resources on a frames-based page which allows students to access the resource in one frame and read the instructions in the other frame.

• Using CAS Databases on STN
  STN International, (accessed Jan 1999)
  Designed as a student manual, this resource presents eight sequential lessons on searching, along with practice problems . Each lesson lists its objectives followed by descriptive text and search examples. The manual is also available in PDF format. Search examples are suitable for use as overheads for classroom presentations. Lessons include: search strategy, text searching author searching and substance searching among other topics. (first published 1994; updated 1997)

• Chemical Information Sources and Services (C400)
  Gary Wiggins, Indiana University (accessed Jan 1999)
  An undergraduate course for BS chemistry majors and MLS/MIS Chemical Information Specialist students. Extensive course material is available on the web. The home page contains links to lecture notes for the course, problem sets and solutions, plus other course-related links such as office hours, objectives, and the course listserv archives. Eighteen lectures describe print and electronic chemical information sources and how to use them. Several lectures are devoted to where and how to search. The notes contain extensive web links either to the sources themselves, if they are on the web, or to further information on the sources. Lectures are divided into five units: Communication in Chemistry (newsgroups, listservs, the publication process, molecular visualization) How and Where to Start (guides, reviews, general works), General Online Searching (subject, author, chemical name/formula, structure), Specialized Online Searching (patents, chemical/physical properties, reactions, safety), Miscellaneous sources (jobs, business)

• Computer Sources for Chemical Information (C401)
  Gary Wiggins, Indiana University (accessed Jan 1999)
  The course covers some of the major computer-based chemical information tools found in academic and industrial environments. C401 concentrates exclusively on computer-based products. Materials include - lecture schedule, reading list, course requirements, exercises and paper topics. Some lectures are linked to a lecture outline. The Spring 1998 course covered Academic Search Fulltext, Beilstein Crossfire, Chemical Abstracts via Express and SciFinder Scholar, CAS Registry structure searching, Cambridge Crystallographic Database and patent searching.

• Current Topics in Chemical Information (C402)
  Gary Wiggins, Indiana University (accessed Jan 1999)
  In depth training on computerized tools in chemistry concentrating on one or two tools per semester. The Spring 1998 course covered: Interfaces (links) between primary documents (especially electronic journals) and secondary databases or serial vendors; The Internet as a chemical information source; Creation of specialized chemistry databases and web pages for organizations or individuals Reading list, course requirements and syllabus are provided. Some lecture titles have links to resource materials or lecture notes.