Library News

Genealogy

Genealogy–do you really want to uncover your ancestry?

You are perhaps thinking about doing genealogy research because you do not have much information on your family. Would you like to find out how far back you can trace and what was going on during certain time periods when your relatives were born?

You may learn about health problems in your family which can give you a better understanding of your medical history: “Tracing the illnesses suffered by your parents, grandparents, and other blood relatives can help your doctor predict the disorders to which you may be at risk and take action to keep you and your family healthy.” Surgeon General’s Family Health History Initiative (http://www.hhs.gov/familyhistory)  While tracing your family do you really want to find that you may have what you consider an undesirable person in your family tree? Think first before undertaking genealogy research! Are you ready for what you may find or what you may not find?

Bike racks!

Have I been walking into the library with my eyes shut, or are there many new bike racks all around the library? I feel certain I didn’t see them yesterday. I know many people who bike to campus, and I’m sure the additional racks for locking up are a welcome addition. It’s exciting to see these changes, and I do hope they will be well-used!

Old Meets New: 200-Year-Old Tweets?

Very interesting article on Boston.com today about John Quincy Adams’s very short diary entries and how closely they resemble “tweets,” the 140-character posts on Twitter. Now the Massachusetts Historical Society will be posting his line-a-day entries as tweets exactly 200 years later, starting tomorrow with the first entry of his trip to Russia that began August 5, 1809. You can follow John Quincy Adams on Twitter — his handle is JQAdams_MHS. What a great way to bring history alive!

Re-use

We all know we should recycle, but what about products that can’t be placed in the recycling bin? Are there ways to re-use some of these products? AltUse attempts to help you do just that, with its user-submitted suggestions for re-using everyday products. A quick look at fabric softener sheets tells me that there are 8 ways to use them that have been submitted. The interface is clunky, but the idea is good. And you can rate the use idea for the product. It’s worth a look, and can perhaps help you save money and the environment.

New Look for Library Website

Here at Snell Library we’re about to launch a redesigned home page! A library committee did surveys and testing with NU faculty, students, and staff, with the goal of making the site more user-friendly. On the new version you’ll find:
  • Front-and-center research tools
  • Streamlined, easier-to-use visual design
  • Quick access to course reserves, interlibrary loan, and other frequently-used services
  • A Multi-Search box, right on the front page, that lets you search multiple databases at once
We tried to make our research tools the central focus of the site — you should be able to locate ejournals and databases easily, as well as popular services. You’ll also find easy access to research guides, developed by our subject librarians, to help you find the most important resources in your academic discipline. You’ll still find up-to-date library news and info on our events, and we’ve added links to this blog and our Facebook, Flickr, and YouTube sites. We thank everyone who has provided feedback so far, and we’d love to hear from more of you. Go to our page at http://www.lib.neu.edu to see a sneak preview, try out the new site, and offer your comments!