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"Tips & Tricks"
Need help accessing or troubleshooting software now that you’ve gone remote? Not to worry! The Tufts Technology Services 24/7 Support Desk is still available to assist you. Just call 617-627-3376 or email it@tufts.edu with your request. The Support Desk can help with software installations and troubleshooting software issues.
Need some software? Tufts offers free or discounted access to a variety of programs. If you can’t install something yourself, just contact the Support Desk. Some available programs you might find useful are:
Adobe Creative Cloud (free access for Tufts students through May 31, 2020)
STATA (temporary licenses are available for students using STATA in a course through June 1, 2020)
Need access to specialized software or don’t want something installed on your computer? Don’t forget about the Tufts Virtual Lab! Many programs are available for remote access, including:
- ArcGIS
- SAS
- SPSS
- STATA
- Tableau Desktop (Lab license)
If you’re not already familiar with fair use, the balance in copyright law that allows for some reuse of copyrighted materials without specific permission, now may be the time. There are generally four factors to consider under the doctrine which relate to: 1) the purpose of the use 2) the nature of the work 3) the amount used and 4) the market impact. Read more about it on the Fair Use page on the Scholarly Communication at Tufts website.
If you’ve suddenly found yourself remote and in a situation quite different from how you would normally operate, these extreme and short term circumstances may mean that you make different decisions about what you can fairly use than you normally might.
This is something we are thinking about at the library as well. In particular, with regard to our Interlibrary Loan service through ILLiad. While we presently are not able to fill requests for physical items, we are taking into account the present situation and need for access to more book chapters, for example, than typical. Please Ask Us if you would like to consult about the reuse of materials or have questions about interlibrary loan.
Post contributed by Judy Rabinowitz
This is the sixth in a series of six posts about preparing for the USMLE Step 1.
Our previous post in the Step 1 Study Prep Series covered resources on pharmacology. For our last post about systems-based resources, the table below covers top-rated review resources in microbiology, immunology, and pathology according to First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2018 edition.
Some of the review books in our collection are available online. For print copies of resources, some are available on reserve behind the 4th floor service desk and can be checked out for 4 hours at a time. The books in the 5th floor stacks can be checked out for 4 weeks.
| What does it look like? | Title | First Author | Year of Publication | Where can I find it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Clinical Microbiology Made Ridiculously Simple | Gladwin | 2016 | Two copies on reserve behind 4th floor service desk. One copy in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QW 4 G543c 2016) |
 | Basic Immunology | Abbas | 2020 | Full Text Online |
 | Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews: Immunology | Doan | 2013 | Full Text Online |
 | Case Files: Microbiology | Toy | 2014 | Full Text Online |
 | Rapid Review: Pathology | Goljan | 2019 | • Two copies in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QZ 18.2 G626r 2019) |
 | BRS Pathology | Schneider | 2014 | Full Text Online and two copies in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QZ 18.2 S358p 2014) |
For more board prep resources, see our Research Guide: Board Prep for Medicine.
Feel free to ask us if you’re having trouble finding a resource or need a recommendation. Happy studying!
Post contributed by Christina Heinrich
This is the fifth in a series of six posts about preparing for the USMLE Step 1.
Our previous post in the Step 1 Study Prep Series covered resources on biochemistry, cell biology, and histology. To continue to showcase our systems-based resources, the table below covers top-rated review resources in pharmacology according to First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2018 edition.
Some of the review books in our collection are available online. For print copies of resources, some are available on reserve behind the 4th floor service desk and can be checked out for 4 hours at a time. The books in the 5th floor stacks can be checked out for 4 weeks.
| What does it look like? | Title | First Author | Year of Publication | Where can I find it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Lippincott’s Illustrated Reviews: Pharmacology | Whalen | 2019 | Full Text Online |
 | Lange Basic & Clinical Pharmacology | Katzung | 2018 | Full Text Online |
 | Rapid Review Pharmacology | Pazdernik | 2011 | One copy available in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QV 18.2 P348r 2011) and Full Text Online |
 | BRS Pharmacology | Rosenfeld | 2014 | One copy available in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QV 18.2 R813p 2014) and Full Text Online |
 | Case Files: Pharmacology | Toy | 2014 | One copy available in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QV 18.2 C337 2008) and Full Text Online |
For more board prep resources, see our Research Guide: Board Prep for Medicine.
Feel free to ask us if you’re having trouble finding a resource or need a recommendation. Happy studying!
Post contributed by Christina Heinrich
This is the third in a series of six posts about preparing for the USMLE Step 1.
Our last post in the Step 1 Study Prep Series covered Anatomy, Physiology, Embryology, and Neuroscience resources. To continue to showcase our systems-based resources, the table below covers top-rated review resources in behavioral science according to First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2018 edition.
Some of the review books in our collection are available online. For print copies of resources, some are available on reserve behind the 4th floor service desk and can be checked out for 4 hours at a time. The books in the 5th floor stacks can be checked out for 4 weeks.
| What does it look like? | Title | First Author | Year of Publication | Where can I find it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | BRS Behavioral | Fadem | 2017 | Full text online |
 | High-Yield Behavioral Science | Fadem | 2009 | Two copies available in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number WM 18.2 F114h 2009) |
 | High-Yield Biostatistics | Glaser | 2005 | One copy available in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number WA 950 G548h 2005) |
For more board prep resources, see our Research Guide: Board Prep for Medicine.
Feel free to ask us if you’re having trouble finding a resource or need a recommendation. Happy studying!
Post contributed by Christina Heinrich
This is the second in a series of six posts about preparing for the USMLE Step 1.
Last week we posted about comprehensive Step 1 resources such as books, question banks, and online practice tests available at the library. For our first post on systems-based resources, the table below covers top-rated review resources in anatomy, embryology and neuroscience according to First Aid for the USMLE Step 1 2018 edition.
Some of the review books in our collection are available online. For print copies of resources, some are available in the 5th floor stacks can be checked out for 4 weeks; the loan period for reserve books is 4 hours. To check out a book on reserve, just stop by the 4th floor Library Service Desk and ask us to grab it for you from behind the desk.
| What does it look like? | Title | First Author | Year of Publication | Where can I find it? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | High-Yield Gross Anatomy | Dudek | 2015 | On reserve behind 4th Floor Service Desk |
 | Anatomy: an Essential Textbook | Gilroy | 2017 | One copy on reserve and another copy in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number QS. 18.2 G489 2017) |
 | Atlas of Anatomy | Gilroy | 2012 | On reserve behind 4th floor service desk |
 | BRS Physiology | Costanzo | 2019 | Full text online |
 | BRS Embryology | Dudek | 2014 | Full text online |
 | High-Yield Neuroanatomy | Gould | 2016 | Two copies available in the 5th floor bookstacks (call number WL0101 G696 2016) |
For more board prep resources, see our Research Guide: Board Prep for Medicine.
Feel free to ask us if you’re having trouble finding a resource or need a recommendation. Happy studying!
Post contributed by Christina Heinrich
This is the first in a series of six posts about preparing for the USMLE Step 1.
Did you know that you can access study materials for Step 1 through the library? Our resources include books and question banks, both online and in print.
Most print test prep books are on reserve and can be checked out from the Service Desk on the 4th floor, with a 4-hour loan period. Some print books with a 4-week loan period are also available in the 5th floor stacks.
Comprehensive resources and self-assessment tools are a good place to begin preparing for Step 1 to identify strengths and weaknesses and create a study strategy.
USMLE Easy and Board Vitals are two resources you can use to create personalized practice tests online. Kalpan and First Aid comprehensive study books are also on reserve and available for check out from the 4th floor Library Service Desk.
For more medical board prep resources, see our Research Guide: Board Prep for Medicine. Keep an eye out for future blog posts about systems-based resources in our collection. Happy studying!
Post contributed by Christina Heinrich
Image by Samuel1983 from Pixabay
Have you checked your WiFi settings lately? Tufts has three networks that you can connect to: Tufts_Guest, Tufts_Wireless, and Tufts_Secure. While you can get online with any of them, Tufts_Secure is the preferred network for the Tufts Community. If you notice that your connection seems slow, check to make sure you’re connected to the secure network and not Tufts_Guest or Tufts_Wireless. Please visit TTS’s WiFi page for more information about connecting to each network.
Courtesy of Creative Commons
Are you a medical or dental student stuck in a studying rut? Do you need to shake-up your studying? If your study routine has become, well, a bit too routine, then make a visit to:
Resources for Studying
https://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/studying_resources
The resources on this guide have a particular focus on the basic sciences and anatomy – perfect for first year medical and dental students! Featured resources include:
- Tools to create custom flashcard sets
- Sites featuring interactive games to help you study
- Practice quizzes and interactive reviews that help you assess your current knowledge level – and help take you to the next level
Studying for boards? Then check out:
Board Prep for Medicine
https://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/boardprepmedicine
Dental Board, Licensure, and Post-Grad Exam Review
https://researchguides.library.tufts.edu/dentalboardandpgreview
Happy studying!
Please enjoy the fourth installment of Ask Ms. Shelved, the irregularly scheduled advice column from HHSL!
Dear Ms Shelved:
Last night I studied, stressed and sleepy, sitting on the 7th floor,
And heard a phantom laugh–so creepy!–from behind a closèd door…
Oh, sorry about that…I still regret not being an English major.
What I mean to say is that I was on the quiet floor and everyone around me was working independently in carrels, but I could sometimes hear voices coming from different areas of the floor. Is the library CuRsEd??? Are these unsettling utterances the work of the phantoms of past pupils… crying out in eternal agony about an exam they never quite felt prepared for? Will a ghastly ghoul set upon me should I fall asleep at my books? Please let me know, for I am quite spooked and not at all procrastinating.
Sincerely,
Haunted in Hirsh
Dear Haunted,
Well, you certainly do have an active imagination. Perhaps you should consider creative writing as a hobby.
Fortunately, these voices you hear are not the work of otherworldly spirits, but rather the high spirits of your fellow (living) students. The group study rooms are not soundproof, so when one gets overly enthusiastic about biochemical pathways, one’s voice might carry across the rest of the floor.
Let this serve as a reminder to those who use the rooms—be mindful of your volume! Though you might feel tucked away in your own private space, if you get too loud, you will perturb (or possibly spook!) one of your compatriots. A measured, “indoor” voice should suffice for communication.
And, my dear Haunted…might I suggest that you use headphones or earplugs? You can find both at the Library Service Desk. While we encourage the users of group study rooms to moderate their volume, total silence cannot be guaranteed. That being said, should niggling noises continue to break through your noise-dampening efforts, do not hesitate to gently ask the room occupants to be quieter. Or, if you are too timid, ask a friendly Library Service Desk staff member to speak to them.
Ever yours,
Ms. Shelved
P.S.
A ghoul is specifically associated with graveyards, so even were the library to be haunted…it would not be by a ghoul. –M.S.
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