HKS Library Newsletter November @ HKS Library Two days out from the U.S. presidential election, we hope you're finding ways to decompress and reground yourself after a period of high activity -- regardless of your political leanings. If you're looking for details and ways you can stay up-to-date on the aftermath, HKS has curated a set of resources for understanding the 2024 presidential election. If you're hoping not to think about the election for a while, the HKS Library has plenty of opportunities to do that, too! In this newsletter you'll find: Tomorrow: Data + Donuts on leveraging data to improve neighborhood health and safety. Libraries & Democracy: Recording and key takeaways from Jocelyn Kennedy's talk on book bans and the First Amendment. Submit Your Talk on R: Give a lightning talk on programming in R and be entered to win a Raspberry Pi mini-computer. ICYMI: 8 decades of US presidential elections through political buttons. Get Easier Access to Online Articles: Install the Harvard Library bookmarklet. Spooky Library: The HKS Library was decked out for Halloween! Data + Donuts Leveraging Data to Improve Neighborhood Health & Safety with Kate Robb (Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative) Friday, November 8, 2024 | 10:30-11:30AM ET | Wexner 330 + Zoom Kate Robb is a Senior Research Associate at the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative. She works on applied research and innovative approaches to solve urban environmental health challenges. Currently, she leads studies focused on housing and health and how city governments can leverage their existing data and resources to be more effective, efficient, and equitable in responding to public health problems. At this session of Data + Donuts, Kate will talk about her recent work collaborating with cities to improve the health and safety of neighborhoods through leveraging data, collaboration, and innovation. She’ll discuss findings from practices at the intersection of community development, code enforcement, and social services. Register for the Event Libraries & Democracy Jocelyn Kennedy on book bans, censorship, & the First Amendment In late October, we hosted our first event of the Libraries & Democracy Initiative. Jocelyn Kennedy, lawyer and librarian, gave a talk exploring the history of government censorship in the US, the legal limits of censorship, and the role the First Amendment plays in protecting the freedom to read. Some key takeaways from Jocelyn's talk include: In recent years, US public and school libraries have been facing an organized effort to censor their content and programming. These challenges have come alongside legislation criminalizing library staff and threats of violence. The organized nature of recent efforts is distinct from book challenges throughout the 20th century, which most often looked like individuals questioning the appropriateness of a book on a library’s shelves. Censorship and book bans have existed for as long as the written word, suggesting a human instinct to control the dominant narrative that stands in contrast to American democratic ideals of free speech as codified in the First Amendment. As early as the 18th century, the US Congress has passed legislation limiting First Amendment freedoms, including the Sedition Act (1798), the Comstock Act (1873), and the Espionage Act (1917). For more key takeaways and to view the full recording of Jocelyn's talk, visit the website of our Libraries & Democracy Initiative. View the Event Recording Submit a lightning talk on R programming   ... and get entered to win a Raspberry Pi mini-computer! Talk Submission Deadline: Monday, November 11 Event: Friday, November 15, 2:00-3:00PM Join the HKS Library and R User Group at the Harvard Data Science Initiative for an afternoon of R lightning talks. A lightning talk is a 5-8 minute, informal presentation. Ideas include a short tutorial on an interesting feature in R, different ways of approaching coding problems, an fun applications of R. We're especially interested in presentations on economics, political science, econometrics, public policy, health policy, and related fields. Submit Your R Lightning Talk ICYMI: US Presidential Campaigns, 1944-2020 Two days after the US presidential election, we know there are strong emotions of all kinds in our community. Regardless of your political outlook, we in the HKS Library encourage you to contextualize our current moment in a long line of presidential campaigns. We've curated 80 years' worth of campaign buttons from our Political Buttons Collection, plus book recommendations so you can dig deeper into the complexities of each election. If you're on the HKS campus, come by the Library anytime to view the display in person and check out our recommended books. Explore the Buttons Get Easier Access to Online Articles Need access to an online article? Don't want to search for it in HOLLIS? Install the Harvard Library bookmarklet in any web browser to see if you have free access with your HarvardKey. Install the bookmarklet Spooky Library The HKS Library was decked out for Halloween! Here's a glimpse of the festivities in case you couldn't make it in person. Acknowledgment of Land and People Harvard University is located on the traditional and ancestral land of the Massachusett, the original inhabitants of what is now known as Boston and Cambridge. We pay respect to the people of the Massachusett Tribe, past and present, and honor the land itself which remains sacred to the Massachusett People. From the Harvard University Native American Program (HUNAP). HKS librarians can support your research and academic work. Email us or schedule a meeting. Contact the HKS Library