Tag: oldevents

Discussion: Scientific imaging for artwork & other cultural heritage materials

By on February 20, 2014

Discussion: Thursday, February 27, 2014, 11:00 am, 14N-132 (DIRC)

CulturalHeritageImage

Detail: Two modes of Reflectance Transformation Imaging. The bottom view shows a Japanese woodcut in “Normal” mode. The top view shows the “Specular Enhancement” mode, which removes color virtually to reveal the subtle surface impressions made in the paper by the artist. © Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Konishi Hirosada, artist, Osaka Actor Mimasu Daigoro IV , color woodcut with embossing and metallic pigment, c. 1851-59.

New scientific imaging tools offer the capability to see distinctive details on a 16th century rare book cover, a manuscript, or a work of art, that can’t be seen with the naked eye. Please join the MIT Libraries’ Curation and Preservation Services Department for a fascinating look at how this technology can help us to learn more about our cultural heritage materials, and how to best preserve them.

Carla Schroer, of the non-profit Cultural Heritage Imaging, will discuss the new empirical capture and analysis tools Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI), Algorithmic Rendering (AR), and image-based Structure from Motion (SFM) generation of textured 3D geometry. These techniques will be explored in the context of the emerging science of “Computational Photography.” Computational Photography extracts and synthesizes information from image sequences to create a new type of image containing information not found in any single image in the sequence. This technology is in use in many areas from major art museums to remote archaeological sites to fields in the natural sciences.

The event is free and open to the public, no registration required.

Paper engineering page turns for music scores – March 3rd

By on February 14, 2014

Paper Engineering Page Turns for  Music Scores

paper_eng_1_tnCome spend an hour with composer and vocalist Erin Gee and MIT Libraries Conservator Jana Dambrogio as they demonstrate a practical and low-tech way to transform the pages of your performing music scores into a continuous sheet of paper that is easy to handle during performances.

Erin will perform the voice part from her piece for voice and ensemble, Mouthpiece X, to show how the enhanced score functions. Jana will demonstrate how you can do this with your own music.

Date: Monday, March 3, 2014
Place: Lewis Music Library, Bldg. 14E-109
Time: 5-6 pm
Reception follows
Free and open to the public

Composer Charles Shadle – Wednesday, March 5

By on

Composer forum series: Charles Shadle

CharlesShadle_tn Western Saddlebag: Cowboy Songs and the Craft of Composition.
Charles Shadle, MIT Senior Lecturer in Music and Theater Arts.
The talk will focus on Western Saddlebag, a newly composed suite of arrangements of traditional cowboy melodies for piano.

Date: Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Place: Lewis Music Library, Bldg. 14E-109
Time: 5-6 pm
Reception follows
Free and open to the public

Sponsored by MIT Music and Theater Arts.

Learn quantitative methods at ICPSR this summer–registration opens today!

By on February 10, 2014

Need to expand your skills in statistical methods and quantitative analysis? Attend the ICPSR Summer Program! Each year, ICPSR provides a comprehensive, integrated program of studies in research design, statistics, data analysis, and social science methodology. Registration is now open for the 2014 session.  Note: MIT attendees can register at a discount and scholarships are available.

For a listing of course offerings and application information, see the ICPSR Summer Program web site.  Courses this year include:

Note that while most courses are held at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, some are held in nearby Amherst, MA or New York, NY.

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And don’t forget ICPSR as a source of quantitative data on a range of topics: from markets, election statistics, health, education, international relations, social attitudes and behavior, and more!  Recently added datasets include:

In other news, attend an upcoming Webinar: Resources for Health Research from ICPSR.

For further information, contact Katherine McNeill, Social Science Data Services Librarian, at mcneillh@mit.edu.

A Visit from the Smithsonian Institution’s Director of Research and Scientific Data Management

By on February 3, 2014

Thorny Staples presents on the Smithsonian's SIdora repository

Last week the Curation and Preservation Services department of MIT Libraries had the pleasure of hosting Thornton “Thorny” Staples from the Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Research Information Services. Although he claims to be a curmudgeon, Thorny is actually a very friendly digital library pioneer with experience creating innovative solutions for a wide variety of digital collections challenges.

On this visit, he gave library staff an overview of the Smithsonian Institution’s SIdora research data management tool. This tool is an interactive system to help the Smithsonian’s many researchers capture and manage their data along with its context. The data is managed in a trusted repository where it can be shared and re-used by other scholars, and ultimately archived by the Smithsonian’s curators. The project is currently in development, but Thorny gave a demonstration of the tool’s pilot instance and it was already easy to see how much great functionality it will have. We look forward to seeing the tool and its output as development progresses.

Many thanks to Thorny for visiting us here in Cambridge and giving us a behind-the-scenes look at the SIdora reposoitory!

Composer Forum presents Either/Or – Thursday, Feb.13

By on January 29, 2014

The Composer Forum series presents Either/Or:

either_or_sm

Contemporary music ensemble Either/Or will perform in the Lewis Music Library:

Date: Thursday, February 13, 2014
Place: Lewis Music Library, Bldg. 14E-109
Time: 5-6 pm
Reception to follow
Free and open to the public

The performance will feature selections of music by Alvin Lucier to be performed in concert at the MIT Chapel on 2/15/14. Sponsored by MIT Music and Theater Arts.

IAP prize opportunity for students!

By on January 23, 2014

There are still spots open for the Libraries’ “Fair Use & Images: Quiz Tool Beta Test” IAP session on January 30th at 12 pm, room 14N-132. If you’re one of the first 10 undergraduate or graduate students to register, you get a $20 Amazon gift certificate just for coming and giving us feedback on the quiz. During the session we’ll also draw names for two $50 Amazon gift certificates.

The quiz is intended to shed light on aspects of copyright, including how to determine whether a use of an online image is “fair” under US copyright law, as well as related legal issues about using images on your website, blog, or in social media.

To sign up, contact Ellen Duranceau, 14S-216, 617 253-8483, EFINNIE@MIT.EDU

Thanks, MIT music, for your dulcet tones.

By on January 17, 2014

This week was an all-things-MIT-Music for the conservation lab. We de-installed the “Noteworthy Connections” exhibition in the Maihaugen Gallery  featuring the music treasures from the Lewis Music Library and the Institute Archives and Special Collections.

photo copy

MIT’s Chorallaries, an a cappella music group, provides cheerful music to listen to while we make protective enclosures for some of the illuminated music manuscripts folios that will be used for teaching next semester. We are curious to discover more “whistle-while-you-work” music created by MIT faculty, staff, and students.

IAP 2014: Energy

By on January 10, 2014

The MIT Libraries is hosting a series of classes on related to Energy this IAP. Some classes require registration.

Image courtesy of NOAA Photo Library, NOAA Central Library; OAR/ERL/National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)

Image courtesy of NOAA Photo Library, NOAA Central Library; OAR/ERL/National Severe Storms Laboratory (NSSL)

Energy Sci/Tech Information: Where to Go, What to Do 
Tuesday, Jan 14, 3:00pm-4:00pm, 14N-132

Energy Information: Maps and Data to use with GIS 
Thursday, Jan 16, 1:00pm -2:30pm, 14N-132

Hydrology Tools with GIS
Thursday, Jan 30, 10:00am-12:00pm, 14N132

For a complete list of IAP classes offered by the Libraries, please see our Calendar of Events.