Structures Engineering Seminar                                     Julia Gelfand

Winter 2007                                                                 Science Library 228

                                                                                    jgelfand@uci.edu

                                                                                    (949) 824-4971

 

There are many resources to consult for information to support structural engineering and this handout will introduce you to many of them. The Library Subject Guide for Civil & Environmental Engineering is a good source from which to begin.   It will reflect academic, scholarly, commercial and trade sources, patents, and standards and emphasize coverage of the literature for buildings, bridges, construction, seismic/earthquake, materials, and applied/engineering mechanics.

 

For Remote Access - remember to follow directions to use either the WebVPN or install the VPN client for connecting from off-campus

 

Finding Books:

ANTPAC - UCI holdings in all format - keyword searching will provide output with the most recent titles listed first

MELVYL - holdings from all 10 UC campuses, storage facilities, Center for Research Libraries

WorldCat - worldwide bibliographic holdings of member libraries - UCI's holdings noted

CRCnetBase for Civil Engineering - books published by CRC Press

 

Selective appropriate Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) may include:

Air-supported structures

Bridges

Cable structures

Earthquakes

Finite element analysis

Flexible structures

Foundations

Hydraulic structures

Seismology

Structural analysis (Engineering)

Structural engineering

Structural frames

Thin-walled structures

 

The corresponding call number ranges are in the TA 438-658 (mostly in the TA 636 range for Structural Engineering), with construction in the THs and other areas as noted.

 

Reference Works - there are more and more available online and all are included in ANTPAC but there are the traditional dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, and other finding aids in the Science Library Reference Collection in the Ts.  Also consult Quick Reference for more general titles.  Remember to use the UC eLink icon to determine fulltext access. 

 

Finding Journal Articles - many databases:

Ei Engineering Index - Compendex

INSPEC (1969+)

INSPEC Archive (1898-1968)

IEEE Xplore

ASCE Journals Library

ASME Digital Library

Web of Science (Science Citation Index 1900+)

ISI Journal Citation Reports (JCR)

Emeraldinsight Journals - a group of about 16 engineering titles including Built Environment

Annual Reviews - specifically for Environment & Resources

Digital Dissertations - access to dissertations - free full-text access available to UC dissertations from 1997

Selective list by publisher

 

Patents

U. S. Patent and Trademark Office

http://www.uspto.gov/ and How to Search the USPTO database

Official source for U.S. patents and trademarks in full text from 1976 (full page images available since 1790) with links to the Library of Congress for copyright information. Definitions, application forms and instructions, handbooks, notices, and patent attorney directory are just a few of the products provided. Includes design patents and reissued patents as well as patents currently in application process (coverage starts March 2001). Full-text searching is available.

 

LexisNexis Academic Universe - mostly legal content including case law, statutes and law reviews as well as patents

http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe

Under "Legal Research" is a Patent Research section for searching of Patents (1971 to date), by individual category of Design Patents, Plant Patents or Utility Patents. Can also search by keyword, assignee, inventor, patent number, classification, and lawyer.

 

Other valuable patent resources:

Patent Searching Tutorial – from the University of Texas, Austin

European Patent Office - index of patents originating in Europe

Freepatentsonline - Fulltext and images of US patents beginning with patent number 4,000,000

Scirus - Indexes over 13 million patents from the US, European and Japanese Patent Offices and WIPO

Subject Guide for Patents

 

Standards - The UCI has very few standards although we have the indexes to the ASTM Annual Books with the latest for 2004/and some for 2005 at Science Library Ref TA 401 A653.  For other standards, consult with a reference librarian.

 

Government Information - listed via ANTPAC and increasingly available online, the print collection is found at the Langson Library.

 

Bibliographic Management Software - The UCI Libraries encourage users to manage their searching and recommend learning how to use either RefWorks or EndNote. 

RefWorks is a free web-based service for which users can establish an account, and trial at http://www.lib.uci.edu/bms/refworks.html

There will be an instruction session on RefWorks on March 1 from 1-2 in the Langson Library TEC and registration is available via EEE

EndNote is a fee-based software package (purchase via educational discount at the UCI Bookstore) that is loaded on a specific computer and a description and trial is found at http://www.lib.uci.edu/bms/endnote.html  The Web of Knowledge platform offers free EndNoteWeb which is an abbreviated version of EndNote but allows one to save to one's established account.

 

Additional Information & Assistance:

  1. Contact Liaison Librarian
  2. Consult Reference Desk at either Science (9-6) or Langson (9-9) Libraries and (1-5 on weekends)
  3. Use Ask a Librarian to get help via the Chat/Online service, eMail Reference or to schedule a Research Consultation

 

This session will cover the core and specialized literature in Civil & Environmental Engineering that focuses on Structural Engineering.  It will reflect academic, scholarly, commercial and trade sources, patents, and standards and emphasize coverage of the literature for buildings, bridges, construction, seismic/earthquake, materials, and applied/engineering mechanics.