Library News

Fun and Statistics

My first response to Statista was “oooh, pictures!” but when I started doing some searching, I was really impressed by the breadth of the statistics available, not just the presentation of them.  For quick statistics to make your papers and presentations pop, it’s a great resource. estimated-expenses-of-us-libraries-and-archives-from-2005-to-2012 You can find lots of different topics in Statista: apples and iPhones, club venues and libraries. Searching it is simple, and once you’ve found what you need, Statista is totally okay with your downloading the chart and putting it in your presentations and papers – they even have tools to make it easy. But what if you need just a little more information? Take a look at the source and release information that tell where the statistics come from. Statista also publishes infographics that are fun to browse, timely, and easy to tweet or embed in blog posts (with proper attribution, of course). Next time you need a few statistics, give Statista a try! Infographic: Digital Accounts For Nearly 70% of U.S. Music Revenues | Statista

Celebrate Open Access Week With Us! Oct. 20-26, 2014

Open Access Week Are you: …a scientist hoping to maximize the audience for your research? …a student who’s tried to access a journal article through Google and hit a paywall? …an early career researcher concerned about establishing your scholarly reputation? …a taxpayer who wants to be able to access government-funded health research? If so, then Open Access is relevant to you! This week, Snell Library is celebrating International Open Access Week, which highlights the importance of expanding access to research on a global scale. Open Access Week is an international event now in its eighth year – its purpose is to raise awareness about inequities in access to information and promote change in the publishing industry. Traditionally, researchers access information they need through a personal subscription, buying a book, or accessing information through a library. But what if your library doesn’t have a subscription? Or, what happens when you graduate? Or, what about researchers in developing countries where the costs of access are out of reach? (Journal subscriptions can cost thousands of dollars.) These are some of the reasons why opening access to research is important. The theme of International Open Access Week this year is “Generation Open” – highlighting the importance of students and early career researchers as advocates for change. Snell Library has several events planned to celebrate OA Week; given the theme this year, I’m very pleased that for the first time, one of our events features a Northeastern student’s work! And be sure to stop by our table in the lobby of Snell every day this week (11:30-1:30) to learn more and pick up a totebag, laser-cut bookmark, or pen! Schedule of Events Monday, October 20 3:00 pm-4:30 pm 90 SL Webcast: “Generation Open” Panel Discussion Speakers will discuss the importance of students and early career researchers in the transition to Open Access and explore how changes in scholarly publishing affect scholars and researchers at different stages of their careers. Refreshments will be served. Wednesday, October 22 3:30 pm-8:30 pm Digital Scholarship Commons (211 SL) Wikipedia Edit-a-thon Join us to improve Wikipedia’s coverage of under-represented groups in Massachusetts and U.S. history. This hack-a-thon style session will focus on editing and updating Wikipedia pages in a group setting. Participants do not need any prior experience with Wikipedia, just bring a laptop and a power supply. Refreshments will be served. Thursday, October 23 12:00 pm-1:00 pm DMC 3D Printing Studio 3D Printing Presentation: Andreas Aghamianz Northeastern student Andreas Aghamianz (COE ’18) will discuss the process of fabricating and assembling his open-sourced inMoov robotic hand. Thursday, October 23 2:00 pm-3:00 pm 90 SL Webcast: The Right Metrics for Generation Open Stacy Konkiel of Impactstory presents a guide to getting credit for practicing open science. Refreshments will be served.

New: Kanopy Streaming (82 Documentaries That You Can Watch Now)

How does media and advertising shape our personal perceptions and world views? Media Education Foundation’s Media and Communication Collection features 82 provocative documentaries which provide depth and analysis on issues like sexism, hip hop, teen pregnancy, cultural and gender identity, video game culture and more. The best part? As a current member of the Northeastern community, YOU have access. Click here to connect to Kanopy Streaming and take a look at the video library for yourself!

“Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising’s Image of Women” is used widely in many classes and will now be more convenient to access.

Relevant to journalism, sociology, psychology, and media studies, these videos can be viewed 24/7 on any device.  You can create your own account and make clips and playlists with ease. Online instructions are available.

For more information, please contact librarians Julie Jersyk, J.Jersyk@neu.edu or Debra Mandel, d.mandel@neu.edu.

Interested in Green Design? Check out BuildingGreen Suite!

To support Northeastern University’s emphasis on sustainability and green design, the library subscribes to BuildingGreen Suite, a collection of authoritative media and information resources relating to these topics. The three main features of its collection are:
  • Articles from Environmental Building News
  • A searchable directory of green products
  • Case studies on individual buildings from their High Performance Buildings database.
The Environmental Building News articles include longer feature articles that deal with topics in depth, product reviews, and shorter topic overviews called “BackPage Primers.” These can be very helpful if you’re not that familiar with subject matter required for your project or assignment. For example, you could brush up on induction lighting, OLEDs, and other lighting technologies, or on acoustics and managing sound and noise within a building. The green products directory allows you to search by the name of a specific product, or by categories of products such as Plumbing, Concrete, or Wood and Plastics. You can find out details about what a product is made of or contains, when it might be used, and why it might not be right to use in certain situations. The case studies allow you to search for a specific building, or by location of the project or the type of building. For example, you can search for K-12 schools, or retail stores. Or you can look for projects in Massachusetts. The buildings featured in this section “may be certified green projects, or simply projects that have one or more notable environmental features.” Be sure to check out BuildingGreen Suite if you are working on any project with a focus on green design or sustainable building practices!

New: Use your mobile device to reserve a room!

Beginning this fall, you can now use NUSSO (Northeastern Space Scheduling Online) on the go!  When you go to the NUSSO site or the library homepage and click on “Reserve a Room” from your phone, you will be redirected to the mobile version.  It is simple and easy to use.  To reserve a room, click on the home icon and then “New Booking.” And did you know… you can also use NUSSO to reserve a workstation on the second floor of Snell Library! The mobile site will only show you bookings for the current day.  If you would like to view, edit, or cancel future reservations, you will have use the full site. Thanks to our partners, the Center for Student Involvement and Information Technology Services, for helping to enable this new mobile functionality! NUSSO Room Booking screenshot Also new this semester: Individual rooms on level 3 are now available to graduate students for flexible, short term booking using NUSSO. These rooms can be reserved for up to 6-hour blocks of time for writing a dissertation or thesis, or to study for an exam.  This is a great option for graduate students who only need to use a study room occasionally. If you have any questions or comments about these changes, please fill out the library’s Contact Us form, or visit the Help & Information Desk on the first floor of the library.