Science News & Announcements

Book a Room Service at Crerar

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Jennifer Hart at Crerar Science

photo of a group study in Crerar Library

One of the many group studies bookable by groups using the new Book a Room system.

This past January, the Library launched a “Book a Room” service, which allows faculty, students and staff to book meeting and study rooms in the Library.   The online reservation system provides an overview of all available spaces and allows users to reserve a room with a few clicks.

In the Crerar Library, there are 7 study rooms that are available, four of which have a pull down projection screen.  A projector can be checked out from the circulation desk.  The largest room (320 B) can accommodate up to 12 individuals, while all rooms seat at least 6.

Since we began offering the service, 390 groups have booked space in Crerar for a total of 71 days, 7 hours, and 47 minutes across all study rooms.  Book a Room allows groups to name themselves for easy identification, and while most are either straightforward or completely obscure about their purpose, we’ve hosted a few with more creative group names.  Animals seem to be popular, as we’ve seen Tigers, Two Frogs, and Desert Foxes.  Other groups have been more frank about their work, such as O-Chem Death, Why Did We Write BAs?!, and Thesis Woes.  

This is a pilot, and the service will be reviewed to ensure that it is meeting the needs of faculty, students and staff.

More information is available at: http://news.lib.uchicago.edu/blog/2013/01/04/book-a-room-pilot-for-group-studies-begins-jan-7/ including policies on room use.

 If you have used the service, we would like to hear your feedback.  Please use our form – http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/ask/roombook.html – or contact Barb Kern at bkern@uchicago.edu or 702-8717.

 

Endnote Workshop, Wednesday May 15th, 12-1pm

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Jennifer Hart at Crerar Science

EndNoteX6Location: Crerar Library Computer Classroom.

Learn how to use the bibliographic software EndNote.  Topics covered include creating and managing libraries, importing references from online databases, importing and managing PDFs and creating formatted bibliographies and citations in Microsoft Word. Registration is required.  Register here.

Get training and advanced assistance with NCBI biotechnology tools

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Crerar Science

ncbieyeUniversity of Chicago faculty and students interested in using biotechnology information tools and resources can ask questions, schedule consultations, or arrange training sessions with Vedana Vaidhyanathan from the John Crerar Library.

Vedana, the Biomedical Reference Librarian and Informatics Specialist at Crerar, recently attended a train-the-trainer course at the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI). There she learned new techniques for teaching NCBI resources, including BLAST, a tool that examines a piece of DNA or a protein and finds others in the system that are similar; Gene, NCBI’s repository for gene-specific information; and Cn3D, a tool that allows a user to see the 3D structure of a protein. Additionally Vedana has learned to teach epigenetic and small molecule resources so that she can share her knowledge with the University community.

NCBI resources are made freely available by the federal government, but they can be difficult to navigate.  Vedana is here to help UChicago faculty, researchers and students with this type of research. In conjunction with her specialized training at NCBI, Vedana gained priority access to the researchers who design these tools and can rapidly contact them with advanced questions.   

For assistance, consultations, and training sessions on NCBI tools and resources, contact Vedana at vedana@uchicago.edu.

Crerar’s hanging sculpture: Crystara

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Jennifer Hart at Crerar Science

crystaraCrystara was commissioned in 1984 for the newly built Crerar Library.  Designed by artist John David Mooney, and constructed of aluminum and Waterford Crystal, the 30 by 12 foot  sculpture fills much of the three story atrium of Crerar.  The crystals were made at the Waterford glassworks in southeastern Ireland and hand cut in numerous ways to create a constantly changing prismatic effect by refracting the natural light flooding into the atrium. 

Crystara has its own website with more information about the artist and work.

 

Illinois flood information from USGS and NOAA

Posted on April 24, 2013 by Andrea Twiss-Brooks at Crerar Science
flooded river and bridge

Record floods in Illinois rivers recorded in April 2013

Courtesy of Emily Wild, USGS librarian and scientist:

USGS near real-time data, Illinois

USGS Illinois Flood information, 1995-2011

USGS news release: USGS Measures Record Flooding in Illinois 

USGS Flood information, National, or select state of interest, e.g. Illinois 

USGS Historical streamflow search, National

USGS Animation of streamflow maps, National

USGS Water Resources office for Illinois USGS Illinois 

These two web sites show the same data: USGS and NOAA.  When it comes to forecasting the river data, NOAA takes over the data interpretation.

Be safe out there if you are near a high river with Flood Safety Information.

Recipes for Domesticity: Cookery, Household Management, and the Notion of Expertise

Posted on April 4, 2013 by The University of Chicago Library
Illustration from Cassell's Household Guide, Being a Complete Encyclopaedia of Domestic and Social Economy... London: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, [187-] Vol. 2. Rare Book Collection. The University of Chicago Library

Illustration from Cassell’s Household Guide, Being a Complete Encyclopaedia of Domestic and Social Economy… London: Cassell, Petter, and Galpin, [187-] Vol. 2. Rare Book Collection, Special Collections Research Center, The University of Chicago Library.

Exhibition: Recipes for Domesticity: Cookery, Household Management, and the Notion of Expertise
Date: April 22 – July 13, 2013

How does one roast a fawn or properly set a dinner table for twelve? For centuries, people have been documenting and decoding the vast array of knowledge associated with domestic life, assembling cooking and household guides to assist with the tasks of daily living. Not merely collections of recipes and how-to instructions, these guides also document cultural  patterns and give insight into the development of modern-day kitchen and cooking practices. This exhibition, drawn primarily from the Rare Books Collection, provides a sampling of European and American cookbooks and domestic manuals from court chefs of the 15th century to cooking icons of the 20th century.

Curator: Julia Gardner, Head, Reader Services, Special Collections Research Center

At the Special Collections Research Center Exhibition Gallery
1100 East 57th Street, Chicago, IL
Hours: Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:45 p.m.; Saturdays: 9:00 a.m.–12:45 p.m. when classes are in session

Use of Images

These images from the exhibition are available for members of the media, and are reserved for editorial use in connection with the University of Chicago Library exhibitions, programs, or related news.  Email Rachel Rosenberg (phone: 773-834-1519) or Joseph Scott (phone: 773-702-6655)  to request high-resolution images.

 

Le Pastissier Francois

Engraved title page from François Pierre de La Varenne’s Le pastissier françois… Amsterdam : Chez Louys & Daniel Elzevier, 1655. Special Collections Research Center, The University of Chicago Library.

 

Man drinking coffee, coffee pot, coffee plant

Engraving from Philippe Sylvestre’sTraitez nouveaux & curieux du café, du thé et du chocolate… The Hague: Adrian Moetjens, 1685. John Crerar Collection of Rare Books in the History of Science and Medicine, Special Collections Research Center, The University of Chicago Library.

 

Coffee Arabica plant

Colored engraving from Alexandre Martin’s Manuel de l’amateur de café… Paris: Audot, 1828. John Crerar Collection of Rare Books in the History of Science and Medicine. The University of Chicago Library.

 

 

 

Eckhart Library Interim Hours

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Jennifer Hart at Crerar Science

old photo of Eckhart LibraryFrom March 23-31 Eckhart Library will be opened Monday-Friday 12-5pm 

Eckhart will resume regular hours April 1st:  Monday-Friday 9am-8pm, Saturday 9am-5pm.

Updated hours for all libraries are available at : http://hours.lib.uchicago.edu.

Copy, Print, Fax, and Scan requires 4-digit PIN starting March 25

Posted on March 22, 2013 by The University of Chicago Library

Copy, Print, Fax, and Scan stationStarting Monday, March 25, all users will be required to set and use a 4-digit PIN (personal identification number) when using the Canon copy, print, fax, and scan stations in the libraries, residence halls, and the Arley D. Cathey Learning Center (formerly Harper Library Commons).  This change is being made to protect users from unauthorized use of their accounts.

When you use a copy, print, fax, and scan station for the first time on or after March 25, you will be prompted to set a PIN; for subsequent uses you will be prompted to input the PIN after swiping or tapping your card.

More information, including detailed instructions on how to set your PIN, is available at https://printing.uchicago.edu/.

 

Under Covers: The Art and Science of Book Conservation

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Jennifer Hart at Crerar Science
A person with knife at work in the conservation lab

At work in the Conservation Lab

Conservators at the University of Chicago Library keep collections safe and intact for future scholars by combining traditional craft with a knowledge of current research on processes of deterioration. Under Covers:  The Art and Science of Book Conservation reveals the techniques conservators use to preserve and repair materials in the state-of-the-art Conservation Laboratory in the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library. The exhibit explores issues affecting modern and older library materials and shows conservators employing the newest scientific research in their work.

This exhibit coincides with the American Library Association’s Preservation Week (April 21-27, 2013).  It will run March 26 – October 11, 2013.

An associated web exhibit is available at http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/webexhibits/scienceofconservation/

More information about Crerar exhibits is available here: http://www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/crerar/exhibits/

Location: The John Crerar Library, Atrium, 5730 South Ellis Avenue, Chicago
Public Hours: Monday – Saturday: 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Cost: Free

Crerar Library interim hours

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Crerar Science

Crerar Library has reduced hours for the Spring Break interim, from Saturday, March 23 – Sunday, March 31.

Building hours, for users with a valid UC ID, Library Card, or daypass are:

March 23: 8am – 8pm
March 24 – 28: 8am – 10pm
March 29 and 30: 8am – 8pm
March 31: 8am – 10pm

Circulation hours, for users who need to check out items, or have questions about access or their account:

March 23: 9am – 5pm
March 24: Closed
March 25 – 29: 8:30am – 5pm
March 30: 9am – 5pm
March 31: Noon – 5pm

Reference hours, for users with questions about research or library resources, remain the same.  

For all library hours, please check http://hours.lib.uchicago.edu.