Posts by: Rebecca Morin
Okay, maybe there is no evidence that February is the worst month of the year. But here in Boston it’s often the coldest, snowiest month. The days are getting longer, but they’re still pretty darn short. Sitting in the sun, swimming in the ocean, warm evening breezes…they’ve never felt further away. And then there’s that pandemic.
If you’re anything like us, you’re looking at nearly a full year without travel, without far-flung friends and family, without baseball games or handshakes or hugs or parades. You’re sick of Zoom, and you have no idea what your classmates and instructors look like under their masks.
Ice cased Adelie penguins after a blizzard at Cape Denison, c. 1912, photograph by Frank Hurley. From the collections of the State Library of New South Wales. No know copyright restrictions.
We’re here to remind you that you’re not alone! If you need to get out of the house, the Library is open for studying (social distancing and masks required). You can still request and check out books, including leisure reading for an escape. Librarians are available online for consults during regular hours, just visit us here to start a conversation!
Remember that the academic programs on campus have resources for you as well! GSBS students are encouraged to join a community of peers, while folks in the School of Medicine (including PHPD) are encouraged to reach out to Wellness Advisor (and Friend of HHSL) Sharon Snaggs for all of your student wellness and support needs. Dental Students? Your school has your back with Health and Wellness. And everyone on the Boston Health Sciences Campus is encouraged to take advantage of the services of the Student Advisory & Health Administration Office.
Off campus, remember to pay special attention to self-care during these difficult times. Don’t just take our word for it, self-care is good for your stress levels and quality of life.
Remember that we are right there with you! So try to get outside when you can, take advantage of the resources above, and look forward to the day we can see each other’s faces again.
As Hannukah draws to a close, and we inch ever closer to the Solstice, to Christmas, to Kwanzaa, to Zartosht no-diso, the Hirsh Health Sciences Library wishes you health and happiness, and reminds you that we are here.
While our Holiday Hours are short, you can always email us at hhsl@tufts.edu any time of the day or night, and we’ll get back to you as soon as we can.
When the University reopens on January 4th, we’ll be there with the same level of online service that you have come to expect of HHSL. We’re still working from home but are available for reference consultations, quick questions, guest lectures, workshops, and anything else you can dream up for us. Visit us here for more information about our services, and stop by Ask Us anytime to call/email/chat with us.
**Please enjoy this repost from five years ago, as we now commemorate the 250th Anniversary of the Boston Massacre! The slate of events for the 2020 commemoration can be found here: https://www.bostonhistory.org/massacre250.**
You true SONS of LIBERTY, who value your Lives,
Your estates and your freedom your children and Wives ;
A story I’ll tell you that’s truth now indeed,
And when you hear of it your hearts it will bleed.
The above comes from A Verse Occasioned by the late horrid Massacre in King-Street, a broadside published in Boston in 1770 to express outrage over the events of the evening of March 5th, the event we now know as the Boston Massacre. On the evening of March 5, 1770, a row broke out in front of the Custom House on King Street (now State Street) in Boston. Accounts of what provoked the trouble are mixed, but most include a soldier striking a boy, and a mob of Bostonians replying by hurling both snowballs and insults at the soldier. As the crowd grew more hostile, more soldiers were called in, and eventually nine armed British soldiers faced a rowdy group of over 50 colonists. Eventually, the soldiers fired into the mob, and when the casualties were totaled, five men were dead and six more were injured. The events of that March evening were seized upon by Boston radicals, and spun to create even more animosity toward the Crown. One of the most famous pieces of propaganda is Paul Revere’s compelling (if inaccurate) depiction of the event, which circulated wildly in the spring of 1770.
Paul Revere, “The Bloody Massacre in King-Street, March 5, 1770.” Boston, 1770. (Gilder Lehrman Collection)
Of course, this event took place a short walk from the Hirsh Health Sciences Library. Commemorate this event with a Boston Massacre Study Break! Start on the Freedom Trail, and visit the Boston Massacre Marker on the corner of State and Congress Streets, right near the Old State House. Head back toward campus on Tremont Street, and stop in at the Granary Burying Ground. You’ll find the grave marker for the victims of the Massacre next to Samuel Adams. You can also visit with John Hancock and Paul Revere while you’re there. As you follow Tremont toward Boylston Street, take a detour into Boston Common at Avery Street, and enjoy the beautiful Boston Massacre/Crispus Attucks Monument, erected in 1888. If your interest is piqued, there is a full day of (ahem) “family friendly events” planned at the Old State House Museum, including activities for little ones and culminating in the annual reenactment of the Boston Massacre at 7:00 pm this Saturday.
Happy 2020!
Each January brings an array of welcome changes…maybe you’re giving that whole Dry January thing a try (which might decrease alcohol consumption later in the year), or it’s a Whole30 for you, or maybe this is the year you run that marathon, since that new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows that those training for their first marathon may experience a reduction in vascular age.
But why do any of that when you can simply revel in the Medline Data Changes for 2020! Cheers!
Let’s cheers Happy new year 2009 by nImAdestiny is licensed under CC BY 2.0
So what sort of changes does 2020 bring to Medical Subject Headings?
97 terms were changed or deleted and replaced with current terminology (for example, Swaziland is now Eswatini, reflecting the official name change of the nation in 2018).
293 new MeSH headings and 2 new publication types joined the thesaurus this year as well. Some new headings of particular note to HHSL researchers include:
- Diet and nutrition terminology, such as Animal Proteins, Dietary, Artificially Sweetened Beverages, Edible Insects, Pork Meat, and Salads
- More granular indexing of complementary therapies, such as Cupping Therapy and Dry Needling
- New terms related to technology, such as Augmented Reality, Blockchain, Disruptive Technology, and Smart Materials
- More appropriate descriptors for groups of people, such as Indigenous Peoples, Intersex Persons, and Para-Athletes
You can review the full list here: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/2020/download/2020NewMeSHheadingsSingleColumn.pdf.
For more information about using MeSH, please visit our guide to Advanced Searching Techniques.
I know what you’re thinking.
“What the heck is Data Carpentry?” “What does Social Science have to do with woodworking?” “Is the Library trying to hoodwink me into building bookshelves?”
But wait, we’re not talking about this kind of carpentry…
Team UK EuroSkills 2014 Lille by WorldSkills UK is licensed under CC BY 2.0
We’re talking Data Carpentry, which is part of the larger Carpentries organization. Workshops presented under the umbrella of the Carpentries are
This FREE (yes free!) Data Carpentry workshop will cover R, OpenRefine, and best practices for working with Spreadsheets. You do not need any prior knowledge of these tools to attend. Come prepared to work, to ask questions, and learn along with your fellow carpenters. No, not THAT type of carpenter…
Carpenter Bee by Raghunath Thirumalaisamy is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
Join us on October 21 and 22, 2019 for this fun and informative workshop. Registration is FREE. For more information, the Code of Conduct, and to register, please go here: https://tufts-carpentries.github.io/2019-10-21-tuftsHirsh/.
For more information about the Carpentries @ Tufts, visit us here.
It’s July, so it’s time to welcome our new crop of Interns, Residents, and Fellows of Tufts Medical Center and our affiliated programs!
Doctor immunising a child, 1941 from the collections of the State Library of Queensland is in the Public Domain.
Remember, House Staff of TMC and affiliated hospitals have full access to the research collections of the Hirsh Health Sciences Library (for questions about access, visit this page. We are happy to assist you with all of your library research needs, including access to Point of Care Tools, access to Guidelines, access to ebooks, and much more! We can help you with your literature searches, and work with you on bigger research projects as well (just fill out this Consultation form and we’ll get right back to you).
We are available during Library Open Hours to help with all of your questions, no matter how big or how small. Feel free to call us at 617.636.6705, email us at hhsl@tufts.edu, or use our Chat feature to reach someone right away.
Welcome to Tufts, and we look forward to helping you navigate the next phase of your medical education!
June 17, 2019 is the 244th anniversary of the Battle of Bunker Hill, an event we mark in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as Bunker Hill Day. It falls just after Father’s Day this year, so instead of watching war reenactments on the History Channel, why not take Dad out to bone up on some local history?
- Celebrate the belated birthday of Bunker Hill Hero Joseph Warren today or any day (his birthday is June 11) with a trip to his namesake landmark the Warren Tavern, a fine establishment dating back to 1780 and frequented back in the day by Warren’s good friend, Paul Revere.
- Kick off the weekend early and celebrate a turning point in the Revolution by joining Mayor Marty Walsh at City Hall Plaza to witness the raising of the Bunker Hill Flag on June 14th at noon.
- Visit Charlestown on Saturday June 15 for Bunker Hill Family Fun Day and a concert at the Monument. There will be music, art projects for kids, and much more. And it’s free! All Dads love free things!
- Visit the Bunker Hill Monument for the “Decisive Day” guided tour offered by the Boston National Historic Park, which departs daily every half hour.
- Head out to Quincy to the Adams National Historical Park on Monday June 17 for the special event “Bunker Hill to Penn’s Hill,” where you can learn about Abigail Adams and young John Quincy Adams, who watched the battle rage from ten miles away atop Penn’s Hill.
If you don’t have time to get out this weekend, here are the Top Ten Things You Should Know About Charlestown and the Battle of Bunker Hill according to our Head of Research & Instruction and Charlestown denizen, Becky Morin
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, where he picked 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 burned after 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
Please enjoy the third installment of Ask Ms. Shelved, the irregularly scheduled advice column from HHSL!
Dear Ms. Shelved,
I know that an important part of my educational development is learning to collaborate with my peers and work well with others. But when it comes time to study for exams, all I want is some peace, quiet, and PRIVACY to study. But the Hirsh Health Sciences Library rules thwart me at all turns! I cannot book a Collaboration Room on the 5th floor as a single scholar. I’ve even been asked to LEAVE when a group wants the room to study. There are people EVERYWHERE?! I am a solitary creature, like a sloth. What am I to do?
Sincerely,
Solo in Sackler
Sloth by henryalien is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
Dear Ms. Shelved,
It has taken a lot of courage for me to write to you. By nature, I am a retiring and reticent person, disinclined to make a fuss. But recently, I have been searching for a room in which I can study, and so many of them are occupied by a person or a few people. Sometimes there is only a backpack in the room. What should I do? I do not want to offend anyone by claiming the room, even if it has been sitting empty and the lights are off. I am gripped with indecision and whipsawed by doubt! Also I have exams coming up and I need to study. But I’m so shy, like a sloth. Whatever shall I do?
Sincerely,
Shy in Sackler
Sloth by Ishamari Drennan-Colón is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
Gentle Readers,
Solo, meet Shy. Shy, meet Solo. There, your problems are solved.
Ever yours,
Ms. Shelved
p.s. Okay, okay, let me explain…
Solo, you are correct that groups have priority for using all of our study rooms, including the 5th floor collaboration room and the 7th floor study rooms, and that groups may ask those studying alone to vacate. And Shy, it is true that people often do use rooms alone, and have a bad habit of leaving belongings behind to “claim” a room.
Not to play matchmaker (that’s another advice columnist), but if you want to use a quiet study room, why not SHARE? Solo, if a group asks you to leave the room, you can ask if they mind if you stay. Shy, if a room is empty except for some belongings, move right in and study! When the person or group returns, let them know you’re happy to share.
Ms. Shelved knows this is a high-stress time of year. Space is at a premium, and we need to work together, like female sloths (males are the shy, solitary ones my friends).
Ever yours (although it is incorrect to sign a letter again in the postscript),
Ms. Shelved
Please enjoy the second installment of Ask Ms. Shelved, the irregularly scheduled advice column from HHSL!
Dear Ms. Shelved,
Classes are back in session, and exams are in full swing. I *thought* I couldn’t be happier to be back in the Hirsh Health Sciences Library, seeing my friends, checking out phone chargers, and studying. But Ms. Shelved, the Library is not the fairy-tale peaceful place I left back in December. Harmony has been shattered. Peace has been broken. Calm has been swept away in a torrent of dastardly despoilment and brutal banditry.
My laptop has been STOLEN.
Filched, lifted, pinched, purloined, snatched! The thief apparently crept in, like a raccoon to a birdfeeder, when I left my laptop in a study room to grab some lunch, go to Macy’s, and hit up a lecture. It was sitting right there, with my water bottle and my books! How could someone think it was available to take?
Ms. Shelved, please publish my letter as a service to other students! There is a thief in Sackler!
Sincerely,
Snatched in Sackler
Raccoon & the Bird Feeder by Selbe. is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Dear Snatched,
I do publish your letter as a public service, but not to warn our fair friends of foul fences afoot! I implore you, nay, ALL students using the Library to remember that #thefthappens. While we all want to think the best of our fellow students, and to place absolute trust in our systems, it is possible for people to wind up where they do not belong, and even for our classmates to run afoul of the law.
Remember, you are responsible for your property. Library staff cannot monitor your belongings, and will not watch them for you while you run an errand or go to class. Don’t even think of asking to leave your stuff behind the Desk, it’s rude to expect these active agents of academia to forsake their sworn duties in order to mind your bookbag.
University Policy offers Tips for Personal Property Security, and remember to contact them on the appropriate campus to report crime or suspicious activity. Hopefully others will learn from your example, Snatched. In the meantime, you can check out a laptop from the Library to assist with your studying. Remember to return it to an actual human person and don’t leave it on the desk or in the bookdrop!
Ever yours,
Ms. Shelved
Please enjoy the inaugural edition of Ask Ms. Shelved, the new, irregularly scheduled advice column from HHSL!
Dear Ms. Shelved:
I am in my final weeks of classes for the semester, and I find myself studying (and eating, and sleeping) in the Hirsh Health Sciences Library. I am the first person in the building in the morning and the last person out. I haven’t seen my cat, Hortense, in days, possibly weeks. My friends think I moved away. I saw my own picture on a milk carton the other day.
But today I discovered that the caretakers of my cozy den, my warm second home, my snug grotto of learning have cast me out! I approached the Library Service Desk to check out a phone charger, and was told that I had overdue items and I could not check anything out for a FULL WEEK. Ms. Shelved, I am bewildered, bamboozled, and BLOCKED.
Whatever shall I do?
Sincerely,
Stunned in Sackler
Dear Stunned,
Well, it seems you’ve been visited by THE BLOCK. He’s like a lot of other holiday specters…like the Uncouth Uncle at Thanksgiving dinner, he’s never a welcome visitor. Like the Schmaltz Stain left on your sweater after frying latkes, he’s persistent. And like the Tantrumy Toddler at Christmas, he follows you around, fraying your nerves and trying your patience.
Since you are blocked for a week, it appears you’ve invoked this unwelcome guest once already since July, and now you’re on your second strike. But don’t despair! Here are some helpful tips to Banish the Block:
- Electronics, accessories, reserve materials, skulls, models, etc. circulate for 4 hours. Set a timer on your phone when you check out.
- If there’s a chance you’ll get stuck in a meeting or appointment, TELL the person who checks out the item, and ASK if you can have a (reasonable) extension.
- If a genuine crisis arises (like a building evacuation or a trip to the Emergency Department), CALL the desk at 617-636-6705 and let us know, we will try to work something out.
- Remember that you can renew some items (like laptops) as long as no one is waiting to use it, but you have to bring it back to the desk first.
- Many of the books on reserve are also available online! You probably don’t need to smuggle that textbook out overnight.
I suggest paying closer attention to your loans, because if you are blocked again before June 30, you will lose your borrowing privileges for 30 days!
Stunned, if you have any questions about the Blocking Policy, please see it in full here: https://hirshlibrary.tufts.edu/about-us/policies/overdue-items.
Remember, try to get some sleep, take a shower, drink some water, and bring your stuff back on time!
Ever yours,
Ms. Shelved
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Service Update: Targeted block speed restrictions are in place on all subway lines. These are outlined in our interactive speed restrictions dashboard, updated daily. Restrictions are applied where defects have been found using various inspection methods.
http://mbta.com/SpeedRestrictions https://twitter.com/MBTA/status/1637614988008333312Service Update: The full-line speed restriction on the Green Line has been lifted. Test trains confirmed that all speed signs are in place. Targeted block speed restrictions are now in effect on the Green, Red, Orange, Blue, and Mattapan Lines. https://twitter.com/MBTA/status/1636828784220356619
Join us for a study break tea today! 2:30pm at the Library Service Desk | What's New @ HHSL http://bit.ly/42vDtQg
The body mass index, or BMI, has a strange history. Watch our video to learn more: https://trib.al/lg47dPZ
Match Day 2023 was a game changer for these four medical students from @TuftsMedSchool, who shared where they matched and how they got to this point.
https://fal.cn/3wIAdFollow Us!
