November 2023

Empty Lamps, Wiser Bridesmaids

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps. As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept. But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.’ Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, for...

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A supermassive black hole’s strong magnetic fields are revealed in a new light

The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration has published new results that describe for the first time how light from the edge of the supermassive black hole M87* spirals as it escapes the black hole’s intense gravity, a signature known as circular polarization. The way light’s electric field prefers to rotate clockwise or...

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Get Informed About Forms

By Meg McMahon

Recently, I have conducted two studies about online web forms. One study was for an internal form related to managing e-resource acquisition and maintenance. The other study was to create a better form experience for special borrowers on our website’s Visitor Access page. After both of these studies were conducted I attended a presentation by the NC State User Experience Research team. The talk was called "Better...

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6 Compelling Ways Institutions Are Using Their COACHE Data to Drive Impact

Man Pointing to White BoardFrom closing equity gaps to clarifying the process for promotion to improving governance, COACHE partners are using the data and insights from their Faculty Job Satisfaction Surveys to drive progress at their institutions. 

The COACHE Faculty Job Satisfaction Survey provides both quantitative and qualitative data for leadership, with a focus on various themes that reflect faculty perspectives on their workplace. These themes include nature of work: research, teaching, and service; tenure and promotion; personal and family policies; and institutional governance, among others. 

Below are six examples of how institutions have used their COACHE data to help create positive change: 

Apply now for the 2024 OpenDP Intern and Visiting Fellow Programs!

We are pleased to announce the 2024 OpenDP Interns and Visiting Fellows call for applications! Starting today, we are seeking interested individuals that are interested in contributing to and helping grow the OpenDP library and community.

OpenDP Interns are typically undergraduate, post-bacc, or graduate students but those at other stages are welcome to apply. It is preferred that interns join full time and in person for the full 10-week program (tentatively June 3rd 2024 - August 9th 2024), but there are also options for part-time, remote...

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The Ounce: Don't Dry This at Work/Home

Welcome to The Ounce, an occasional missive for Harvard Library colleagues from Preventive Programs in HL Preservation Services.

The Dry Humidity Season: November-February

During the fall and winter season, indoor humidity levels drop, presenting risks for library and archive collections. Humidity below 40% is drying and can cause organic materials to shrink, warp, crack, or become brittle. These changes can be permanent or require conservation treatment to resolve.

If humidity drops lower than 30%, some materials are even more susceptible to these...

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