QUOTES
A senior chemistry major posted this to the chemical information listserv (his school
just began offering an information course) "My one regret is the fact
that before this class I didn't have a clue about most of this information.
...I would go so far to say I'm definitely not alone. This wealth of
information should not be an "elective" in this day and age,
especially in such a broad and complicated field such as chemistry. Every
incoming chemistry major should be briefed... early on..."
Graduates, including those with BS degrees, need to "understand how to
handle and retrieve scientific and other related information needed in chemical
industries." (Research director)
"As a consultant in organic chemistry to
six industrial research laboratories, I find that a large portion of my task is
to bring to research scientists the literature references relevant to their
immediate aims. Many
scientists do not carry out thorough literature searches for their projects and
often several months of fruitless work occurred in the laboratories before
questions are brought to my attention. This loss of time (and funds) could have
been avoided by acquiring the necessary information at the appropriate
time." " (Industrial consultant)
Industry wants "people who understand how research is done, who know
where to get information, and who are lifetime learners." Current Trends in Chemical Technology,
Business, and Employment, ACS, Dec. 1994 section on Skills/Traits Desired by
Employers notes (p. 31)
"Timely and accurate information gathering is absolutely critical for
industrial research, because of the highly competitive nature of chemically
related business arenas. The rapidly evolving changes in research require
problem solvers, which includes information skills." (Industrial research
manager)
"Many industrial companies, such as mine,
do not employ information specialists, so each scientist needs to be able to
access the information needed, and in the timeframe required (which may be as
short as 3 hours)." (Industrial research manager)
"Scientists need to know the state- of-the-art technology in their
fields, so they need to use information skills to accomplish this. There is not
time available on-the-job to teach these skills - graduates need to come with
these skills." (industrial information manger)
"I'll have to offer your graduate the job - so few graduates know how to locate information!" (President of a small chemical engineering company)
Please contact Grace Baysinger at graceb@leland.stanford.edu for further information.
Last Modified: June 30, 1999
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Information Resources