Library News

Scholar OneSearch Has a New Look!

On July 10th, Scholar OneSearch, the library’s discovery system, will have a refreshed look and some great new features to make it easier for you to find and use the research information you need. The most obvious change is the design. Besides the overall sleek, modern appearance, you’ll find that instead of hunting for actions hidden in dropdown menus, buttons and frames, most action items are now clearly laid out with links and icons.  This includes the filtering options on the left, which are sticky so they remain visible as you scroll down your page of results. We’ve done usability testing with students, and they found these design changes make the new version much easier to use. In addition to the design, these new features will make your library research easier:
  • Better, easier-to-use citation information.  You’ll be able to cut and paste citations directly into email or other documents such as bibliographies, as well as download to your favorite citation manager as before.
  • Fewer clicks to get full online access to e-books, e-journals, articles, and other media.
  • The ability to add lines to the advanced search for better control and targeting of your query.
  • A more appealing and easier-to-read presentation of related articles and the “virtual browse” of books, e-books and streaming media from our collections.
  • Clearer labels, for example, the old E-shelf is now called “My Favorites”.
  • The ability to add more than one tag to a saved item.
And don’t worry:  all the functionality you’re used to is still there. Search for books, e-books, DVD’s and other physical items, and include journal articles, conference proceedings, primary source materials, dissertations, and much more in your search results. Filter your results by date, availability, format, author, source, language, peer review, etc.   In your “my account” area, your saved favorites and checked-out books and videos will still be there. We think both the design and the new features of Scholar OneSearch will make using it a more pleasant experience, as well as fixing some earlier annoyances and restrictions. The new look and feel has been available as a beta version on our home page for several weeks, as we’ve tested and refined it with your suggestions and feedback. We hope you’ll love the new Scholar OneSearch as much as we do!

Finals Week Events at Snell Library

Finals: every college student’s favorite time of year. Your friends at Snell Library know that it is an incredibly stressful time. That’s why we’ve got some Finals Week activities for you at Snell. Firstly, we’ll have a coloring table during all finals week set up in the first floor lobby. Coloring is a great proven way to reduce stress and focus on something other than college. On Friday, April 21th, From Puppies with Love is bringing some of their furry friends to visit you on the front porch of Snell from 11 AM to 1 PM. On Tuesday, April 25th, our friends at Fit University will be bringing some awesome snacks and massage chairs into Snell from 12 to 4! Also, be on the lookout during finals week for tiny 3D printed huskies, pop-up coffee study breaks, and bubble wrap giveaway to pop your stress away. Finals are here. You got this. Finals are here. You got this.

New Library Showcase Highlights Student Media Projects

Snell Library has launched the DMC Studios Showcase featuring student audio and video recordings and 3D printing projects created in the Library’s state-of-the-art facilities. Check out the variety of curricular course work and personal endeavors– Brazilian, Persian and rock music tracks, outstanding videos created for David Herlihy’s music industry class and a cool 3D character designed for a Capstone project. The Showcase is a work in progress and will only grow with your submissions. We encourage faculty assigning classes and projects in the Library’s studios to collaborate with us to help curate this site so we can share and preserve exemplary audio, video and 3D printing projects. Please contact Digital Media Specialist Thomas Bary with your feedback and ideas and to discuss upcoming projects.

Fair Use and the Arts: Collage-Making at Snell Library

ARL-FairUseWeek-White-Logo February 20-24 is Fair Use Week, and this year Snell Library is focusing on the arts. Come and make a collage with us…details below! What is fair use? It’s a right granted to us that allows us to use copyrighted materials without permission from the copyright holder, under certain circumstances. The central purpose of the doctrine of fair use is to encourage creative expression and innovation through the transformative use of intellectual property. It is part of U.S. copyright law. People often ask, “how much of someone else’s work can I use without asking permission and have it be considered fair use?” The answer is “it depends.” Fairness is something that needs to be assessed for each potential usage, against four factors:
  1. The intended purpose and character of the use, such as whether it’s for commercial or noncommercial, educational use.
  2. The nature of the copyrighted work – is it factual or creative?
  3. The amount of the portion to be used in relation to the entire work.
  4. The effect of the use on the potential market for the original work.
There’s also a concept of “transformativeness,” which, while not specifically codified in copyright law, has been shown to be a favored use. Transformativeness has to do with the creation of a new work through the use of others’ work. Recording artists and visual artists use remixing, mashups, and sampling in this way. Sometimes they need to ask permission, but sometimes appropriation of others’ work is considered fair use, and the courts agree: Make a Collage and Learn More About Fair Use! Creativity can be a great way to think about how fair use can apply in your research output and other work. Our Art and Architecture librarian, Regina Pagani, and I will be hosting a collage table in the lobby of Snell Library on Thursday and Friday this week (2/23 and 2/24), from 2:00 to 4:00. Stop by and find out more about fair use, and make your own collage to take with you or contribute to a larger collaborative effort! Further Reading:

2017 Call for Proposals: The CERES Exhibit Toolkit

CERES Exhibit Toolkit Call for Proposals The Digital Scholarship Group is now accepting proposals for the next round of CERES Exhibit Toolkit development (formerly known as The DRS Project Toolkit). The CERES Exhibit Toolkit is a user-friendly set of tools for building digital projects and publications using digital materials from the Digital Repository Service (DRS) or the Digital Public Library of America. With CERES users can create exhibits, galleries, maps, timelines, and playlists that draw digital materials dynamically from the DRS or the DPLA. We are also excited to announce a new program of support for classroom use of the CERES Exhibit Toolkit. We invite proposals from faculty for courses to be held in Fall 2017 and Spring 2018. Feature development CERES will be a collaborative endeavor and a great opportunity to experiment with publishing your project’s materials. If you have a project idea, we’d love to hear from you! Just answer a few questions about your project to apply. Examples of successful projects from the first two years of the CERES project include: Accepted projects will partner with the DSG and DRS teams to use CERES to securely store their project materials in the DRS and create a customized WordPress site to publish those materials on the web. If you have questions, the DSG staff are glad to meet and discuss project proposals before the deadline; please contact us at DSG@northeastern.edu to set up a meeting. Please visit the DRS Resources page for more information about the DRS. If you don’t think CERES is right for your project, but you are still interested in securely storing project files in the DRS, contact Sarah Sweeney.