RESeEARCH Session

I met with the one of the chief's in the administrative ranks of the library to go over how best to prepare myself for writing a thesis that is oriented around scientific data and inquiries into the current progress of applied bioremediation techniques. Luckily for me, this library big wig was a biology major and had a significant background in chemistry coupled with an interest in the preservation of ecological integrity. We were like two peas in the same pod.
I forwarded the librarian many of the Genuses and species of plants and microorganisms that were of most crucial interest to me ahead of my appointment time in order for us to hit the ground running when we met face to face.
The meeting was incredibly beneficial. We broke down which databases are most relevant to this type of research, how the databases use Boolean Logic and ways to best find articles that deal with a certain main topic, a certain type of remediating organism, and a certain type pollutant (even if the specific terms' suffixes might ellude you at the time). It was incredibly helpful as well in the sense that he and I started punching through so many of these articles that we were developing a good idea of which scientists are actively working on projects and which publishers are supporting this kind of research.
Equipped with a large knowledge base, I am now more comprehensively researching what everyone is doing in this field. Unfortunately, there are still many things being done currently that have not yet made there way to the libraries. It seems that most of the information present is from 2006, right when I began my own work.