MIT Libraries News

Please join us for a lively discussion about open access and its importance for scholarship and research at MIT and beyond, with panelists Peter Suber, author of the recently released MIT Press book Open Access, and Richard Holton, MIT professor of
Philosophy and Chair of the MIT Faculty Open Access Working Group.

The panelists, both professors of Philosophy, will respond to questions from the audience and from moderator Ann Wolpert, Director of Libraries.

Richard Holton is Department Head and Professor of Philosophy at MIT. He wrote in the Faculty Newsletter about the importance of the MIT Faculty Open Access Policy and is chairing the new MIT Faculty Open Access Working Group, a subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Library System. His current work is primarily in moral psychology, ethics, and the philosophy of law.

Peter Suber, considered the key chronicler and de facto leader of the worldwide Open Access movement, is a Faculty Fellow at Harvard, Senior Researcher at the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition, and Research Professor of Philosophy at Earlham College. One reviewer called Suber’s book “very important” and said it was a “must read for all scholars and researchers who publish their own work or consult the peer-reviewed published work of others ––in other words, virtually all academics….”

The session will be held Wednesday, October 24, from 4-5 pm, in Room E25-111.

A reception sponsored by the MIT Libraries and MIT Press will follow.

This event is timed to coincide with Global Open Access Week, an annual event that aims to raise awareness about the need to remove barriers to accessing research.

The fall exhibit in the Maihaugen Gallery showcases a unique collection on view to the public for the very first time. Magnetic Resonance: Four Centuries of Science from the Vail Collection offers a look inside MIT’s Vail Collection—one of the world’s most important collections of books on magnetism, electricity, animal magnetism, and lighter-than-air travel.

The collection includes foundational texts in the history of science and technology, rare titles from the late 15th-19th centuries, works of popular science, and thousands of rare pamphlets and articles. It was given to MIT in 1912, by Theodore N. Vail, president of AT&T and a member of the MIT Corporation. The exhibit marks the 100th anniversary of the Vail Collection’s arrival at the Institute and celebrates the generosity of Thomas F. Peterson, Jr. (MIT 1957), who supported a three-year project to unlock the potential of this stunning collection. Every title has been fully cataloged, essential conservation work has been performed, and the Vail Collection can now be shared with the world. Visit the gallery, attend an event, or explore the collection online.

EXHIBIT EVENTS:

Behind the Scenes: Conserving and Exhibiting the Vail Collection

Wednesday, October 17, 1pm–2pm, Maihaugen Gallery (14N-130) MIT’s book conservator, Nancy Schrock, discusses conservation treatment and  display of the Collection. The talk begins in the gallery and proceeds to the Wunsch Conservation Lab.

Witches, Magic, and Monsters: The Spooky Side of MIT’s Vail Collection

Friday, October 26, 3pm, Institute Archives (14N-118) A Halloween-inspired look at the creepier side of the Collection. Online registration required.

The Scientific Conversation and the Vail Collection: Gallery Talks & Tours

Thursday, November 8, 11am–noon, Maihaugen Gallery (14N-130)

Wednesday, November 28, 3pm–4pm, Maihaugen Gallery (14N-130) Exhibit curator and rare books program manager, Stephen Skuce, leads a tour and talk about the exhibit.

MIT’s Vail Collection: From the Lodestone to the X-Ray

Friday, November 16, 10:30am, Institute Archives (14N-118) A presentation by rare books program manager, Stephen Skuce.

As the momentum of the 2012 Presidential Election builds, join the ICPSR social science data archive for webinars this week to learn more about their election data resources.

Tuesday, October 2
11-11:50 a.m.: The American National Election Studies: An Introduction
12-12:50 p.m.: The American National Election Study: Finding Hidden Treasure
1-1:50 p.m.: Minority Voting Behavior
2-2:50 p.m.: Latino Voting Behavior and the National Latino Survey

Wednesday, October 3
11-11:50 a.m.: Elections, Polling, and Politics …. Oh, My!
12-12:50 p.m.: SETUPS: The American National Election Studies in the Classroom
1-1:50 p.m.: Election Data in the Classroom

These webcasts are part of ICPSR’s 2012 Data Fair featuring election data.  For still more sessions to be held October 1 – 3, 2012, view the schedule.

Unless otherwise indicated, all sessions take place in the Digital Instruction Resource Center (DIRC), 14N-132.

Pre-registration is required for some, but not all sessions. See below for details.

Resources from the OECD – Register
Fri, Oct 5, 10:00-11:00am, 14N-132
Contact: Katerine McNeill, mcneillh@mit.edu

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is coming to MIT! Attend a presentation on OECD Information resources by Kathleen DeBoer, Deputy Head of the OECD Washington Center.

Learn about the OECD iLibrary and information the OECD provides on countries around the world, in areas such as:

• Development
• Employment
• Energy
• Environment
• Trade
• and more…

Also, learn how to efficiently extract data from their vast array of statistics.

Note: For those interested in working for the OECD (http://www.oecd.org/careers), Ms. DeBoer will be available to meet in the afternoon to discuss the application process; if interested, contact her at Kathleen.DEBOER@oecd.org.

Please register for this session.

Introduction to R – Register
Thu, Oct 11, 1:00-4:00pm, 1-115
Contact: Jennie Murack, murack@mit.edu

Get an introduction to R, the open-source system for statistical computation and graphics. With hands-on exercises, learn how to import and manage datasets, create R objects, install and load R packages, conduct basic statistical analyses, and create common graphical displays. This workshop is appropriate for those with little or no prior experience with R. Note: MIT only: Athena login required.

Please register for this session.

Managing Your References: Overview of EndNote, RefWorks, Zotero, and Mendeley – Register
Fri, Oct 12, 12:00-1:15pm, 14N-132
Contact: Remlee Green, remlee@mit.edu

Using citation management software to create and maintain a collection of references or PDFs is becoming more common and important in today’s academic world. These software packages (EndNote, RefWorks, Zotero, & Mendeley) allow users to search databases, retrieve relevant citations, and build a bibliography to be added to a paper or thesis or stored for future reference. But which software package should you use, and how do you get started?

Please register for this session.

Zotero Basics – Register
Mon, Oct 15, 12:00-1:00pm, 14N-132
Contact: Mat Willmott, willmott@mit.edu

Zotero is a free, open-source program that helps you collect, manage, cite, and share your citations and files. With one click, you can save PDFs and citations for most articles, then cite them in Word or OpenOffice. Make a searchable PDF library and find out how to publish dynamic bibliographies and collaborate by using group collections. In this hands-on session, learn tips and tricks on how to use Zotero more efficiently to save you time and energy. Bring a laptop or use one of our computers.

Please register for this session.

Patent Searching Fundamentals – Register
Date: Oct 16, 12:00-1:00pm, 14N-132
Contact: Howard Silver, hsilver@mit.edu

While you won’t come out of this session qualified to be a patent attorney, you will be able to successfully find patent references from all over the world and know how to obtain patent text and diagrams. The session will be a hands-on practicum that will help de-mystify the patent literature and expose attendees to key resources for finding patents through free resources available on the web.

Please register for this session.

R Programming – Register
Thu, Oct 18, 1:00-4:00pm, 1-115
Contact: Jennie Murack, murack@mit.edu

This hands-on, intermediate R course will guide users through a variety of programming functions in the open-source statistical software program, R. This workshop covers blocks, loops, program flow, functions,S3 classes and methods, and debugging in R. This workshop is intended for those already comfortable with using R for data analysis who wish to move on to writing their own functions. Prerequisite: basic familiarity with R, such as acquired from an introductory R workshop. Note: MIT only: Athena login required.

Please register for this session.

EndNote Basics – Register
Thu Oct 18, 4:00 – 5:00 pm, 14N-132
Contact: Peter Cohn, pcohn@mit.edu

EndNote is a “personal bibliographic software” package which allows you to create and manage a database of bibliographic references. Learn how to find and use information more effectively in our hands-on workshop.

Please register for this session.

R Graphics – Register
Thu, Oct 25, 1:00-4:00pm, 1-115
Contact: Jennie Murack, murack@mit.edu

This introduction to the popular ggplot2 R graphics package will show you how to create a wide variety of graphical displays in R. Topics covered included aesthetic mapping and scales, faceting, and themes. This is an intermediate level workshop appropriate for those already familiar with R. Participants should be familiar with importing and saving data, data types (e.g., numeric, factor, character), and manipulating data frames in R. Note: MIT only: Athena login required.

Please register for this session.

Mendeley Basics – Register
Mon, Oct 29, 4:00-5:00pm, 14N-132
Contact: Peter Cohn, pcohn@mit.edu

Mendeley is a free tool that can help you organize and manage your citations and PDFs. Learn how to use Mendeley to discover the latest research, collaborate with others, and automatically generate bibliographies.

Please register for this session.

Introduction to Stata – Register
Thu, November 8, 1:00-4:00pm, 1-115
Contact: Jennie Murack, murack@mit.edu

This class will provide a hands-on introduction to Stata. You will learn how to navigate Stata’s graphical user interface, create log files, and import data from a variety of software packages. We will also share tips for getting started with Stata including the creation and organization of do-files, examining descriptive statistics, and managing data and value labels. This workshop is designed for individuals who have little or no experience using Stata software. Note: MIT only: Athena login required.

Please register for this session.

Data Management in Stata – Register
Thu, Nov 15, 1:00-4:00pm, 1-115
Contact: Jennie Murack, murack@mit.edu

This class will introduce common data management techniques in Stata. Topics covered include basic data manipulation commands such as: recoding variables, creating new variables, working with missing data, and generating variables based on complex selection criteria. Participants will be introduced to strategies for merging datasets (adding both variables and observations), and collapsing datasets. This workshop is intended for users who have an introductory level of knowledge of Stata software. Note: MIT only: Athena login required.

Please register for this session.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is coming to MIT!

Attend a presentation on OECD Information resources by Kathleen DeBoer, Deputy Head of the OECD Washington Center

When: Friday, October 5, 2012, 10-11AM
Where: 14N-132
Register at: http://libcal.mit.edu/event.php?id=163387

Learn about the OECD iLibrary (http://libraries.mit.edu/get/oecd) and:

• Information the OECD provides on countries around the world, in areas such as:
  • Development
  • Employment
  • Energy
  • Environment
  • Trade
  • and more…

•  How to efficiently extract data from their vast array of statistics

Note: For those interested in working for the OECD (http://www.oecd.org/careers), Ms. DeBoer will be available to meet in the afternoon to discuss the application process; if interested, contact her at Kathleen.DEBOER@oecd.org.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) provides a forum in which governments can work together to share experiences and seek solutions to common problems. Today, 34 OECD member countries worldwide regularly turn to one another to identify problems, discuss and analyse them, and promote policies to solve them. It is one of the largest economics publishers in the world.

The Hayden Library will host an interactive exhibition starting on September 7th. Patrons will be able to play a selection of video games adapted from literary works from Sophocles to Douglas Adams. The exhibit explores the range of approaches taken to create videogames of literary works. The result is often whimsical, turning the worlds of these stories into spaces to be explored.

The games featured in the exhibit invite players to become Nick Carraway, the narrator of The Great Gatsby, dodging drunken partygoers in the way to meeting Gatsby; explore the world of Shakespeare’s plays; carry out an introspective exercise based on Sophocles’ Oedipus at Colonus; or revisit the events of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy Games by the Book, curated by Clara Fernández-Vara and Nick Montfort, will be open to the public through October 8th on the 2nd floor of the Hayden Library. More details at http://trope-tank.mit.edu/games_by_the_book/.

The exhibit is sponsored by the De Florez Fund for Humor, the MIT Council of the Arts, the MIT Game Lab, and the Electronic Literature Organization and Comparative Media Studies.

Fourth Annual Open Archives Tour: Famous and Infamous

The Cambridge Historical Society is hosting its fourth annual Open Archives Tour, July 9-12, 2012. MIT is participating along with eleven other organizations throughout Cambridge.

With the theme Famous and Infamous, each archive will delve into their collections to display unique materials, including photographs, correspondence, ephemera, and more, offering a rare look inside some of Cambridge’s most fascinating archives. There will be twelve archives featured over four days (three per day).

Tours and Dates:

July 9, 5:00-8:00 pm

City Collections, featuring 

• Cambridge Historical Commission
• Cambridge Room of the Public Library
• Cambridge Public Works Department

July 10, 3:00-6:00 pm

Harvard Collections, featuring 

• Harvard University Archives
• Houghton Library at Harvard
• Schlesinger Library at Harvard

July 11, 5:00-8:00 pm

Cultural Collections, featuring 

• Mount Auburn Cemetery
• Cambridge Historical Society
• The Longfellow House – Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site

July 12, 3:00-6:00 pm

MIT Collections, featuring 

• MIT List Visual Arts Center
• MIT Institute Archives & Special Collections
• MIT Museum

For more information and reservations, contact: 617-547-4252 or www.cambridgearchives.org

All sessions take place in the Digital Instruction Resource Center (DIRC), 14N-132.

Pre-registration is required for some, but not all sessions. See below for details.

EndNote Basics – Register
Mon July 9, 12:00 – 1:00 pm, 14N-132
Contact: Peter Cohn, pcohn@mit.edu

EndNote is a “personal bibliographic software” package which allows you to create and manage a database of bibliographic references. Learn how to find and use information more effectively in our hands-on workshop.

Please register for this session.

Patent Searching Fundamentals – Register
Thurs July 12, 12:00 – 1:00 pm, 14N-132
Contact:  Howard Silver, hsilver@mit.edu

While you won’t come out of this session qualified to be a patent attorney, you will be able to successfully find patent references from all over the world and know how to obtain patent text and diagrams. The session will be a hands-on practicum that will help de-mystify the patent literature and expose attendees to key resources for finding patents through free resources available on the web.

Please register for this session.

Biotech Business Information for Engineers and Scientists - Register
Tues July 17, 12:00 – 1:00 pm, 14N-132
Contact: Howard Silver, hsilver@mit.edu

It’s not Brain Surgery…it’s Market Research! This session will introduce scientists and engineers to information resources that cover biotechnology industries and markets. We will use realistic examples and hands-on exercises with key resources to demonstrate how to match your ideas and discoveries with the opportunities and realities of the marketplace.

Please register for this session.

GeneGo - Register
Tues July 17, 3:30 – 5:00 pm, 14N-132
Contact: Courtney Crummett, crummett@mit.edu

Attend this session and learn how to use GeneGo’s MetaCore, a bioinformatics software tool licensed by the MIT Libraries. MetaCore provides a solution for using “omics” gene lists to generate and prioritize hypotheses. Learn how to work with different types of data (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics and interaction data) and how to upload gene lists and expression data. Upload, batch upload, store, share and check data properties and signal distribution; extract functional relevance by determining the most enriched processes across several ontologies; emphasize the role of expression data in your analysis; visually predict experimental results, associate disease and possible drug targets; and compare data sets and work with experiment intersection.

Please register for this session.

Energy Information: Where to Go, What to Do – Register
Thurs July 19, 12:00 – 1:00 pm, 14N-132
Contact: Angie Locknar, locknar@mit.edu,  and Chris Sherratt, gcsherra@mit.edu

Information on energy is everywhere! How do you find the scientific and technical information you need and keep on the cutting edge of what is published? Attend this hands-on session to find out.

Please register for this event.

Managing Your References:  Overview of EndNote, RefWorks, and Zotero – Register
Thurs July 19, 3:30 – 4:45 pm, 14N-132
Contact: Remlee Green, remlee@mit.edu

Using citation management software to create and maintain a collection of references is becoming more common and important in today’s academic world. These software packages (EndNote, RefWorks & Zotero) allow users to search databases, retrieve relevant citations, and build a bibliography to be added to a paper or thesis or stored for future reference. But which software package should you use, and how do you get started?

Please register for this session.

Research Data Management Q&A Session – Register
Mon July 23, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, 14N-132
Contact: Amy Stout, astout@mit.edu

This session will focus on each participant’s individual data management needs. Bring us your data issues, questions and concerns and we will give you ideas on everything from storage to preservation to sharing your data with the world. The class is limited to 8 people.

Please register for this session.

RefWorks Basics
Tues July 24, 12:00 – 1:00 pm, 14N-132
Contact:  Anita Perkins, perkins@mit.edu

RefWorks is a web-based resource to help you organize references, create a bibliography, and easily cite references as you write your paper.  It allows you to create individual or group accounts.

photo: MIT TechTV

MIT’s 2012 Commencement will be webcast live by AMPS (Academic Media Production Services) with commentary provided by Institute Archivist Tom Rosko. Rosko will co-host the webcast of the 146th Commencement exercises with Matt McGann, Director of Admissions and member of the Class of 2000.

View the festivities live from anywhere around the world. Commencement exercises begin Friday, June 8, 2012 at 8:00 am EST, followed by the Commencement ceremonies at 10:00 am EST. This year’s guest speaker will be Salman Khan ’98, founder of the Khan Academy.

Tune in and join us in congratulating the graduates!

photo by Christopher Maynor

Have finals got you stressed? Take a break, have a snack, pet a dog and de-stress!

The furry friends from Dog B.O.N.E.S. a non-profit therapy dog organization, return to campus to visit with students at Hayden Library on Thursday, May 17, and Barker Library on Tuesday, May 22.

Additional (fur-free) study breaks will be offered in Rotch and Dewey libraries.

Cookies and beverages will be served outside the entrance to each library.

Cookies With Canines

Hayden Library - Thurs. May 17, 2-3:30 pm

Barker Library – Tues. May 22, 2-3:30 pm

Additional Study Breaks

Rotch Library – Mon. May 21, 2-3:30 pm

Dewey Library – Tues. May 22, 2-4:00 pm

Glass at MIT exhibition, Maihaugen Gallery, photo by: L. Barry Hetherington

Gallery Talk with Roberto Rosa

Roberto Rosa, Serpentino Stained Glass

When: Friday, May 11, 2pm

Where: Institute Archives (14N-118)

In conjunction with the Glass at MIT: Beauty and Utility exhibition, Roberto Rosa from Serpentino Stained Glass will discuss stained glass art and artists, and his work in the restoration and conservation of historic stained glass.

Rosa has restored windows in some of America’s most prominent buildings including the Massachusetts State House and Trinity Church in Boston. Most recently, he was the chief conservator for thirteen opalescent glass windows at Salve Regina University in Newport RI, designed by John La Farge.

After Rosa’s talk there will be time for questions and viewing the exhibit in the Maihaugen Gallery. This event is free and open to the public.

The 10th annual Prokopoff violin music concert will be held at 3 pm on Friday, May 4, 2012 in the Lewis Music Library. MIT students will perform selections by Bach, Chopin, Dvorak, and Sarasate.  This annual event honors the collection of over 2,000 violin music scores collected by Stephen Prokopoff and donated to the library in 2001 by Lois Craig, former Associate Dean of MIT’s School of Architecture and Planning. Come enjoy some wonderful music in an attractive setting!

Date: Friday, May 4, 2012
Place: Lewis Music Library, Bldg. 14E-109
Time: 3–4 pm

The concert is free and open to the public.

When: Thu, April 26, 2:00-3:00 pm

Where: 14N-132

Digital photos are fragile and require special care to keep them accessible. But preserving any kind of digital information is a new concept that most people have little experience with. Technologies change over time and become obsolete, making it difficult to access older digital photos. Learn about the nature of the problem and hear about some simple, practical tips and tools to help you keep your digital photos safe. This event is part of the American Library Association’s Preservation Week.

For more information, please contact: Ann Marie Willer.

When: Tue, April 24, 2:00-3:00 pm

Where: 14N-132

Do you want to save an old family quilt, a wedding dress, or T-shirts and flags from your fraternity or student club?  A conservator will present this webinar on how to care for the various types of textiles found in family collections including clothing, flags, furniture coverings, and framed textiles. The session will cover how to safely store and display textiles and how to determine when the services of a professional conservator are needed.  This event is part of the American Library Association’s Preservation Week.

For more information, please contact Ann Marie Willer.

When:  Wed April 25, 4:00-5:00 pm

Where: 14N-132

EndNote is a “personal bibliographic software” package which allows you to create and manage a database of bibliographic references. Learn how to find and use information more effectively in our hands-on workshop. Please pre-register for this session.

For more information please contact Peter Cohn.

A workshop in the DIRC, photo by L.Barry Hetherington

All sessions take place in the Digital Instruction Resource Center (DIRC), 14N-132, with the exception of the MIT Libraries Bookmobile and the Institute Archives sessions. The Bookmobile will take place in Lobby 10, and the Archives sessions will take place in 14N-118.

Pre-registration is required for some, but not all sessions. See below for details.

Patent Searching Fundamentals – Register
Tues April 3, 12:00 – 1:00 pm, 14N-132
Contact:  Howard Silver, hsilver@mit.edu

While you won’t come out of this session qualified to be a patent attorney, you will be able to successfully find patent references from all over the world and know how to obtain patent text and diagrams. The session will be a hands-on practicum that will help de-mystify the patent literature and expose attendees to key resources for finding patents through free resources available on the web.

Please register for this session.

MIT Libraries Bookmobile
Wed April 11, 11:00 am – 2:00 pm, Lobby 10
Contact: Theresa Tobin, tat@mit.edu

Celebrate National Bookmobile Day with the MIT Libraries! Check out new fiction and non-fiction, DVDs, and music (Bring your MIT ID if you want to borrow something).

RefWorks Basics
Thurs April 12, 12 – 1pm, 14N-132
Contact:  Anita Perkins, perkins@mit.edu

RefWorks is a web-based resource to help you organize references, create a bibliography, and easily cite references as you write your paper.  It allows you to create individual or group accounts.

Dear Diaries — Before There Were Blogs
Fri April 20, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, 14N-118 (Archives reading room)
Contact: Dana Goblaskas, dgoblask@mit.edu

Have you ever wanted to take a peek inside a day in the life of an MIT student or faculty member? Come explore some diaries from the Institute Archives & Special Collections and read accounts of…

• founder William Barton Rogers’s wedding trip
• a world cruise
• trekking across Texas in a covered wagon
• a future MIT president’s teenage adventures as a ship’s radio operator
• the founding of the United Nations
• working with radar during World War Two
• traveling in India, Australia, Germany, Mali, Burkina Faso, and the Azores
• and more!

Diaries date from 1849 to 1973. You never know what adventures you’ll uncover!

This session will last 90 minutes, with a 10-minute introduction at the beginning and then time to peruse the diaries at your leisure. Drop by anytime and stay as long as you want.

Managing Your References:  Overview of EndNote, RefWorks, and Zotero – Register
Tues April 24, 12:00 – 1:15 pm, 14N-132
Contact:  Anita Perkins, perkins@mit.edu

Using citation management software to create and maintain a collection of references is becoming more common and important in today’s academic world. These software packages (EndNote, RefWorks & Zotero) allow users to search databases, retrieve relevant citations, and build a bibliography to be added to a paper or thesis or stored for future reference. But which software package should you use, and how do you get started?

Please register for this session.

Taking Care: Family Textiles
Tue April 24, 2:00-3:00 pm, 14N-132
Contact: Ann Marie Willer, willer@mit.edu

Do you want to save an old family quilt, a wedding dress, or T-shirts and flags from your fraternity or student club?  A conservator will present this webinar on how to care for the various types of textiles found in family collections including clothing, flags, furniture coverings, and framed textiles. The session will cover how to safely store and display textiles and how to determine when the services of a professional conservator are needed.  This event is part of the American Library Association’s Preservation Week.

EndNote Basics – Register
Wed April 25, 4:00 – 5:00 pm, 14N-132
Contact: Peter Cohn, pcohn@mit.edu

EndNote is a “personal bibliographic software” package which allows you to create and manage a database of bibliographic references. Learn how to find and use information more effectively in our hands-on workshop.

Please register for this session.

Arts and Culture Multimedia in the MIT Libraries – Register
Thu April 26, 12:30 – 1:30 pm, 14N-132
Contact: Mark Szarko, szarko@mit.edu

Want to find out how to obtain over one million tracks of streaming audio ranging from classical to jazz, popular, and contemporary world music? How about over 150,000 online music scores? Streaming video of poets reading from their work? Images so sharp you can see the shadow beneath the Mona Lisa’s smile? Or panoramic views of architectural sites from around the world?

Come to this session to learn how to bring these and other cultural treasures right to your desktop through the MIT Libraries.

Please register for this session.

Preserving Your Personal Digital Photographs
Thu April 26, 2:00-3:00 pm, 14N-132
Contact: Ann Marie Willer, willer@mit.edu

Digital photos are fragile and require special care to keep them accessible. But preserving any kind of digital information is a new concept that most people have little experience with. Technologies change over time and become obsolete, making it difficult to access older digital photos. Learn about the nature of the problem and hear about some simple, practical tips and tools to help you keep your digital photos safe. This event is part of the American Library Association’s Preservation Week.

Advanced SciFinder – Register
Fri April 27, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, 14N-132
Contact:  Erja Kajosalo, kajosalo@mit.edu

This advanced SciFinder session includes many useful tips & tricks for chemists, including:

• Advanced structure and reaction searching
• All of the newest tools and content added to SciFinder
• SciPlanner, the new synthetic planning tool for chemists
• Bioactivity and target indicator data
• Reaction experimental procedures
• Real time pricing and availability information from suppliers like Aldrich and Alfa Aesar
• And much more!

Please register for this session.

Is It What It Is? Tools for Understanding Your Digital Files – Register
Fri April 27, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm, 14N-118 (Archives reading room)
Contact: Kari R. Smith, smithkr@mit.edu

In this session you will be exposed to a variety of software tools that are being used in the Institute Archives for understanding digital files that are being added to the Archival collections.  These software tools aid with the process of long-term access of digital material by allowing us to know what the digital files are when we receive them, detect any changes over time, and how to make them available in the future.

We will briefly discuss how these tools fit into work flows for digital content being developed for use in the Institute Archives and Special Collections department of the MIT Libraries.

Categories of tools that will be reviewed include:  file format characterization, fixity, packaging, metadata extraction, conversion / normalization, disk imaging, and metadata embedding.

Come learn how you can know that over time your digital files are what they are!

Please register for this session.

When: Fri April 27, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm

Where: 14N-118 (Archives reading room)

In this session you will be exposed to a variety of software tools that are being used in the Institute Archives for understanding digital files that are being added to the Archival collections.  These software tools aid with the process of long-term access of digital material by allowing us to know what the digital files are when we receive them, detect any changes over time, and how to make them available in the future.

We will briefly discuss how these tools fit into work flows for digital content being developed for use in the Institute Archives and Special Collections department of the MIT Libraries.

Categories of tools that will be reviewed include:  file format characterization, fixity, packaging, metadata extraction, conversion / normalization, disk imaging, and metadata embedding.

Come learn how you can know that over time your digital files are what they are!

Please register for this session. For more information, please contact Kari R. Smith.

When: Thu April 26, 12:30 – 1:30 pm

Where: 14N-132

Want to find out how to obtain over one million tracks of streaming audio ranging from classical to jazz, popular, and contemporary world music? How about over 150,000 online music scores? Streaming video of poets reading from their work? Images so sharp you can see the shadow beneath the Mona Lisa’s smile? Or panoramic views of architectural sites from around the world?

Come to this session to learn how to bring these and other cultural treasures right to your desktop through the MIT Libraries.

Please register for this session. For more information, please contact Mark Szarko.

When: Tues April 24, 12:00 – 1:15 pm

Where: 14N-132

Using citation management software to create and maintain a collection of references is becoming more common and important in today’s academic world. These software packages (EndNote, RefWorks & Zotero) allow users to search databases, retrieve relevant citations, and build a bibliography to be added to a paper or thesis or stored for future reference. But which software package should you use, and how do you get started?

Please register for this session. For more information, please contact Anita Perkins.