1. KTH Library, Information
Retrieval and Learning
Roger Bishop

2. Goals
• As many students as possible shall understand where
and how to obtain the most relevant information for
their studies or their research.
• Students shall also understand how to use that
information in a professional manner, which includes
critical analysis of source materials and reference
management.
• Our long-term goal is that all KTH students shall be
required to attend a course in information retrieval:
- Students will be able complete their studies at KTH in a
reasonable time
- Students become more attractive on the labour market if
they can show they have the ability to deal with the
continual need for information they require for their work.

3. Main activities
• We give training in information retrieval, critical
analysis of sources and how to correctly use and
manage references—essential components of the
working life of every student and researcher.
- Class-room courses in information searching
- Counselling and private training
- Ad hoc teaching at the circulation desk
- Help desk for search queries

4. Internal and external customers
• Undergraduates and postgraduate research students
at KTH and (sometimes) teaching and research staff:
- How to use the physical library
- Searching in electronic databases and journals
- How to cite correctly and avoid plagiarism; use of
reference management systems
- Patents as information sources and how to search them
- How to write technical reports
• Postgraduates and librarians at other Swedish
universities:
- Searching in specific commercial databases
• Companies and other organisations:
- Searching in commercial databases available through
Scientific and Technical Network International (STN)

5. Courses offered by ECE School
Information searching
1½, 3 or 6 credits.
For undergraduates in years 1, 2 and 3: Introduction to
searching in specific subject databases.
For postgraduate research students: Searching in chemistry
and patent databases, reference management, publishing
and bibliometrics.
May be web-based, fully hands-on, or a mixture of
lecture, hands-on and private study in Ping-Pong (BILDA at
KTH).
Theory and Models for Information Retrieval
4 or 7½ credits.
Mathematics-based, analysis of retrieval and relevance of
results.

6. Courses run for other KTH schools as
part of a larger program
Chemical Engineering KET INFOMET, Year 1
Chemical Engineering KET, Year 3
Organic Chemistry, Year 2
School of Information Communication and
Technology
School of Technology and Health (several)
• Introduction to information searching, overview of sources
available through KTH Library.
• Bibliographic databases such as Scopus, Web of Science
and PubMed, copyright, reference management systems, in
preparation for degree project.
• Structure-based chemistry databases such as Reaxys and
SciFinder.

7. Our teachers have higher degrees in
science and engineering—unique
among Swedish university libraries
• Roger Bishop, Ph.D.: biochemistry and
pharmaceuticals, also STN
• Mikael Danielsson, M.Sc.: construction, transport
and civil engineering
• Göran Hamrin, Ph.D.: mathematics, philosophy and
computer science
• Bengt Haraldsson, M.Sc.: metallurgy and physics
• Rosa Lönneborg, Ph.D.: biochemistry, also STN
• Thomas Nyström, M.Sc.: computer sciences and
library sciences (shared resource)
• Maria Unger, Ph.D.: environmental chemistry, also
STN

8. Collaboration with other units within
KTHB
• User services and communication: provide help to
students on information searching at the circulation
desk, Search Workshop and on standby
• Language: some collaboration on reference
management and scientific writing
• Publication Infrastructure: teaching the use of
DiVA as information source, collaboration in post-
graduate course on information searching, scientific
writing and publication
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