Posts by: Rebecca Morin
Time flies, and we’re already wrapping up Fair Use Week, the annual event where we rally to educate and celebrate the provisions under the law that allow us to report the news, innovate in science, make art, create parody, and use works for scholarly interpretation.
Over the last few years, more and more questions have popped up regarding Fair Use and social media. Can you Instagram that logo? Can you Tweet that artwork? Can you share that book chapter on Facebook? Our favorite Fair Use Infographic offers some guidance, reminding us that “courts are much more likely to uphold a use as fair use if it is transformative, meaning that it adds something new, with a different character, expression, meaning or message, or function.” So what does that mean in the land of ‘grams, tweets, snaps, and shares?
A 2016 case, Lenz v. Universal Music Corp., ruled that copyright holders must consider Fair Use before before attempting to remove or suppress online content. But what is “transformative” in the social media landscape? It appears grabbing a photo from Flickr and tweeting it to make a statement about refugees (as Donald Trump, Jr. did) doesn’t count. How about posting hyperlinks to copyrighted materials? That’s an evolving issue.
As of right now, the best advice we can offer is to treat anything you do in the online environment as you would in the offline environment. Consider the Four Factors before you post, consider sourcing images from some of the fantastic Open Access and Creative Commons resources out there, and when in doubt, contact a librarian!
We hope you enjoyed Fair Use Week 2018!
We hope you’re enjoying running your searches and managing your research and library account using JumboSearch, Tufts Libraries’ one-stop shop to search for books and e-books, videos, articles, digital media, and more.
Because JumboSearch does so much, and is a big change from the library catalogs you may be accustomed to using, we’ve built custom Search Help, by Tufts Librarians, for Tufts Users! You can find the link on the top menu of every JumboSearch page.
If you’re stuck searching for books on Reserve for your class, struggling to find a particular journal or a book, wishing to explore the holdings of the Tufts Digital Library, or wondering how to explore the collection in your local Tufts library, our Search Help is here to…help.
Of course, if you run into trouble using JumboSearch you can always stop by the Library Service Desk on Sackler 4, give us a call at 617-636-6705, shoot us an email at hhsl@tufts.edu, text us at 617-477-8439, or chat us up!
Look, we know it’s a BEAR of a time right now…exams, assignments, travel, holidays!
Image taken from page 54 of ‘The Frozen Crew of the Ice-bound Ship; or, the Terrors of the arctic regions. A romance of the wild and wonderful. With illustrations’ is made available by the British Library and has no known copyright restrictions.
Remember, when you’re busy, we’re busy. Don’t get shut out in the cold, PLAN AHEAD!
Leave plenty of time to snag the books and other resources you need to study for exams (and don’t forget to bring them back on time and avoid The Block!).
If you’d like to work with a librarian, you are always welcome to stop by the Service Desk on Sackler 4, but to avoid lines and waiting, why don’t you schedule an appointment with your liaison librarian? Check out the librarian dedicated to your school or program here: https://hirshlibrary.tufts.edu/research/liaison-program, and book an appointment by clicking on a librarian’s name and then clicking the “Schedule Appointment” button.
Need an appointment in a hurry? Fill out the Schedule a Consultation form and we’ll be in touch ASAP. Appointments are available Monday -Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, as schedules permit.
Election Day is fast approaching, this year falling on November 7th (AKA the first Tuesday after the first Monday in November, as dictated by Congress in 1845).
It’s not a Presidential election year, but there is plenty going on in Massachusetts. Unsure of what’s going down in your town? Check the website of the Secretary of the Commonwealth to see if elections are going on where you live, and to get more information on local races.
Remember, if you need to vote with an absentee ballot, November 6th at noon is the deadline to request one, and the completed ballot must be returned by the close of polls on Election Day.
Eleanor votes by IIP Photo Archive is in the Public Domain
We could do worse than to follow the example of our 32nd First Lady, first chair of the UNHCR, and the inaugural chair of the Presidential Commission on the Status of Women (pictured above, voting).
Remember, if you need to see if you are registered to vote, register online, or find your polling place, the Secretary of the Commonwealth has you covered.
So get out there and be like Eleanor! VOTE!
Open in order to improve public health by Nick Shockey is licensed under CC BY 4.0
As we wrap up our celebration of Open Access Week, this is a great time to think about what Open Access can mean to researchers, to scholars, and to our local, national, and international communities. Librarians promote publication in Open Access journals to enable collaboration with like-minded researchers and to raise research visibility, but there are many reasons to wade into the Open Access waters. One of the most compelling is to increase knowledge of science, research, and medicine outside the Ivory Tower.
Think about how easy it is access the latest research in highly regarded journals from the comfort of the Library, or from home (if you go through the proxy server) as a student, faculty, or staff member of Tufts University. But how many times have you tried to access a scientific study from off-campus and run into a paywall? How many times has a newspaper or blog made a claim about a health benefit or some groundbreaking research, only to link out to a journal you can’t access? Think about everyone NOT studying at or employed by a college or university…where do they get their scientific information?
Turns out, the Pew Research Center recently published a study about how Americans consume science news, and they report that 66% of Americans “actively seek out and directly consume” news about science, and the overwhelmingly popular source of that information is outlets like newspapers and television news programming. However, many of these consumers feel that news media does a poor job covering scientific topics (41%) and that some of those reasons include: hasty reporting of findings that may not hold up, oversimplification, overreporting of conflicting viewpoints, and coverage of findings that are not important.
If you work in or study health sciences, you watch this play out on the evening news every day, usually regarding whether or not red wine will make you live forever, if chocolate replaces working out, if coffee will kill you, or if you actually need to floss your teeth (Note: please keep flossing). But who do Americans blame for this? Most participants in the Pew Study blamed the news media, but nearly a quarter (24%) blamed poor scientific reporting on the “way science researchers publish.”
Well well well. We might not be able to change every newscast and every newspaper, but a major way to improve scientific communication is to publish research that EVERYONE can read. For free. Open Access! Think of all the questions that can be answered when patients and health care providers outside of colleges and universities can access quality research free of charge. Think of the advances when researchers can find, use, and reinterpret data without copyright restrictions or paywalls.
Check out the Scholarly Publishing and Access Resources Coalition’s reasons to support open access to aid scientific communication here: https://sparcopen.org/open-access/.
August is National Immunization Awareness Month, and initiative sponsored by the National Public Health Information Coalition.
And this week, August 14-20, is all about Adult Immunization! It’s easy to think that vaccinations are just for kids, but adults need vaccinations and boosters as well. There are some vaccinations that were not available to everyone (or required) as a child, such as those that protect against HPV, Hepatitis A and B, and Chickenpox. There are immunizations that become increasingly important for adults to receive as they age, such as those for shingles and pneumococcal pneumonia. There are “boosters” that everyone should receive every decade or so for continued immunity, like Td/TDAP and Tetanus, and of course, don’t forget your annual Flu shot.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has all the information you need to keep everyone in your family immune from preventable disease, whether Adult, Teenager, or Infant or Child.
“When Life is Young: a collection of verse for boys and girls” from the British Library HMNTS 011652.l.18
As June (finally) brings us some summer weather, the Library would like to shine some light on a new development that’s been in the works behind-the-scenes.
While you’ve been taking exams and writing theses and starting your clerkship rotations, we’ve been getting ready to launch a new Integrated Library System and Discovery Platform! Which means that the way you search for items to check out, and the way we manage those items behind the desk is about to change.
On June 21, join us as we launch a new iteration of JumboSearch, a brand new way to search for books, articles, and other materials the library provides (including electronics, peripherals, and online books and journals).
You may notice some differences as you search, log in to your account, and access materials from off-campus, but everything you’re accustomed to will still be available. The only major difference is that if you were using Reading History in our current system, that information won’t migrate (so contact us for help!).
Watch this space for more information!
Questions? Contact us @ hhsl@tufts.edu.
Look, we’ve all been there. You really WANT to attend that HHSL Open Workshop, but we were up SO LATE on Sunday studying/watching the Oscars/binging Netflix, and 9:00 am Tuesday feels so early. So you decide to attend the Wednesday 4:00 pm session of the workshop. But hey, did you notice that it is staying light outside until almost 6:00 and also the world is not currently a Frozen Hellscape and you should really go outside for vitamin D?
Have you squandered your last chance to learn EndNote? Thrown away your shot to master Web of Science? Wasted all opportunities to hone your PubMed skills? Are you doomed?
“On Fire” Gunshow #648 by KC Green. This is a meme all over the internet now, give its creator some love here.
No! Your friends at Hirsh Health Sciences Library would never abandon you! We know how busy you are, and we can’t schedule Open Workshops at times that fit everybody’s schedule. To better meet your needs, we bring you Workshops on Demand– gather a few friends, find some times that work for a group session, and tell the Library what you want to learn about. We will provide the content, and expert librarian instructor, and we’ll even book the room. Choose from the list of topics, or suggest your own- we’re listening! Just fill out the form and we will be in touch to set up your custom workshop. These sessions are a great way to maximize learning and interaction with an instructor and your classroom peers, and ideal for those embarking on group projects. Workshops on Demand can be scheduled M-F between 8:00 am and 5:30 pm, depending on the availability of librarians, and we can conduct them via WebEx as well for those off-campus.
(of course, if you would like a one-on-one instruction session with a librarian, we can set that up too. Just contact us here)
Well, hello there boys and girls, ladies and gentlemen. Back from Thanksgiving break so soon, are we?
What’s that you say? Exams a’ comin’? Already? Boy howdy.
Why don’t you join me for a moment. I’ll tell you a tale as old as the print journals on the 7th Floor. The story of a creature most hideous, most foul, and most dangerous. Of course, I speak of THE BLOCK.
AHHH! Thar he scowls! Be careful, don’t look into his eyes! How does one summon THE BLOCK? Let me share the lore with you.
Now, some say that if you return a reserve item (like a laptop, phone charger, skull, or reserve book) late once, THE BLOCK will follow you for 24 hours after you return the item, and you will be mysteriously unable to check out items from the Library. If you return an item late a second time, THE BLOCK will haunt your nightmares for 7 days, impeding your ability to study and borrow headphones (and other things).
Now, many have tempted fate and survived the wrath of THE BLOCK once, even twice. But beware, should you return a third reserve item late, the foul beast will cast his sharp, cubic shadow over your life for two fortnights!
(You know, you won’t be able to check anything out for one month after you return the delinquent item)
AND THAT’S NOT ALL. If you summon THE BLOCK three times, he will, like Marley’s Ghost, visit your Dean and share tales of your misdeeds.
And finally, if you are one of the foolish few who learns nothing of your third encounter with this reviled, hideous hexahedron, and you dare invite his wrath again, THE BLOCK will rob you of your borrowing privileges for the rest of the semester, and he will darken the doorstep of your Dean again.
And the most TERRIFYING thing of all? Every time you summon THE BLOCK, you wear his mark for the remainder of the academic year. So remember, a late return in September will follow you all the way to next July.
So take heed, as exams approach:
- Try to get some sleep
- Stay hydrated
- Return your reserve items on time, and
- DON’T MOCK THE BLOCK
(The Hirsh Health Sciences Library blocking policy can be found in its entirety here: http://hirshlibrary.tufts.edu/about-us/policies/overdue-items)
June 17, 2016 is the 241st anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, an event we mark in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as Bunker Hill Day. I was born and raised in Massachusetts, and now make my home in Charlestown (site of the battle), so here are the Top Ten Things You Should Know About Charlestown and the Battle of Bunker Hill.
1) The Battle of Bunker Hill was mostly fought on Breed’s Hill. That’s where the Monument is. Bunker Hill is actually taller and steeper, and is home to the lovely Saint Francis de Sales, a beautiful Roman Catholic church dedicated in 1862. If you don’t know which hill is which, we know you’re a tourist.
By Siddharth Mallya. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
3) Charlestown is where Paul Revere’s Midnight Ride really kicked off. He was ferried in a rowboat from Boston, landing near the Charlestown Battery, and picking up a horse from his friend Deacon John Larkin, a lifelong Charlestown resident.
4) There is debate as to why the Colonial forces fortified Breed’s Hill instead of Bunker Hill, although many think it is because Breed’s Hill is closer to Boston. The British had planned the siege to capture Bunker Hill, as they wanted to dig in fortifications on the area’s highest points.
5) It took the British three attempts to capture Breed’s Hill, even though their numbers were far greater than the Colonial forces.
6) Charlestown burns during the Battle, the first of two major fires to strike the community.
7) Proud Charlestown residents still fly the Bunker Hill Battle Flag.
By DevinCook at English Wikipedia, via Wikimedia Commons
9) The Bunker Hill Monument (which you now know is on Breed’s Hill) is 221 feet tall and was completed in 1842.
10) Beloved French hero of the American Revolution, the Marquis de Lafayette, is said to be buried beneath a sprinkling of soil from Bunker Hill, procured by his son.
Want More?
http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-true-story-of-the-battle-of-bunker-hill-36721984/
http://charlestownhistoricalsociety.org/history/historic-timeline/
https://www.masshist.org/revolution/bunkerhill.php
https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/today/jun17.html
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