The long road from chemistry, to microbiology, to information science

Abstract

People with nontraditional careers usually find it difficult to explain to others what has driven them through all their professional choices. With an MS in phys. chem., a PhD in microbiology (both earned in Bulgaria), and postdoctoral training, why would someone also translate scientific abstracts and papers, and even a book. Why would a fellow of the International Atomic Energy Agency, while specializing in Paris in the use of isotopes in biochemistry, also write articles about contemporary French intellectuals. Why would a researcher in Ohio State University, while trying to elucidate a metabolic pathway for beta-oxidation of arachidonic acid in peroxisomes, also earn an M.L.S. from Kent State University. Was it only the fascination with chemistry, microbiology, literature, history, linguistics, or the essays published by Eugene Garfield in "Current Contents," that led to a rewarding new career as an information professional and manager of ACS Library.