Library News

What’s New in Snell this Spring

by Jennie Robbiano
January 21, 2016

Here’s what you need to know about the library this semester.

Archives and Special Collections Acquires The Boston Phoenix

In September 2015, Phoenix owner Stephen Mindich donated the paper’s archive as well as its sister publications to the Northeastern University Archives and Special Collections. For nearly 50 years, The Boston Phoenix was Boston’s alternative newspaper of record, the first word on social justice, politics, as well as the arts and music scene.

The physical collection is available in the Archives for research and perusal.

New: GIS and Data Visualization Drop-in Hours

This semester, Bahare Sanaie-Mohaved and Steven Braun will hold weekly, informal drop-in hours for students and faculty interested in Geographic Information Services and Data Visualization. Whether you need help with specific projects or just want to know what GIS is, all are welcome. Walk-in hours are every Thursday afternoon from 2:00 to 3:30pm in CoLab D, on the first floor of Snell Library near Argo Tea.

Learn about GIS and Data Visualization here!

Follow Northeastern Data Visualization on Twitter!

Spring 2016 Events and Workshops

From exploring the history of Boston’s neighborhoods, to introductory workshops in the 3D printing and recording studios, to a storytelling slam with Foundation Year students, this Spring’s events at Snell cover a range of topics.

Keep your eyes on our calendar and follow us on Twitter @ClubSnell for the most up to date information.

Support in Your Subject Area

Did you know there’s a librarian who’s an expert in you subject? No research question is too small or too complicated for our subject librarians.

Find your subject librarian here to set up an appointment or find them at the Research Help desk on the first floor.

Welcome Spring 2016 Co-ops

by Kaley Bachelder
January 14, 2016

Snell Library is happy to welcome three new co-ops this semester:

Aidan Breen: Digital Media Commons Studios Co-op

Aidan Breen is the DMC Studios recording engineer and video co-op. He is almost done earning a degree in Music Industry. He enjoys making noise and songs with his friends and making short films, as well as writing short stories and screenplays. He looks forward to learning as much as possible about the recording process and techniques, in addition to getting more experience with video production. His favorite films are “Night of the Hunter,” followed in close second by “The Proposition.” His favorite band right now is either Ava Luna or Show Me The Body, though he has been listening to the soundtrack of the Broadway production of Sweeney Todd quite a bit. Come visit him in the DMC studio on the second floor in Snell.

Madison Maduri: 3D Printing Studio Co-op

Madison Maduri is the new 3D Printing Studio Manager Co-op in Snell Library. Madison got her start at Northeastern with NUin. England, and is now a third year Art+Design student, majoring in Media Arts with a concentration in Animation. Madison looks forward to learning the 3D printing technologies, which are increasingly being used in the development stages at animation studios. She also hopes to create a friendly and inviting environment in the studio to share the technology with the Northeastern community. Madison grew up close by on the South Shore of Massachusetts and enjoys her summers visiting the beautiful beaches on the Cape and Islands. She also looks forward to another season on the slopes snowboarding.

Kaley Bachelder: Marketing and Events Co-op

Kaley Bachelder is the new Marketing and Events Co-op here at Snell. She’s earning a degree in English and Theatre, a major that doesn’t yet exist (but she’s working on that). Kaley looks forward to planning events this semester, particularly the Neighborhood Matters series, where her passion for social activism can find an outlet. When not in the office, you can find her attending club meetings, watching television, or rummaging through someone’s fridge. Her favorite authors include Terry Pratchett and Jennifer Egan, and her new favorite past time is tearing each page off her page-a-day calendar. Kaley is excited to become a member of the library community!

Celebrating 25 Years

by Jennie Robbiano
November 30, 2015

Saturday, November 7, 2015 marked Snell Library’s 25th Birthday Celebration, and the library transformed into a veritable bazaar with projects, resources, collections, and artifacts from Northeastern’s history on display, along with interactive activities for all ages. From recording memories in the audio visual studios and watching 3D printers in action, to browsing Cauldron yearbooks and digital research projects, members across the entire Northeastern community joined to reflect on the library’s history and experience what today’s modern facility has to offer.

Linda Leahy and featured speaker William Fowler Library Co-op Zach Smith, DMSB’17 scans a student to 3D print their bust.

(Clockwise: Linda Leahy and featured speaker William Fowler; Library Co-op Zach Smith, DMSB’17 scans a student to 3D print their bust; Helen Sharma, SSH’17, reads a book from the Favat collection to a young guest; Dean Wakeling with Jim Smith, E’88 and Amie Smith, AS’87 .)

Dean Will Wakeling and Distinguished Professor of History, William Fowler kicked off the celebration with a special reception to recognize the generosity of library supporters whose contributions have improved library space and collections through the years. As the Chairman of the Campus Campaign to build Snell Library in 1987-1988, Dr. Fowler honored the efforts of fellow leaders including former Senior Vice President for Development, Eugene Reppucci, and the campus campaign co-chairs, committee, and volunteers. Their campus wide effort to build a library raised $1.4 million from over 900 faculty and staff, and is recognized with a quilt on the second floor of Snell Library.

“A quarter of a century ago we, the fabric of the university, came together and through our efforts helped build this library. It changed our world and gave an example of what Northeastern was on the road to be – one of this nation’s great universities. In a very real sense that journey began the day this library opened.”

— William M. Fowler, Jr., SSH’67

Distinguished Professor of History

Keeper of the Flame: Boston Phoenix owner gifts archives to Northeastern

by Jennie Robbiano
November 24, 2015November 24, 2015

BostonPhoenix1-740x493 — *Boston Phoenix owner Stephen Mindich decided in September to donate the paper’s archives to Snell Library. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University*

Originally Published in News@Northeastern on November 24, 2015

By Noelle Shough

For nearly 50 years, The Boston Phoenix was Boston’s alternative newspaper of record, the first word on social justice, politics, as well as the arts and music scene. Its intrepid journalists tackled issues from safe sex and AIDS awareness to gay rights, marriage equality, and the legalization of marijuana. Ads for roommates, romantic mates, and band mates—one could find all these and more in the newspaper’s probing, irreverent, entertaining pages.

It ceased publication in March 2013, but the Phoenix will be preserved for posterity—thanks to owner Stephen Mindich’s decision in September to donate the paper’s archives to Northeastern’s Snell Library.

Snell’s Archives and Special Collections already houses an impressive array of historical records of Boston’s social movements, including civil and political rights, immigrant rights, homelessness, and environmental justice.

“The Phoenix never shied away from covering topics of neighborhood interest, supporting the rights of individuals and groups,” says Will Wakeling, dean of University Libraries. “So it will form a perfect complement to this growing collection.”

___

*The Boston Phoenix will be preserved in Snell Library’s Archives and Special Collections. Photo by Matthew Modoono/Northeastern University*

LOCAL HISTORY WRIT LARGE

Mindich’s gift encompasses much more than The Boston Phoenix. The archives include sister publications in Worcester, Massachusetts, Portland, Maine, and Providence; Boston After Dark; The Real Paper; the alternative programming of WFNX FM; and Stuff and Stuff at Night magazines. These sources, including a full Web archive of material not included in the print editions, provide a richly nuanced perspective on how people thought and put ideas into action when it came to social issues and social justice from the 1960s to the near-present day. They are documentation of the ways social change happens.

“Our vision for the archives is digitizing all the print and making it fully text-searchable, so all that history lives on,” says Dan Kennedy, associate professor at Northeastern’s School of Journalism and a former Phoenix media columnist and nationally-known media commentator.

Adds Wakeling, “As the library works on the complex digitizing strategy, the archives will be made available to the public.”

The Boston Phoenix not only reported on the news, it made the news. In 1987, during the height of the AIDS crisis, it distributed 150,000 condoms to readers. In 2001, Phoenix reporter Kristen Lombardi described troubling patterns in how Catholic Church leaders were transferring priests accused of sexually abusing children to new parishes. The alternative weekly also followed the evolving rights of the LGBTQ community.

“A great strength of the paper was also its arts coverage, which is also Stephen’s passion,” notes Kennedy. In 1994, writer Lloyd Schwartz won the Pulitzer Prize for Criticism for his coverage of classical music. Many former Phoenix writers—Susan Orlean, David Denby, Mark Leibovich, and Michael Rezendes among them—went on to illustrious careers at top U.S. newspapers and magazines.

Though Boston’s anti-establishment spirit has faded somewhat over the years, Mindich’s donation ensures that its history never will. “Scholars and researchers in this area will be licking their lips in anticipation,” says Wakeling.

October is Open Access Month!

by Hillary Corbett
October 5, 2015

This year, Snell Library is expanding the celebration of International Open Access Week to the whole month of October! We have a great schedule of programs lined up for the month that will highlight different resources and initiatives that promote open access to information, as well as open-source tools for research support. You can find the complete listing of events below.

We’ll also be in the Snell lobby on Monday, October 5, from 11:30-1:00, talking about why Open Access is so important for everyone — whether you’re a researcher in a developing country without access to expensive journal subscriptions, a patient trying to access information about a health issue, or a filmmaker hoping to change the world. Stop by to grab a schedule for the month…and one of our laser-cut Open Access bookmarks, made in-house!

Open Access Month: Schedule of Events

Tuesday, October 6
Storing and Sharing Files Using the DRS
12:00-1:00 p.m. | DSC Media Lounge, 211 SL
Curious about Northeastern’s Digital Repository Service? This session will include a demonstration of uploading, searching, and browsing in the DRS, an overview of highlighted DRS content, and a forum to ask questions about the DRS and how it’s being used at Northeastern. Refreshments will be served.

Tuesday, October 6
Zotero in 30 Minutes
2:00-2:30 p.m. | DSC Media Lounge, 211 SL
Learn about using Zotero, one of the most well-known free, open source citation management tools, to organize your research. Track and gather all of your research in one place and automatically format citations and bibliographies—bring your laptop to get started right away. Refreshments will be served.

Wednesday, October 7
Digital Humanities Open Office Hours
1:00-2:00 p.m. | DSC Media Lounge, 211 SL
Understanding copyright and fair use in the Digital Humanities will be the focus of this week’s regularly scheduled DH Open Office Hours.

Tuesday, October 13
Storing and Sharing Files Using the DRS
3:00-4:00 p.m. | DSC Media Lounge, 211 SL
Curious about Northeastern’s Digital Repository Service? This session will include a demonstration of uploading, searching, and browsing in the DRS, an overview of highlighted DRS content, and a forum to ask questions about the DRS and how it’s being used at Northeastern. Refreshments will be served.

Wednesday, October 14
DSG & NULab Fall Showcase
3:00-6:00 p.m. | 90 SL & Digital Scholarship Commons
Angel Nieves, Associate Professor, Director of American Studies and Co-Director of the Digital Humanities Initiative at Hamilton College, will speak in room 90 from 3:00-4:00. Then join us in the DSC from 4:15-6:00 to meet others interested in digital scholarship and learn about recent developments in DSG and NULab projects. Refreshments will be served.

Tuesday, October 20
All About Archives! Finding Primary Sources Housed at Northeastern and Beyond
12:00-1:00 p.m. | 421 SL
Primary source material gives researchers a first-hand look at the past. Giordana Mecagni, University Archivist and Head of Special Collections, will showcase some of Northeastern’s unique collections, and Jamie Dendy, Head of Research and Instruction Services and History Librarian, will demonstrate some of his favorite open-access collections of primary sources. Refreshments will be served.

Thursday, October 22
Data Management Plans and the DRS
12:30-1:30 p.m. | DSC Media Lounge, 211 SL
How can you effectively share and preserve research data while fulfilling grant requirements? This session will describe the library’s support for research data management, including the DMPTool as an option to generate data management plans, and the Digital Repository Service as an option for preserving and sharing research data. Refreshments will be served.

Tuesday, October 27
Open Tools for GIS: Google Maps
2:00-3:00 p.m. | 421 SL
Bahare Sanaie-Movahed, the library’s new GIS Specialist, will demonstrate how Google Maps can be used for creating open-access GIS projects. Refreshments will be served.

Wednesday, October 28
Wikipedia Edit-a-thon
4:00-8:00 p.m. | DSC Media Lounge, 211 SL
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. You do not need any prior experience with Wikipedia to participate, just bring a laptop and a power supply. Refreshments will be served.

Thursday, October 29
Textbook Affordability and Open Educational Resources
12:00-1:00 p.m. | 421 SL
Nancy Pawlyshyn, Assistant Teaching Professor in the Graduate Education program, will be joined by representatives from Academic Technology Services and Snell Library to discuss how Open Educational Resources can be implemented in the classroom as alternatives to high-cost traditional textbooks. A student will provide the undergraduate perspective on textbook affordability. Refreshments will be served.

Friday, October 30
Sourcing Multimedia for Your Course
12:00-1:30 p.m. | 140 SL
The Internet offers a variety of public domain and Creative Commons images, movies, and documents that may be used to support teaching and learning. Learn strategies for finding relevant media and crediting the media appropriately. Hosted by Academic Technology Services.

Friday, October 30
Creating Interactive Open Educational Resources
2:00-4:00 p.m. | 140 SL
This course will show you the basics of using Storyline to create interactive educational resources. You’ll learn how to incorporate multimedia, create your own text, audio, and image content, and create interactive features. Finally, we’ll discuss options for publishing on the web. Hosted by Academic Technology Services.

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