Stop by the following NBL locations for finals week/stressbuster events:
Alexander Library
Thursday, December 15, to Friday, December 23
Stop by Alexander Library for a treat during finals week! At various times, Stressbuster Grab n’ Go snack bags will be placed in the lobby (while supplies last).
Art Library
Thursday, December 15, to Friday, December 23
Visit the Art Library during finals week for a Stressbuster Grab n’ Go snack bag (while supplies last).
Carr Library
Thursday, December 15, 3–4 p.m.
Tuesday, December 20, 3–4 p.m.
Visit Carr Library during finals week for Stressbuster Grab N’ Go snack bags (while supplies last).
Chang Library
Thursday, December 15, 11 a.m.
Take a study break at Chang Library and refuel for finals with delicious snacks (while supplies last).
Douglass Library
Thursday, December 15, noon–2 p.m.
Monday, December 19, 10 a.m.–noon
Wednesday, December 21, noon–2 p.m.
Thursday, December 22, 10 a.m.–noon
Stop by Douglass Library for snacks and water bottles (while supplies last).
Math and Physics Library
Thursday, December 15, 1–4 p.m.
Friday, December 16, 1–4 p.m.
Warm up at Math and Physics Library with coffee, cocoa, or apple cider (while supplies last).
LSM
Thursday, December 15, 11 a.m.
Good luck with finals! Stop by LSM for a snack break and games.
Mary Catherine Lundquist, Director of the COPSA Institute for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders, presents at the Piscataway Public Library.
April 13 marked National Citizen Science Day for 2019, and all libraries in the country were encouraged to host events to celebrate the day. Because this year’s theme of Citizen Science Day was related to Alzheimer’s disease and target audiences were the general public, the Library of Science and Medicine worked with Piscataway Public Library to co-host an event titled Myths and Realities of Alzheimer’s Disease. The event was sponsored by the COPSA Institute for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Disorders at Rutgers. This joint event by LSM, RBHS, and the local public library was well received by our audiences. Below are some remarks from the speaker, public library librarian, and a manager at one RBHS center:
Thank you Connie for inviting me. This was a wonderful group! Your efforts were so much appreciated by everyone. Please keep us in mind for future events.
Thank you so much for including Piscataway Public Library in Rutgers’ National Citizen Science Day. I am especially appreciative as the topic of Alzheimer’s is near and dear to my heart. I am truly grateful to have partnered with you on this event and I look forward to creating more programs with you.
Librarians are some of my very favorite people! And I’ve received a lot of help from our RU librarians in the past, so I’m happy to help out in return.
This collection of storage disks is among the many items on display in the “Libraries before the Age of Google” exhibit.
Librarians constantly embrace change. Some of the tools or equipment used in the library were considered state-of-the-art innovations and were indispensable in the daily work of librarians. Have you heard of a library fines calculator? Have you seen the thermal paper that recorded the search results of online searching done by the librarians? Have you ever wondered why you would find some punch cards in the back of library books? As librarians are retiring, we have begun collecting the vintage items in their offices, and are inviting the librarians to tell us the stories behind each item. Now you can see these items in a display of Libraries Before the Age of Google in the conference room at the Library of Science and Medicine. The contents of the display are also available as pictures in a digital gallery.
If you would like to share any interesting vintage library items, please contact Mei Ling Lo (mlo@rutgers.edu) or Tara Maharjan (tara.maharjan@rutgers.edu). We will be honored to share your stories with the rest of the world.
I hope that you will enjoy seeing the items and learning the stories behind them!
An architect’s rendering of what the new space in LSM.
New Brunswick (NB) and Rutgers Biomedical and Health Sciences (RBHS) are collaborating to upgrade spaces and publicize library services to our users, in particular those from RBHS schools (Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS), School of Public Health, Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, the Physician Assistants program in the School of Health Professions), in Piscataway. One of the goals in recent draftsof the Libraries master plan for the Library of Science and Medicine (LSM) is to “create a science-focused atmosphere and establish a connection with RBHS.” In addition, the plan includes creating both “dedicated graduate study space,” and “dedicated RBHS study space” within the library.
A plan is in place to encourage RBHS students to identify and use LSM and its resources. Survey data from RWJMS reveals that medical students do not currently identify with the library. The upcoming accreditation at RWJMS (March 5-7, 2018), spurred a feasibility study to upgrade study space and librarian support space at LSM to better serve the needs of graduate students in the health and life sciences on the Piscataway campus. Students from Pharmacy and Public Health are also in close proximity to LSM. Even though Pharmacy has recently opened their beautifully renovated building, LSM is still a very popular destination for Pharmacy students seeking serious study space.
An open house for RWJMS students was held at LSM on Tuesday, February 13, to re-introduce students to LSM, view potential floor plans, the phased design for renovating space on the third floor, and view the location of the recently relocated MED-TEXT collection, approximately 1000 books recently relocated from the medical school to LSM. Approximately 100 medical students attended the event, which was positively received. Victoria Wagner and the librarians from Robert Wood Johnson Library of the Health Sciences (RWJ), along with faculty and staff from LSM, interacted with RWJMS students and faculty in attendance.
The completed feasibility study, along with proposed floor plans, renderings, phasing plan and cost are nearing completion. Presenting and socializing the plan to stakeholders (RBHS schools and NB life sciences schools) and funders is a critical next step toward potential implementation. Mei Ling Lo has taken the lead on planning for the weeding of the bound journal collections on the north side of the LSM third floor. Journals are labeled for relocation to the Annex or discard, and a company will start moving items on April 2nd.
An office, previously occupied by DTS on the LSM third floor, will provide the space for the RWJ librarians, who will begin providing services to students from that location in early March.
A full meeting LSM and RWJ libraries took place on Friday, February 23rd at LSM. Plans were on display, updates were provided by Dee Magnoni and Judy Cohn, and then the 20 plus attendees broke into groups focused on space, access services, and deepening collaboration. One listserv for all LSM and RWJ librarians and staff was proposed to enhance communication. Other recorded recommendations are being transcribed to share back with the full group, which agreed to meet again in 2 months.
These are exciting plans! We look forward to gaining momentum to fund this project.
Congratulations to Yingting Zhang whose application for the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries’ Data Scholarship has been accepted. The award will support Yingting’s participation in the Research Data Access and Preservation Summit next year in Chicago. We look forward to hearing Yingting’s report from the conference!
Fight the Flu. Get Your Shot!
Don’t forget that Occupational Health will be providing flu shots for employees on Wednesday, October 4 from 11 a.m. to noon in the Pane Room of Alexander Library.
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s—The Artists’ Bookmobile!
Peter and Donna Thomas return to Rutgers with their Artists’ Bookmobile on October 4.
Rutgers University Libraries and art librarian Megan Lotts are delighted to welcome Peter and Donna Thomas and their traveling Artists’ Bookmobile back to Rutgers. Peter and Donna are known for their workshops in paper and book arts. Visit the Artists’ Bookmobile—a self-contained exhibit of book arts—and learn how they make their books. Join in a book arts sing along at 3 p.m. featuring a ukulele book.
The Bookmobile will be parked outside Alexander Library on October 4 from 2 to 3:30 p.m. See you there!
Carr is Cutting the Ribbon
Join us on Tuesday, October 17 at 10 a.m. as we dedicate the James Dickson Carr Library in honor of Rutgers University’s first African American graduate. The program includes remarks by Rutgers–New Brunswick chancellor Debasish Dutta, an exhibit of materials about Carr and the history of the former Kilmer Library, as well as a reception. Please register to attend at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/carr-library-dedication-ceremony-registration-38281939311.
#RutgersDana50 Kicks Off on a High Note
Dana Library kicked off its 50th anniversary celebration with a birthday bash during Rutgers–Newark’s Fall Fest in September. The festivities included cupcakes and a live performance by hip-hop/jazz fusion band Nickel and Dime OPS. Check out a clip of the band courtesy of @RUNewark_Dana on Twitter.
Thomas V. Papathomas, director of the Rutgers Laboratory of Vision Research, visited the Library of Science and Medicine last week for a special presentation on optical illusions, how our minds process perspective, and even how illusions can be used as accurate measures of schizophrenia.
Aiding the Relief Effort in Puerto Rico
Alexander and Dana Libraries hosted open data editathons last week in response to the Red Cross’s request for geospatial data to help with their relief operations on the island. Participants mapped from pre-hurricane imagery to give those involved in the relief efforts an operating picture of the island before the storm made impact. Kudos to our colleagues Francesca Giannetti and Krista White for their part in bringing this program together so quickly!
The New Brunswick Libraries announced their schedule of #Stressbusters events for the spring exam period. Highlights include a photo booth at the Math/Physics Library, button making at the Art Library, and pet therapy sessions at Alexander, Douglass, Kilmer, and LSM.
MARAC Spring 2017 was held April 20–22 in Newark.
Don’t despair if you happened to miss out on the recent Mid Atlantic Regional Archives Conference in Newark, as Tara Maharjan put together a comprehensive Storify of the event (titled Adaptable Archives: Redefine, Repurpose, and Renew) that’s the next best thing to having been there in person.
Several new exhibits opened across the Libraries this past month:
At Paul Robeson Library, There’s a Run in My Tights: Classic Comic Book Covers from the Golden Age and Beyond is on display through May 4. This display, which opened in advance of the 2017 Camden Comic Con, highlights superheroes such as Bat Girl, Aquaman, Luke Cage and the X-Men, as well as villains like Cat Woman and misunderstood monsters like Werewolf By Night.
A group exhibition of works by students in the Women, Gender, and Creativity House of Douglass Residential College is on display now at Douglass Library. Students in this community explore topics of gender, sexuality, identity, creativity, perception, and visual communication of women in the arts. The exhibition highlights the self-portraits, sculptures, video performances, and written works produced by the student artists during the course of the academic year. It closes on May 1, so be sure to check this one out while you can.
Finally, many new resources were announced in April:
The Andrew Hill Collection at the Institute of Jazz Studies contains the papers, music, and audiovisual recordings of acclaimed pianist, composer, bandleader, and educator Andrew Hill (1931–2007). The collection was processed as part of the 2016 Jazz Archives Fellows residency.
Attitude Check (vol. 1 no. 1, 1969) via Independent Voices.
JAMAevidence provides guides to the systematic consideration of validity, importance, and applicability of problems and outcomes in health care. It consists of three textbooks, user tools, and forms useful to the critical appraisal process. See more in our deep dive.
Academic Video Online Premium provides access to over 50,000 videos from reputable producers such as BBC and PBS, mostly on the subjects of social sciences, American history/American studies, music and performing arts, science and engineering, and health sciences.
Independent Voices is a full-text database of alternative press periodicals published in the U.S. in the second half of the 20th century. It includes publications like Aegis (1978-87), Death Ship Times (Fat Albert’s) (1972-74), The Feminist Voice (1971-72), Meatball (1969-71), Off Our Backs (1970-76), The People’s Voice (1980-1983), San Francisco Good Times (1969-72), Up from the Bottom (1971-74), Where It’s At (1968-70), the Yardbird Reader (1972-76), and Zeitgeist (1965-69), among dozens of others.
The New Brunswick Libraries hosted several events to welcome students to the new semester, as part of the campus-wide Welcome Days activities, which are organized by New Student Orientation and Family Programs (a division of Student Affairs).
This year, staff and librarians at the Mathematical Sciences and Physics Library in Hill Center challenged students with a giant tumbling tower, while the Library of Science and Medicine offered free snacks and science puzzles. At the Alexander Library, students enjoyed cookies and the chance to spin a wheel for prizes after successfully answering library trivia. Kilmer Library offered carts of granola bars and other treats popcorn was handed out at the steps of the Art Library on College Avenue, and the Douglass Library offered students a much-appreciated coffee/cookie break.
All of these activities were made possible through the annual Senior Class gift, which is offered in appreciation to the library for hosting the wildly popular ClubAlex dance. The Undergraduate Experience Team sends a HUGE thank you to all of the staff and librarians who made these events possible and helped to create a warm welcoming atmosphere at the libraries.
