Library News

Open Access Week 2012 is coming!

In just a few weeks, we’ll be celebrating the sixth annual international Open Access Week, held this year October 22-26, 2012. As in previous years, we’re planning events and displays that will highlight the importance of sharing information freely, without restrictions like subscription costs.

Keynote Event: Breakfast with David Weinberger

Noted author and speaker David Weinberger will join us to celebrate Open Access Week on Thursday, October 25. David is a senior researcher at Harvard University’s Berkman Center for the Internet and Society, where he writes about networking knowledge and the effect of technology on ideas, business and society. He is the author of Too Big to Know, Small Pieces Loosely Joined, Everything Is Miscellaneous, and a coauthor of The Cluetrain Manifesto. This event is open to all – please click here for further details. Photo by Allan Shedlock Stay tuned for announcements of other Open Access Week events, including an opportunity to meet with representatives of open access journal publishers!

What is Open Access?

“Open Access to information – the free, immediate, online access to the results of scholarly research, and the right to use and re-use those results as you need – has the power to transform the way research and scientific inquiry are conducted. It has direct and widespread implications for academia, medicine, science, industry, and for society as a whole. Open Access (OA) has the potential to maximize research investments, increase the exposure and use of published research, facilitate the ability to conduct research across available literature, and enhance the overall advancement of scholarship. Research funding agencies, academic institutions, researchers and scientists, teachers, students, and members of the general public are supporting a move towards Open Access in increasing numbers every year.”

— SPARC, the Scholarly Publishing & Academic Resources Coalition

 Check out my other blog posts about Open Access!

New Outlets, Quiet and Silent Areas in Club Snell

Over the summer the library began a series of initiatives in response to the results of a survey administered in the spring semester, where students identified a number of areas they would like to see improved. The library is using the feedback to update different parts of Club Snell with both physical changes as well as addressing how the space is used. Several concerns were addressed in this summer’s renovations; one change came from both survey responses as well as noise complaints made by students. These concerns have resulted in the rebranding of the third and fourth floors, from the “quiet floors”; to the quiet and silent floors, respectively. The third floor, now the “quiet” floor, will allow for whispered conversation and the fourth floor, now the “silent” floor will prohibit noise or conversation of any kind. The library will continue its policy that phone calls be taken on the first and second floor and not in the stairwells, as they disturb those working on the upper floors of the building. With this in mind, students will still be able to check out laptop locks at the first floor desk of Snell in order to ensure that their laptops remain secure while they are taking phone calls. The number one concern expressed by students was the number of power outlets, and as a result hundreds of new outlets have been installed all over the library. With the highest number of outlets concentrated in areas where there are many tables and desks. The redesigned space will soon feature several new, smaller tables as suggested by students. This will increase the overall seat count to just over 1,700 with more than 800 tables for students to work and study at. But the exciting renovations don’t stop there! As you probably know the second floor of Snell has been completely redesigned, for more information on these improvements check back soon, we’ll have more information about that soon. In the meantime any concerns or comments can be tweeted @ClubSnell or please feel free to speak up in the comments here.  

5 ways to protect your valuables

Every week you read that student laptops and backpacks disappear from campus lounges, labs, and, of course, even Snell Library. While no method is foolproof in preventing theft, here are some things you can do to reduce the likelihood that your valuables will be stolen: 1. Purchase and carry a laptop lock.  It’s true that a determined thief can use boltcutters or other strategies to thwart a lock, but locks do prevent opportunistic theft by someone walking by and looking for an easy target.  Lock your laptop to anchors on our tables and desks, or to anything secure.  You can find more information about laptop locks at SecureNU. 2. Borrow a laptop lock. We have locks you can borrow at the Circulation Desk on the first floor of Snell Library. Be aware that they may not work with every device (Macbook Air, I’m looking at you!)–which is why buying your own lock may be a better choice. 3. Don’t bring your laptop! We have laptops, ipads, cameras and graphic tablets that you can borrow (along with a lock, by the way!) or just use one of the hundreds of Mac and PC computers on every floor of Snell Library and in the Infocommons. 4. Don’t leave anything unattended. It sounds obvious, but it’s so tempting to think, “I’m sure it’s OK to leave my stuff for a couple of secs and run over to Argo Tea or the restroom.”  Don’t do it–sadly, that’s when most thefts happen. Take your valuables with you. 5. Use your judgment and don’t rely on others. If you tell a stranger to watch your stuff, both the stuff and the stranger may be gone when you return! If you notice anything missing, please report it immediately to the Circulation Desk on the first floor.  We can check our lost and found and help you to follow up with Campus Security if needed.

Introducing a new guest blogger

Hello Huskies! My name is Kristina Lopez, I am a third year criminal justice major and history minor. I am also the Vice President for Academic Affairs in the Student Government Association, and I am honored to be a guest blogger for Club Snell! I have spent countless hours in the library working on different projects and assignments, and I look forward to giving both a student perspective as well as the perspective of someone who works closely with the library to see through all the exciting changes that happen there! I am always available for comments or questions; you can email me at lopez.k@husky.neu.edu or stop by the SGA office in 332 Curry!

New: Illustrated London News, 1842-2003

See news and images from the height of Victorian culture, a window into how the English viewed the world around them.  The Illustrated London News provides new resources for art, history, costume design, postcolonial studies, and more. Advanced search features let you limit to just one section of the newspaper, or only image captions, to find: We think this will have a lot of applicability across many subjects, so let us know what you think.