Tag: oldevents

New Proquest Congressional Interface and Upcoming Webinars

By on October 22, 2012

Proquest Congressional logo

With so much discussion in the media about elections, how can you get primary source material on the activities of Congress? Try ProQuest Congressional, which has a new look!

Now integrated into a new interface, ProQuest Congressional’s new features include:

  • Basic Search, Advanced Search or Search By Number options
  • Faceted search results, which may be arranged by document type, committee, and agency
  • Unlimited result set, with the ability to limit search results by date, document type, and more
  • Type-ahead in search forms based on subject index, popular names list, and House and Senate committee names
  • Enhanced Bill Tracking Composite View and Member Profile Composite

But it still covers the same vital congressional publications as it did formerly as LexisNexis Congressional:

  • Full text of reports, bills, public laws, and legislative histories
  • Links to selected fulltext documents, committee prints, and congressional hearings testimony
  • Also contains information on members of Congress, campaign financial data, congressional voting records, and other information about the legislative process
  • 1789-present for indexing, mid-1980s-present for full text.

Access Proquest Congressional at: //libraries.mit.edu/get/congress-u.

For more details, see the Proquest Congressional Information Site or attend one of the upcoming Proquest Congressional Webinars:

1. Using Legislative History to find legislative intent, Monday, November 5, 2012 3:00 pm, EST
Learn how to use ProQuest Congressional Digital Suite and Legislative Insight to:

  • Develop an understanding of the legislative process both:
  • Become familiar with the documents available pertinent to your issue;
  • Identify where in the process the changes you care about occurred – this provides a mechanism to narrow the scope of your search for explanations for why the language was changed

2. Congressional for Current Events, Tuesday, November 20, 2012 2:00 pm EST
From elections to the economy, the Arab Spring and global warming, sports concussions and fracking, Congress is the news and makes news. Join us to learn how to use the most comprehensive collection of historic and current congressional information available anywhere online. Since Congress is interested in all public policy, social, and economic issues, the database is an effective source for general research in many academic disciplines, in addition to research related to specific legislative proposals and laws.

For more sources on Congress, see the Libraries’ Guide to Congressional Publications or Ask Us!

Composer Peter Whincop Monday, October 29

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Peter WhincopComposer forum series: Peter Whincop, MIT Lecturer in Music, teaching Electronic Music Composition. Whincop will provide an exposition of a few of his works involving text, or voice in a more abstract context, based on simple perceptual and algebraic precepts.

Date: Monday, October 29
Place: Lewis Music Library, Bldg. 14E-109
Time: 5-6 pm
Reception follows
Free and open to the public

Rotch Art Exhibit: Synergy

By on October 17, 2012

Synergy: An Experiment in Communicating Science through Art
Opening October 1, 2012 in Rotch Library

logo

Eight Boston and Cape Cod professional artists have been paired with MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution scientists to render complex scientific concepts accessible to the viewer.  Both artists and scientists must dynamically translate across disciplines, yielding a heightened clarity for the broader impact of scientific research.  The outcome of these collaborations will be an exhibition at the Museum of Science, Boston, 2013 that invites the general public to explore oceanography through compelling art. In anticipation for this show, preliminary works by the artists and original artwork by the scientists are on display at the Rotch Gallery on MIT campus. Visit Rotch to get a sneak peek into the body of work arising from Synergy.

This program is made possible in part by the Grants Program of the Council for the Arts at MIT and the Graduate Student Life Grants.

Learn more about the exhibit.

Composer Roger Reynolds Wednesday, October 17

By on October 16, 2012
Roger Reynolds

Roger Reynolds (Photo: Malcom Crowthers)

Composer forum series: Roger Reynolds, Resource and Outcome. An illustrated presentation with performance (Gabriella Diaz, violinist).

Date: Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Place: Lewis Music Library, Bldg. 14E-109
Time: 5-6 pm
Reception follows
Free and open to the public

See more information.

Open Access Week Event: A Conversation With Peter Suber and Richard Holton

By on October 11, 2012

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.

“Magnetic Resonance” on display in the Maihaugen Gallery

By on October 2, 2012

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.

Vail Exhibit EventsEXHIBIT 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.

Election Data Resources from ICPSR: Webinars Tuesday and Wednesday

By on October 1, 2012

ICPSR Logo

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.

 

Check Out the Complete Listing of Fall 2012 Workshops

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

Workshop in the DIRC classroom

Workshop in the DIRC; photo by L.Barry Hetherington

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.

OECD Coming to MIT

By on September 27, 2012

OECD logo

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 (//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.