Articles by author: Evelyn Smith

  • Exhibits: Voices of Remembrance, and Some Were Neighbors

    “To forget the dead would be akin to killing them a second time” (Elie Wiesel, Night, 1960). Wiesel’s words remind us that memory is a moral act, essential in preserving the past and preventing future hatred.

    Chabad at Brock presents “Voices of Remembrance,” an exhibit featured in the Thistle Corridor and the Learning Commons at Brock University Library. Organized under the lead of Chabad at Brock’s Holocaust Education Chair, Brooke Braverman, this display brings together the stories of Brock students who are descendants of Holocaust survivors. Through their narratives, we reflect on the antisemitism that led to the Holocaust and honour the resilience needed to carry these memories forward.

    In the Learning Commons, Some Were Neighbors, a traveling exhibit from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, further examines the actions and moral choices of ordinary people during the Holocaust, inviting us to consider our own responsibilities in confronting hate.

    Additionally, the library has curated a collection of books to support Holocaust Education Week, offering historical insights, survivor testimonies, and scholarly perspectives on antisemitism and resilience.

    We invite you to explore these stories and reflect deeply on their message. In bearing witness to this living history, we commit to fighting against antisemitism, hatred, ignorance, and indifference wherever they appear.

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    Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons

  • Spotlight your research, teaching, or BUSU club interests in the Learning Commons display cases

    The Library welcomes members and groups of the University community to showcase their work within the Matheson Learning Commons.  We offer display space to bring attention to the unique research, services, and teaching & learning projects that are happening around campus.

    See exhibit guidelines and make your booking request.

    Questions? Please email esmith@brocku.ca or aemery@brocku.ca

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    Categories: Learning Commons, Main

  • GIS Day coming November 20th

    Wednesday, November 20th marks a special day in the geography world as we gear up to celebrate GIS! Geographic Information Systems (GIS) combines software, hardware, data and people to create, analyze and disseminate geospatial data and ideas around where and why things happen as they do.

    Join us this year to learn more about GIS including ArcGIS Online Analysis tools and the Esri Site License. The Map, Data & GIS Library is hosting a few online and in-person events including:

    Wednesday, November 20, 2024

    9:00-9:30 a.m.: ArcGIS Site License Q&A: This brief Question & Answer session will offer an informative conversation about the Esri educational site license. Esri is the producer of the ArcGIS suite of products including ArcGIS Pro, ArcGIS Online, Esri CityEngine and more! Come with your questions, leave with some answers and guidance. Registration suggested but not required. https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/269153 (This is an online event).

    10:00-11:30 a.m. Vector Analysis in ArcGIS Online: This hands-on workshop introduces attendees to this popular modern GIS while answering questions about the distribution of childcare centres, infant capacity, drive-time analysis, polygon enrichment (demographic data from Environics) and more! Registration is strongly recommended but experience with the software is not required. https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/269156 (This is an online event).

    12:00-1:00 p.m. Pizza and Cake in the MDGL: Join the Tourism and Geography Society for lunch in the MDGL where anyone can buy a slice of pizza and partake of the infamous GIS Day cake (free)!

    Visit the ArcGIS Storymap https://arcg.is/0uPbPK for more details.

    GIS Day is an annual event that celebrates Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology and its impact on society. It typically takes place on the third Wednesday of November during Geography Awareness Week. The day provides an opportunity for GIS professionals, educators, students, and enthusiasts to showcase how GIS is used in various fields like environmental management, urban planning, disaster response, and more.  GIS Day was first observed in 1999, initiated by Esri, a prominent GIS software company, as a way to promote GIS technology and its potential to solve real-world problems. Events held on GIS Day often include workshops, presentations, map demonstrations, and educational activities aimed at raising awareness about the benefits of GIS and inspiring new users to explore its possibilities.

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    Categories: Main, MDGL

  • Mini Mood Boards: Wellness Week Crafternoon

    BUSU Wellness Week (November 4-7, 2024) invites students to de-stress, unwind, and have fun in the midst of the semester.

    As part of the week’s events, the Library is hosting a ‘crafternoon’ of collage. We invite you to take a break from your studies or work and join us for a crafternoon full of creative cutting and pasting. We’ll provide all the supplies and a little inspiration. This is a free, drop-in session, open to all.  No need to RSVP.

    For more Wellness Week resources, events, and activities, visit the Brock University Students’ Union (BUSU) website.

    A variety of resources aimed at supporting students’ well-being are available at Brock Library all year long. Board games, light therapy lamps, and the Badger Books (recreational) collection are available to borrow as well as colouring pencils, knitting needles, and more. Visit Wellness at the Library to see the different ways we can help you unwind and de-stress.

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    Categories: Main

  • A beautiful new display with challenges (and prizes)

    “Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”     ― Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad

    The Department of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures (MLLC) welcomes you to browse through its latest exhibit in the Library and at the Thistle entrance to the Learning Commons. The display exemplifies the languages and unique cultures explored by students in our courses. May your curiosity be piqued! Perhaps some of the questions rooted in the history of these cultures will be raised by the materials on display.

    Students are invited to view the intriguing assortment of items and win a prize. All responses will be collected for each of the two challenges and a $10 gift card will be awarded to two lucky winners.

    Challenge #1:

    a) Identify the theme of the current display. The hint is given on red crêpe paper in the four main languages taught in MLLC.
    b) Identify the person or the event depicted on the images posted on each vertical surface in both display cases (not the collage).  The images for one group are identical, so there are seven (7) scenes it total.
    The submission with the most correct answers will be the winning one.

    Challenge #2:

    Find an image from the collage or an object from the display and write about it.  It can be a memory, a meditation, or simply a comment.
    The responses will be evaluated by a selection committee, based on the creativity and relevance of the content.

    Submit your responses by Sunday, October 20 at midnight to: dbielicki@brocku.ca. Questions and comments are also welcome!

    Citation: https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/81446280-the-innocents-abroad

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    Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons

  • Featured Collection: Honouring Indigenous Women and Girls

    This month’s featured Omni Collection is intended to honour and remember the lives of Indigenous Women and Girls in recognition of the Native Women’s Association of Canada‘s Sisters In Spirit Day. Browse and borrow from the print collection displayed next to the Ask Us desk and head online to view the Indigenous Women on Film sub-collection of documentaries.

    The collection also acts as a complement to The Canadian Library, a grassroots art installation project that acts as a memorial to all Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit people. View the Brock University micro gallery at the Entiohahathe’te Knowledge Den.

    The Entiohahathe'te Knowledge Den

    The Entiohahathe’te Knowledge Den is located home to an Indigenous book collection and Brock’s Canadian Library Project micro gallery.

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    Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons

  • National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

    On September 30, we recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. The day honours the children who never returned home and Survivors of residential schools, as well as their families and communities.  

    Learn more about the impact of residential schools by exploring our virtual book display, a mixture of print titles, ebooks, and streaming video.

    Image credit: The Survivors’ flag was designed during six weeks of consultation, discussion and collaboration with Survivors from across Canada. Inuit, Mi’kmaq, Atikamekw, Cree, Ojibway, Dakota, Mohawk, Dene, Nuu-chah-nulth, Secwepemc, Métis Survivors brought the flag to life by sharing their thoughts, ideas and lived experience to identify the important symbolism you see. The NCTR (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation) ensured the Survivors’ wishes and ideas were conveyed to Vincent Design to complete the flag.

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    Categories: Featured Collections

  • Professional librarian career opportunity

    Brock University Library invites applications for the full-time, permanent position of Teaching & Learning Librarian, Math & Science and Applied Health Sciences.

    The successful candidate will join the Library’s highly collaborative Teaching & Learning department. Reporting to the Head, Teaching and Learning, this position will support the teaching & learning mission of the Library alongside a team of four other librarians. The Teaching & Learning Librarian, Mathematics & Science and Applied Health Sciences collaboratively develops tools, processes, and resources that support the department’s strategic goals, including curriculum integration. The successful candidate will lead the department’s instruction and course support within the Faculties of Mathematics & Science and Applied Health Sciences.

    Learn more about this role, and apply by Monday, October 7, 2024 at 12:01 am

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    Categories: Main

  • Trio of exhibits celebrate Isaac Brock and his namesake University’s 60th anniversary

    In celebration of Brock University’s 60th anniversary, Brock University Archives & Special Collections have installed three new exhibits focusing on Major General Sir Isaac Brock and graphical representations of the University.

    At the east entrance of the James A. Gibson Library, view the collection of archival treasures depicting Sir Isaac Brock over the centuries.  As no one really knows what the ‘Hero of Upper Canada’  looked like, seeing how artists have portrayed him over time is always interesting.  From paintings to Pokémon, you can find Isaac almost everywhere.

    Action figure of Isaac Brock

    The Major-General Isaac Brock action figure. Created by the Canadian Legends company, the collector’s item is one of several unique pieces on display.

    On display inside the Matheson Learning Commons and at the Thistle entrance, visitors can learn how Brock University has promoted itself graphically from 1964 to the present. From the most successful campaigns to the least, each exhibit represents a specific time in the University’s history as well as art styles and ideas.

    1968 Time Magazine ad for Brock University

    A young man in suit and tie strides into a bright future with the Schmon Tower in the background. This advertisement from Time Magazine appeared in the November 8, 1968 issue of Time Canada with the compliments of the publisher.

    Enjoy these exhibits throughout September (and Surgité)!

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    Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons

  • Brock Library Now and Then

    As part of Brock University’s 60th anniversary celebrations, we present Brock Library Now and Then, a treasure trove of photos showing the development of the Brock University Library and the generations of students who studied here.

    Reminisce in-person by scanning the QR codes located on posters in the Matheson Learning Commons (main floor or the Library), Floor 5, and in the Map, Data, & GIS Library. For those unable to visit in person, navigate to Brock Library Now and Then exhibit online.

    Most of the images are from the University photo collection held in the Archives and Special Collections. We thank Archives staff for their contributions to this exhibit, and invite you to delve further into Brock University history and lore at the Pop-Up Archives event during this year’s very special Homecoming Skyline Celebration.

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    Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons