Rutgers Future Scholars: Libraries Internship 2025

Below you can find handouts, links and other takeaways from the workshops and activities that were led by librarians during the week in Alexander Library. 

All relevant links for the Data lesson are at

https://github.com/ryandata/Rutgersfuturescholars/

We mostly looked at the College Scorecard, which provides standardized data for all colleges in the US to compare majors offered, financial aid offered, income of students after graduating, and many other things.  We saw how to download the full data and use the Data Dictionary to understand the data. This can be used in combination with open source R software to develop a customized College Search Tool.  Working with data in this way is the kind of thing that data scientists and data librarians do, but hopefully can be useful to you in your own college search.

Remember when looking for college information, each school will have a "Common Data Set", providing data on their student body, acceptance rates, and other information, and a "Net Price Calculator" which will allow you to see what financial aid the college would offer you, customized to your family circumstances and income.  Just search the school name and those phrases to find them.

More details are at the github link above.

The Black Bibliography Project team is working to to build a database of Black print culture and book history.  This week we will learn different ways to look at books as object and to we discussed how printed books are created by communities of people whose politics, aesthetic practices and movements for social justice and liberation all inform the production of the text. 

Lists of Books by Black Authors (for further reading): 

• "African American Classics I Wish I Read In High School"
• "10 of the Best Black Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers"
• BLM Book Mobile: BLM Booklist (See the fiction, poetry and audiobooks)

Birthplaces of BBP Agents

(authors, editors, illustrators, publishers etc.)

hover over the left side bar, above, and click to view this data as a map!!

A Bit About Conferences

Why Attend a Conference?! 

•  network,
• learn about emerging ideas, tools, methods or best practices in your field
• learn about new publications
• share your ideas and get feedback before publishing (going into print!)
• learn about current issues in your field
• travel!  meet colleagues outside of your state or region & have new cultural experiences

There are some undergraduate programs at Rutgers that have or will fund conference attendance and/or presentations! 

• Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA): Established in 1970, the Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA), was formed to serve as an advocate for the development, promotion, and improvement of library services and resources to the nation’s African American community; and to provide leadership  for the recruitment and professional development of African American librarians.
• American Library Association: The mission of the American Library Association is to provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all.

Here are some key points on how to evaluate health information found on social media platforms, along with some relevant findings from peer-reviewed articles:

• Credibility of the source: The credibility of the source is crucial when evaluating health information on social media. Look for information from reputable organizations and health experts 
• Purpose of the information: Determine the purpose of the information. Is it to educate, promote a product, or express a personal opinion? Be wary of information that seems biased or promotional 
• Evaluate the content: Assess the content of the information. Look for information that is based on scientific evidence and provides references or citations. Be skeptical of information that seems too good (or bad) to be true, or that makes claims that contradict the advice of medical professionals 
• Consider the platform: Different social media platforms have different characteristics that can affect the credibility of the information. For example, some platforms may be more prone to misinformation or have less oversight of the content that is posted 
• Verify the information: Verify the information with other credible sources. If the information seems too good (or bad) to be true, or if it contradicts the advice of medical professionals, it is a good idea to fact-check it with other reliable sources
• Consult with a healthcare professional: If you have questions or concerns about the information, consult with a healthcare professional. They can provide personalized advice and help you interpret the information in the context of your individual health needs 

Sources:

Kington, R. S., Arnesen, S., Chou, W. S., Curry, S. J., Lazer, D., & Villarruel, A. M. (2021). Identifying Credible Sources of Health Information in Social Media: Principles and Attributes. NAM perspectives, 2021, 10.31478/202107a. https://doi.org/10.31478/202107a

Viviani, M., & Pasi, G. (2017). Credibility in social media: opinions, news, and health information—a survey. Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews. Data Mining and Knowledge Discovery, 7(5), e1209-n/a. https://doi.org/10.1002/widm.1209

Health Misinformation Checklist, Office of the U.S. Surgeon General, https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/health-misinformation-checklist-english.pdf

Exercise:

After watching the recording by Dr. Livingood. please answer the following questions:

Who is Dr. Livingood?

Why did he make the recording?

Name a few recommendations offered by Dr. Livingood.

Do you believe what he said?  Can we find evidence to support his arguments?

Medline Plus, https://medlineplus.gov/druginformation.html

We compared a historical map of New Brunswick from Special Collections to Google Maps.

We used the following worksheet with Google My Maps.

• RFS Mapping Exercise

A few other Geographic Information Systems (GISs):

• Open Street Map  https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=9/40.3403/-74.5340
• Social Explorer (via Rutgers Libraries)  https://www.socialexplorer.com/explore-maps
• ArcGIS StoryMaps (via Rutgers)  https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories