Researcher@Library Blog

SciFinderⁿ (Trial)

Image by PublicDomainPictures via pixabay

SciFinderⁿ is the newest product in the SciFinder family, providing a comprehensive collection of content covering chemistry and related sciences from around the globe. SciFinderⁿ is currently having its trial and will end in 18 February 2019.

SciFinderⁿ “allows scientists to

Search all reactions, substances and references at once
Get the right results at first search with the best chemical relevancy engine
Use powerful, comprehensive filters for rapid focus
Display results in a format designed for quick comprehension
Quickly understand research velocity with publication trend analysis

SciFinder-n includes:

MethodsNow Synthesis which contains more than 5 million fully described synthesis methods and procedures, giving you step-by-step instructions on how to make the compounds important to your research; and
PatentPak which allows you to search through millions of patents sourced from more than 30 patent offices and instantly locate the chemistry within.

Use your SciFinder LogIn ID and Password to access the SciFinder-n trial. You must have registered in SciFinder prior to 19th November 2018 to be able to access this trial. If not, please contact Trial queries (using your unimelb email address) for assistance.

Click here to find out more

Digital Preservation for Everyone

It is World Digital Preservation Day on Thursday 29 November, and to celebrate we are live streaming from the AIATSIS / Australasia Preserves seminar Digital Preservation for Everyone.

This Canberra-based event will feature presentations and provocations on the importance of digital preservation, and articulate the need for new stakeholders to become more involved in digital stewardship. Ross Harvey and Jaye Weatherburn will explore some of the ways in which digital preservation can expand to incorporate new perspectives and ways of working, and how collaboration and community building remain essential for the success of long-term digital preservation. Organised by the Australian Institute of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Studies (AIATSIS).

The live stream will take place in room 161, ArtsWest on Thursday 29 November from 10:00am – 12:30pm. Please come along and join us. Map

If you cannot make it to the venue, you can register for the livestream from wherever you are.

For more details, see https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/digital-preservation-for-everyone-world-digital-preservation-day-seminar-tickets-52473815595#

Struggling to fit everything in your research grant application?

Squeezing your research ideas into the limits of funding and grant proposals can be a tedious task. In this post on LSE Impact of Social Sciences Blog, Jonathan O’Donnell, Research Whisperer, RMIT staffer, and now PhD candidate, provides many practical tips on how to crib some extra space in grant applications.

Topics covered include:

How to save characters and lines or pages (it all helps!)
Identifying and removing redundant phrases
And more!

Read the full post or subscribe to Researcher@Library blog for more tips and resources to assist your research!

Learn new skills online

Pick It Up Online is a Skillsoft training resource for learning new skills online and provides online resources that can help you prepare for interviews, future employment and further professional learning in addition to learning Microsoft Office and other software programs.

Learn skills such as:

Basic Presentation Skills
Public Speaking Strategies
Working with Difficult People
Writing under Pressure
Fundamentals of Cross Cultural Communication
Time Management and Productivity
Personal Productivity Improvement
Performance under Pressure
Perseverance and Resilience
Decisiveness
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Thinking critically
Optimizing your performance on a teamm
Campus to Corporate
Interviewing Strategies for the Interviewee

Click here for more information

The Universe Looks Down

Kristin Headlam’s exhibition The universe looks down derives from a University commission of a suite of etchings by Kristin in response to the long narrative poem of the same name by eminent Australian poet Chris Wallace-Crabbe.

As part of this major commission, the University Library acquired the sketchbooks, preliminary drawings and watercolours which evidence the conceptual development of the 64 etchings in the completed suite. These exploratory images, as well as the completed fine prints give a rare glimpse into the creative process Kristin entered into to complete this unique collaboration.

The details of the exhibition is as follows:
Date: 23 August 2018 – 17 February 2019
Venue: Noel Shaw Gallery, Baillieu Library

Click here for more information about the exhibition

Opportunities for student bloggers

The Special Collections and Grainger Museum blog showcases the latest news, research, events and highlights of these rich collections. Student bloggers have now joined the community of curators and academics who contribute to this window upon the rare collections. Recent posts include a student interview with Kristin Headlam, the artist behind the Noel Shaw Gallery exhibition The universe looks down. Enquiries from student contributors writing and researching on the cultural collections and museums are most welcome.

Does open access increase citations?

Ever wondered if increased exposure and visibility afforded by open access journals leads to an increase in citations? This article in the LSE Impact Blog by Yang Li, Chaojiang Wu, Erjia Yan and Kai Li reports on research examining the perceived open access advantage.

Click here to read the full article

Interning at the Baillieu: Print Collection Research Assistant

Snapshot interview with Research Assistant, Rembrandt etchings intern and Melbourne University student Ada Coxall, who is currently researching information about prints that are going to feature in a 2019 exhibition in the Noel Shaw Gallery.

Ada Coxall, Research Assistant, Rembrandt etchings

Can you tell me a little bit about your role at the library?

Mostly, I would compare the role I have within the library to that of an archaeologist, except that the majority of the information that I am unearthing occurs through books, articles and museums. As a researcher of Rembrandt’s etchings, my job is to explore, to follow what is particularly striking – or in some instances what is confusing – about a print and see what I can discover.

What information are you looking for in your research?

As the academic culture around Rembrandt and his prints is so vast, I am attempting to find the significance of the specific prints held by the Baillieu in relation to the hundreds of collections worldwide. The smallest detail in a print can be telling, and I have in many instances whipped out a magnifying glass to get as close as I can to the image. The mouth of a shouting man being pulled by a cow, for instance, can indicate to me whether the print was actually made in Rembrandt’s lifetime or was printed posthumously, significantly affecting the overall value of the print.

What will be your contribution to the exhibition?

I hope to provide certain little windows into the world of the Rembrandt, showing just how significant his works have been for centuries after his death. I will provide some text for those viewing the exhibition to ponder over as they view the works on display. I hope in certain instances to get people thinking why such images – reproducible images no less – have held the fascination of the public for so long, and how they have maintained their significance.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve found so far?

Many things jump out at me in answer to this question. I think, though, that the most interesting aspect for me has been reading volume after volume of intricate, detailed analysis of Rembrandt’s life and works. I have barely scratched the surface in my own analysis. I am in awe of these academics that have dedicated their whole lives to the detailed exploration of a particular topic. I respect researchers all the more for this, as they bring a whole new level to the concept of finding what you love and following it. They don’t just follow, they pursue.

What do you hope to gain from this internship?

Flashback to my interview for this role! Well I like to hope that in the course of this internship my research abilities have been refined (though I definitely have a lot more to learn!) I also hope to leave with the sense that I have discovered something, and that I can share my discoveries with those who they might interest.

What are you doing with yourself apart from volunteering with the Print Collection?

I’m currently completing a double major in Art History and English literature. I also work at the Ian Potter Museum of Art on campus.

What do you hope to do once you’re finished with university?

I hope to find work in the Art History field, although in what capacity I am still unsure of. I think as long as I’m always learning new things and building on my interests in whatever I end up doing, I will be content.

Favourite artist: Too many to name!
Favourite artwork: Again, so difficult! One that stands out to me: Untitled (One hundred Spaces), Rachel Whiteread (1995)
Hobbies: Reading and writing, climbing, quenching wanderlust.
Dream job: Curator/Researcher

Digital Literacy Show & Tell – registrations now open

The afternoon will include 15 demonstrations. Attendees will move between demonstration stands to view and experience learning activities. There will be opportunities to ask questions, explore challenges and make connections with colleagues, as they share their inspiring examples of developing digital literacy skills within curriculum.

The 14th International Digital Curation Conference (IDCC) – REGISTRATIONS OPEN

REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN for the 14th International Digital Curation Conference

“Collaborations and Partnerships: addressing the big digital challenges together”
4-7 February 2019 at Arts West Building, Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

IDCC is a leading conference on digital curation and Research Data Management, regularly attracting around 250 delegates from all over the world. DCC is partnering with the University of Melbourne to take IDCC to Australia for the first time.

Conference Theme for 2019:

Collaborations and partnerships in the fields of digital curation and preservation.

How do they develop and evolve across the professional, disciplinary, institutional, regional, national, and international levels? And how are such collaborations supporting the advancement of digital curation and preservation practices?

The main conference programme is on Tuesday and Wednesday: 5^th to 6^th February. Keynote addresses by Christine Kenneally and Patricia Brennan, and a live discussion by Nancy McGovern and Clifford Lynch. There will also be an extensive Poster Exhibition. Workshops will be held on Monday February 4^th. A new addition to the programme will be the IDCC Unconference which will be held on the 7th of February, an event driven by delegates, on topics of their choice.

Book now and benefit from early bird registration rates! Visit the IDCC website for more information.

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