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.