On Monday, June 20th, the Library Service Desk and Library Offices will be closed for the observance of Juneteenth. We will be open for our regular hours on Saturday and Sunday.

The university will be holding a Juneteenth Observance Ceremony on Friday, June 17th. The ceremony will be held on the Medford campus and livestreamed for those who would like to attend remotely. For more information or to register, please visit the University’s Juneteenth website. 

Duette . “Commencement, 1966.” tufts:UA136.002.DO.01322r. Tufts University. Digital Collections and Archives. Medford, MA.

Congratulations Class of 2022! All of us at the Hirsh Health Sciences Library applaud your hard-earned accomplishments and we wish you the best in your future endeavors! We look forward hearing about all the great work you will do.

Please note that the Library Service Desk will be closed this Saturday, May 21, as there will be a reception for the graduates taking place on the 4th floor.

On Friday, May 20th, preparations will begin for Saturday’s event so there will be some disruption on the 4th floor and the Food4Thought cafe will be closing at 2pm.

It’s Stress Less Week and we’re here to help! Join us at the Library Service Desk on Tuesday 4/26 from 2:30-3:30pm for a study break. We’ll have tea and snacks so you can take a moment to relax and refuel before retiring to your study carrel.

Confused or overwhelmed by the prospect of working with data? Not sure where or how to acquire the skills you need to work effectively with research data? Then, look no further!

The Hirsh and Ginn libraries at Tufts are hosting a three-day Data Carpentry workshop on Mar 30-31 and Apr 1, 2022 all online.

What is Data Carpentry you ask?

Data Carpentry develops and teaches workshops on the fundamental data skills needed to conduct research. Open to all, including learners who have little to no prior computational experience. Lessons build on learners’ existing knowledge to enable them to quickly apply skills learned to their own research. Participants will be encouraged to work together and share experiences, with an eye toward applying what they have learned to their own research problems.

So, if you’re hoping to learn more about organizing data in spreadsheets, data cleaning with OpenRefine, and gaining an introduction into R, please register at this link!

All learners, including those with little to no prior experience with these tools, are welcome to participate. If you have any questions about the workshop, please contact Andrea Kang. We look forward to seeing you all there!

Photo by Adam Winger on Unsplash

Course reserves. Every day, I think about course reserves.

Is it because I am in charge of course reserves? Is it because, as a student, I never bought textbooks? After all, my university had course reserves.

You know who else has course reserves? The Hirsh Library!

Photo by Ben White on Unsplash

Every semester, my colleagues and I review your professors’ syllabi, adding books to our course reserves that you may need for the semester. These books are available as e-copies online, or at the Library Service Desk on the 4^th floor of the library.

You can check out a textbook for four hours at a time. If you need the book longer, you can always come back to renew it. Also, if we don’t have a book you may need, send us an email! We’re happy to add to our collection.

And while you study, I will think some more about course reserves.

We are pleased to welcome Cam Duval as our new Collections Assistant!

Originally from Framingham, Massachusetts, Cam started his library career at the Pennsylvania State University libraries as a sheet music and A/V materials cataloger. After moving back to New England, Cam worked as a cataloger on a project to help preserve the Boston Public Library’s Founding Research Collection and as a proofreader on the BPL’s Anti-Slavery Manuscript collection transcription project. When he’s not at work, Cam enjoys playing tabletop games, binge-watching 50-year-old television shows, and hunting for Steely Dan records in antique stores. He’s very glad to return to an academic library setting. Please say hello if you seem him around the library!

Please give a warm welcome to Anne Meringolo, our new Electronic Resources and Serials Librarian! She is a graduate of Simmons University MLIS program and previously worked as Collection Services Manager at New England Historic Genealogical Society. Prior to that, she worked at Simmons University as a Serials and E-Resources librarian.

When not working, and it’s not winter, she can be found in her community garden plot. If you see her around the library, please feel free to say hello!

Strange news coming out of Hirsh Library lately. Today we bring you a report of a wild creature sighted wandering the stacks. It has been over a year since we received reports of this kind, but our Library Service Desk correspondents have noticed an increase in activity since the Desk opened in July. The steady stream of people returning to our quiet haven has drawn the attention of this fearsome beast. The being–half cube, half animal–has been wreaking havoc on patrons’ borrowing privileges. Please take great care to read the following information, for it may save your academic year!

The first time you return a reserve item late, the gentle cube will begin to transform. The awakening of its great strength will prevent you from checking out another reserve item for 24 hours.

The second time you return a reserve item late, the creature will become stronger yet, and prevent you from checking out another reserve item for one week.

If you have the folly to return an item late a third time, the creature will gain the power to block you from borrowing for an entire month! Its howls will also alert your dean to your delinquency.

If you return an item late a fourth time, well, then that’s when things begin to get really hairy. You will be blocked from borrowing for the remainder of the semester and your dean will yet again hear its fearsome snarls.

We urge you to take these matters seriously, and remember to return or renew your reserve item before your four hours are up! Worried you won’t make it in time? There is a silver bullet to slow the dreaded beast–just give us a call to let us know you’re running late.

And please remember—once the transformation process has begun, it will take a whole year to wear off. If the Wereblock enters its first stage in July, and you return something late in March, it will continue to gain its next level of power. Only once we are a week past the time of the summer solstice and the clock ticks over from 11:59pm on June 30^th to 12:00am on July 1^st, will you be safe.

For the facts behind the fantasy, please visit our Reserve Policy page.

We have big news! We will be resuming Collaboration Room reservations at 8am on Tuesday, October 12th! In preparation, we wanted to (re)introduce you to these popular spaces.

What are the collaboration rooms? 

Collaboration rooms are small rooms that groups of two or more Health Sciences students can reserve for active work on course-related assignments, such as projects or presentations. Each collaboration room has a whiteboard and a video screen to help you with your collaborative work.

Where are the collaboration rooms? 

You’ll find them all on the 5th floor of the library, mostly near the public computer area.

How do I reserve a room? 

Visit our Collaboration Rooms page to see the schedule and book a room.

How long can you reserve a room for?

Each group may make one booking per day for maximum of four hours and may make up to three bookings per week.

When can I make a reservation?

You must make a reservation by 11:59pm the night before the reservation and you may book up to two weeks in advance.

How will I know if a room is reserved? 

We will have a schedule posted outside the room. Users without reservations must vacate the room when requested by users with valid reservations.

Can I show up to use the room any time with my reserved block?

No, you must claim your room within 15 minutes of your reservation start time. If you don’t, the room will revert to a first come, first-served usage policy.

Do I have to make a reservation to use a room? 

No, if there is a reservation you can use the room on a first-come, first-served basis.

Does everyone in my group need to wear a mask? 

Yes! Per university policy, everyone must wear a mask in the building unless you are alone.