MIT Libraries News

Speaker: Kristel Smentek, Assistant Professor of Art History

Date & Time: Wednesday, May 12, Noon-1pm

Location: Maihaugen Gallery (14N-130)

Kristel Smentek, Assistant Professor of Art History and co-curator of the exhibition Technology and Enlightenment, leads an informal tour and discussion of how work is pictured in Diderot’s Encyclopédie.

This event is part of a series of events associated with Technology and Enlightenment, an exhibition in the Libraries’ Maihaugen Gallery (14N-130) that explores one of the most important and controversial publications of the eighteenth century, Diderot’s Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers.

All spring exhibit events

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).

“Deep in the heart of the MIT campus lies a hidden treasure…the Rosalind Denny Lewis Music Library.” Follow along as the narrator takes you on a video tour of “an oasis filled with books, scores, recordings, quiet study spaces” and much more.

The brief tour highlights the collections, facilities, and services of the Lewis Music Library. Filmed by Gregory Perkins ’10.

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.

The Lewis Music Library (14E-109) will host a performance and discussion of music related to the current Libraries’ exhibition, Technology and Enlightenment, on Wednesday, April 14th at 2pm.  The event will feature Teresa Neff, Lecturer in Music.

This event is part of a series of events associated with the exhibit in the Maihaugen Gallery (14N-130) that explores one of the most important and controversial publications of the eighteenth century, Diderot’s Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers.

All spring exhibit events

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.

The Libraries are pleased to announce that wireless access is now available in the Maps Area of the Hayden Basement.

With comfortable seating and plenty of flat table space, users can find geological maps, topographic maps of their hometown, or browse world maps and atlases to take them away, all while connected to the internet that serves up GIS, Google Earth and so much more.

Grab a map, bring a laptop, and check it out.

Check out the MIT Libraries Maps Research Guide or email us with any map-related 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.

Browse books, CDs, DVDs and audiobooks from the collections of the Humanities and Music Libraries.

Enjoy some leisure reading, watching, and listening during your spring break.

Come check us out!

All sessions take place in the Digital Instruction Resource Center (DIRC), 14N-132, with the exception of the Institute Archives session on April 9, which will take place in 14N-118.

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

Using the Institute Archives to Research MIT History
Friday, April 2, 1 – 2pm
14N-118, Institute Archives

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.

Managing Research Data 101
Thursday, April 8, 12 – 1pm

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

Managing Your References: Overview of Endnote, RefWorks and Zotero
Thursday, April 8, 5 – 6pm

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 pre-register for this session.

Ga-Ga for Google
Friday, April 9, 12 – 1pm

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.

Research Techniques for Writers and Editors
Friday, April 9, 1 – 2pm

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.

EndNote Basics
Friday, April 16, 12 – 1pm

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.

EndNote Web
Wednesday, April 21, 12 – 1pm

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.

Zotero Basics
Friday, April 30, 12 – 1pm

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.

Please contact Anita Perkins with questions about any of the IAPril 2010 sessions.

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.

Speaker: Nancy Schrock, Conservator for Special Collections

Date & Time: Friday, March 19 1:00–2:00pm

Location: 14N-118, Institute Archives Reading Room

MIT Libraries’ book conservator, Nancy Schrock, discusses Diderot’s Encyclopédie as an example 18th century French papermaking and bookbinding.

This event is part of a series of events associated with Technology and Enlightenment, an exhibition in the Libraries’ Maihaugen Gallery (14N-130) that explores one of the most important and controversial publications of the eighteenth century, Diderot’s Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers.

All spring exhibit events

Saša Stanišic will read from his new book

How the Soldier Repairs the Gramophone

Tuesday, March 9th, 6:30pm in Room 32-141

Saša Stanišic is the 2010 Max Kade Writer in Residence in Foreign Languages and Literatures at MIT, co-sponsored by the DAAD and the MIT European Club.

The authors@mit lecture series is co-sponsored by the MIT Libraries and the MIT Press Bookstore. Additional support for this event is provided by Schoenhof’s Books.

Open to the public &  wheelchair accessible.

Event info: call (617) 253-5249 or visit web.mit.edu/bookstore/www/events/

Download: event flyer

CONTEST RULES:

The contest will run for 3 weeks. Each week a new clue in the form of puzzle pieces will be added. Entries may be submitted at any time and you may enter once per week.
If there is more than one correct entry, the winner will be selected by a drawing.
The answer to the puzzle can be found by searching the visual collections at Rotch Library: http://info-libraries.mit.edu/rotch/collections/visual-collections/.
The correct answer must include the artist’s name, title of the work, and where you located the image.
Entries may be made using this form submitted to the box in Rotch Library or in an email to rvc-all@mit.edu.

If you enter between:
FEB 22, 5pm — MARCH 1, 5pm = your CORRECT answer will be worth 3 entries
MARCH 1, 5:01pm–MARCH 8, 5pm = your CORRECT answer will be worth 2 entries
MARCH 8, 5:01pm — MARCH 15th, 5pm = your CORRECT answer will be worth 1 entry

Note: This contest is open to MIT undergraduate and graduate students only. All entries must be submitted by March 15 at 5 pm.