Posts by: Katherine Morley

screenshot of new homepage

We are excited to announce that we will ring in 2024 with a brand new homepage design! You may also notice some new informational pages on our site, and fun features like a pop-out chat widget. We hope that these changes will help you get to the information you need in a quicker and more streamlined way. We will be offering some workshops on how to navigate the new site next semester, so be sure to keep your eyes peeled for those.

We value your feedback, so please feel free to share your thoughts as you navigate the new homepage, and please let us know if anything is not working!

 

 

collection of pom pom study buddies

Just in time for finals, these googly-eyed cuties are back to help get you through the next few weeks. Make one for yourself or a friend to take back to that study carrel! We’ll have all the supplies out at the Desk starting at 12pm on Thursday 2/7 and Friday 2/8. Hope to see you there!

 

Photo of Anna Milyaeva

Please join us in warmly welcoming our new Administrative Coordinator and Library Reference Assistant, Anna Milyaeva!

Anna (pronounced Awh-nuh) has a background in food justice advocacy and supporting immigrant communities in New York City and Baltimore. She is a prospective MLIS student and is excited to be part of the Tufts library community. In her free time, she enjoys biking along the Charles River, walking by interesting buildings at dusk, and wondering if the minutes of the day are the same as the minutes of the night.

We are so thrilled to have her on staff!

 

Congratulations to our Physician Assistant Program! Today, November 16th, is the 10th anniversary of our PA program.  We can hardly believe it, and we are very proud.

Class of PAs wearing their white coats

Some highlights about this program:

It is 25 months long, starts in January and has 50 students per class.  This year they got their own space at 136 Harrison Ave. The curriculum is one year of didactic and one year of clinical rotations. As with other programs, some students take on the dual MPH degree.  This is a very hard program to get into, and all must have had some clinical experience before arriving. Many are EMTs. As with other programs there is a mix of students; male (18 %)/female (82 %); under represented groups (26 %); first generation to go to college (18%) and even an active duty military member.

You also might be surprised to know that there is a 99% pass rate on their licensing exam!

So, HURRAH for our PAs!

Post contributed by Amy Lapidow

 

pinecone turkey

 

It’s our favorite time of year! Starting at 12pm this Thursday 11/16 and Friday 11/17, you can stop by the Library Service Desk and create your own feathered friend to bring home for Thanksgiving (or back to your study carrel to get you through that afternoon study sesh). We’ll have a variety of materials out so you can create anything your heart desires, from the simple and majestic hand turkey (our personal favorite) to some 3D  pinecone poultry.

 

 

Photo of woman with backpack with the works Open Access Week 2023 and open lock logo

 

We take a moment to celebrate International Open Access (OA) Week October 23rd through 29th this year.  We’ve come a long way in the past 15 years of honoring this publishing initiative, which makes research literature freely available on the Internet with few copyright or license restrictions.  The common question now is not what is open access? Or even, why open access?  Rather, the main question at hand is, which open access?

Many publications tout an open or public access option for your research output, but what solutions are really reducing barriers to publishing, reducing barriers to reading content, reducing barriers to reusing content, promoting equity, and promoting inclusion?  Not all OA is the same.  Even with all of the pressures faced when choosing where to publish, where to become a peer reviewer, which editorial team to join, which research to cite in your own work, and in all of the other ways we interact with published research and scholarship, we have an obligation to collaborate with publications whose main goals don’t center around maximizing profits for shareholders or gaining the largest sector of the market.

Support publishers and journals who embrace innovative and sustainable business models, such as Subscribe to Open, which converts journals to open when predetermined “fair pricing” revenue targets are met or Diamond Open Access, which charges neither authors nor readers and relies on institutional support  As we shift our priorities, we will experience a shift as well in some of the other forces at play, notably which publications are high impact and which are viewed as most prestigious among colleagues.

This general sentiment is summed up in this year’s OA Week theme, “Community over Commercialization,” which you can read more about at https://www.openaccessweek.org/theme/en.  Also, please Ask Us your questions about open access or let us know if you would like guidance incorporating these priorities into your publishing decision making.

 

Post contributed by Judy Rabinowitz

 

Mini pumpkins in box that looks like a pumpkin patch

 

You heard it here first! Hirsh Pumpkin Patch is getting ready to reopen for another festive year. Stop by the Library Service Desk starting at 12pm on Thursday 10/26 and Friday 10/27 and decorate the gourd of your dreams. You can craft at the desk or take supplies to another location to do your decorating–just make sure to bring them back!

Hope to see you there!

 

 

Did you know that you can book a fundraising table in the library? Throughout the years we’ve helped host bake sales, raffles, and other types of fundraisers. Just contact us a minimum of one week in advance and we will arrange to have a folding table set up for you near the windows next to the Food4Thought cafe. If you are in the medical school, you can also contact OSA to see about having a table outside of their office. Please note that these are the only locations where fundraisers are allowed, and you must have them either approved by the library or OSA before setting up.

Feel free to email us at hhsl@tufts.edu with any questions or to reserve the table!

 

Rachel Partington

Please join us in welcoming our new staff member, Rachel Partington! Rachel is the latest addition to the Service Desk and is excited to answer student questions here at Hirsh! A southern transplant, this is their first library job, and they intend to pursue their MLIS in the near future. They live in Somerville where they are roommates to a many-thumbed cat named Goose and are in the process of writing a novel set in deep space.

We are thrilled to have Rachel as part of our Hirsh team!

 

 

The trees are changing colors and fall is on its way! Join us at the Library Service Desk this Thurs 9/21 and Fri 9/22, starting at 12pm, for our first FunLab of the year and make a custom cozy to adorn your favorite seasonally-spiced drink. We’ll have all the supplies you need to protect your hand from hot beverages in style!

 
Set your Twitter account name in your settings to use the TwitterBar Section.