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Purdue Libraries and School of Information Studies News

Explore “Text Analysis with R” in Purdue Libraries’ Digital Humanities Workshop Series This March

January 17th, 2019

In March, Purdue Libraries will offer a special Tinkering Humanist Workshop series focused on text analysis. Led by Purdue Libraries Assistant Professor of Digital Humanities Matt Hannah and Library Assistant Trevor Burrows, the series will explore how to incorporate such methodologies as sentiment analysis and stylometrics into humanities research using the programming language R. The workshop instructors will also consider some of the practical and theoretical questions particular to these approaches.

The series schedule is listed below. Registration for each workshop is required.

  • Introduction to Text Analysis with R
    1–4 p.m. Tuesday, March 5
    Please note: this session is required to attend the other two sessions.
  • Sentiment Analysis with R
    2–4 p.m., Tuesday, March 19
  • Stylistic Analysis with R
    2–4 p.m., Tuesday, March 26

Register online at https://goo.gl/forms/u6KdezbBE4jgyDpm2. No previous programming experience is necessary, but participants should be comfortable with basic computer operations.

All sessions will be held in D-VELoP (Data Visualization Experience Lab of Purdue), located in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC 3045).

For more information, contact Assistant Professor Hannah at hannah8@purdue.edu.


“Annotating the Humanities” Workshop Set for Feb. 13

January 17th, 2019

Digital Humanities - Purdue University Libraries
Purdue Libraries’ Tinkering Humanist workshops are presented by Matt Hannah, assistant professor of digital humanities in Purdue Libraries and are designed to help instructors and researchers explore and “tinker” with new tools and technologies to use in their scholarship and teaching.

Explore the power of annotation for your research and instruction in a new “Annotating the Humanities” workshop courtesy of the Purdue University Libraries’ Tinkering Humanist Digital Humanities (DH) Workshop Series.

“Annotating the Humanities” is set from 2-4 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, in the Data Visualization Experience Lab of Purdue (D-VELoP) in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center, room 3045. Registration is required.

According to Matthew Hannah, assistant professor of digital humanities in Purdue Libraries, the session will cover the challenges of building new digital tools with special guest Hongshan Li, graduate student in the Purdue University Department of Mathematics, who will share a new tool he built to annotate documents.

“These tools are perfect complements for courses because they require students to focus on texts and ‘mark up’ their reading. Hongshan will also share an exclusive first look at his annotation tool designed for classroom application,” Hannah explained. “In this session, we will also discuss the unique challenges of building DH tools.”

Register online at https://bit.ly/2Jja8m6. For more information, contact Assistant Professor Hannah at hannah8@purdue.edu.

 

 


HSSE Library to Close Early Jan. 22-24 Due to Stewart Center Power Shutdown

January 16th, 2019

Due to a scheduled power shut down to install new equipment, Stewart Center, which houses the Humanities, Social Science, and Education (HSSE) Library, will close at 10:45 p.m. Tuesday, Jan. 22; Wednesday, Jan. 23; and Thursday, Jan. 24.

All individuals in Stewart Center and the HSSE Library will be required to exit the building at 10:45 p.m. before power to the building is shut off at 11 p.m.

January 22-24 the HSSE Library will re-open at the regularly scheduled time (8 a.m.).


Featured Database: Thomson One

January 15th, 2019

Parrish Library’s Featured Database will give you a very brief introduction to the basic features of one of our specialized subscription databases. This time we’re featuring Thomson One brought to you by Thomson Reuters.

Link: http://guides.lib.purdue.edu/az.php?s=71213 is the alphabetical list of the databases specially selected for those in a business program of study. Access the databases off-campus with your Purdue login and password.

Focus: Thomson One is a comprehensive database of public financial statistics that also contains investment analyst reports and mergers & acquisitions information. Please note that this database only works in Internet Explorer.

Tutorial: We have three different tutorials available related to Thomson One depending on the type of data you’re interested in: Finding Mergers and Acquisitions Data in Thomson One, Finding VentureXpert Data in Thomson One, and Finding Investext Investment Analyst Reports in Thomson One.

Start with this hint: Make sure you’re using Internet Explorer to access Thomson One. Where you begin, will be dependent on what type of data you’re looking for. See the tutorial links above for more detailed information.

Why you should know this database: Thomson One provides easy access to VentureXpert and Mergers and Acquisitions data that may not otherwise be easily accessible online.

Related Resources

Some other databases you might want to explore, are:

  • Mergent Online, financial statements, company news, industry analysis, historical information on M&A activity, and more.
  • PrivCo, contains business and financial data on over 30,000 major, non-publicly traded corporations.
  • S&P Net Advantage, investment information and analysis on companies, industries, stocks and bonds, mutual funds and dividends.

 


This Featured Database comes to you from the Roland G. Parrish Library of Management & Economics. If you would like more information about this database, or if you would like a demonstration of it for a class, contact parrlib@purdue.edu. Also let us know if you know of a colleague who would benefit from this, or future Featured Databases.

Since usage statistics are an important barometer when databases are up for renewal, tell us your favorite database, and we will gladly promote it. Send an email to parrlib@purdue.edu.


Purdue Archives New Exhibit Celebrates International Students’ Contributions to Purdue’s 150-Year History

January 14th, 2019

round the World in 150 Years: Purdue International Footprint

A new Purdue Archives and Special Collections exhibit that focuses on the experience of international students at Purdue University throughout the institution’s history is open!

“Around the World in 150 Years: Purdue International Footprint”
Items in the Purdue Archives and Special Collections exhibit “Around the World in 150 Years: Purdue’s International Footprint,” which runs through Friday, March 8.

“Around the World in 150 Years: Purdue’s International Footprint” highlights a variety of cultures, countries, activities, and time periods represented in the holdings of Archives and Special Collections, with a special focus on students who were among the first from their home countries to attend Purdue. Items on display include photographs, articles, and publications by or about international students, as well as artifacts given to the university by alumni groups from around the world.

According to Archivist for University History Adriana Harmeyer, the idea for the display came about as Purdue archivists have been considering the University’s Sesquicentennial, which is being commemorated through Homecoming 2019. She noted that a team of individuals in Purdue Archives helped curate the exhibit.

“As we mark Purdue’s 150th anniversary, we are looking back and celebrating the people who have made the University what it is today. The international student population has been a presence on campus for a longer period of time than many people realize, and international students have made amazing contributions to the academic and social life of campus,” she noted.

The exhibit includes materials from some of the earliest international student groups on campus, including the Cosmopolitan Club (established in 1909) and publications by the 1920s-era Chinese Students Association, including a “Chinese Students Year-Book” from 1927, Harmeyer added.

“Around the World in 150 Years: Purdue International Footprint” will run weekdays (Monday-Friday) from 10 a.m.-4:30 p.m. through Friday, March 8. The exhibit is on display in the Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections Research Center, located on the fourth floor of the Humanities, Social Science, and Education (HSSE) Library.

For more information, contact Harmeyer at aharmey@purdue.edu.


Finalists for Dean of Libraries and School of Information Studies to Make On-Campus Presentations

January 8th, 2019

Courtesy of Purdue Marketing and Media

Four finalists for dean of Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies will be on the West Lafayette campus for two-day interviews in late January and early February.

David Reingold, chair of the search committee and the Justin S. Morrill Dean of the College of Liberal Arts, says that as part of the process, each finalist will make a 35- to 40-minute public presentation and then take questions from the audience.

The Board of Trustees approved a new name for the unit — now called the Purdue University Libraries and School of Information Studies — during its meeting on Dec. 7. “The new name better reflects the teaching and scholarly contributions the Libraries faculty and staff are making to the broader University,” Reingold says.

Each candidate’s full curriculum vitae is on the search website, where a link for livestreaming of the candidate’s presentation can be found as well. Feedback on the candidates is requested, and an online feedback tool is located at the same site. The feedback link will be live after each candidate’s presentation.

“Learning technology, digital scholarship and data science are already having a material impact on our faculty, staff and students — and changing the role of libraries nationwide,” says Jay Akridge, provost and executive vice president for academic affairs and diversity. “We are a leader in many of these areas, and I’m looking forward to working with the new dean to help our Libraries and School of Information Studies move to even higher levels of national leadership, impact and service.”

Finalists and their presentation details are below:

* Beth McNeil, dean of library services and professor, Iowa State University — 11 a.m. Jan. 14, Stewart Center, Room 206.

* Maria Bonn, associate professor, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois; former director, Scholarly Publishing Office, University of Michigan — 11 a.m. Jan. 28, Stewart Center, Room 302.

* Stephanie Walker, dean of libraries and information resources, University of North Dakota — 11 a.m. Jan. 31, Stewart Center, Room 218ABC.

* Evviva Weinraub, associate university librarian for collections and technologies, Northwestern University — 11 a.m. Feb. 4, Stewart Center, Room 206


Purdue University Press – 2018 in Review

December 21st, 2018

2018 was a great year at Purdue University Press, highlighted by a full slate of scholarly and trade books, as well as several journals that were released during our Spring/Summer and Fall/Winter seasons.

In May of 2018 we welcomed Clarence Maybee as a new series editor for the Purdue Information Literacy Handbooks, and in November we welcomed Justin Race as the new Director of Purdue University Press.

As we move forward into 2019 stay engaged with us and subscribe to our email newsletter to get the latest on books and promotions. We also encourage you to follow us on Facebook and Twitter, especially to make sure you catch our upcoming “New Year, New Book, New You” sale!

To get a comprehensive list of what came out this year, click on #PUPYearinReview in the tweet below, check out our catalogs listed at the end of this post, or visit www.press.purdue.edu.

 

 

 

Thank you for keeping in touch with the Press, Happy New Year and we’ll see you in 2019!

 


 


Toy Design Triumph: Libraries Staff Assists with Last-Minute Changes to Students’ Product Prototype

December 13th, 2018

Gabriel Ng, Rohit Srivastava, Delaney Sunbury, and Joseph "Joey" Baietto with their "Fidget Cube" they designed and developed a prototype for in their ME 444 course, "Toy Design."
Gabriel Ng, Rohit Srivastava, Delaney Sunbury, and Joseph “Joey” Baietto with their “Fidget Cube” they designed and developed a prototype for in their ME 444 course, “Toy Design.”

 We’ve all been there—in that situation where a last-minute change to a project or a plan can evoke panic-inducing visions of the entire thing going up in flames. For college students, end-of-semester papers and projects can be rife with this kind of hiccup, and many times, at such a critical juncture, the support and resources provided by faculty and staff can make or break such an assignment.

Recently, when Gabriel Ng (Overland Park, KS), a senior biomedical engineering major, and his fellow group-project members in Purdue’s Mechanical Engineering (ME) 444, “Toy Design,” course had a last-minute change to a toy product prototype, he and his team received such support from staff in Purdue Libraries—support that was critical for the project’s success. With the help of Library Assistant Robin Meher and her fellow employees in the Data Visualization Experience Lab of Purdue (D-VELoP) located in the Wilmeth Active Learning Center (WALC), the students were able to get the project—the “Fidget Cube”—completed and turned in on time.

“We had been working on a large semester project in ME 444, and I came into the WALC just before Thanksgiving break because our team had a last-minute change that forced us to send a significant amount of our nearly 50 parts to the 3D printers in D-VELoP for printing,” Ng explained. “Robin was the one in the room at the time and was incredibly helpful in answering my questions, detailing the quotas and constraints of your system, and helping me organize the prints so we could get everything printed on time to complete the project.”

Joseph “Joey” Baietto and his group's Fidget Cube.
For a group project in their ME 444 (“Toy Design”) class, Joey Baietto said he and his fellow group members wanted to design a challenging, complex, and creative toy that would celebrate Purdue’s 150-year anniversary.

According to Joseph “Joey” Baietto (Crystal Lake, IL), a senior mechanical engineering major, for their project, the team wanted to design a challenging, complex, and creative toy that would celebrate Purdue’s 150-year anniversary. Other team members include Delaney Sunbury (Seymour, IN), a senior mechanical engineering major, and Rohit Srivastava (St. Louis, MO), a senior biomedical engineering major.

“Our preliminary designs for a toy each focused on one aspect of Purdue and Purdue’s icons,” Baietto explained. “However, with the Fidget Cube, we could incorporate most of the Purdue icons into a single toy! As a result, we chose this concept as our toy. The resulting toy was an astounding success. We were able to incorporate Purdue’s Sesquicentennial, the Purdue XTRA Special, Purdue Pete (twice), and an ‘IU SUCKS’ banner all into the toy. The team incorporated many concepts we learned in class into the design, as well. Because there are six sides to the cube and all are unique and independent, all of us had the opportunity to design our own sides on the toy. As a result, each person was invested equally in the project,” he added.

Earlier this week, Ng sent Meher an email, thanking the staff in D-VELoP for their help with the team’s toy product prototype, and he included a photo of the prototype.

“Right now, the size of the prototype is rather large, but in the future, the size of the product will be reduced greatly,” Ng added. “The Fidget Cube has four sides: a fully functional fidget spinner; a 150-years push button (users can push the 1 and 0 back and forth); a maze feature that, when you complete the maze successfully, the LED array around the maze lights up; and a train side that, when a user spins the wheels, a Purdue Pete pops up and down, which is based on a scotch yoke mechanism in the inside of the face. There is also a drivetrain on the bottom to drive the cube around.”

The course, ME 444, teaches students about computer aided design and rapid prototyping and uses toy design projects for student learning. Such courses at Purdue often require students to create product prototypes. Many times, Purdue students use the 3D printing and data visualization resources provided through D-VELoP (part of the Library of Engineering and Science in the WALC) for their assignments.

“The creativity and ingenuity of Purdue students never fails to amaze us in the print lab,” Meher noted. “We have printed architectural designs, tools for shaping clay, parts for robot cars, and so much more. Printing prototypes like the Fidget Cube is especially enjoyable, as we can imagine the day when the items come to market. For a lot of prints, especially parts, we don’t know what the final product will be–so seeing the finished cube is very cool. Props to Gabriel, Joseph, Rohit, and Delaney for their vision and design! It was a pleasure working with them.”

To learn more about the resources provided at D-VELoP, see www.lib.purdue.edu/d-velop. Information about and instructions for 3D printing through the Library of Engineering and Science is available at https://guides.lib.purdue.edu/3dprinting/Home.

 


A Slam Dunk for the “Engineering in the World of Data” Learning Community

November 30th, 2018

You know it’s going to be a good week when your university’s head basketball coach crashes your Monday morning class as a guest lecturer. That’s what happened recently to students Alex Ishac (Chandler, AZ) and Rebecca Hanna (Chicago, IL), who are two of the 53 individuals enrolled in the “Engineering in the World of Data” Learning Community at Purdue University.

Purdue Head Men's Basketball Coach Matt Painter and the instructors and students in the "Engineering of the World of Data" learning community.
Purdue Head Men’s Basketball Coach Matt Painter poses with the instructors and students in the “Engineering of the World of Data” learning community in Mackey Arena. Photo courtesy of Teresa Walker, Purdue School of Engineering Education.

Purdue Men’s Basketball Head Coach Matt Painter crashed a class of the first-year engineering course, ENGR 103, which was held in Mackey Arena to demonstrate the application of data science in sports. The course, “Developing Your Data Mind,” was designed by Libraries faculty Michael Witt and Nastasha Johnson as a part of the learning community, in collaboration with colleagues from the Purdue College of Engineering, Department of English, and University Residences.

Matt Painter talks to students in Purdue's "Engineering in the World of Data" learning community about how data drives the decisions he makes as a coach.
Coach Matt Painter talks to students in Purdue’s “Engineering in the World of Data” learning community about how data drives the decisions he makes as a coach. Photo by Teresa Walker.

Painter spoke to the class about how data drives the decisions he makes as a coach—everything from recruiting to scouting opponents to shot selection and how individual players position their bodies on the court. Andrew McClatchey, statistical analyst for the men’s basketball team, also talked to students about the state-of-the-art technology and techniques in sports data collection and analysis and his experience in pursuing a career in data science.

In the course, students were learning how to make effective decisions using data. The night before the lecture, they joined the faculty of the learning community for popcorn and to watch the movie “Moneyball,” which is about the 2002 season of the Oakland Athletics baseball team that set a record for winning 20 games in a row by employing data analytics.

“The learning community brings together a cohort of first-year engineering students who have a shared interest in data science,” said Witt. “It gives us the opportunity to incorporate experiences outside of the classroom to bring the material to life.”

Purdue Libraries Associate Professor Michael Witt introduces Andrew McClatchey, statistical analyst for Purdue's men’s basketball team, to students in the "Engineering of the World of Data" learning community in Mackey Arena.
Purdue Libraries Associate Professor Michael Witt introduces Andrew McClatchey, statistical analyst for Purdue’s men’s basketball team, to students in the “Engineering of the World of Data” learning community in Mackey Arena. Photo by Teresa Walker.

In addition to ENGR 103, students in the learning community take special, data-themed versions of required first-year engineering courses, including ENGR 131 and 132, “Transforming Ideas to Innovation I & II”; the English course ENGL 106, “Academic Research and Writing”; and ENGR 195, “Computational Methods of Data Science for Engineers,” which is a specialty course just for the learning community.

“Being in the community means that you take these classes together with the same group of students, resulting in opportunities to form close relationships with each other,” Ishac noted. “We’re learning while forming these friendships, and then we have activities like going to Mackey Arena and getting to talk to Purdue’s men’s head basketball coach and the team’s data analyst. I think the idea—to make these types of connections to interesting people who we can learn from—is really impactful,” he said.

Andrew McClatchey, statistical analyst for Purdue's men’s basketball team, talks to students about state-of-the-art technology and techniques in sports data collection and analysis and his experience in pursuing a career in data science.
Andrew McClatchey, statistical analyst for Purdue’s men’s basketball team, talks to students about state-of-the-art technology and techniques in sports data collection and analysis and his experience in pursuing a career in data science. Photo by Teresa Walker.

“Our focus was to provide students with an early exposure to data science ideas and applications with an emphasis on how engineers use data to make evidence-based decisions,” said Engineering Education Professor Tamara Moore, who leads the learning community with Witt. “The instructors worked together to align the curriculum so that students would learn many facets of engineering in the world of data from the appropriate experts, integrated across these five courses.”

Another example of a learning community activity was the students’ recent participation in Purdue’s annual Dawn or Doom conference. Students attended presentations and ate lunch with one of the conference speakers, as well as discussed whether they were optimistic or pessimistic about advances in technology and its impact on their lives.

“I really enjoyed the ‘Presenting Data Effectively’ talk at Dawn or Doom,” Hanna said. “All the events that the learning community hosts are fun, and I learn something new. Although the learning community requires some extra work, I think it is definitely worth it,” she added.

Ishac concurs there is significant return on his investment in the “Engineering of the World of Data” learning community.

“The chance to be part of the ‘Engineering in the World of Data’ learning community the past several weeks has made my Purdue experience so far incredible for me,” he added.

Upcoming activities for the learning community include a field trip to the Cummins Technical Center to learn about product testing and simulation data, as well as “Learn Python with a Python” programming boot camp, in which students will be introduced to the Python scripting language by working with animal-management data and visit with an actual python from Columbian Park Zoo.

The “Engineering in the World of Data Learning Community” will begin accepting applications for the 2019-20 school year in January. It is open to incoming students admitted to the First-Year Engineering Program or to Pre-ABE in the College of Agriculture. For more information, visit www.purdue.edu/learningcommunities/profiles/engineering/engineering_data.html.


Hicks Library Study Breaks Start Dec. 3; Pet Therapy & Crafting Provide Final Exam Stress Relief

November 28th, 2018

Take a break from final exam stress with the Fall 2018 Hicks Undergraduate Library Study Break events. Pet therapy dogs or learn about the tradition of Purdue “Senior Cords” and decorate your own corduroy swatch to show your Purdue spirit! Cookie decorating and other crafting activities are also part of the Fall ’18 Hicks Study Breaks’ lineup.

All events are free and open to all Purdue students and are held in the Hicks Library’s main common area.

Prep Week

  • 7-8 p.m. Monday, Dec. 3 — Therapy Dogs International
    Final exams can be ruff. Take time out for a pawfully relaxing evening with some furry friends.
  • 6-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 4 — Popcorn & Mug Decorating
    Enjoy some free popcorn and design your own mug for your favorite coffee, hot chocolate, or for a homemade holiday gift.
  • 5:30-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 5 — Mobile Making Activity
    Join the Libraries Mobile Making Team from the Data Visualization Experience Lab of Purdue (D-VELoP) to make stuff and learn more about our 3D printing and data viz resources.
  • 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 6 — Cookie Decorating
    Try your hand at decorating (and then eating) some delicious treats.

Finals Week

  • 6-7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 10 — Cord Decorating
    Learn about the tradition of decorating yellow “Senior Cords” at Purdue and decorate your own corduroy fabric swatch.
  • 5:30-8 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 11 — Mobile Making Activity
    Join the Libraries Mobile Making Team from the Data Visualization Experience Lab of Purdue (D-VELoP) to make stuff and learn more about our 3D printing and data viz resources.
  • 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 12 — Popcorn & Crafting
    More free popcorn and creative activities to take a break from final exams.
  • 6-7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 13 — Cookie Decorating
    Another chance to try your hand at cookie decorating.

In addition to the above-listed events, art-relaxation stations, puzzle stations, bubble wrap, and a Lego station will be set up around the library.