A New Look for the 4th Floor

Have you been up to the 4th floor of Snell Library since the spring semester started? We’ve made some changes! Over the winter break, we refreshed all the furniture on the fourth floor, and some of the 3rd floor furniture as well. This is part of a continuing program of improvements to the library in response to changing user needs.

What’s Changed, and Why?

Much of the furniture previously on the 4th floor was in the building when it opened in 1990, and it showed. It was time to replace it with more modern furniture that can meet the needs of our current student body. For example, we’ve heard feedback from students that you wanted more standing-level workspaces, so you’ll see more of those on the 4th floor. A lot of the new furniture also has built-in power — none of the previous furniture had power. We’ve arranged the furniture to maximize access to power, although we’re still working on getting everything connected to the electricity. Snell Library sees more than 2 million visits a year — so, getting furniture that can withstand high usage as well as be cleaned or repaired easily was really important, too.

Zones for Quiet Study

Before this academic year, the 3rd floor was designated as a quiet study floor, and the 4th floor was a silent study floor. Last year, we freed up quite a bit of space in the building by moving some of our books to off-site storage and consolidating the remaining collection on the 3rd floor. As a result, the entire 4th floor is currently able to be used for study space. Even on the 3rd floor, there is more floor space now dedicated to seating.  The 3rd and 4th floors are now both considered quiet study floors, and the 4th floor is configured in zones that accommodate both quiet group study and silent individual study. So, there are places for study buddies to sit together, where it’s okay to whisper or talk quietly, as well as areas for you to work in solitude.

More Seats

When you come up to the 4th floor, it might look like there’s a lot of open space. Why not fill all that space in with furniture, so even more students can study? First, the fire code limits how many seats we can have on a floor, in order to keep occupancy at a safe level. Even if we didn’t have that limitation, keeping the furniture spaced out helps keep volume level reasonable for everyone using the floor. With the furniture replacement, there are more seats on the 4th floor now than there were even last semester! We’ve increased seating by about 10 percent. And there’s now a wider array of functionality for a variety of uses.

Tell Us What You Think!

We’re planning to observe how the new furniture is used, as well as soliciting constructive feedback from students. We can use that information to rearrange furniture into configurations that might work better for folks. Beyond that, we’re always open to student input, and we definitely consider it seriously when planning any building or service changes. We want Snell Library to be an environment that is shaped by its users, from first-year students to faculty. Send us your feedback!

Jazz Enthusiasts—Listen to Vinyl/LP Recordings in the Library

Have you ever held a vinyl recording in your hand, used a turntable to play music? The opportunity is now yours! More than 100 treasures from Snell Library’s Solomon Jazz Collection and a new turntable are available in Snell Library’ Media Creation Studio 203, outside the Recording Studios.

Donated to Snell Library by former trustee Bernard Solomon, these recordings span a range of genres including bebop, Dixieland, ragtime, and swing. Recording artists include Lester Young, Louis Armstrong, Rosemary Clooney, Fats Waller, Count Basie and Duke Ellington to name a few.

The complete list is here:  https://bit.ly/2zTaXeQ

To listen to these records, book a reservation on LibCal for up to 3 hours. https://northeastern.libcal.com/reserve/AVS

The records are on two shelves adjacent to the turntable and arranged in call number order.If you need assistance using the turntable, please see someone in the Recording Studios. The Solomon Jazz records cannot be checked out or leave the room.



For more information about this collection, please contact Debra Mandel: d.mandel@northeastern.edu        

Things to look at instead of your computer screen when you need a break

During finals week, it is important to remember to be kind to yourselves and give yourself a break every now and then. If you need a break from studying and from your all the variety of screens you’ve been staring at, come on down to the Archive and Special collections and look at some interesting books and photographs housed in our collections. We are located in the basement of Snell Library, Room 92. We are open Monday-Friday 8:30-5:00 so if you aren’t able to visit us during finals week, we’re always happy to have visitors!
  • Missing the warm spring days and the colorful flowers that accompany them? Take a look through our copy of Select Flower Arrangements of Moribana and Heikwa. This book is bound in green silk printed with branches and has an accordion style opening.
  • Need to see that there is life outside of finals? Our collection of photographs from The Theater Offensive shows colorful play performers and parties from this Boston based queer performance group.
  • If you’re just wanting to look at pretty and colorful pictures of building ornamentation, we have that too! In The Grammar of Ornament you can flip through this large volume exploring the different building designs from all over the world and all in full color.
  • In the mood for some frollicking animals? Come down and look at our copy of Chôjū Giga. These Japanese scrolls date from the 16th century and have been reproduced in a fold-out book. With scenes of frogs, mice, and monkeys, you are sure to forget (even if only for a little while) about the stresses of finals.
  • And speaking of de-stressing, we have another fold out book with Japanese artwork, titled Sesshu’s Long Scroll: A Zen Landscape Journey. This pocket-sized book with a printing from beloved Japanese artist Sesshu and is filled with Japanese landscapes throughout the seasons.
  • If you celebrate Christmas and are wanting to get into the spirit, we’ve got you covered.  You can look through pictures from our Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción records of past Christmas talent shows and events. We also have a beautifully illustrated poem by Sophie Jewett titled The Least of Christmas Carols.
  • Feeling nostalgic? Our collection of Northeastern Yearbooks allow you to go back in time and look into the lives of previous students. Fun Fact: this fall was the 75th anniversary of the first enrollment of women at NU. We have photographs of these women when they first enrolled as well as photographs from their 50th anniversary in 1993. If you’re interested in going even further back, we have a collection of photographs from African American photographer Charles H. Bruce who photographed various scenes around the Boston area in the early 1900s.
  • Traveling over the holidays? Or just wish you were? We have a multiple travel books and maps with illustrations that make you feel like you are there.  We have adventure memoirs from Rockwell Kent from his travels in Alaska as well as the Strait of Magellan in South America. If you’re looking for someplace warm to explore, we have The Golden Octopus: Legends of the South Seas filled with colorful illustrations of the Pacific islands. We also have maps of London and Paris from the 19th and 20th centuries that could help you plan your next trip across the Atlantic. The Paris guide even has a map of all the bus routes! (accuracy not guaranteed).
 
  • And finally, we have pictures of dogs, but not just any dogs. From 1920s-1970s, Northeastern University had its very own husky as a mascot. There were five dogs who were crowned King Husky and attended various events on campus throughout their tenure.
Good luck on finals week and have a wonderful break!

Finals Week. It’s here. We can help.

Finals. Everyone’s favorite time of year. We love it as much as you do. Your friends at Snell Library and the Curry Student Center want you to know you’re not alone and to take some time to take a step back from all the end of semester craziness to de-stress. To help you achieve that, we will have:

Thursday, December 6th to Wednesday, December 12th: Coloring table, Legos, madlibs, and bubble wrap to pop in Snell’s Lobby

Thursday, December 6 at 3pm: Zooniverse activity in Snell’s Lobby – count penguins and more!

Sunday, December 9 at 7pm: Movie night in Snell Library, Room 90

Tuesday, December 11th at 1PM: therapy dog at Snell Library

Tuesday, December 11th at 5PM: pop up “study break” with coffee and snacks in Snell Library

Throughout all of Finals Week, be on the lookout for giveaways, free coffee study breaks, and positive sentiments from library staff!

We love that you love to study in Snell but we understand that sometimes more space is needed. So, our friends at the Curry Student Center have reserved some rooms for you for finals week study.

From 7:30AM to 2AM, rooms 333, 334, 335, 336, and 342 will be open for quiet study. Room 340 will be open for collaborative study.

What’s Poppin’ will also be open for study 9AM to 9PM Monday through Thursday and 9Am to 5PM on Friday.

In addition to extra study space, our friends at Curry will be giving away chocolate covered coffee beans daily at Campus Crossroads as well as:

Thursday, December 6th/Reading Day: Starbucks Nitro at 9PM in the indoor quad until it runs out

Friday, December 7th: Hot Chocolate Bar at Campus Crossroads 11am until it runs out

Saturday, December 8th: Free Starbucks Nitro at 7PM in the indoor quad until it runs out

Monday, December 10th: chocolate covered coffee beans and stress relief activity: make your own buttons.

Tuesday, December 11th: chocolate covered coffee beans and stress relief activity: make your own buttons.

From all of us here at Snell Library and Curry Student Center, we wish you the best of luck on your finals!

BYO data & code! Preparing for reproducible publication workshop

Data code workshop flyer NU

We’re bringing Code Ocean to campus on Nov. 8th for a hands-on, interactive workshop.

This 2-hour session is a unique opportunity to bring order to your own data and/or code!  You’ll receive expert, step-by-step guidance on:
  • Organizing your files
  • Creating a codebook (so that others – not to mention your ‘future self’ – can understand how & why you’ve done things)
  • Preparing your code & data for documentation and reuse
  • Maximizing the potential reproducibility of your research outputs
Space is limited to about 20 attendees, so please register soon to reserve your place. More info and registration link is here.  Questions?  Contact Jen Ferguson or Tom Hohenstein.