Interested in taking some free online courses at MIT?  Surf on over to their OpenCourseWare site.  Here you’ll find classes on a range of topics with materials from over 2,150 courses.

A sample list of classes from their Entrepreneurship Section:

• Inventions and Patents
• Early Stage Capital
• Entrepreneurial Finance
• Entrepreneurial Marketing

You’ll also find a list of MIT-hosted videos relating to entrepreneurship.

You can also check out Kirstein’s selection of Entrepreneurship titles from our catalog.

According to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation $18.6 billion will be spent on Valentine’s Day this year with the average consumer spending $130.97 on items such as candy, cards, flowers and jewelry.   

Breakdown by item purchased:

• 51.% candy
• 36.6% flowers
• 19.7% jewelry
• 15.6% clothing
• 15% gift cards

Download their complete survey results.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Thirty-five years ago this week, President Carter declared parts of Rhode Island and coastal Massachusetts federal disaster areas.  The National Guard was brought in for the clean-up.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration,  the Red Cross reported 73 deaths and 4324 injuries or illnesses attributed to the storm in Massachusetts and 26 deaths and 232 injuries or illnesses in Rhode Island.

Three thousand cars and 500 trucks were stranded on Route 128 in Massachusetts.

There were $500 million in damages in Massachusetts an $15 million in Rhode Island.

Here is the  Blizzard of 1978 Revisited slide show from the National Weather Service in Taunton.

For more information on the blizzard, check out:

The Blizzard of ’78
Tougias, Michael (Book – 2003)

Greater Boston’s Blizzard of 1978
Earls, Alan R. (Book – 2008)

Storm of the Century: New England’s Great Blizzard of ’78
Haraden, Christopher J. (Book – 2003)

New Electronic Resource Product Alert!

The library now subscribes to the Morningstar Investment Research Center.  Massachusetts residents with a library card or eCard can access this service remotely.  Check it out today.

About Morningstar Investment Research Center:

Morningstar Investment Research Center provides real-time access to comprehensive data and independent analysis on thousands of investments, spanning mutual funds, stocks, exchange-traded funds, and closed-end funds. Investment Research Center serves all levels of investors with a range of dynamic tools and thoughtful perspectives to help them make more informed investment decisions.