Mark your calendar for Intersectional Feminisms – a presentation by Dr. Jane Caputi – on Wednesday, March 8, as we celebrate International Women’s Day.
At Intersectional Feminisms, Dr. Caputi, Professor of Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies at Florida Atlantic University, will lead a presentation on the general history of intersectional feminism and beyond.
We invite all of the Jefferson community to attend this event on Wednesday, March 8, at 5 pm in Gutman Library’s Media Classroom. After the presentation, a reception will follow. We’ll share more event details and registration links soon.
Dr. Caputi’s primary research is in contemporary American cultural studies, including popular culture, gender and violence, and ecofeminism and environmental justice.
Dr. Caputi has made two educational documentaries, The Pornography of Everyday Life (2006), distributed by Berkeley Media, and Feed the Green: Feminist Voices for the Earth (2016), distributed by Women Make Movies. Check out Dr. Caputi’s resume to learn more about her work and background.
The New Year is a time to acknowledge the accomplishments of the past and prepare for all of the changes still to come.
This January, we’re highlighting resources that support self-care, mental health, and more. Topics include seasonal affective disorder, psychedelics, aging, and knitting.
In the summer of 2020, the NIH began a pilot program to add Covid-19 related preprints featuring research funded by the NIH to its databases. Two years later, evaluations of this pilot program are positive (Funk, 2022). The National Library of Medicine (NLM) successfully managed the technical hurdles of including and properly labeling preprints into PubMed and PubMed Central (PMC). Including preprints increased the discoverability of NIH-funded research, increasing the speed of access by more than 100 days, according to one published statistic, while not decreasing trust in the NLM or its research tools. According to the NIH, indexing preprints in multiple places had value because researchers access and discover information differently. Due to the success of this pilot, the NIH is expanding its incorporation of preprints into the database and will soon start including all preprints supported by NIH funds published after January 1st, 2023 (NLM, 2022).
It is important to note that the NIH will only include preprints posted to servers that it identified during the first phase of its pilot program as having policies and practices that align both with the mission of the NIH and with recommendations made by groups such as the Committee on Publication Ethics. Eligible preprint servers currently include bioRxiv, medRxiv, arXiv, and Research Square, although the list may change over time.
In support of this new phase of its pilot program, the NIH has updated its search functions and record displays, including an updated information banner on preprint records, more prominent identification of final published journal articles on preprint records, and the ability to exclude preprints from a search as well as limit a search to preprints only (NLM, 2023). Figures 1 and 2 show how the updated peer-reviewed articles are displayed on preprints in PubMed and PMC.
At the end of 2023, the second phase of this program will be assessed to evaluate its continued success in increasing the discoverability and maximizing the impact of NIH-funded research.
Funk, K., Zayas-Caban, T. & Beck J. (2022). Phase 1 of the NIH Preprint Pilot: Testing the viability of making preprints discoverable in PubMed Central and PubMed. BioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.12.12.520156
Figure 1. PubMed search result summary and abstract displays of a preprint and its associated peer-reviewed version.Figure 2. The PMC view of the same preprint summary and full-text views with update notice of its peer-reviewed version.
If you are interested in learning more about the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), join the Academic Commons’ new SoTL Community. This community is open to anyone interested in teaching and learning – including faculty, staff, postdocs, and graduate students. Complete the interest form to get started.
SoTL is a growing field in higher education that uses systematic and methodological inquiry to research the impact of teaching practices and learning experiences. SoTL is a valuable exercise to reflect on your teaching practices, with the overall goal of improving participant learning. SoTL projects aim to improve learning by finding better, more engaging ways to teach.
As a member of the SoTL Community, you will learn the steps involved in SoTL research, develop your own SoTL plan, share progress on your project, and offer feedback to colleagues. Our community will meet three times during the spring 2023 semester (February, March, and April) for one-hour sessions. To learn more about each session’s goals and topics, read our earlier article.
If you are interested in joining this community, complete this interest form. Please complete the form by Friday, January 20, 2023.
If you received a federal (U.S.) work-study award, you could work in the library! We’re hiring for a position within our Access Services department.
In your position in the Access Services team, you will:
Assist library visitors (patrons) check in and out materials, anatomical models, reserves, and technology
Provide directional and other general assistance support to library visitors
Collect statistics
Re-shelve library materials (occasionally).
The Access Services Desk, on the 2nd floor of the library, is open: Monday – Friday, 8am – 10pm, Saturday, 11am – 7pm, and Sunday, 10am – 10pm. Hours vary during semester breaks and holidays.
To apply and learn more, check the job description on Jefferson’s work study page. We hope you’ll join our library team.
Are you interested in creative writing and feel you’ve got a story to tell but don’t have the time or feel intimidated? Join the Write Your Story Creative Writing Series!
We’ll gather (on Zoom) the last Wednesday of every month at 5:30 pm from January to May to work on creative writing projects. Our first session is Wednesday, January 25.
The Write Your Story series is open to everyone at Jefferson – no experience with creative writing is required. We hope you’ll join us!
In the Write Your Story series, you’ll receive:
Guidance on writing and genres
Creative prompts
Dedicated writing time
Feedback on your work
Everyone deserves to tell and preserve their stories, and writing gives you the means to do it. We hope you’ll join us at Write Your Story!
Science Slam is a competition where scientists explain their research in short talks in an easily understandable and entertaining way for a non-expert audience. Jefferson’s Science Slam, on Thursday, February 16, will grant cash prizes for all participants. Everyone at Jefferson is invited to participate. Science Slam is organized by Jefferson’s Graduate Student Association.
Save the Date for the Science Slam Competition: Thursday, February 16, 5pm Venture Café at University City Science Center
Science Slam Info Session (for participants): Thursday, January 19, 3pm Bluemle Building, Room 105 Sign up here
Kick off the New Year by diving into our new eBooks for January. The 25 titles cover communication skills and ethics of healthcare professionals, nutrition management, and clinical assessment considerations for patients who may need wheelchair seating. Read the titles below or browse our complete eBook collection here (Center City/Scott Library) and here (East Falls/Gutman Library).
Join us for this new documentary film series at Gutman Library! Once a month, we’ll watch a documentary that aligns with the theme “Idealists & Changemakers.” Everyone is welcome to attend. Enjoy snacks and refreshments as you connect with others who are interested in the health sciences, mental health care, architecture & design, and sustainability.
Each film tells the story of an activist or idealist dedicated to supporting communities in need, saving lives, and changing history. Click on the documentary titles above to learn more about each film.
These documentaries, and many more films and videos, are available to everyone at Jefferson, thanks to the Thomas Jefferson University Libraries. Explore all the video resources via the Academic Online Video database.
This January 1, another selection of books, movies, and songs will come into the public domain. A curated list of these works that will fall out of copyright at the start of 2023 can be found on ThePublic Domain Review’s website.
Last year, the star of the show was Winne-the-Pooh. In our 2022 Public Domain Day post, we discussed how creators could now use this character without paying a fee to a rights holder because those rights had now expired. However, the story is a bit more complicated. Because only the first Winnie-the-Pooh book has come into the public domain, there are some limitations on what creators can do with this character. The world of Winnie-the-Pooh evolved after the first book was published. New characters, like Tigger, were introduced in subsequent books, and some significant changes were made in their design over time, including the addition of Pooh’s signature red shirt. These substantial changes to the characters are still considered under copyright, and creators who come too close to the Disney version may violate copyright law. Just because a character enters the public domain does not mean that everything about that character is fair game for creators to use.
“Sherlock Holmes” by givingnot@rocketmail.com is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
For Public Domain Day 2023, this principle is perhaps best illustrated by the character of Sherlock Holmes. While most stories about this character are in the public domain and have been for many years, several of the last stories written by Arthur Conan Doyle about his famous detective are under copyright in the United States until January 1, 2023. This has led many creators to continue paying fees to the Doyle estate to avoid potential litigation. The estate has also sued creators for infringing on their rights, most recently Netflix over its Enola Holmes series. The estate claimed that elements of the new series, such as the warmer and more compassionate depiction of Sherlock Holmes, were only present in the later short stories that were still under copyright. While this lawsuit was ultimately settled out of court, it provides a great example of how nuanced copyright law can be.
However, it is also important to remember that the rules regarding public domain works are relatively straightforward compared to the concept of fair use that creators must be familiar with when they seek to use aspects of a work that is still under copyright. Students and faculty who create scholarship meant to be shared with the public, such as blog posts, infographics, and educational handouts, would benefit from an overview of copyright. Visit the Thomas Jefferson University Libraries Copyright Guide to ensure you have the analytical skills needed to know if an academic and/or popular work is consistent according to the law (Gaede & Thornhill, 2022, p. 187).
Email askalibrarian@jefferson.edu if you have questions or would like to discuss integrating these topics into your course.
Gaede, F. & Thornhill. K. (2022). Teaching copyright through pop culture for public scholarship-based instruction. In. Johnson, M. E., Weeks, T.C., & Davis, J.P. Integrating popular culture into the academic library (pp. 181-280). Roman & Littlefield. Via Thomas Jefferson University Libraries
In December, public health organizations unite to promote flu vaccines and discuss the severe complications of the flu. The “triple threat” of the flu, COVID-19, and RSV is spreading across the U.S., and as we gather with family, attend holiday events, and travel, it’s more important than ever to ensure we’re protecting ourselves and others. The best way to do that is with vaccines.
Check out the six resources below on influenza research, the public narrative around pandemics, and how to improve vaccines in children with comorbidities.
December’s eBook additions cover robotic general surgery, cognitive behavior therapy, curriculum development for medical education, and the relationship between culture and health. Check out the new eBooks below and browse our complete eBook collection here (Center City/Scott) and here (East Falls/Gutman).
Since 2006, Jeffersonians have been maximizing research productivity with RefWorks, an easy-to-use tool for publishing and managing citations, bibliographies, and references. RefWorks launched a new version in 2016 (the blue interface) and will sunset the legacy version (the orange interface) in June 2023.
Improvements in RefWorks from Legacy include:
drag-and-drop PDFs,
multiple projects within one account,
project sharing with collaborators,
and a modern, accessible user interface.
For those currently using Legacy RefWorks, we recommend:
backing up your Legacy RefWorks account(s) using both the backup/restore tool, which preserves RefID numbers and folders for restoration only within Legacy RefWorks, and the export feature, which provides a viewable, interoperable copy of your references,
using the upgrade button on Legacy RefWorks accounts to get started with RefWorks now,
or waiting till the institutional upgrade on January 4, 2023.
12/30/2022: New account creation for Legacy RefWorks disabled
01/04/2023: Institutional upgrade for Legacy accounts with references, accessed within the past year, or without a RefWorks account under the same email address*
06/30/2023: Legacy RefWorks access disabled
*If you have Legacy accounts that haven’t been accessed in the past year or if you have a RefWorks account under the same email address as the Legacy accounts, you’ll need to log in before 6/30/2023 to download references and/or upgrade to RefWorks.
Drop by the Brain Break Lounge and take a break from studying for finals to relax, enjoy de-stressing activities, and win prizes! Free coffee, snacks, and other calming goodies will be offered.
When: Tuesday, December 6 – Friday, December 9 and Monday, December 12 – Friday, December 16
Where: Paul J. Gutman Library, Main Level, Nexus Library Instruction Space
Matt Cockerell, Curriculum and Instructional Design Specialist, in the Academic Commons, recently attended the AACU Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference. Matt represented Jefferson, presenting a poster on a recent project with the College of Pharmacy to redesign its curriculum. We caught up with Matt to learn about the conference and discuss his poster, which highlights ways to improve STEM education to achieve student outcomes.
Earlier this month, you attended the AACU Transforming STEM Higher Education Conference. Tell us a bit about the conference. The conference was held outside Washington DC (Arlington, VA) from November 3rd – 5th. The title of the AAC&U conference was Transforming STEM Higher Education: Back to Broken? Accelerating Undergraduate Education Reform. I attended the conference, but Dr. Elena Umland [poster co-author and project partner] was unable to attend.
The conference’s goal was to examine the entire range of contemporary challenges to—and opportunities for—STEM higher education reform. Keynote speakers included Gilda Barabino (President of the Olin College of Engineering), Christina Maslach (Professor Emerita of Psychology at UC Berkley), and Todd Zakrajsek (Associate Research Professor & Associate Director of Fellowship Programs, Department of Family Medicine, UNC Chapel Hill).
Why did you wish to attend the conference, and what role did you play there, representing the Academic Commons and Thomas Jefferson University? There were several motivating factors for attending the conference. One goal was raising awareness of Thomas Jefferson University, the Academic Commons, and the Jefferson College of Pharmacy. I also wanted to expand my professional network in STEM fields to match Jefferson’s strength in these areas. The primary purpose of attending was to highlight the curriculum redesign process within the Jefferson College of Pharmacy. Our poster presentation was an example of a project-level intervention to improve STEM education through strategies focusing on achieving STEM student outcomes. Conference organizers were seeking proposals offering new and innovative insights into STEM reform strategies, and we felt that our curriculum redesign process was a great example.
In addition to supporting educators with curriculum design, Matt is a great photographer! Here are a few photos he took while in Washington, DC.
Let’s discuss your poster, titled “Making the Rounds: An Iterative Approach to Engaging Faculty and Stakeholders in the Development of an Integrated Curriculum in the Health Professions.” How did you and co-author Dr. Elena Umland work together on this project? The Jefferson College of Pharmacy began the curriculum revision process in the Fall of 2021, and I joined the effort in the Spring of 2022. The new curriculum will be administered beginning with the class entering in Fall 2024. Revisions focus on creating an integrated curriculum combining pharmacy science and clinical practice. The goal is to provide students with more active learning opportunities and create holistic thinkers equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary for professional readiness.
The poster represents our efforts up to the time of submission. The process began with faculty development focused on the changing learner, followed by virtual presentations by leadership at two peer colleges that administer integrated curricula. The steering committee and college administration identified vital external stakeholders, both locally and nationally, representing alums, practitioners, and professional organizations. These stakeholders included groups not typically represented in revisions, such as pedagogical experts, faculty and administrators from other institutions, and former students. We argue that this additional input aided in fostering a more inclusive process. We used surveys, listening sessions, and faculty retreats to garner feedback which led to the development of a revised philosophy, goal, and curricular outcomes for the program.
At Dr. Elena Umland’s invitation, I joined weekly meetings with the curriculum revision committee, which consists of 3 additional Jefferson College of Pharmacy faculty members. I have also been fortunate enough to attend numerous full-faculty retreats.
If educators want to learn more about how the Academic Commons can support their curriculum development and program alignment goals, how should they contact you? The best way to reach me is via email at matthew.cockerell@jefferson.edu. Beginning in Spring 2023, I will have a presence on the 4th floor of Scott Memorial Library, so look for me there soon!
