3D Modeling Made Easy

Need to visualize something in 3D? Try Google SketchUp! This free, easy-to-use 3D modeling program can be used to model building interiors, exteriors, scenery design, molecular modeling, and other virtual world creations.

Come to the Digital Media Center on Tuesday, November 3 at 6 p.m. for a hands-on workshop with SketchUp guru Bonnie Roskes. Roskes is a Whiting School of Engineering alumna and author of the Google SketchUp Cookbook: Practical Recipes and Essential Techniques.

This workshop is being held in conjunction with yrBLCspace, the Brody Learning Commons design competition.

To register for this free student workshop, please contact the Digital Media Center at 410.516.3817.

Register for a RefWorks Workshop

Does the sound of easy bibliographies and organized research appeal to you? If so, consider registering for a RefWorks workshop in October or November at the Milton S. Eisenhower Library. Attend one of these 90-minute sessions and learn how to trim hours off of your time spent researching and writing.

Workshops Dates and Registration
Registration is required. Workshops are open to any Hopkins affiliate.

RefWorks is an online citation manager that helps you keep track of citations to books, articles, and other documents you gather during research. It is free to all JHU users, web-based, and requires no special download of software. Using RefWorks, you can also create properly formatted bibliographies, and import citations from research databases and the JHU Libraries Catalog.

Workshops will cover accessing your account, getting citations into RefWorks, creating bibliographies with the click of a button, sharing reading lists in RefWorks, and more. RefWorks exports bibliographies in over 700 citation styles, saving time for those of you who may be writing for class or publication.

Can’t make a class? You can also watch a tutorial online.

Three e-books for #musicmonday

If you use Twitter, you may have noticed the regular Monday appearance of the hashtag #musicmonday, used to suggest music to people at the beginning of the workweek. To feed our @mselibrary account with our spin on the trend, I’ve collected a few links below to music-related e-books available through Safari Books Online.

Taking your iPod touch to the Max: Get started with your iPod touch, and get more out of it with undocumented tips, tricks, and suggestions for tinkerers.

Creating Music and Sound for Games: An insider’s look into how sound designers fit into game production, including tools, techniques, and getting into the field.

Music Theory for Computer Musicians: Learn the fundamentals of musical syntax and composition to take your music to the next level.

New: Counseling and Therapy in Video

Counseling and Therapy in Video provides an online collection of video for the study of counseling, human services, psychotherapy, psychology, and psychiatric counseling.

The collection allows you to see, experience, and study counseling in ways we’ve never been able to offer online. Watch consultations, counseling sessions (both authentic and acted), demonstrations, interviews, and lectures in topics such as education, family and relationships, and substance abuse. Over 40 types of therapies are shown or discussed, including cognitive behavioral therapy and group counseling. When complete, it will include 400 hours and more than 330 videos.

Considering using these videos in class? You can create both video clips and playlists to single out scenes or scenarios of interest to you.

Wireless access at MSEL

Are you having trouble accessing wireless in the Library? (And yes, we get the irony of asking that question via this medium.) If so, go here for information about the real-time usage of the MSEL’s access points—there are now 30 of them, given recent upgrades to the system.

We are aware that access continues to be an issue, and we are working with the University’s IT group to improve service. But we need your input (via the blog’s comments section, through MSEL’s wireless page, in-person at the Info Desk on M-level, or through the suggestion box on M-level) to better address the situation. Please remember to include the location, time, and general nature of the problem.

You can also get information on wired connections at the Information Desk and obtain Ethernet cables from the Circulation Desk.

Thanks for your patience, and good luck on finals!

We’re on Twitter (in 140 characters or less)

The Milton S. Eisenhower Library is now on Twitter. Follow us for a stream of news, recommended resources, and research-related tweets.

On Twitter yourself? Send your questions or feedback @mselibrary.

Readability: A Browser Tool for Better Reading Online

Reading full articles isn’t always easy on the Web. To help you with some of those hard-to-read web articles, below is an arc90 lab experiment you may find handy.

Readability is a bookmarklet that attempts to quickly remove all the clutter around what you’re trying to read. While it doesn’t work with every site and isn’t mean to replace how you normally view websites, it does allow you to choose how text displays and read just a bit better without resorting to print. Watch the video below for more information.

Readability : An Arc90 Lab Experiment from Arc90 on Vimeo. Continue reading for instructions on how to install and get started. Continue reading Readability: A Browser Tool for Better Reading Online…

Lav Notes: The RefWorks Edition

Be sure to check out Lav Notes: The RefWorks Edition while it is still posted.

In case you’ve missed it in the Eisenhower Library, read it online and get an overview of how RefWorks can store your citations, build bibliographies with one click, and help you get organized.

Want to know more? Check out our more complete RefWorks Guide, watch a tutorial, download the quickstart guide, or post a question below.

Remember, send your suggestions for Lav Notes features to asklib@jhu.edu. If we use your suggestion, you’ll get a gift card.

Recent Updates to MSE Library Computers

If you’re one of the many camped out working in the 24/7 Eisenhower Library, you may have noticed that we’ve recently made the following changes to the seated computers in the library:

• Seated workstations now require a JHED login, while standing workstations are available for all library users. Why the change? During the period when the Hut is closed, we’re trying to provide adequate seating and workstations for JHU faculty, staff and students. Affiliate logins are available for some at the circulation desk. Want more details and the fine print? Read the complete policy.
• Multiple keyboard languages are now available. Choose from 12 keyboard languages. Instructions for switching are available on the desktop.
• We’re getting greener. Monitors now shut down after 30 minutes of inactivity to save electricity, and doublesided printing is the default. Still need single-sided printing? See the desktop for instructions.
• Saving or opening documents? Please be aware that the new security schema on the seated workstations doesn’t allow browsing the C: drive. Please make sure to save your work to “My Documents” (also called the D: drive), which is accessible from the desktop by “File storage” shortcut.

Find us on Facebook

Are you a fan of the MSE Library? Show us your love: Follow us on Facebook.

What’s on our page? You’ll find guides to starting your research, and you can search the library catalog or WorldCat, make a quick citation, get updates from our blog, or browse photos. In a sharing mood? Add photos of your own. And, of course, leave your thoughts on our wall.

Show off your enthusiasm for the MSE Library by making your fandom official.