The MIT Community is invited to an opening reception on Friday, October 23, 1-3pm in the Maihaugen Gallery (14N-130). Check out the exhibit and enjoy refreshments with friends!

1. Introduction to Stata
Get an introduction to Stata, the statistical analysis software package commonly used at MIT. With hands-on exercises, learn how to import and manage datasets. Novices welcome!

When: Friday, October 23rd, 2-5pm

2. Data Management in Stata
Learn techniques for data management using Stata. Perform hands-on exercises and learn how to create cross-sectional, time-series, and panel datasets from several data files.  Topics include importing data into Stata, labeling data and variables, converting data from string to numeric format, appending and merging datasets, and collapsing and reshaping a dataset.  Prerequisite: a general familiarity with Stata (such as taking the Intro. workshop).

When: Friday, November 6th, 3-5pm

3. Introduction to Regression Using Stata
This hands-on class will provide a comprehensive introduction to estimating the linear regression model using ordinary least squares in Stata. Topics for the class include multiple regression, dummy variables, interaction effects, hypothesis tests, and model diagnostics. Prerequisites include a general familiarity with Stata (such as taking the Intro. workshop), the linear regression model, and the ordinary least squares estimation.

When: Friday, November 13th, 3-5pm

4. Introduction to R
Get an introduction to R, the open-source system for statistical computation and graphics available on Athena. With hands-on exercises, learn how to import and manage datasets, create R objects, and generate figures. Novices welcome!

When: Friday, December 11th, 1-4pm

Where: All workshops held in the Sloan Trading Room in the basement of E52: E52-010.

Space is limited. To register, contact: Katherine McNeill, mcneillh@mit.edu.

Can’t make these times? Attend these workshops at Harvard or view the slides on your own.

Brought to you by Social Science Data Services: http://libraries.mit.edu/guides/subjects/data/

Learn about ICPSR (Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research), the world’s largest archive of research data for the social sciences.  Next week (Oct 5-9, 2009), ICPSR will be broadcasting live free webinars to help you understand and utilize its many data resources.  Topics covered include:

• Data on minority populations
• Graphing quantitative data & Web 2.0 tools for visualization
• Protecting respondent confidentiality
• American Community Survey
• American National Election Survey
• Harmonized data sets
• Documentation of research data
• Quantitative literacy/Using data in teaching
• Online analysis of data
• And more!

Visit http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/or/ormeet/program/index.jsp to review the abstracts and slides and to register to attend the webinars.  Note: while these are presented in the context of the meeting of ICPSR Official Representatives, the webinars are free and open to the public; all members of the MIT community are encouraged to register and attend.

Can’t make the live webinars?  View them anytime at: http://www.icpsr.umich.edu/icpsrweb/ICPSR/or/ormeet/program/index.jsp.

For more information about ICPSR, contact MIT’s Official Representative, Katherine McNeill, at mcneillh@mit.edu.

One of our primary goals was to make the site more visually appealing, as well as more user-friendly.

Some new features:

• a slideshow on the home page (powered by Slideshow Pro)
• a list of exhibits with sample images
• quick links to our Research Guides
• a page describing the building and history of Rotch Library
• incorporation of the previously separate RVC pages into this site

Technical notes:

• The site is powered by Wordpress. This makes it very easy for staff to update; allows us to use professional templates; and makes it easy to incorporate new plugins and features. Rotch joins Dewey Library, the Scholarly Communication web site, and our News Blog as the 4th of our sites to be powered by Wordpress.
• The news page is automatically updated by the RSS feed from our central libraries’ news blog.

WHEN: Friday, July 10, 12pm – 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 workshops.

Contact Peter Cohn with any questions.

Full schedule of JulyAP 2009 workshops

from Thursday May 14th at 8am to Friday, May 22nd at 7pm.

Overnight hours are for the MIT community only.

The Perceptual Form of the City study addressed the legibility and imageability of the American city in terms of the individual’s perception of the urban landscape. The study focused on the cities of Boston, Massachusetts, Los Angeles, California, and Jersey City, New Jersey.

Records include field notes, interview transcripts, collected data, correspondence regarding the progress of the project, and hand drawn maps. See: http://libraries.mit.edu/lynch for additional information and to view a slideshow of photos from the collection.

No, Cookie Monster, not “Cookie Mobile”…Bookmobile, with our usual assortment of great books and CDs from the Humanities Library and the Lewis Music Library. But, since we are being sponsored by the letter “S,” there may be something there for you. Read on:

• “S” is for “SERENDIPITY” and “SCIENCE LIBRARY”

We will have a selection of books from the Science Library’s new “Serendipity” Collection.

• “S” is for “SPRING BREAK” and “SPECIAL LOAN” for CDs and DVDs
  

The Lewis Music Library is offering a special, longer loan period for CDs and DVDs over spring break 2009. Music compact discs and DVDs borrowed Wednesday, March 18 through Friday, March 27 will be due Monday, March 30 (by closing, 10pm). That’s more than a week, instead of the usual 3 days! Limit of 5, no renewals.

• “S” is for “SURVEY” and “SNACK!”

Fill out a survey, get a snack (who knows…maybe a cookie).

So come check us out in Lobby 10 this Friday, March 20th, between 11AM and 2PM.

• Date: Sunday, March 15th, 2009
• Exhibit: 2PM – 5PM
• Talk: 3PM
• Where: Hayden Memorial Library (building 14S),
• Food: Light refreshments will be served

Quilt collector Heather Korostoff Murray introduces us to African-American improvisational quilts: the unique qualities of these extraordinary textiles, their possible African connections, and the stories behind their creators. The exhibit will feature twenty-five quilts from her collection, illustrating the key characteristics of the genre. Her slides come from quilt scholar and curator Eli Leon’s extensive collection. Leon has generously provided the slides to edify Murray’s audience about this special province of African-American quilt making. Murray’s talk will focus on the lives and work of eight significant African-American improvisational quilt makers, including striking examples from Leon’s collection.

Murray’s interests include the quilt makers themselves – their stories, inspirations and astonishing talents. Her talk incorporates the technical side of the quilts, as well as anecdotes of their inspiration.

Heather Korostoff Murray, Bio
Heather Korostoff Murray, a native Philadelphian and long-time admirer of traditional Bucks County quilts, stumbled upon her first African-American improvisational quilt while exploring online. This experience launched a passion for the genre that has quickly led to a considerable collection, and a desire to learn more about these spectacular textiles and their makers. She finds these distinctive quilts to have an almost palpable depth and melodic eloquence.

Sponsored by the MIT Program in Writing and Humanistic Studies, MIT Humanities Library and the Program in Women’s and Gender Studies

• Introduction to GIS using ESRI ArcGIS Desktop and QGIS (FOSS)
  Friday, February 20, 2-4 pm
• Site Selection – Making Spatial Decisions Using a GIS
  Friday, February 27, 2-4 pm
• Using Elevation Data and Hydrographic Tools in a GIS
  Friday, March 6, 2-4 pm
• Model Builder and Python
  Friday, March 13, 2-4 pm

When: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM, Friday, January 30, 2009

Where: Rotch Library Conference Room, 7-238

Click the image above to view a trailer for the film.

Street Fight (2005)

Follows the bare-knuckles race for Mayor of Newark, N.J. between 32 year-old Cory Booker and four-term incumbent Sharpe James, the undisputed champion of New Jersey politics. Fought in Newark’s neighborhoods and housing projects, the battle pits the young challenger against an old style political machine that uses any means necessary, including harassment and police intimidation, to crush its opponents. (82 minutes)

This film is a part of the Rotch Library DVD collection.

Contact: Heather McCann, 7-238, x3-7098, <hmccann_at_mit.edu>

Sponsor: MIT Libraries hosted by Heather McCann, Allison Benedetti, Omar Khalidi, Jonah Jenkins

Enrollment: Seating is limited; first come, first served, limited to 20 participants.

When: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM, Thursday, January 29, 2009

Where: Rotch Library Conference Room, 7-238

Click the image above to view a trailer for the film.

Manufactured Landscapes (2007)

Follows photographer Edward Burtynsky, internationally acclaimed for his large-scale photographs of nature transformed by industry, as he travels through China photographing the effects of that country’s massive industrial revolution. (90 minutes)

This film is a part of the Rotch Library DVD collection.

Contact: Heather McCann, 7-238, x3-7098, <hmccann_at_mit.edu>

Sponsor: MIT Libraries hosted by Heather McCann, Allison Benedetti, Omar Khalidi, Jonah Jenkins

Enrollment: Seating is limited; first come, first served, limited to 20 participants.

The MIT Libraries were recently given 37 hand-colored lithographs from John James Audubon’sViviparous Quadrupeds of North America. The rare lithographs were generously donated by Mr. Ron Juster and family, in honor of Josh Juster, M. Eng. 2004. Several of the prints from the collection can be viewed in the Libraries’ Maihaugen Gallery where they are on display as part of the Celebration of Gifts exhibit.

The prints embody one of the 19th century’s most artistically successful attempts to catalog, illustrate, and promote understanding of the natural world. Following the monumental success of his publication Birds of America, naturalist and artist John James Audubon (1785-1851) attempted to produce accurate illustrations of every quadruped native to North America. In an effort to limit such a massive undertaking, he decided to include only viviparous animals (those that give birth to live young). The result was 150 paintings that are widely celebrated for both their scientific accuracy and their artistic beauty.

The Celebration of Gifts exhibit runs through February 19th in the Maihaugen Gallery, adjacent to the Institute Archives (14N-118). Gallery hours are Monday-Thursday, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.

When: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM, Friday, January 23, 2009

Where: Rotch Library Conference Room, 7-238

Click the image above to view a trailer for the film.

Helvetica (2007)
A documentary about typography, graphic design and global visual culture, which looks at the proliferation of one typeface as part of a larger conversation about the way type affects our lives. (80 minutes)

This film is a part of the Rotch Library DVD collection.

Contact: Heather McCann, 7-238, x3-7098, <hmccann_at_mit.edu>

Sponsor: MIT Libraries hosted by Heather McCann, Allison Benedetti, Omar Khalidi, Jonah Jenkins

Enrollment: Seating is limited; first come, first served, limited to 20 participants.

When: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM, Friday, January 22, 2009

Where: Rotch Library Conference Room, 7-238

Aboriginal architecture, living architecture (2005)

This film offers a fascinating in-depth look into the diversity of North American Native architecture. Featuring expert commentary and stunning imagery, this program provides a virtual tour of seven aboriginal communities– Pueblo, Mohawk, Inuit, Crow, Navajo, Coast Salish, and Haida. (93 minutes)
This film is a part of the Rotch Library DVD collection.

Contact: Heather McCann, 7-238, x3-7098, <hmccann_at_mit.edu>

Sponsor: MIT Libraries hosted by Heather McCann, Allison Benedetti, Omar Khalidi, Jonah Jenkins

Enrollment: Seating is limited; first come, first served, limited to 20 participants.

When: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM, Friday, January 16, 2009

Where: Rotch Library Conference Room, 7-238

Choropampa: The Price Of Gold (2002)

In June, 2000, 151 kilograms of liquid mercury spilled from a truck hauling it from a goldmine in the Andes. The spill covered a 25-mile long area, contaminating the mountain village of Choropampa. The owners of the mine, the World Bank, and others claim that the problem was quickly resolved, but hundreds of people still suffer the ill effects. This video details the legal battles of the people of Choropampa. (75 mins.)

This film is a part of the Rotch Library DVD collection.

Contact: Heather McCann, 7-238, x3-7098, <hmccann_at_mit.edu>

Sponsor: MIT Libraries hosted by Heather McCann, Allison Benedetti, Omar Khalidi, Jonah Jenkins

Enrollment: Seating is limited; first come, first served, limited to 20 participants.

When: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM, Thursday, January 15, 2009

Where: Rotch Library Conference Room, 7-238

The Future Of Mud (2007)

The Future of Mud is a tale of houses and lives in Djenne (2007) – Through the story of a mason in Djenne, this documentary examines an African tradition of mud architecture in Mali.

Canton, China and Calcutta, India (2005) – Explores the effects of international trade on the urban landscape of Canton, China, as it opens up to international trade and advances in Calcutta despite overpopulation and social inequalities

These films are a part of the Rotch Library DVD collection.

Contact: Heather McCann, 7-238, x3-7098, <hmccann_at_mit.edu>

Sponsor: MIT Libraries hosted by Heather McCann, Allison Benedetti, Omar Khalidi, Jonah Jenkins

Enrollment: Seating is limited; first come, first served, limited to 20 participants.

When: 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, Friday, January 9, 2009

Where: Rotch Library Conference Room, 7-238

Click the image above to view a trailer for the film.

The Greening of Southie (2008)

Set in South Boston, The Greening of Southie is a documentary about Boston’s first
residential green building, and the workers asked to build it.(72 mins.)

This film is a part of the Rotch Library DVD collection.

Contact: Heather McCann, 7-238, x3-7098, <hmccann_at_mit.edu>

Sponsor: MIT Libraries hosted by Heather McCann, Allison Benedetti, Omar Khalidi, Jonah Jenkins

Enrollment: Seating is limited; first come, first served, limited to 20 participants.

When: 11:30 AM – 2:00 PM, Thursday, January 8, 2009

Where: Rotch Library Conference Room, 7-238

Click the image above to view a trailer for the film.

King Corn: a film (2006)
Two college graduates plant and grow a bumper crop of America’s most productive, most subsidized grain on one acre of Iowa soil, with the help of friendly neighbors, genetically modified seeds, nitrogen fertilizers, and powerful herbicides. But when they try to follow their pile of corn into the food system, what they find raises troubling questions about how we eat– and how we farm. (92 minutes)

This film is a part of the Rotch Library DVD collection.

Contact: Heather McCann, 7-238, x3-7098, <hmccann_at_mit.edu>

Sponsor: MIT Libraries hosted by Heather McCann, Allison Benedetti, Omar Khalidi, Jonah Jenkins

Enrollment: Seating is limited; first come, first served, limited to 20 participants.

When: Thursday and Fridays during IAP; Thursday, January 8, 2009 – Friday, January 30, 2009

Where: Rotch Library Conference Room, 7-238

Did you know that the Rotch Library of Architecture and Planning maintains an impressive DVD collection, with new titles added regularly?

Join us as we explore the scope of the collection, from from how we eat and farm (King Corn) to African mud architecture (Future of Mud) to the way type affects our lives (Helvetica). We’ll be showing a different film or two each day. Bring your lunch, we’ll provide the entertainment!

More information about each showing will be posted on this blog, and on the Rotch Library website.

Contact: Heather McCann, 7-238, x3-7098, <hmccann_at_mit.edu>

Sponsor: MIT Libraries hosted by Heather McCann, Allison Benedetti, Omar Khalidi, Jonah Jenkins

Enrollment: Seating is limited; first come, first served, limited to 20 participants.

Are you wondering what an RSS feed is and how it can help your research?

Want to learn more about using GIS, EndNote or RefWorks?

Need to find chemical information, social science data, or patents?

Want to learn Japanese book-binding, improve your photography, or how to compost with worms?

Look no further! Take a peek at all of the MIT Libraries IAP Activities offered in 2009.

Riverscapes: and exhibition of photographs of historical water landscapes, by Adriana de Miranda.

An opening reception will take place from 5:30 PM until 7:00 PM on November 25, 2008.

The “hydraulic noria” represents the most elegant of hydraulic devices. It is a water-wheel which, using the power of the river, raises water to irrigate fields which are at a higher level than the level of the water. The system is composed of a vertical wheel and an aqueduct. The base of the wheel is submerged in the river and turns because of the current. Water is carried to the top of the wheel and is poured into the channel on the top of the aqueduct, and is directed to irrigate the surrounding fields. Hydraulic norias provide environmental and economic advantages, as well as those of safety. As a clean technology they allow irrigation requiring no petrol or oil, but fully exploiting the power of the river, as an economical device they are built using materials found in the area and have a simple assembly; they are also efficient and have low operational and maintenance costs.

The hydraulic noria, whose earliest evidence dates back to at least the Ist century B.C., is widespread in Syria on the Orontes river, but it still exists today in other parts of the Mediterranean basin, in East Asia and Central America where its technology has not changed. Particularly the Syrian and Chinese devices successfully combine the functional with the aesthetic and display sophisticated forms of construction.

They are visually impressive, present shapes which are the results of an accurate and detailed design and are of great historical, environmental and iconographical importance. These installations were devised as architectural constructions whose design is not only intended to be functional, but also aesthetic. They also show an architecture which has been able to combine essentiality and simplicity, necessary for integration into the landscape, and an architectural shape whose geometric construction is based on schemes of symmetry, modularity and harmony.

This exhibit will be on display from November 25, 2008 until December 16, 2008.

Disintegration (Paintings)

The exhibition displays some of Roberto Marrone’s works. Many of them are the results of the reaction between colour and chemical material. Looking at the painting, the observer reads subjective figures which are the results of how the materials used interfere with each other.

These works are realized in two phases: Firstly the material is distributed on the canvas; layers of colour, oxide, acid and other reactive substances, are superimposed one upon another. Secondly there is the phase of the “reaction”, which involves a “disintegration” of the material with the consequent formation of bright-coloured forms. These abstract forms can be perceived subjectively by the observer.
In addition to these paintings, the exhibition also displays several abstract-figurative drawings by the artist.

Roberto Marrone is an Italian painter who lives and works in Milan.

The exhibition `Return to Ooze’ will showcase new works revolving around mythical, mystical, and scientific transformations involving liquids. From alchemists to wildcatters to the Cylons of Battlestar Gallactica, ooze plays an integral role in birth, the search for means and meaning and ultimately, death. Return to Ooze acknowledge this idea not only in the liquid-turned-solid materials (plaster, polymers, epoxy) of their makeup, but also in the surfaces, the represented objects, and mythology. In some instances the work will be installed traditionally, in others more surprising spaces will be utilized, such as on support beams, display cabinets, and assorted nooks and walls. The orbits of Return to Ooze circle the unintentional beauty of the architecture of industry and the raw products and by-products of manufacturing. These noisy and occasionally messy aspects of commerce are often expressed in my work alongside careful juxtapositions; fragile vases, tailored menswear or napping animals.

1. Introduction to Stata
Get an introduction to Stata, the statistical analysis software package commonly used at MIT. With hands-on exercises, learn how to import and manage datasets. Novices welcome!

When: two repeat sessions, attend either of the following:

• Tuesday, October 7th, 12-2pm or
• Wednesday, October 22nd, 12-2pm

2. Introduction to Regression Using Stata
This hands-on class will provide a comprehensive introduction to estimating the linear regression model using ordinary least squares in Stata. Prerequisites: General familiarity with Stata (such as taking the above Intro. workshop) and the linear regression model.

When: Friday, October 31st, 12-2pm

3. Introduction to R
Get an introduction to R, the open-source system for statistical computation and graphics available on Athena. With hands-on exercises, learn how to import and manage datasets, create R objects, and generate figures. Novices welcome!

When: Friday, October 10th, 12-2pm

Note: All Workshops Held In: E53-220

Space is limited. To register, contact: Katherine McNeill, mcneillh@mit.edu.

See also: Consulting: Interested in one-on-one help with statistical analysis and software? The Harvard-MIT Data Center (HMDC) Statistical Consultant can help you via email or an in-person consultation. Contact her via our email form.

Find a book you want in Barton, click on “Request item,” log into “Your Account” and select “office delivery” from the drop-down menu.

The book you requested will arrive at your office mailroom in 2-3 business days via campus mail.

For more information, please see our FAQ.

Vera Multi-Search – Vera had a makeover!
The new Vera Multi-Search will still help you find electronic journals, databases, and e-books, and now it will also help you search for articles within journals, conference proceedings, etc.  See the FAQ page for more information.

New LibGuides
We’ve adopted a new system of creating guides to help you find information related to your research.

PDF delivery from the Library Storage Annex
Looking for a journal article, conference proceeding, technical report or book chapter that’s in the Library Storage Annex?  Use the “Request PDF” button in the Barton catalog record to get PDF delivery to your desktop.  This service is free to members of the MIT community with an Illiad account.

Manage Your Research Data More Effectively
The Libraries have a new resource to help you in managing research data that you produce. Check out the guide to Data Management and Publishing.

Printing, Copying and Scanning Improvements
Hayden, Barker, Dewey and Rotch Libraries are moving to TechCASH with new copiers and scanners. You’ll now be able to use TechCASH (MIT ID) to pay at copiers, print for free (MIT community only) through Athena printers, and make color scans that you can email or save to your USB drive. See the Printing FAQ and the TechCASH FAQ for more information.

And coming soon…
Look for an expanded Libraries presence in Stellar including a link to the MIT Libraries Quick Start!

WHEN: Friday, August 1, 12:30 – 1:30pm

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.

Feel free to bring your lunch! Drinks and dessert will be provided.

Sponsored by the MIT Libraries.

See http://libraries.mit.edu/patents for more information. Contact Darcy Duke with any questions.

Full schedule of JulyAP 2008 information workshops

To enter the building:

• Take the temporary ramp from Wadsworth Street (to the right of the plaza) down to the garage level.
• Follow the signs which point you to the left towards the basement door to enter E53.
• From there, take either the elevator or the stairs to the 1st floor lobby of E53, where you can enter Dewey Library.

This detour will be in effect until sometime in the fall.