Our goal for the JCE Digital Library is to create an invaluable resource for the chemical education community. Therefore it is essential that information regarding the library be made available as widely as possible, that users of the library be able to locate materials of interest to them in an efficient manner, that users be confident that the materials they are accessing have been critically reviewed, and that the collection be maintained and further developed beyond the timeframe of our NSDL grant.
The Journal of Chemical Education has unparalleled ability to disseminate information about the JCE Digital Library to members of the chemical education community. The JCE is published by the Division of Chemical Education, Inc. (DivCHED) of the American Chemical Society (ACS).
DivCHED has about 6000 members, most of whom are chemistry teachers—many
teaching in high schools and two-year colleges. There are 12,000 JCE subscribers to the print and on-line versions of the Journal, and many other chemistry teachers use JCE Software. The JCE’s
high standing as the premiere journal in its field insures that, once
aware of its digital-library holdings, potential users will trust in
the quality of the product and therefore be more inclined to use it.
We believe that the JCE is extremely well suited as digital-library portal for the chemical education community.
Access
Once materials in the collection have been peer reviewed and accepted as publications in the JCE, they will be housed on servers maintained by the Journal.
This has two advantages—the problem of dead links, one of the
more frustrating aspects of any web-based collection, will be avoided,
and, navigation through the collection will be as seamless and as simple
as we can make it. The JCE servers currently handle approximately 37 million requests per year, and we anticipate that adding the JCE Digital library material will increase this substantially.
Part of the content of JCE Online is available to everyone,
including the JCE Index, discussion forums, and demonstration
versions of videos and software. However, the main content is available
only to subscribers. This should not pose a problem for those who
want to access our JCE Digital Library collections, because
the subscription price has always been maintained at the lowest possible
level that can support current operations. Currently it is $45 per
year for individuals, which provides nearly 2000 pages of print and
full access to everything in JCE Online. This allows the broadest
possible range of teachers to use our materials.In addition, JCE
Online is available through many libraries, allowing access to
the JCE Digital Library for occasional users.
Quality Control and Evaluation
Continued success of a collection of the type that we are proposing relies heavily on user satisfaction with the materials that are available. Our well-developed and highly respected review process, adapted to these digital materials, will insure that only materials of the highest quality, in terms of content, pedagogical value, and ease of use, become permanent elements of the collection. Our goal is that users will have the same level of confidence in the JCE Digital Library that they do in other JCE publications.
Additionally, we plan to establish an on-line community for balanced and critical discussion of items in the collection. This will provide feedback concerning the effectiveness of the project, will stimulate authors to revise existing items and produce new ones, based on this additional level of review. We expect to evaluate the success of the project based on online surveys of users, the numbers of downloads of our materials, increases in our subscriber base, and online feedback and reviews from those who are using or considering use of our materials.
To facilitate this synergism, we are adding a “provisionally
accepted” category to some domains of our digital library. To
qualify for this category items must first be judged appropriate by
members of the project staff, or by additional (volunteer) collection
managers who will work with the staff. Criteria to be applied at this
stage include the correctness of the chemical content, cross-platform
compatibility whenever possible, absence of substantial overlap with
existing items, and clarity of usage for interactive items. The issue
of overlap with existing items will be dealt with more liberally than
in the case of the print Journal because it is possible that
several items might address the same issue, such as the visualization
of an organic reaction mechanism, but the various presentations might
very well appeal to different audiences. We see this overlap as an
attractive feature of the digital collection and one that will broaden
user interest in the collection. Items that are deemed not to meet
the criteria for provisional acceptance will be returned to the authors
for revision and resubmission. Provisionally accepted items will then
reside in an open review section of the library and will remain there
until sufficient critique and commentary has been received to ensure
that they should remain as permanent elements of the collection.
Sustainability and Maintenance of the Collection
Since this project will be integrated into ongoing work of the JCE, maintenance and expansion of the collection over time is assured. The Journal has
substantial relevant experience dealing with personnel changes while
ensuring both continuity of publication and incorporation of new ideas
and skills. We also have a strong tradition of what one might refer
to as “guided volunteerism” that draws on the interests
and generosity of chemical educators worldwide to generate new ideas,
to assist in the ongoing efforts of the Journal, and to respond to requests for assistance and for the implementation of new initiatives.
The JCE Digital Library is exactly in line with the Journal’s goals and mission, and with NSDL funding our goals will be acheived much sooner. Support from the NSDL program will jump-start the collection of new materials and enhancement of existing activities.
The Journal of Chemical Education is uniquely positioned to
develop and maintain digital-library collections in chemical education.
As the most prestigious and broadly read journal in its field, it has
access to the individuals who have materials to contribute. Its history
of innovations in publishing software, video, and online materials
show a strong commitment to the philosophy of a digital library. The JCE’s
existing structure provides a framework that supports decisions about
what kinds of materials to collect and makes it easy to survey the
clientele regarding what kinds of materials are needed. The JCE’s
high standing in the chemical education community provides immediate
visibility for the collection. The integrity and thoroughness of the JCE’s
review process ensure quality control and will induce confidence in
those who use the collections. Finally, the JCE is published
by the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society
and has a 79-year history of continuous publication of chemical education
materials. It is a stable institution that can maintain, expand, and
enhance each of its digital-library collections, providing them to
users at minimum cost.
Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts
The Journal of Chemical Education has maintained its high quality and prestige through a rigorous program of evaluating all materials submitted for publication. Its more than 4000 reviewers are knowledgeable in their fields and in chemical pedagogy. They provide invaluable aid and support to authors, who often indicate that published material is of much higher quality than what was submitted. Each sub-collection proposed here will be overseen by a person who edits a JCE feature
column, that is, by someone who is used to receiving and evaluating
large numbers of submitted materials, both text and digital. The project’s
content will be ultimately determined by John Moore, the editor of the JCE, and the technical aspects of setting up and maintaining the digital collection will be the responsibility of Jon L. Holmes, the JCE’s
associate editor for technical matters. This rigorous process of evaluation
and the JCE’s technical expertise will assure that the
intellectual, technical, and pedagogical merit of the JCE Digital Library collections will be the very highest.
The JCE digital library will become available to far more
than the JCE’s 12,000 subscribers. Broader impacts on
the public are provided because the JCE is affiliated with
the American Chemical Society and has important associations with
those who present workshops for teachers. Our involvement in National
Chemistry Week and other programs that increase public understanding
of chemistry takes the project’s impact even further. The materials
collected by this project will enhance and improve science education
throughout the USA, thereby fostering better public understanding
of science and aiding in the recruitment of all kinds of students
to scientific careers.
