MIT Libraries News

Learn how to manage your articles and cite your references more effectively in these hands-on workshops.  Register now for October.

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

Managing Your References:   Overview of EndNote, RefWorks, and Zotero

WHEN:   Wednesday, October 6, 5 – 6pm

Citation management software is an important tool in today’s academic world.   These software packages 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 product should you use, and how do you get started?

This session will focus on Endnote, RefWorks, and Zotero, the three major options for citation software at MIT.  We will compare the three and introduce some of the basic concepts and functionality of each program.

Please pre-register for this session.   Contact Mat Willmott with questions.

EndNote Basics

WHEN:   Wednesday, October 13, 5 – 6pm

EndNote is a “personal bibliographic software” package that allows you to create and manage a database of bibliographic references.  Come to this hands-on workshop to learn how to use Endnote to manage your citations, create bibliographies and more.

Please pre-register for this session.   Contact Peter Cohn with any questions.

RefWorks Basics

WHEN:  Wednesday, October 20, 5 – 6pm

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.

Please pre-register for this session.  Contact Anita Perkins with any questions.

Zotero Basics

WHEN:  Wednesday, October 27, 5 – 6pm

Zotero is a free, open-source program for Firefox 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 pre-register for this session.  Contact Remlee Green with any questions.

This Libraries have changed our access to data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).  Our IMF data products, namely:

• International Financial Statistics (IFS)
• Balance of Payments Statistics (BOPS)
• Direction of Trade Statistics (DOTS)

are now accessible via Global Insight.

For details on how to extract IMF data via Global Insight, see: http://libraries.mit.edu/dewey/ifs.html.

Welcome to the MIT Libraries!  We look forward to meeting you.  Join us for an event and learn what the Libraries have to offer.

Orientation: Fall 2010

Undergraduate Students || Graduate Students || All Students

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS:

Academic Expo
What: An expo of MIT’s academic departments and programs. The Libraries will be ready to answer your questions and offer information about our resources and services. Pick up handouts and goodies.
When: Wednesday, September  1, 2:00 – 3:30 pm
Where: Johnson Athletics Center (W34). Look for the Libraries’ banner.

Freshmen Explorations: Ice Cream Social
What: Build your own ice cream sundae!
When: Thursday, September 2, 2:30 – 3:30 pm
Where: Lipchitz Courtyard (Building 14); rain location: hallway in front of Hayden Library (Building 14)

Hitchhiker’s Guide Library Tours
What: A walking tour of all the MIT Libraries, with special gifts for the first 10 attendees at each tour.
When: Saturday, August 28, 1:30 p.m, Thursday, September 2, 11 am and *Thursday, September 2, 2 pm
*this tour also stops for ice cream outside the Hayden Library, courtesy of the MIT Libraries
Where: Meet in Lobby 7

GRADUATE STUDENTS:

Graduate Student Orientation: Grad School 102
What: An introduction to the MIT Libraries services and resources.
When: Tuesday, August 31, 3:30 – 3:50 pm
Where: 34-101

11th Annual New Graduate Student Reception
What: A reception for new graduate students, with beverages and light
refreshments provided.
NOTE: Tickets may be purchased for $5 at the Graduate Student Council Information Booth.
When: Wednesday, September 1, 5 – 7 pm
Where: Barker Library Dome (Building 10-500)

ALL STUDENTS:

Health & Wellness Fair
What: Libraries’ staff will be ready to answer your questions and offer
information about our resources and services. Pick up handouts and goodies.
When: Friday, September 3, 1:30 – 4:30 pm
Where: Kresge Oval, outside the Student Center

24/7 study rooms in Hayden and Dewey libraries will remain open

All MIT Libraries’ locations, with the exception of the 24-hour study facilities in Hayden and Dewey Libraries, will be closed Friday, July 2 through Saturday, July 10, as a cost saving measure to meet Institute budget reductions.

During this period the Libraries’ website, Barton, Vera, and access to electronic licensed resources will be available. However, most library staff will be on furlough and will not be available to offer assistance. A small number of staff will be on-call to address any reported system outages; reasonable attempts will be made to bring systems back online as soon as possible.

While it will continue to be possible to make online requests for some MIT Libraries’ services or materials, these requests will not be acted upon until the Libraries reopen.  Due dates for materials on loan have been adjusted to reflect this closure – no items will be due during this period and fines will not accrue.  We apologize for any inconvenience.

See: http://libraries.mit.edu/hours for a complete list of individual library hours.  Please send questions, comments or concerns to budgetfeedback-lib@mit.edu.

Hayden Library — home to the Humanities & Science Libraries — is open till 2am daily during Finals

from Thursday, May 13 to Friday, May 21:

weekdays, 8am-2pm and Saturday & Sunday, May 15 & 16, 10am-2pm.

Extended hours are for the MIT community only.

Hayden will close Friday, May 21 at 7pm.  Summer hours begin May 22.

Photo by Christopher Harting

The MIT Libraries’ Summer Hours will begin on Saturday, May 22, 2010.

Barker, Dewey, and Hayden (Humanities & Science) Libraries:
Monday-Friday 10am – 6pm,
Saturday closed, Sunday 1 – 6pm

Rotch Library:
Same hours as above except Sunday closed

Lewis Music Library:
Monday-Friday 11am – 5pm,
Saturday-Sunday closed

For a complete list of locations and hours see the Libraries’ website.

Please note all libraries will be closed Memorial Day weekend (May 29-31) and for a week during the Independence Day holiday (July 2-9).

WHEN: Friday, April 30, 12 – 1pm

WHERE: Digital Instruction Resource Center (DIRC), 14N-132

Zotero is a free, open-source program for Firefox that helps you to 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 pre-register for this session.

Contact Remlee Green with any questions.

WHEN: Wednesday, April 21, 12 – 1pm

WHERE: Digital Instruction Resource Center (DIRC), 14N-132

EndNote web is a web-based product available to MIT users as part of the Libraries’ subscription to Web of Knowledge. Come learn how to use Endnote Web to manage your citations, create bibliographies and more.

Contact Peter Cohn with any questions.

WHEN: Friday, April 16, 12 – 1pm

WHERE: Digital Instruction Resource Center (DIRC), 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.

Contact Howard Silver with any questions.

MIT Libraries is pleased to make Forrester Research available to MIT students and faculty.   Forrester is a nationally recognized research and consulting firm specializing in internet and communications technologies, consumer behavior, marketing and business strategy.   The Forrester database will also provide access to content generated by analysts from the former JupiterResearch, which was acquired by Forrester in 2009.

Students interested in information technology assessment, applications development and trend analysis will find Forrester an important resource for their work.  Forrester Research may be accessed through Vera at the Libraries web site or by the shortcut url http://libraries.mit.edu/get/forrester.

Building on an existing collaboration between the MIT Libraries and Harvard College Library (HCL), undergraduate students at Harvard and MIT may participate in a pilot program which, for the first time, enables reciprocal borrowing privileges for undergraduates at the two institutions.

As of April 5, 2010 Harvard undergraduates will have borrowing privileges at MIT Libraries and MIT students will enjoy similar privileges at participating Harvard libraries.  The program, which will be evaluated after 14 months, offers undergraduates from both institutions access to the complementary circulating collections of each institution’s libraries.

MIT undergraduate students may apply online for an HCL Special Borrower card.  Once confirmed, students may obtain a photo ID from the Widener Library Privileges Desk.  The card gives the bearer borrowing privileges at participating HCL libraries including:

• Cabot, Chemistry, Fine Arts, Harvard-Yenching, Loeb Music, Physics, Tozzer and Widener.

MIT graduate students and faculty have existing borrowing privileges at HCL libraries and may also apply for cards online.

More information about Harvard borrowing privileges.

WHEN: Friday, April 9, 1 – 2pm

WHERE: Digital Instruction Resource Center (DIRC), 14N-132

Learn how to use the Libraries’ resources and databases to research your own articles or find past articles written about MIT. This workshop will show you how to connect from your desktop to a wealth of online resources licensed to MIT, such as LexisNexis, Factiva, Proquest, historic newspaper databases and more. The experts at the Libraries will show you best techniques. This workshop is tailored to MIT communications professionals, or those with an interest in journalism and science writing.

Contact Anita Perkins with any questions.

WHEN: Friday, April 9, 12 – 1pm

WHERE: Digital Instruction Resource Center (DIRC), 14N-132

Take the popular search engine to a new level. Learn basic searching as well as tips and tricks that will make you truly love Google.

Contact Georgiana McReynolds with any questions.

WHEN: Thursday, April 8, 5 – 6pm

WHERE: Digital Instruction Resource Center (DIRC), 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 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 pre-register for this session.

Contact Mat Willmott with any questions.

WHEN: Thursday, April 8, 12 – 1pm

WHERE: Digital Instruction Resource Center (DIRC), 14N-132

For researchers struggling to manage their data, basic strategies will be provided for:

• best practices for retention and archiving
• effective directory structures and naming conventions
• good file formats for long-term access
• data security and backup options
• metadata, tagging, and citation
• other relevant issues

Contact Amy Stout with any questions.

WHEN: Friday, April 2, 1 – 2pm

WHERE: Institute Archives, 14N-118

Ever wonder how to find out more about the history of MIT, locate the thesis of a famous MIT alum, or get historic background information on an MIT department, lab or program?

Many answers can be found in MIT’s Institute Archives, keepers of MIT’s administrative records, faculty papers, theses, and MIT publications dating back to the 1800s. With MIT’s 150th anniversary approaching, this is a particularly timely workshop for MIT communicators.

Contact Nora Murphy with any questions.

The U.S. Census Bureau and MIT Libraries invite you to a half-day, no-cost conference about the Economic Census and related programs. New Economic Census data are available once every five years, and include detailed statistics for industries, and information about sales ($ receipts) by industry, by city, and by town geography.

Date: March 25, 2010
Time: 12:30 pm – 4:30 pm
Location: MIT, Bush Room, 10-105

Register and find more information at: http://libraries.mit.edu/gis/economic-census-event2010.html

The MIT Libraries have purchased over 19,000 Springer eBooks published from 2005 through 2010 with coverage of every scientific discipline, as well as some coverage of architecture, humanities and many of the social sciences. Several heavily-used book series and reference works are included; among them are: Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Lecture Notes in Mathematics, Lecture Notes in Physics, NATO Science for Peace and Security, Studies in Computational Intelligence, Topics of Current Chemistry, Springer Handbook of Robotics, Handbook of Materials Modeling, and Springer Handbook of Nanotechnology.

The Libraries selected Springer eBooks for its first major system-wide electronic book service because of Springer’s favorable licensing and business terms that will directly benefit MIT users, including broad academic use rights, perpetual ownership, unlimited concurrent users, and participation in Portico, a third party archive. In addition, each book chapter is available as a PDF file without digital rights management (DRM). This means they can be downloaded, printed, and transferred to a PDA or Kindle.

Springer also offers “MyCopy”, a service where the members of the MIT community can order their own personal copy of many of these books by using the print-on-demand option at a significantly discounted price of $24.95 for books up to 800 pages.

Links to these ebooks are beginning to appear in Barton, our library catalog. You can also search or browse them directly or from off-campus.

Have a favorite database and want to avoid searching Vera for it every time? Use the Get URL! Do a search in Vera by title and then just right click to add the link to your bookmarks. Now Proquest, Avery, PubMed and others are just a click away, whether you’re on campus or off!

Check out all of the MIT Libraries IAP events for the week covering Monday, January 18 through Friday, January 22. Also check out the complete listing for all of our sessions.

Introduction to R

Practically Genomic

Rotch Library Film Series

Using Elevation Data and Hydrographic Tools in a GIS

EndNote Basics

Managing Research Data 101

LabLife Tutorial

Middle East Blogsphere: Who Are They? Where Are They Archived?

GIS Model Builder for Programmers

Regression Using Stata

Demystifying Fair Use – An Interactive Workshop for Users of Copyrighted Content

Linked Data

Cool Tools for Science & Engineering Research

Going Beyond Google Scholar: Using the Web of Science and Other Citation Searching Resources to Discover Articles

Introduction to SAS

Making Your Own Videos for the Web & MIT TechTV

Managing Your References: Overview of EndNote, RefWorks and Zotero

Graphics in Stata

NOTE: Some sessions have limited availability or may require advance sign-up requirements. If you have further questions, please see individual listings for appropriate contact information.