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The university has designated next Friday, June 18, 2021 as a Day of Reflection, Commitment, and Action for Racial Justice. In observance of this, Hirsh Library will not be holding online staffed hours. We encourage you to use the day to participate in the programming the University has put together. The day will begin at 9am with a keynote address by Dr. David Harris and will be followed by a series of breakout sessions. To learn more or register, please visit Tufts’ Juneteenth 2021 website.
Beginning at sundown this Wednesday, (May 12) is one of the most joyous holidays in the Islamic calendar, Eid al-Fitr! Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Islamic holy month of fasting, Ramadan. Eid al-Fitr is celebrated around the world with family and friends, sumptuous feasts and fireworks. The Hirsh Health Sciences Library sends out best wishes for a wonderful Eid al-Fitr! Eid Mubarak!
https://www.techicy.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/Eid-Mubarak-HD-Images-Wallpapers-free-Download-2.jpg
Want to learn more about Eid Al-Fitr? Looking for some dishes to contribute to your feast? Check out the fabulous links below:
How is Eid al-Fitr celebrated around the world? (BBC)
https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/articles/z4cmkmn
38 Ramadan Recipes for Your Eid Feast (Saveur)
https://www.saveur.com/ramadan-eid-recipes/
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/heritage/central-asian-festival-nowruz-kicks-off-in-dublin-1.1730986
Spring is just around the corner and the first day of spring, March 20th, is also the Persian New Year, Noruz! This year, the Museum of Fine Arts Boston is holding their annual Noruz celebration virtually on March 22nd from 7-8pm. Information about the event can be found here.
In Farsi, no’ means new and ruz (rooz) means day, so Noruz translates to a New Day. Noruz is an ancient celebration that dates back over three thousand years. Although the festivities are secular, and celebrated around the world by Parsis, Persian Jews, Christians, Baha’is, and Muslims, Noruz is rooted in the traditions of Zoroastrianism.
One example of its Zoroastrian origins is Chaharshanbe Suri, a bonfire celebration which takes place on the last Wednesday (Chaharshanbe) before Noruz (March 17th). During the festivities, people jump through small bonfires as an act of purification for the new year. The fire is a central symbol in Zoroastrian tradition, and represents Ahura Mazda or the God of Light, signifying wisdom and purity.
https://www.letsvisitpersia.com/chaharshanbe-suri/
The Noruz table setting, Haft-seen, is also laid out in every household. Each element is symbolic, such as the hyacinth representing spring, and sprouts representing rebirth. Below is the Obama family haft-seen at the White House in 2016:
http://www.deliciouslyme.co.uk/2018/03/nowruz-happy-persian-new-year.html
Noruz is an international holiday and is now celebrated around the world; including Iran, U.S., Canada, France, Netherlands, Georgia, Albania, Azerbaijan, Kurdistan (in Iraq, Turkey, and Syria), Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Russia, and China.
If you are interested in learning more about Noruz, below are two articles and a guide on its history and traditions:
What is Nowruz? The Persian New Year Explained
Nowruz: Celebrating the New Year on the Silk Road
Happy Spring! And Noruz Mobarak!
نوروز مبارک
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February is African American History Month, and recently the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. While we want to celebrate African American excellence year-round, this month we would like to congratulate the countless Black people who, throughout history, have sought to make their communities […]
February is African American History Month, and recently the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. While we want to celebrate African American excellence year-round, this month we would like to congratulate the countless Black people who, throughout history, have sought to make their communities and the world better, despite the systemic racism they struggle through daily. The month should be about highlighting Black excellence and reflecting on our roles in contributing to anti-racism.
One person we’d like to highlight is Ayanna Pressley who, in 2018, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, making her the first woman of color to represent Massachusetts in that role. In 2009, she was the first person of color to be elected to the Boston City Council. As City Councilor, she formed the Committee on Healthy Women, Families, and Communities; she implemented initiatives for better sex education and family planning programs in public schools; and she is a proponent for progressive policies in climate change and Medicare now as a House Representative. You can read more about her mission here.
Another person we’d like to highlight is Maria Baldwin. In 1889, Maria Baldwin became the first Black principal of any school in the state and Northeast, at the Agassiz school. Her students were all middle-class white children, and many of her staff and faculty were white as well. Regardless, she worked hard as an educator, and became the master of a new Agassiz school erected in 1916. She is the only Black woman of color—one of two women ever—to be a school master in Cambridge. She was an activist, and educator, and a valuable Bostonian mind. You can visit her house.
To connect with the various organizations documenting and promoting African American excellence, check out this hub for exhibitions and teaching guides.
Part of African American History Month should not only be reflecting on the history of African Americans, but also reflecting on our contributions to anti-racism. Last year, during the protests seeking justice for George Floyd, our library staff began compiling anti-racism resources, especially those about race-based medical discrimination. You can go through that LibGuide here. The Anti-Racism Resource Guide includes information about documenting and addressing race-based medical disparities, resources for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and co-conspirators to engage in anti-racism work, and tons of reading material. This LibGuide is a living document, so if you don’t see something you expect to see, let us know here.
Our previous post was about our anti-racism reading group meeting on February 19. For the readings and registration links, check out the post here.
Photo by Max Bender on Unsplash
Have you ever used JumboSearch? Do you want to make it better? TUFTS’ LIBRARIES NEED YOU!
Please complete this form http://go.tufts.edu/JumboSearchUsability to volunteer to be placed in a pool for usability testing with Tufts Libraries. This form must be completed by February 8th!
If you are selected from the pool as a participant, you will be asked to commit to a 30-minute session. During this session, you will be asked to complete a series of four (4) tasks using the library catalog and answer follow-up questions based on your experience completing these tasks.
Participants who complete a session will receive an electronic gift card ($20).
Testing will be conducted virtually, and participants must have use of a computer (laptop or desktop) at their location.
Please contact Amanda Nevius (Amanda.Nevius@tufts.edu), Research and Instruction Librarian at Hirsh Health Sciences Library, with any questions.
This semester, the library service desk will not be open for course reserve and technology check-out. But even if your professors have required textbooks, you may not have to buy them. We’ve been hard at work finding electronic copies or occasionally scanning chapters of textbooks for your hybrid or remote courses […]
This semester, the library service desk will not be open for course reserve and technology check-out. But even if your professors have required textbooks, you may not have to buy them. We’ve been hard at work finding electronic copies or occasionally scanning chapters of textbooks for your hybrid or remote courses this semester.
Where your textbooks are:
- Under the Reading List tab in your Canvas course
- In a module or under the Files tab in your Canvas course
If you can’
t find them there, you can always look for the book on JumboSearch. Type the title of the book in quotations, or the course code for your course.
You may also be added to Box folders with scanned chapters of your course’s required textbooks. In that case, you should receive a request to be a previewer.
Please reach out to hhslcirc@tufts.edu if you cannot find a copy of a required book for your course, if you have trouble accessing it, or if you have any other concerns throughout this process.
Image by A. LaVertu
Brrrr! It’s cold out there! But the good news is that you can stay warm inside and learn some sweet, new skills! Better yet, workshops will be offered twice a week this semester – more opportunities to learn something new and polish-up some ‘old’ skills!
Workshops will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12noon-1pm and will via Zoom. Registration for workshops is required. A Zoom link and password will be sent to registrants one hour prior to the start time of the Workshop.
If you have any questions about January workshops, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We can’t wait to see you!
Remote Resources and Services @Tufts (Tuesday January 19)
Register: https://tufts.libcal.com/event/7430304?hs=a
Did you know that as a Tufts University student, faculty, or staff member you have access to Stata from home? Or that students have access to writing consultants to hone their voice and data lab assistants to consult with on stats or data-related projects? Come learn about remote resources and services such as Linked-In Learning videos, Mango Languages, and Library consultations that you can access from the comfort of your home. A list of online resources and services will be shared and discussed during this 1-hour intro workshop
PubMed: An Introduction (Thursday, January 21)
Registration:https://tufts.libcal.com/event/7430305?hs=a
This workshop will introduce you to PubMed, the world’s premiere biomedical literature database. We will review the content of this database, planning and executing a search strategy, narrowing search results, finding full-text, and exporting results to a citation management program.
JumboSearch (Tuesday, January 26)
Registration:https://tufts.libcal.com/event/7430316?hs=a
In this workshop, you will learn how to use JumboSearch, Tufts Libraries’ discovery tool. JumboSearch is your gateway to full-text articles, books, theses and dissertations, videos, music, images, and more!
EndNote: the Basics (Thursday, January 28)
Registration:https://tufts.libcal.com/event/7430339?hs=a
This one-hour session will introduce you to the basics of using the citation management program EndNote. EndNote allows you to create a library of references, attach and read PDFs, and generate in-text citations and bibliographies in Word documents. This session is for beginners – no previous experience required!
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.
What is the recipe for making a successful cookbook? Join HHSL and Friedman Masters student Suzi Gerber, aka Chef Suzi, for a discussion and Q&A about her new cookbook, Plant-Based Gourmet.
Join us as we explore what goes into making a successful cookbook, how Suzi’s Friedman education impacts her work as an author/chef, and, of course, FOOD ! We’ll also learn more about how Suzi’s life experiences have shaped her perspectives on cooking, health and the power of plant-based eating. We will open the floor to any questions you might have!
Two lucky attendees (the first to sign up and attend, and a random attendee) will win a complimentary copy of Plant-Based Gourmet. As an “appetizer,” we hope you enjoy Suzi’s *fabulous* “Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie” recipe!
To register for this event, please visit: https://tufts.libcal.com/event/7307846?hs=a
A Zoom link and password will be sent to registrants one hour prior to the start time of the event. Join us at the table!
https://pixabay.com/en/halloween-halloweenkuerbis-carved-1798080/
Some people are afraid of spiders, zombies and monsters…maybe you’re scared by PubMed, EndNote and critical appraisal! Well, you don’t have to be afraid anymore…if you take an October Workshop@Hirsh! This month’s workshop series is a treat that will show you some sweet tricks for mastering the critical resources and skills you need!
Workshops will be held on Thursdays from 12noon-1pm and will via Zoom. Registration for workshops is required. A Zoom link and password will be sent to registrants one hour prior to the start time of the Workshop.
If you have any questions about October workshops, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We can’t wait to see you!
Citation Tool Virtual Fair (October 1)
Register: https://tufts.libcal.com/event/7045567
Your opportunity to learn about the most popular citation tools out there, including EndNote, Mendeley and Zotero – all in one place!
EndNote: the Basics (October 8)
Register: https://tufts.libcal.com/event/7045568
This one-hour session will introduce you to the basics of using the citation management program EndNote. EndNote allows you to create a library of references, attach and read PDFs, and generate in-text citations and bibliographies in Word documents. This session is for beginners – no previous experience required!
Introduction to Critical Appraisal (October 15)
Register: https://tufts.libcal.com/event/7045569
Are you struggling to get the most out of articles? Stymied by statistics? Confused by conclusions? Misled by methods? If so, this workshop is for you! Join us for a painless introduction to Critical Appraisal. We’ll go over the basics of reading research articles, offer some tips for teasing out the strengths and weaknesses of studies, and share some user-friendly resources for breaking down statistical analysis.
Where to Publish Open Access (October 22)
Register: https://tufts.libcal.com/event/7045570
October 19-25th will be Open Access Week. In celebration, participate in our workshop to learn more about finding open access journals to publish your work in. We’ll talk about some general tips for finding suitable journals, as well as specifically how to find appropriate open access publishing opportunities.
PubMed: An Introduction (October 29)
Registration: https://tufts.libcal.com/event/7045571
This workshop will introduce you to PubMed, the world’s premiere biomedical literature database. We will review the content of this database, planning and executing a search strategy, narrowing search results, finding full-text, and exporting results to a citation management program.
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Load More...In work that could inspire new treatment options, three @pewhealth biomedical scholars are exploring what contributes to Alzheimer’s disease, which still lacks a cure and affects more than 6 million Americans.
https://pew.org/3krKdekLife in a Half-Vaccinated Country https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/life-in-a-half-vaccinated-country?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=onsite-share&utm_brand=the-new-yorker&utm_social-type=earned via @NewYorker
Masks are back. In communities where the virus is surging, the C.D.C. recommended that even vaccinated people wear masks. The advice includes schools, as well. https://nyti.ms/3i9F6Oo
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