2010

Final Paper Writers Block? Read These

Some Friday afternoon journal-publishing humor: The Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis has published two research studies, about 30 years apart, on writer’s block. ⇒ From 1974, D. Upper, “The Unsuccessful Self-Treatment of a Case of ‘Writer’s Block’ “ (PDF) ⇒ From 2007, R. Didden et al., “A Multisite Cross-Cultural Replication of Upper’s (1974) Unsuccessful Self-Treatment of Writer’s Block” (PDF) You have to see these to believe them, but they were honest-to-goodness published in a peer-reviewed scholarly journal. Those wacky psychologists…

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.

A Gift from the Library to You

You can receive a gift card of your choice to redeem at the NU Bookstore, Dunkin’ Donuts, or on iTunes. All you have to do is participate in a focus group or usability testing session, hosted by the Library, and provide feedback that will help us redesign our website. We would love to hear from you! To sign up, go to www.lib.neu.edu/signup.