Library News

Oxford English Dictionary Is a Polished-Up Jewel

The new Oxford English Dictionary Online is now available through the NU Libraries. If you love the OED, don’t be alarmed by the word “new”! All the content, the words, pronunciations, etymologies, definitions, and everything else you love and trust is still there, unchanged. But for this new edition, Oxford has added new content, new ways of appreciating the English language, and new technical features. New content From a productivity standpoint, for my money the most important content addition is the integration of a thesaurus. Each definition of the word has a prominent “Thesaurus” link that allows you to see a few alternatives. The dictionary is also integrated with the Historical Thesaurus to the OED, which places your word in an outline form with related words. In fact, overall, Oxford has placed a high value on historical content and there’s a lot more word history to explore. For example:

*Links to the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography give you more information about the authors of the example quotations. (For full biographies from this resource, see Snell Library’s print edition.)

*A list of most-cited authors and texts, updated each quarter, shows you what the OED uses for sources.

*Essays by OED staff historians have also been added on the history of the English language.

*A fun time-killing feature called “Timelines” leverages the incredible amount of information packed into the dictionary by allowing you to analyze it more like a database. Choose a broad topic like “Military” and see when new military words were added to the language. Sort them by region (Ireland, Australia, etc…) to see in what part of the world they originated. Link to lists of those words for browsing.

New functionality An updated design and some great new technical features allow you to navigate the site more easily and appreciate the incredible richness and history of our language.

*When you do a search with many results, the first screen gives you a peek into each word so you know which one you want.

*Once you select a word, a scroll bar along the definition allows you to navigate more easily.

*A text enlargement feature is built into the definition page.

*The pronunciation symbols are explained in a pop-up box for every word.

*You can save instead of just printing and emailing.

*”About this entry” tells you when the word first entered the dictionary, what other words link to this word, and other facts.

*Each word has a “Cite” button that gives you the correct citation for MLA and Chicago for your bibliography, for download to Endnote, ProCite, RefWorks, and Reference Manager software.

*During your session, the dictionary remembers the words you searched so you can go back to them.

*”My Oxford English Dictionary” is a new feature for saving your searches, creating folders to organize your favorite words, and setting preferences such as how much information you want to display on each page.

How did we even tolerate this dictionary before this update? It’s hard to imagine! Enjoy the beautiful polish and shine on this online dictionary, a true jewel of the English language.

Help keep the busiest bathrooms on campus clean

Not to brag, but I think the Library tops the charts in terms of traffic in our restrooms making our bathrooms the busiest on campus! We try our best so that you can’t tell. To keep up with the number of bathroom visitors this Fall, NU House and Grounds have stepped up their efforts to keep the facilities clean with more frequent service (and a record of when it’s been provided), paper-free hand driers designed to be both green and mess eliminators, and the installation of locks on bathroom doors to ensure a really thorough cleaning. That being said, cleanliness is a joint effort amongst all library users – students, faculty, staff, etc. While bathroom etiquette seems like a no-brainer there have been some interesting messes in the past. Here are some tips on how to make sure the restrooms stay user friendly 🙂 1. Do not dispose of food in the toilets or anything besides what is intended of being disposed in a toilet. 2. Avoid pressing the ‘flush’ button with your foot. This damages the flushing mechanism. Here’s a tip! Use a piece of toilet paper to press the button so you avoid touching it with your hand. 3. Paper, paper, paper. Please, be green and take only what you need. Do not leave paper on the floor, use the trash can. 4. Shut off the water when you are done using the sink. If you spill, pick up after yourself. 5. And finally, if you see a problem, report it. Call x2754 (NU Work Control) or submit a request online at www.workreq.neu.edu.

On This Day: December 2nd

Today marks the 40th anniversary of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). On December 2nd, 1970 (40 years ago!) the EPA began daily operations under Richard Nixon (one of few things he got right). This organization is responsible for researching and educating the public on environmental issues, as well as setting and enforcing environment-related legislation. Key programs you may be familiar with are vehicle emission standards, Clean Water Acts, and the Endangered Species Acts. As a part of NU Libraries’ Federal Depository program, we have government-issued reports available in print and online that explore various EPA related topics in detail. You can take out a print article from our government stacks on the oversight of recent EPA decisions, or you can read an online article on the EPA lifecycle analysis of greenhouse gas emissions. There is much to choose from, so celebrate 40 years by taking a look at these resources. To view the library’s entire EPA collection, keyword search “EPA” in NUCat.

Texting in the Classroom: Problem or Not?

Okay, this is a different kind of “scholarly communication” than the kind I usually write about… I’ve been seeing more information recently about students texting while in class, from innocuous chatting with friends all the way to sending information during exams. This morning, Inside Higher Ed posted a “Quick Take” report on a study conducted on in-class texting at Wilkes University in Pennsylvania: ⇒ Wilkes University Professors Examine Use of Text Messaging in the College Classroom A whopping 91% of the students surveyed responded that they have used their cell phones to text during class time! (Only 3% admitted to doing it to send information about an exam while they were taking it, though.) Professors have a wide range of responses to texting in their classrooms, from a Syracuse University professor who walked out on his class after seeing a student texting in the front row: ⇒ If You Text in Class, This Prof Will Leave (Inside Higher Ed) to this professor at Georgia State University who encourages his students to text during class…in order to send questions to him, that is: ⇒ Professor Encourages Texting In Class (NPR) Faculty, students, what do you think? Is texting during class common at Northeastern? Is it a distraction, or is it no big deal? Photo courtesy of Tommy Huynh.

Wed. Dec. 8: Fixation Collaboration at the DMDS

A week from today, on December 8th, the Digital Media Design Studio will celebrate the opening of a new student photo exhibit. The photography collection, Adverse Collaboration, will be unveiled and on display through February 2011 and will feature the work of Joyce Lin and Misha Thomas, two student photographers with very different styles.  Their pictures will display contrasting world views and lifestyles through images of New England and Ghana. Accompanying the unveiling will be a performance by the Nor’easters who are releasing their new CD, “Aural Fixation.”  The Nor’easters are the premier co-ed a capella group at Northeastern University, and also the oldest student group on campus.  “Aural Fixation” is 100% Northeastern-made, recorded in Northeastern University studios with the help of other NU students.  All of the photography and promotion for the CD has also been made through the efforts of the Nor’easters, their fans, and fellow students. Be sure to attend this special event, Fixation Collaboration, and support the work of your peers! It’s all happening on Wednesday, December 8 from 11:45am to 1:30pm in the DMDS, located at 200 Snell.  Refreshments will be served.