Teaching Chemical Information:
Tips and Techniques

— August 1998 —

Fitting It All In

While there are many things which every chemist should know, you may not have the opportunity to present all of them in your lecture or class
Even in a full semester chemical information course, you will have to pick and choose what you will cover

How can you cope?

Focus on tools and concepts which fit your students' current needs
Users remember best what they can apply immediately
Concentrate on readily available tools
Be aware of what is available in the library and in the lab
Start with the easiest way to solve a problem … then build to the tougher ones
Students appreciate tips and shortcuts

Puritanical instruction — “It's important for the students to know how to use Beilstein in print … even though we have CrossFire.”
Renegade instruction — “They're never going to be librarians/information specialists … and don't want to be. Cover the bare minimum they need and turn them loose.”

In reality … it depends on the situation

Lower division undergraduates and many industrial users will just want the basics of the most readily available tools in their library/laboratory
(Score one for the renegades!)
But some tools require background training for optimum use
Many of the features of Chemical Abstracts online reflect the characteristics of Chemical Abstracts in print
(Score one for the puritans!)
While some tools are designed to minimize the need for background information
CrossFire requires little or no knowledge of Beilstein in print
(Score another one for the renegades!)
Graduate students and upper-division undergraduates may move on to other locations with different resources than they currently use and will value training in depth
(Score another one for the puritans!)

In either case, be sure to teach how to choose the right tool for the job, and the appropriate strategies and tactics of searching.