Harvard Kennedy School Library Blog

The Bound Journal Room will be closing on Thursday, November 19. The room will be used to prepare the collection for the upcoming renovation.

Please pardon the inconvenience.

The HKS Library will be undergoing a major renovation during the holiday break and January term.  The new library plans incorporate extensive feedback from students and KSSG officers on how best to maximize the use of our library space.

The new library configuration will offer:

• new group study space -available to students whenever the Littauer building is open
• additional seating for both group and individual quiet study (net gain of 36 seats)
• additional power outlets for laptop use (wireless)
• new, faster copiers/printers in dedicated rooms

IMPACT ON LIBRARY SERVICES

November 17 –  December 18

The Library staff will be preparing for both the collection and office moves during the months of November and December, starting with the closing of the bound journal room on Thursday November 19^th.  Please excuse any disruption during this time.

During this period, research help will be located in Room G16 of the Library (beside the copier room) from 1:00-5:00pm Monday-Friday, or by appointment at library_research@hks.harvard.edu.

December 18 – end of January

The Library will be closed for construction beginning on December 18 or 19 (date to be confirmed) and throughout the January term.  The anticipated opening date will be communicated once the construction timeline is finalized.  We expect a phased opening at the beginning of the Spring term, with the priority on access to course readings, circulation services, and study space as soon as possible.

January reserves materials will be available online through course websites.  The Library is working with the computer lab to offer extended hours – more information to come, once finalized.

Certain library services will continue to be available online, including:

• Access to research databases and online journals
• Scan & Deliver, a scanning service offered by Harvard Libraries
• Research assistance via e-mail (library_research@hks.harvard.edu)

HKS students have access to other Harvard libraries for research and studying:

• Libraries Map and Guide:  http://lib.harvard.edu/libraries/maps/index.html
• Harvard College Library (FAS) “What’s Open Now”:  http://hcl.harvard.edu/hours/open_now.cfm

UPDATES AND FEEDBACK

Updates on the construction will be posted on this blog. Please check back regularly for new information.

We welcome your feedback, either in-person or online at library@hks.harvard.edu

We thank you for your cooperation as we build a better library to meet the needs of HKS students, faculty and staff.  Please feel free to contact us at library@hks.harvard.edu or your KSSG Vice-President for Student Services, Imran Alimohammed, if you have any questions or comments.

Please join the Harvard Law School for their final Open Access Week event. Three speakers will discuss the significance of open access to research from a variety of perspectives.

The Significance of Open Access to Research

• Carolina Rossini, Berkman Center
• John Wilbanks, Science Commons
• Stefan Gruber, HLS Visiting Researcher

Friday, October 23rd, noon-1:30pm
Harvard Law School, Pound 108
RSVP requested, but not required: http://tinyurl.com/yzp956o

Four schools at Harvard University have adopted open access policies for their scholarly articles. In celebration of Open Access Week (http://www.openaccessweek.org/), Stuart Shieber (Faculty Director of Harvard University’s Office for Scholarly Communication), Peter Suber (Berkman Fellow and leader in the open access movement) and representatives from the schools with open access policies will be hosting a forum to answer questions you might have about Harvard’s current activities in implementing these policies and issues about open access generally.

Monday, October 19th, 11:00am-12:30pm
Harvard Law School
Ropes Gray Room (Pound Hall)
RSVP required at http://bit.ly/2AbAfL or e-mail to mpearse@law.harvard.edu (As part of the RSVP form, we encourage you to submit questions before the event.)

Drop by the Library this afternoon to learn about library services and get help.

• Enter a raffle to win free movie tickets
• Set up an Interlibrary Loan Account
• Get help with RefWorks
• Get answers to all your library questions: Reserves, Research, Circulation
• Learn about upcoming workshops
• Eat some delicious chocolate

We hope to see you there!

Citation tools help you collect, store, and manage reference information, research notes, and documents.  They work with your word processor to manage in-text citations, create footnotes, and to build bibliographies in nearly any format. This guide, linked below, gives you a wealth of information on using RefWorks, Endnote and Zotero.

Guide to Citation Tools at Harvard

The online edition of the Washington Information Directory provides contact and descriptive information for more than 10 thousand government offices, regulatory agencies, congressional committees, judicial offices, public interest groups, non-governmental and international organizations located in and around Washington, D.C.  It is searchable and browsable and offers a letter template tool and customizable address book.

Several new workshops have been added to the HKS Library’s schedule:

• Starting from Scratch: Developing Search Strategies (additional sessions added)
• Find it @ Harvard: HOLLIS, the Harvard Library Portal, eResources, and More (additional sessions added)
• Introduction to Web2.0 (additional sessions added)
• Managing the Information Overload in Your Field: Keeping up with Start Pages, RSS, Blogs, and Podcasts (NEW!)
• All about Twitter (NEW!)
• News Searching 101 (NEW!)
• LexisNexis 101 and LexisNexis Advanced
• .gov Research (NEW!)
• Google Hacks: Find Anything in Google (NEW!)
• Country Research (NEW!)
• Research Tools for Firefox (NEW!)
• RefWorks

Since seating is limited, please register in advance for sessions. Full details available here.

We look forward to seeing you!

Space is limited for all sessions. Please register in advance. Feel free to bring your lunch. Laptops encouraged! Contact library_research@hks.harvard.edu with questions, comments, and suggestions.

Starting from Scratch: Developing Search Strategies

This workshop will focus on formulating effective search strategies: how to construct search terms, how to use subject headings, Boolean searching, and truncation. We will discuss how and why to keep a research log, tips and tricks for brainstorming search terms, and how to effectively use different types of information resources — books, articles, databases, government documents, think tank reports, etc. Bring a specific research topic to work through or work with one of our sample topics. Participants are encouraged to bring their laptops.

• Monday, Aug. 17 — 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.  (HKS Library)
• Wed., Aug. 19 — 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. (HKS Library)
• Monday, Aug. 24 — 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. (HKS Library)
• Wed., Sept. 2 — 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. (HKS Library)

Register Now

Find It at Harvard: HOLLIS, the Harvard Library Portal, eResources, and More

Harvard provides access to an incredible array of information resources, but it can be difficult to know where to start or which system searches what. Join us to learn about the various types of systems and sources you have access to as a member of the Harvard community. Bring your laptop.

• Wed., Aug. 19 –3:00 – 4:00 p.m. (HKS Library)
• Tuesday, Aug. 25 — 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. (HKS Library)
• Friday, Aug. 28 –12:00 – 1:00 p.m. (HKS Library)

Register Now

Walking Tour Library Series

Join us for a walk to and tour of various other Harvard University Libraries.

• Monday, Aug. 17 — 3:30 – 4:45 p.m. (Widener Library & Lamont Library (Note: Limited to 15 participants. We will meet outside of Yenching Auditorium, after the MCPP orientation session.)
• Friday, Sept. 4 — 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.    Baker Library (Harvard Business School) (Note: Limited to 15 participants. We will meet at the HKS Library and walk to the Baker Library.)
• Friday, Sept. 11 — 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.    Baker Library (Harvard Business School) (Note: Limited to 15 participants. We will meet at the HKS Library and walk to the Baker Library.)

Register Now

Introduction to Web2.0

Curious to know more about Web2.0? We’ll give a brief overview of web2.0, some of our favorite web2.0 tools, and implications for finding information. We’ll also briefly discuss gov2.0.

• Wed., Aug. 19 — 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. (HKS Library)
• Wed., Aug. 26 — 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (HKS Library)
• Thurs., Aug. 3 — 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. (HKs Library)

Register Now

Web2.0 Collaboration Tools

Collaboration tools allow users to do much more than simply share documents. Learn more about these tools and how to use them. We’ll provide an overview of Google Apps, Dropbox, EtherPad, and Evernote.

• Friday, Sept. 4 — 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. (HKS Library)
• Tuesday, Sept. 12 — 12:00 – 1:00 p.m.    (Computer Lab)

Register Now

Managing the Information Overload in Your Field: Keeping up with Start Pages, RSS, Blogs and Podcasts

Learn how to stay informed in your field without being overloaded. Join us to learn how to set up and manage personalized start pages such as Netvibes, PageFlakes, and Google; find and use blogs and podcasts; and take advantage of RSS technology. Bring your laptop.

• Thurs., Sept. 3    – 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. (HKS Library)
• Friday, Sept. 4    – 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (HKS Library)

Register Now

LexisNexis 101

This session is designed for those new to LexisNexis. Learn what kinds of sources are available through LexisNexis, get familiar with the search interface, and start searching. We’ll provide an overview of the various types of information that can be found in LexisNexis – news, legal, statistics, and business-oriented research. Bring search topics. Meet in the computer lab.

• Tues., Sept. 15 — 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. (Computer Lab)

Register Now

LexisNexis Advanced

Assumes some experience and knowledge searching LexisNexis. Learn more advanced search techniques, tricks, and tips to make your searches more targeted. Bring search topics. Meet in the computer lab.

• Friday, Sept. 18 — 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. (Computer Lab)

Register Now

RefWorks

Get started with RefWorks, an online tool that takes much of the hassle out of gathering references for your research. Learn how to import citations directly from any article database, create a bibliography in one click in any style (Chicago, Turabian, APA, MLA, etc.), and add citations or footnotes to your papers as you write. You must sign up in advance for this session. Email Lamont Librarians Chris Lenney (lenney@fas.harvard.edu), Steve Kuehler (kuehler@fas.harvard.edu), or stop by the Research Services Desk at the Lamont Library, Level B.

• Tuesday, Sept. 1 — 3:00 – 3:50 p.m. (Lamont Library)
• Thursday, Sept. 10 – 4:00 – 4:50 p.m. (Lamont Library)

These RefWorks sessions will take place in Room 310, 3rd floor of Lamont Library. Space is limited.

Register Now

Upcoming Sessions

• Using Twitter for Real-Time News
• Gov2.0
• Searching .gov
• Open Access
• Publishing Your First Article
• Creating and Maintaining a Professional Identity: Facebook, LinkedIn, Google Profiles and More
• Intro to Medical and Public Health Research
• Intro to Legal Research
• Intro to Business Research
• Digital Natives & Digital Immigrants
• Information Literacy in a Global Context

Resaerch 101 presentation given to the 2009 class of Mid-Career Public Policy stdents at the Harvard Kennedy School.