Recently, Nature published an article explaining “Why every scientist needs a librarian.” CSA could not agree more. Every year, CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) staff comb through thousands of scientific books and articles, regulatory documents, technical reports, and white papers while preparing client deliverables and keeping up to date on the latest scientific developments. Gathering all these publications is vital to producing deliverables built on strong, defendable science.
At the heart of CSA’s research capabilities is Kristen Metzger, CSA’s Director of Library and Information Services. Whether staff are conducting a literature review for an area known to be data-poor, consolidating information, or simply need help accessing a paper, they all turn to Kristen. Having Kristen on staff is a distinct advantage for CSA, and clients benefit from the expertise offered by an on-site librarian, a resource rarely found in environmental consulting organizations.
Having a librarian on staff gives CSA scientists access to documents and databases they otherwise would not have. Common deliverables CSA prepares include Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) and Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIAs) for government permitting. In preparing EIAs and ESIAs, staff conduct literature reviews to understand the baseline environment and potential impacts from the proposed project. These literature reviews often start with a search of scientific databases such as Web of Science, Biosis Previews, Georef, Oceanic Abstracts, and many others, capturing as many relevant publications as possible so that the review is as thorough as possible.
CSA maintains memberships with the International Association of Aquatic and Marine Science Libraries and Information Centers (IAMSLIC) and OCLC, an organization widely recognized for its aggregation and sharing of library resources and discovery services like WorldCat. Kristen, a charter member of IAMSLIC, has access to 300+ marine librarians and their libraries around the world. A single email is all it takes to request papers or datasets, even on obscure and niche topics. Through CSA’s OCLC membership, she can also tap into the interlibrary loan system, connecting her to 30,000 member libraries worldwide.
Kristen curates a digital library covering a range of topics across CSA’s projects. Regardless of where they are in the world, or out at sea, staff can quickly access CSA’s knowledge base. For scientists at CSA’s corporate headquarters in Stuart, Florida, there is also an in-house library of 60,000+ publications, including government reports, policy documents, and historical project data.
Library services of this scope are rare in environmental consulting, and a direct advantage for CSA’s clients.
To find out more about CSA’s Library Services, visit: https://csaocean.com/resources/library-services/