USing engineering theses and dissertations to inform collection development decisions especially in civil engineering

Abstract

To develop an excellent collection for graduate student use, a librarian must take the time to know what students are using for their research and study. Citation analysis can be used to enhance a librarian's knowledge of tools and resources used by the graduate population and therefore allow better purchase and service decisions. For graduate students, especially in fields where journal publication is not necessarily the venue of choice, theses and dissertations are a font of information. Citation patterns provide information about the governmental and web resources that should be included in a collection. Tracking down the cited materials provides the librarian with information about the discovery tools that should be taught to newer students. Civil engineers, especially in the transportation and construction fields, use specialized resources and unique databases. © American Society for Engineering Education, 2009.