Trial for Merck Index Online

The Merck Index Online provides authoritative source information on chemicals, drugs and biologicals. You can do a quick search on Name, CAS Registry Number, Molecular Formula or Molecular Weight, or a structure search. You can also browse by organic named reaction.

The trial ends April 4, 2014.  The cost is $22,600 for purchase and $4,452 for annual subscription. Please share your feedback (UMass NetID required for UMass Apps) with us about this resource.

New Indexes for Book, Data and Patent Citations, Biological and Chemical Research, and More!

The Libraries have purchased backfiles and current access to the following new databases available on the Web of Knowledge platform from Thomson:

Subject coverage of these databases covers the humanities, sciences and social sciences, and they complement our existing Web of Science core resources.

Please contact a reference librarian if you have questions about any of these new sources.

Global Plants is Here and Growing

Global Plants is a growing database of images, naming structures, locality and country, collector and collection of plants from over 300 herbaria around the world. Related materials, such as correspondence, diaries and paintings from plant collectors, reference sources, articles, maps and more are presented with each entry. You can browse by taxonomy, resource type, geography, herbarium or collection, and you can search by keyword, title, biological classification and more.

Global Plants is produced by the Global Plants Initiative and hosted by JSTOR. If you have questions about this resource or would like assistance using it, contact Madeleine Charney, Sustainability Studies Liaison Librarian, at 413-545-0784.

Explore Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia

Did you know that female falcons are larger than males? Or that polar bears can outrun caribou on the Arctic tundra? Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia is an authoritative source of fascinating details about all kinds of animals, including birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, mammals, etc. Organized by taxonomic hierarchy, the online source is readily searched by keyword or browsed. Each entry covers scientific and common name, physical characteristics, reproductive biology, behavior, feeding ecology and diet, and much more. Color photographs and charts complete the descriptive pictures.

While you’re browsing Grzimek’s, keep an eye on the Libraries’ nesting peregrine falcons. Enjoy!

Trial for CAB E-Books

The Libraries now have a trial for CAB e-books published by CABI since 2000. The entire CAB collection includes over 500 titles covering the applied life sciences, with collections of titles in agriculture; animal and veterinary science; environmental life sciences; human health, food and nutrition; leisure and tourism; and plant sciences.

The trial goes through June 15th. Contact Naka Ishii, ISEL Reference Librarian, at 413-545-1656 with questions or comments.

Encyclopedia of Inland Waters Added

The e-reference source, Encyclopedia of Inland Waters contains over 240 articles on topics of interest to students and researchers in aquatic biology and ecology, or those people managing water resources. You can browse the articles by subject classification, author, article title or subject index, and you can search the full-text of the source as well.

If you would like assistance using this resource, contact Naka Ishii, Natural Sciences liaison librarian, at 413-545-1656.