RSC News - pp7-14 - Royal Society of Chemistry

NEWS
Member survey results
to be announced
DID YOU KNOW that the majority of RSC
members have worked for the same
employer for more than 10 years?
This and other interesting facts are
coming out of the analysis of the
professional survey that the RSC carried out
during 2003. The objectives of the survey
were to ascertain the type of work that
members do, and to gain an insight into
members’ employment conditions at the
beginning of the 21 st century. A 25-question
survey was sent to a random selection of
3,000 members, and we were delighted at
the 50 per cent return rate – thank you to
everyone who took part.
The survey asked for information about
the type of work the member does, type of
employer he/she works for, type of
employment contract, length of service,
number of employers during his/her career,
annual leave entitlement, occupational sick
pay, work-life balance options, time spent
working outside the UK, pension arrangement
and work after official retirement.
Beginning next month, we will bring you
highlights of the findings in RSC News.
New copyright regulation
for library users
ON 31 OCTOBER 2003 the European
copyright directive came into force in the
UK. The main difference for all users of
libraries in the UK is that the ‘fair dealing’
exclusion has been restricted to ‘noncommercial
use’ only. If any library user
requests a photocopy which will be used for
a ‘commercial purpose’ then they will be
required to pay an extra copyright fee. For
self-service copying this fee is currently
£9.00 (including VAT). For document delivery
a publishers-specific fee is payable which
can vary between £1.50 and £20.00 or more.
The average for chemistry journals is about
£15.00. See www.rsc.org/lic/copyright.htm
for further details.
● Any member concerned about this new
regulation should contact Nicola Best on
020 7440 3374 or Nigel Lees on 020 7440
3371. Alternatively email library@rsc.org
Turn your hidden treasure into
cash: RSC calls for budding authors
THE BBC TV PROGRAMME Cash in the Attic
encourages people to seek out their old
possessions and auction them for cash. As
the programme’s website says, “it’s the show
that turns your hidden treasures into cash and
your dreams into reality”.
Think about this and your work life. Have
you written technical notes or a review
article to help new work colleagues, or your
existing staff, which could be amplified or
expanded into a handbook for a wider
audience? Or can the lecture notes you have
painstakingly prepared, in the absence of any
suitable course books, be converted into a
textbook? Or are there ideas, in the most
amazing attic of them all, which are just
waiting to explode out of your head on to
the printed page?
Can the RSC ‘turn your dreams into reality’?
The RSC is committed to the advancement of
the chemical sciences, and its applications,
through its publications and is always eager to
see proposals for new books.
We are looking for practical handbooks,
research monographs, advanced
undergraduate and graduate textbooks in the
chemical sciences – particularly those in core
chemistry and the bio- and nano-sciences –
but we are open to suggestions. We would
be delighted to consider all of your ideas!
RSC books are produced to exacting
standards, competitively priced and marketed
direct from our Cambridge offices and
through agents and distributors worldwide.
As an internationally renowned publisher
and chemistry specialist, we offer speedy
publication and high quality presentation.
And that’s not all – you would be offered a
competitive royalty and friendly, specialised
editorial support.
To evaluate your book proposal we need
certain information. In brief, you need to
let us have your preferred book title; an
overview of the aims and coverage of the
book; a statement about the target audience;
a table of contents; your estimates on how
many words may be written and when these
might be delivered to us; and information
about you.
Who knows, you may be able to turn your
hidden treasure into cash!
● To find out more go to www.rsc.org/is/
books/publishbook.htm
A ‘Knovel’ idea from the RSC’s library
WOULDN’T IT BE great if you could search over
500 electronic databanks and electronic books
from the RSC’s website free of charge? From
March 2004 to December 2004 (a 10 month
trial) you will be able to do just that.
Check out www.knovel.com to see the
electronic information resources that will be
available to you soon. This innovative service
is being brought to a PC near you (at your
place of work or at home) by the RSC’s
Library and Information Centre (LIC), already
recognised as a prime membership benefit
and one the world’s great chemical science
collections.
Knovel is a web-based service that brings
together scientific resources in an easy-tosearch
format and has an excellent collection
in chemistry and related subjects. You will be
able to search and print out relevant content
from a range of titles including: Lange’s
Handbook of Chemistry, Perry’s Chemical
Engineers’ Handbook, Handbook of
Carcinogen Testing, Handbook of Sealants
and Adhesives, Endocrine Disrupting
Chemicals, Yaws’ Handbook of
Thermodynamic and Physical Properties of
Chemical Compounds, Handbook of
Hazardous Spills Technology, EU Food Law –
a Practical Guide, Cosmetic and Toiletry
Formulations, Plastics Additives – an
Industrial Guide, Industrial Solvents
Handbook, Handbook of Hazardous Materials
Spills Technology, and Handbook of Physical
Vapor Deposition (PVD) Processing.
This development is the first of a number
of trials that the LIC will roll out to members
remote from Burlington House over the next
few years. The stated aim is to create a virtual
chemical knowledge centre, accessible from
anywhere in the world.
● All enquiries should be sent to
Nigel Lees, manager, Library and Archival
Services at library@rsc.org
6 RSC NEWS
WWW.RSC.ORG