Whether you are new to Northeastern University community or returning from summer, the Northeastern University Libraries can help you prepare for the semester ahead. During new faculty orientation on August 29th, visit the University Libraries to meet with librarians and subject specialists to hear about the wide range of services and resources available in support of your research, teaching and publishing. A listing of library services is online under Information for Faculty and Staff. Check the Librarians-by Subject Directory for your librarian. Please feel free to contact us.

Faculty and staff, this is the perfect time to submit your course reserve requests for Fall 2017!  Classes will be underway in less than two weeks, and the sooner we receive your materials, the sooner we’ll have them ready for students to borrow. To request library materials for reserve, submit this form (myNEU login required). The library doesn’t purchase textbooks for courses, but we’d be happy to add your personal copies to our catalog; just print out the completed request form and drop it off with your textbooks at the Help and Information Desk on the 1st floor.  Feel free to get in touch with me directly with any questions or concerns.

On August 21, the earth’s moon passes in front of the sun and parts of the United States will experience a total eclipse for the first time since 1979. Here in Boston, we’re not in the “path of totality”–we’ll see just a partial eclipse. The sun will only be 63% covered by the moon and we won’t experience the midday darkness. More importantly, we won’t be able to look directly at the eclipse because so much of the sun will be exposed–it will be dangerous to look directly at sun’s rays behind the moon. How can you view the eclipse safely? If you have a pinhole camera, which you can make with a cardboard box, a digital SLR camera with a pinhole cap,  or even two sheets of paper,  you’ll be able to see the partially eclipsed sun as a crescent-shaped gleam projected onto a surface opposite the pinhole. You can also take pictures with a cell phone or digital camera (use a solar filter to avoid heat damage to the camera) as long as you don’t look directly at the sun while you’re doing it. And if you do want to look at the eclipse with your eyes, eclipse glasses will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at Snell Library on Monday beginning at noon or you can attend the events hosted by the NU Physics Department or Boston Public Library

On July 10th, Scholar OneSearch, the library’s discovery system, will have a refreshed look and some great new features to make it easier for you to find and use the research information you need. The most obvious change is the design. Besides the overall sleek, modern appearance, you’ll find that instead of hunting for actions hidden in dropdown menus, buttons and frames, most action items are now clearly laid out with links and icons.  This includes the filtering options on the left, which are sticky so they remain visible as you scroll down your page of results. We’ve done usability testing with students, and they found these design changes make the new version much easier to use. In addition to the design, these new features will make your library research easier:

• Better, easier-to-use citation information.  You’ll be able to cut and paste citations directly into email or other documents such as bibliographies, as well as download to your favorite citation manager as before.
• Fewer clicks to get full online access to e-books, e-journals, articles, and other media.
• The ability to add lines to the advanced search for better control and targeting of your query.
• A more appealing and easier-to-read presentation of related articles and the “virtual browse” of books, e-books and streaming media from our collections.
• Clearer labels, for example, the old E-shelf is now called “My Favorites”.
• The ability to add more than one tag to a saved item.

And don’t worry:  all the functionality you’re used to is still there. Search for books, e-books, DVD’s and other physical items, and include journal articles, conference proceedings, primary source materials, dissertations, and much more in your search results. Filter your results by date, availability, format, author, source, language, peer review, etc.   In your “my account” area, your saved favorites and checked-out books and videos will still be there. We think both the design and the new features of Scholar OneSearch will make using it a more pleasant experience, as well as fixing some earlier annoyances and restrictions. The new look and feel has been available as a beta version on our home page for several weeks, as we’ve tested and refined it with your suggestions and feedback. We hope you’ll love the new Scholar OneSearch as much as we do!