Building a Popular Science Library Collection for High School to Adult Learners: ISSUES AND RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Gregg Sapp GREENWOOD PRESS BUILDING A POPULAR SCIENCE LIBRARY COLLECTION FOR HIGH SCHOOL TO ADULT LEARNERS Building a Popular Science Library Collection for High School to Adult Learners ISSUES AND RECOMMENDED RESOURCES Gregg Sapp GREENWOOD PRESS Westport, Connecticut • London Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Sapp, Gregg. Building a popular science library collection for high school to adult learners : issues and recommended resources / Gregg Sapp. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0–313–28936–0 1. Libraries—United States—Special collections—Science. I. Title. Z688.S3S27 1995 025.2'75—dc20 94–46939 British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data is available. Copyright ᭧ 1995 by Gregg Sapp All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, by any process or technique, without the express written consent of the publisher. Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 94–46939 ISBN: 0–313–28936–0 First published in 1995 Greenwood Press, 88 Post Road West, Westport, CT 06881 An imprint of Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc. Printed in the United States of America TM The paper used in this book complies with the Permanent Paper Standard issued by the National Information Standards Organization (Z39.48–1984). 10987654321 To Kelsey and Keegan, with love, I hope that you never stop learning. Contents Preface ix Part I: Scientific Information, Popular Science, and Lifelong Learning 1 Chapter One: Science Literacy, Science Education, and Public Life 3 Chapter Two: A Brief History of Scientific Communication 21 Chapter Three: Understanding Popular Science Information Resources 31 Chapter Four: Evaluating Popular Science Information Resources 48 Part II: Subject Guides to Popular Science Information Resources 65 Chapter Five: Science—General 67 Chapter Six: Astronomy and Space Sciences 87 Chapter Seven: Biological Sciences 106 Chapter Eight: Chemistry 136 Chapter Nine: Mathematics 151 Chapter Ten: Medicine and Health Sciences 170 viii Contents Chapter Eleven: Natural History 205 Chapter Twelve: Physics 238 Chapter Thirteen: Technology and Applied Sciences 258 Appendix: Book Review Source Abbreviations 291 Author Index 295 Title Index 309 Subject Index 327 Preface In 1985 I accepted my first professional library position as a science librarian at Idaho State University. In addition to the normal pressure associated with starting a new job, I was additionally concerned about being a science librar- ian per se and working with technical information from disciplines in which I had little if any academic preparation. Although I had worked in various tech- nical libraries in the past, like most librarians my educational strengths were in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. This apprehension led me to un- dertake voracious, self-directed reading in popular science literature, and that activity, over time, has become an ongoing personal learning strategy. Profes- sionally, I have become so committed to popular scientific literature that I have spent the last five years researching topics related to science literacy, sci- ence education, and information resources. This book is a product of that work. Popular science information is important because it provides the only vehicle for curious nonspecialists to learn about myriad scientific and technical issues, short of going back to school to do so. Further, for those who are in school, popular science can be integrated into the college or high school general edu- cation curriculum in ways that stimulate greater understanding of and interest in subjects that often are quickly forgotten. Several recent surveys have found American science education and the public understanding of science to be de- ficient—perhaps dangerously so. When scientists, educators, and public servants discuss reforms in these areas, the need for more and better popular scientific information is almost always stated. Even so, the nature of popular science information resources is not well un- x Preface derstood. Even those who call for increased popularization of scientific knowl- edge sometimes do so guardedly. The reason is essentially that, while primary scientific information is submitted to peer scrutiny and assessment, there are no comparable quality checks where popular science is concerned. The fear is that scientific speculation might be presented as fact, unrealistic promises might be made based upon faulty research findings, or information might be used selec- tively, even insidiously, by persons with partisan agendas. These are legitimate concerns. As information professionals, librarians who use or select popular science resources must possess the necessary skills by which to evaluate that literature. Where such evaluation is not done appropriately, the library can become the institutional means by which defective science information reaches the public. Part I of this book provides public, high school, and college librarians with a basic understanding of popular science information so that they can make better choices on behalf of their library patrons. Part II, organized by subject area, cites specific books, periodicals, and other resources that could constitute a core science literacy collection. Between the two parts, theory and practice are melded. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Thanks are due to many. Barbara Rader at Greenwood Press proposed the idea for this book. Drs. Pearce Mullen and Robert Fellencz of Montana State University offered suggestions and encouragement. George Suttle was a com- patriot and occasional sounding board. Paul Wylie helped keep me on track. I owe thanks to Dave Michael, because I forgot him in my last book. My staff in Access Services Department at the University of Miami Richter Library were exceedingly patient and tolerant. Thanks also to Paul Michel, on whom the irony of this book will not be lost, and Bill Dobbins, ditto. Great thanks are due my family: my wife, Beatrice, who suffered through those endless weekends while I pounded the word processor; my children, Kelsey and Keegan; and my parents and siblings, especially Laura. Part I Scientific Information, Popular Science, and Lifelong Learning Chapter One Science Literacy, Science Education, and Public Life Science and technology impinge on our daily lives in countless ways. Electronic gadgets that a few years ago would have seemed futuristic are now common in our homes and workplaces. Just a decade ago, for example, cellular phones, microwave ovens, ATM machines, video recorders, and compact discs were new commercial technologies. Today the frontiers have been pushed back, and now virtual reality and high definition television are among the emerging high-tech products. Frequently, however, everyday technologies can seem like black boxes, the inner workings of which are totally inscrutable to us. This is often true of even the most mundane tools and products. For example, how many of us know how even the ordinary light bulb works? Without a basic understanding of how these devices work, we are ‘‘blinded’’ by science—incapable of under- standing or appreciating many of the things that we encounter virtually every day. Further, those who lack an intellectual grounding in science are missing out on a fascinating cultural experience. Science has changed how we think and perceive the world in which we live, and how we express ourselves. To give just one example, most of us are familiar with the word ‘‘hacker’’ and the kind of person it describes, but relatively few know of the flourishing subculture that hackers have developed. It is so rich, in fact, that Eric Raymond has written a reference book, The New Hacker’s Dictionary (MIT Press, 1993), to describe and standardize its language. Most crucially, however, as citizens we are often called upon, either directly or indirectly, to assess complex issues that are founded in science. At the na- tional level, it is estimated that two-thirds of the bills currently pending in 4 Scientific Information Congress involve science and technology in some way.1 Numerous scientific issues have broad public relevance; for example: • Billions of taxpayer dollars were spent on such projects as the Space Shuttle Program, the Strategic Defense Initiative, the Hubble Space Telescope, and the Superconducting Supercollider. Although quite different in purpose and conception, all these enterprises encountered serious financial and/or technical problems, for which taxpayers footed the bill. • Genetically and biologically engineered products, including foods, are rapidly becom- ing commercially available. Many people, however, fear that such products are unsafe. • Research into the development of many new drugs that are of potentially great benefit, including AIDS treatments, is continually hampered by economic and political pres- sures. Meanwhile, millions suffer from possibly treatable diseases. • As some legislators seek to pass laws designed to safeguard threatened environments and preserve biodiversity, others are more concerned about the economic impacts of such measures. • The Human Genome Project, a government funded effort to map the entire human genetic code, raises both legislative and ethical questions. • Proposed computer networks—‘‘information superhighways’’—hold the promise of democratizing information, but could also become commercialized and accomplish the opposite. • In the 1970s, research into the development of sustainable energy resources was