the Undergraduate Science Librarian

In my quest to update the science subject guides at my library, I have started in alphabetical order with Astronomy. The astronomy subject guide is one of the least used guides at my institution, and it does not have many resources listed.

In my quest to update this resource, I am employing several strategies.

1. Adding appropriate resources from our list of paid databases
2. Adding resources I am already familiar with that may be useful in astronomy
3. Examining other subject guides created by specialty librarians at larger universities on the subject
4. Working with the astronomy faculty to add resources that they point their students to

Since I am not an astronomer, part of this process involves learning about the literature research methods of astronomers, and the needs of these particular undergraduates at my institution.

A few of the resources I will be adding to the guide include:

• arXiv.org – A major resource for pre-prints in all areas of physics
• The US National Virtual Observatory – Astronomical data from around the world
• NASA Images – Some amazing images of Earth, the solar system and the universe