Library News

It’s 6am on a cold November morning, and I know I’m not the only one awake.  As I am writing this, a few Northeastern researchers are online with me, and are currently reading: *A book chapter about the semantic web *An article about arterial fibrillation *An article about human trafficking How do I know this?  Because Springer, the venerable German publisher of chiefly scientific research, has recently updated its SpringerLink web site. The content on the new site is the same solid high-quality research they’ve always had, searchable and easily linkable, with full text PDFs available DRM-free, even for ebook chapters, to NU affiliates. But the new site has this “Recent Activity” feature.  It’s anonymous, but anyone, including you, can see a little window into what’s being read on SpringerLink at Northeastern right now.  More importantly, the new SpringerLink site has a cleaned-up layout and style that displays better in a variety of browsers.  The search results page now shows results at the individual book chapter level, with a “look inside” feature for content not licensed by our library that you may want to purchase.  The “advanced search” has been revamped and is easier to use. We do have a warning about the new site: If you’ve been a “power user” of Springer Link in the past, you may have set up a “My Account” feature to save your searches, tag your results, and keep a history of any personal orders. Please be aware that your “My Account” on the old SpringerLink will NOT be migrated to the new site. (Unfortunately Springer claims that privacy rules prohibit them from notifying account-holders individually.) You’ll have to set up a new account on the new site and start all over.  The new “My Account” also allows you to log in from anywhere, not just through the NU Libraries. Currently both the old and the new Springer Link sites are available, so “My Account” users should log in over the Thanksgiving break and save what’s in your old account. Beginning sometime Monday morning, 11/26, you’ll be redirected to the new site and the old site and old account information will no longer be available. So give the new Springer Link a test drive. Have fun seeing the “Recent Activity” of researchers at NU. I just checked, and it’s now a book about genetically modified plants and an article about Harry Potter from an education journal. I’m sure when you log in it will be something completely different!

By Emily Huizenga Journalist Paul Tough visited Snell Library November 8th to discuss his latest book, How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character. Emily Mann of the Human Services department gave Tough a brief introduction, describing his book as “one with humor and substance, one that questions conventions.” Tough began his discussion of How Children Succeed with the suggestion that parents and educators have been emphasizing “the wrong skills and activities in the cognitive development of kids.” He described his travels around the country when writing the book: talking to researchers, educators, and students at both private academies and inner-city schools, studying everything from chess players to lab rats. Ultimately, he concluded that “character education,” not just test scores, may be key to children’s success. He laughed, admitting that when he wasn’t doing research for his book he couldn’t help but think of his own son, then just an infant, as “a little experiment subject.” Tough emphasized one discovery that he said even he found surprising. He said, “If we want children to succeed, we must first let them fail.” He explained the stress-response system, which children develop at infancy. While “too much damage can last a lifetime,” some conflict and stress is necessary so kids can develop what researchers are now calling “grit.” Tough likened the idea to the difference between exercising on a treadmill and exercising by climbing a mountain: both will get you in shape, but only one has the added stress of the possibility of failure. This, he said, is key to fostering seven character strengths some educators are now deeming important to success: optimism, zest, curiosity, social intelligence, gratitude, self-control, and grit. “What we have in this country is an adversity gap,” Tough said, explaining some kids need more chances to fail, more “inner strength,” while others need more nurturing, more care. In both cases, Tough said, the common denominator is the caregiver. Read more in the e-book of How Children Succeed in the library’s collection here.   We would like to thank Human Services for bringing Paul Tough to campus, and a huge thank you to Paul Tough for such an engaging author talk!  

With the appearance of Hurricane Sandy, this year’s parent’s weekend was even more eventful than usual! Many different programs and events happened all across campus but one of the most exciting was a presentation in 246 Snell. The Library ran a few programs during Parents Weekend: on Friday, tours were given of the newly renovated Digital Media Commons. On Saturday the main event was at 1pm, where Associate Dean of Libraries Patrick Yott gave a presentation where he discussed the many exciting new additions to the second floor as well as what can be expected in the coming years. Both parents and students were equally impressed with the new space; a parent even noted that this was not “her Mother’s Northeastern”. An overview of the space was followed by a question and answer portion where parents were able to ask a number of questions about the new technology and space.  After the question and answer time tours were led by Nina Shah and Tom Urell of Snell Library. Parents and students alike were treated to an in depth look at the new areas of the DMC, from the moveable-wall “tents” that surround computer stations to the recently opened Room-5, with 3-way projection and surround sound.  The space truly lived up to what AD Yott called a space that encourages serendipity. A peek of the new printing rooms gave students something to look forward to as they are scheduled to open soon! For more info check out @ClubSnell on twitter or stop by the DMC!

Hearing of President Ryder’s passing earlier this week inspired a short written acknowledgement to commemorate all that he did for the University and for Snell Library. Kenneth Ryder served as President of Northeastern for fourteen years (1975-1989) when he founded and established many important programs, colleges and units that are now fully incorporated into Northeastern’s rapidly growing academic curriculum. These include the College of Computer Science, the Marine Science Center in Nahant, the Center for the Study of Sport in Society, and the Executive MBA program. In addition, President Ryder led the campaign for the new Snell Library building, securing the funding from individuals, corporations, as well as the federal government, in order to open the new library in 1990. The building was certainly an upgrade from the original campus library in Dodge Hall and offers four floors of academically rich content, resources, and services. Today, Snell Library welcomes over 1.9 million visits per year and is undergoing some exciting new renovations, as many have already seen, as part of the Digital Media Commons. I’d like to say, “thank you President Ryder!” for leading these initiatives and showing others how important a state-of-the-art academic library is to an institution like Northeastern. The photos below are provided by the University Archives & Special Collections located in 92 Snell Library. Many more are available on their website for Northeastern Historical Photographs.          

Just can’t get enough politics? The Library can help!  Sample our polling resources and online political encyclopedias or ask about other options at the Research Assistance Desk in the new Digital Media Commons. Visit the Roper Center Public Opinion Archives to immerse yourself in Presidential approval ratings, state and national exit polls, or facts and figures on Presidential elections from 1976 through 2008. For the more adventurous researcher, Roper’s iPoll database provides access to poll questions and survey data collected from the 1930’s to present.  Track public opinion on the trustworthiness of the President, Congress, and individual candidates from the late 1980’s onward.  Check a recent Bloomberg poll to learn which Presidential candidate is considered best qualified to handle relations with Middle Eastern countries in the aftermath of the Benghazi consulate incident. Polling the Nations includes polls conducted abroad and in the U.S.  You’ll learn how respondents in selected countries feel about President Obama’s foreign policy decisions.  Check a Pew Research Center poll to see how world leaders, including President Obama, are rated by citizens from a variety of nations. For background information on the office of President, try CQ’s Guide to the Presidency and the Executive Branch. This resource provides an excellent overview of all aspects of the presidency from executive powers through the perks available on Air Force One (personalized boxes of M&M’s!).  A companion publication, CQ’s Guide to Congress is also available. Learn about the powers reserved to the Congress or check on the perks available to your Representatives and Senators. Vital Statistics on American Politics offers statistics on campaign finance, media outlets and politics, voter turnout, and mid-term elections among other topics. Online editions are available from 2005 to present and offer several options for downloading data. Print volumes for the years 1990 through 2008 are available in the Snell Stacks JK274 S74. For background on elections and political parties worldwide, check the newly acquired International Encyclopedia of Political Science.  Articles on political parties, electoral geography, and electoral campaigns provide background on these topics in both the U.S. and other countries. To see photos from Presidential debates, past and present, visit our AP Images database. Classic photos from the 1960 Nixon/Kennedy debates make an interesting contrast with the current Obama/Romney debate images.  For starters, only one of the Nixon/Kennedy images is in color!   Debate moderators from the sixties are identified in photo captions only; today, they’re celebrities in their own rights with photos included with those of the candidates. Please visit our Political Science Subject Guide to learn about other political/policy research tools provided by the University Libraries.