MIT Libraries News

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. Join Ernest Sergenti, Data Fellow, Harvard-MIT Data Center, for this informative session.

No previous experience with R is required.

WHEN: Friday, January 25, 10 am - 12 pm

WHERE: E53-220

Enrollment is limited to 20 participants. Contact Katherine McNeill-Harman to sign up or with questions. See http://libraries.mit.edu/guides/subjects/data/training/workshops.html for more information.

Interested in learning a statistical analysis software package? Get an introduction to Stata, the software available on Athena and commonly used in many departments across MIT. With hands-on exercises, explore Stata’s many features and learn how to import and manage datasets and do statistical analysis. Join Nealia Khan, Statistical Consultant, Harvard-MIT Data Center, for this informative session.

WHEN: Wednesday, January 23, 10 am - 12 pm

WHERE: E53-220

Enrollment is limited to 20 participants. Contact Katherine McNeill-Harman to sign up or with questions. See http://libraries.mit.edu/guides/subjects/data/training/workshops.html for more information.

EndNote is a “personal bibliographic software” package which allows you to create and manage a database of bibliographic references.

Attendees will create a personal database of cited literature by importing references from resources such as Barton, Web of Science, PubMed, & other sources of published literature. Your database can be used to automatically generate in-text citations and bibliographies in your manuscripts. It can also help you organize and manage your PDF files.

WHEN: Thursday, January 17, 5 - 6 pm
Wednesday, January 23, 5 - 6 pm
Wednesday, January 30, 12 - 1 pm

WHERE: 14N-132, DIRC

Enrollment is on a first-come, first-served basis and is limited to 20 participants.

Contact Howard Silver with any questions.

Need data to answer a research question? Interested in analyzing raw datasets with micro-level records about individual respondents? This hands-on workshop will familiarize you with the resources of the Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR) and the Harvard-MIT Data Center, which provide access to datasets in the social sciences and related fields. Topics will include finding and downloading datasets and understanding data documentation.

WHEN: Tuesday, January 15, 2 - 3:30 pm

WHERE: 14N-132, DIRC

See http://libraries.mit.edu/guides/subjects/data/training/workshops.html for more information.

Advance sign up is required and participation is limited to 20 people. Please sign up by January 14 by contacting Katherine McNeill-Harman.

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? This session will focus on EndNote, RefWorks, and Zotero, the three major options for bibliographic software at MIT. We will include a discussion comparing and contrasting the three softwares, and we will introduce some of the basic concepts and functionality of each program.

WHEN: Tuesday, January 15, 12 - 1 pm
Thursday, January 24, 12 - 1 pm
Monday, January 28, 5 - 6 pm

WHERE: 14N-132, DIRC

20 computers are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Attendees are welcome to bring their laptops.

Contact Remlee Green with any questions.

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, energy information, social science data, or patents?

Want to learn how to marble paper, 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 2008.

The Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research (ICPSR), the world’s largest archive of digital social science data, is hosting two opportunities for undergraduate students to gain experience in working with their data:

1. The ICPSR Undergraduate Research Paper Competitions will highlight the best undergraduate student research papers that use data from ICPSR.
   * One competition covers any dataset(s) held within the ICPSR archive or any of its special topic archives. In the second competition, the paper must address issues relevant to underrepresented minorities in the United States and draw data from the Minority Data Resource Center.
   * Up to three cash prizes will be awarded. The winner will receive a monetary award of $1,000. Second place receives $750 and third place $500.
   * Deadline for submission is January 31, 2008.
2. The ICPSR Summer Undergraduate Internship Program will take place June 9-August 15, 2008.
   * Gain experience using statistical programs such as Stata, SAS, and SPSS.
   * Learn data processing skills to prepare social science data for archiving and distribution.
   * Deadline for application is January 28, 2008.

For more information on either of these programs, contact Katherine McNeill-Harman, Data Services and Economics Librarian, at mcneillh@mit.edu.

This hands-on workshop will help graduate students learn tools that measure journal quality, publisher copyright policies, and their significance to you as an author. Includes concise overviews of:

• Measures of journal quality, including ISI impact factor and other indicators
• Copyright law as related to journal publishing (transferring copyright)
• Publisher copyright policies, including rights for posting your work on the web
• Publishing options: open access channels, in both new and traditional journals, and other types of publishing

When: Friday November 16, 2007, 11am-12pm
Where: 14N-132
Presented by: Ellen Duranceau, Scholarly Publishing  & Licensing Consultant, MIT Libraries, efinnie@mit.edu
Sponsored by: The GSC-ARC and the MIT Libraries

Today we’re making available to the MIT community a beta release of a new version of Vera, called Vera Multi-Search.

http://libraries.mit.edu/vera-beta (MIT only)

This version of Vera adds the ability to simultaneously search several databases at once, such as Web of Science, Proquest Research Library, and Barton: MIT Libraries’ Catalog.

It’s designed to help you start your library research more quickly by showing you which databases have the most hits for your query and displaying the merged results, so that you don’t have to search each database separately.

The old Vera (which lists our all of our databases and e-journals) is still available to use during the beta period. We’re offering an early look at the new Vera while we’re still developing it, so that we can get feedback from the MIT community and conduct usability tests.

To volunteer to particpate in usability tests, or to send feedback and comments, email: webmaster@libraries.mit.edu.

Due to scheduled drilling activity in the Hermann building related to the Building E62 construction project, Dewey Library will be closed Wednesday, November 21st through Saturday, November 24th. Dewey will resume normal operating hours on Sunday, November 25th at 1pm.

Other MIT Libraries will be open reduced hours on November 21st and are scheduled to close on Nov. 22nd and 23rd due to the Thanksgiving Holiday. See the Complete MIT Libraries’ fall holiday hours.

We apologize for the inconvenience. If you have any questions or concerns about access to Dewey’s resources or staff during this period, please contact Millicent Gaskell, Head Librarian, Dewey Library, at mrg@mit.edu or 3-5619.

Fall GIS Lab workshops

This class will introduce a variety of commonly used GIS tools, including learning to create and edit your own data, incorporate paper maps into a GIS (georeference), map tabular information (addresses and xy data - for example, from a GPS unit), change the projection of your data, calculate the straight line distance between points, create contour lines from a digital elevation model (DEM), and use ArcScene to visualize data in 3D. It is recommended for users to have done the Introduction to GIS exercise or have some previous experience with ArcGIS before attending this workshop.

This new hands-on class will provide a comprehensive introduction to estimating the linear regression model using ordinary least squares in Stata. Topics covered include: multiple regression, dummy variables, interaction effects, hypothesis tests, and model diagnostics. In addition, instructors will explain the substantive interpretation of regression outputs. Taught by the Harvard-MIT Data Center (HMDC) Statistical Consultant.

Prerequisites: General familiarity with Stata, including importing and managing datasets and data exploration. Familiarity with the linear regression model and ordinary least squares estimation. Students currently enrolled in a graduate-level introduction to statistics class that covers regression also are eligible.

When: Wednesday, November 7th, 12-2pm

Where: E53-220

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

Need to find news articles for your research? Want to scan today’s headlines and top stories? The Libraries provide an array of sources that can help:

General News:

• Browse current and recent editions of major papers with Factiva. Use the U.S. Newsstand to read today’s New York Times, Wall Street Journal or Washington Post, plus recent issues of Newsweek and other magazines. For more newspapers, select Business Newsstand (under Group Pages), which includes the Boston Globe and Financial Times.
• LexisNexis Academic covers major U.S. and world publications, wire services and transcripts of broadcasts. Use the initial search screen to see recent major stories or use the News tab to select from a list of sources.

Television News: The Vanderbilt Television News Archive is a huge collection of network TV news broadcasts. Users can search or browse by date.

Foreign Language News:

• Use World News Connection to monitor developments in any country or region. Articles are added daily from thousands of non-U.S. news sources and are provided in English translation.
• If you read other languages, check out the Libraries’ guide to Foreign Language News and Newspapers.

Environmental and Energy News: Greenwire has daily coverage of environmental and energy issues at the national and state level from sources in all types of media.

Ethnic News: Check Ethnic NewsWatch for articles from hundreds of newspapers and magazines of the ethnic, minority and native press.

Fall GIS Lab workshops

Location: MIT GIS lab, Rotch Library (7-238)

The US Census holds an enormous amount of demographic information dating back to 1790. New and interesting relationships can often times be observed when looking at census data on a map. Come learn about what’s in the US Census and the tools available for mapping it.

Fall GIS Lab workshops

Learn about GIS, and the basics of using ArcGIS, a powerful desktop Geographic Information System (GIS) available at MIT. Learn to work with data from the MIT Geodata Repository, analyze the data and create maps that can be used in reports and presentations.

Come see Dewey Library’s newly-enhanced space for collaborative work: study room E53-216 now includes a 40-inch wall-mounted LCD monitor. Simply connect the LCD cable to your laptop to share what’s on your screen. The room holds 15-20 people and is perfect for meetings or group study.

As this is a new service in Dewey, we encourage your feedback. Please fill in the comment form to be found in the conference room or email Millicent Gaskell (mrg@mit.edu), Head of Dewey Library.

Dewey Library offers a total of six rooms on the second floor dedicated to group study. Reserve any of them by using the sign-up sheets on the study room doors. See also other Group Study Spaces in the MIT Libraries.

Need help with business or economics research? The Dewey Research Advisor (http://libraries.mit.edu/dra) can help you get started…

Dewey Research Advisor is an online database which provides starting points and tips for answering specific research questions in the fields of business & management and economics.

There are currently over 400 questions in the database; check out some of the new questions we’ve recently added:

• Where can I find rankings of companies?
• How can I find information on market research, including market research reports?
• Where can I find The Economist?
• Where can I find information on the medical devices industry?
• Where can I locate current and historical corporate and personal income tax rates by country?

To find these and other research questions, simply browse by subject or do a keyword search. And if you need further assistance from Dewey librarians, we are here to help you: just Ask Us!

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.

Workshops: Interested in learning statistical analysis software? Get an introduction to Stata, the package used in many departments at MIT. With hands-on exercises, learn how to import and manage datasets. Taught by the HMDC Statistical Consultant. Novices welcome!

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

• Tuesday, October 2nd, 12-2pm or
• Friday, October 5th, 12-2pm

Where: E53-220, Dewey Library

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

Fall GIS Lab workshops

This session will be offered twice: Friday, September 21 & Friday, October 19

Location: MIT GIS lab, Rotch Library (7-238)

The US Census holds an enormous amount of demographic information dating back to 1790. New and interesting relationships can often times be observed when looking at census data on a map. Come learn about what’s in the US Census and the tools available for mapping it.

Finding out about new titles in our collection is easy. Choose one of three ways:

• On the Web: New titles are posted weekly by subject on our Recent Additions to the Collections page.
• Via RSS Feed: Click on the RSS link next to any subject on our Recent Additions page to subscribe to the RSS feed. To find out about RSS feeds and how they can help you keep up-to-date, see the Libraries’ Guide to RSS.
• Via Email: See how you can get the content of Recent Additions RSS feeds delivered to your email.

Questions? Ask Us!