Learning Commons

  • Who’s behind the Ask Us desk

    Thursday, September 12, 2024 | By

    The Ask Us desk is your main stop in the Matheson Learning Commons, and is staffed by the User Services & Engagement department. Services at the desk include retrieving course reserves, borrowing resources, lending wellness items, and much more.

    There are several teams working behind the scenes:

    • Course Readings; we help you with access to high-demand course materials in a variety of formats at no cost to students.
    • Engagement and Outreach; we connect you to library resources through events, displays, and partnerships.
    • Interlibrary Loan; we support your borrowing requests by sourcing items from other libraries around the world.

    Learn more about how we can help you by visiting the Use the Library page.

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  • Brock Library Now and Then

    Sunday, August 25, 2024 | By

    Students sit at a group study table on the main floor of the library in a photograph from 1982

    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

  • Welcome Autumn, and the Wellness Book Club

    Wednesday, August 21, 2024 | By

    Do you love to hear what others have read and loved?

    Are you bursting with excitement to share the book that enthralled you this summer?

    Do you need some inspiration to read for fun (and reap the benefits!)?

    This is your opportunity to try out a new kind of book club! The Wellness Book Club is returning this fall with a new spin…instead of reading the same book, you are invited to bring along a book you recommend and tell us why you loved it.

    Join Teaching & Learning Librarian, Justine, for a gathering this fall – bring your coffee/tea and let’s chat about books. Participants will also have the opportunity to be part of a research study about the effects of recreational reading on stress levels in university students.

    Sign up here: bit.ly/autumn2024bookclub

    We will meet in October and November – dates will be announced soon.

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  • Dark Tourism

    Tuesday, July 30, 2024 | By

    Black and white photograph of a ruined cathedral

    Our August Featured Collection delves into the darker side of tourism, exploring why people choose to visit places associated with tragedy, death, or disaster. “Dark Tourism” is a long-time practice and some scholars describe it as an opportunity to engage with history and gather a deeper understanding of events that occurred in specific locations.

    Read about the preservation of cultural and natural heritage in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, where Ukraine is transforming the site into a tourism attraction. Consider the term social memory and explore collective remembrance of the Holocaust through the visitation of Holocaust memorials and museums.

    These books cover a variety of sites such as: Fukushima, war memorials, concentration camps, catacombs, penitentiaries, and natural disaster sites like Pompeii.

    You can browse the collection by visiting the display next to the Ask Us desk or view the e-books online.

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  • Olympic & Paralympic Games 2024

    Wednesday, July 24, 2024 | By

    Women dive into a pool

    As thousands of athletes gather to compete in Paris this week, Brock Library presents an extra thematic collection this month: 2024 Olympics. Featuring print and e-book titles as well as Olympic and sport-related films, the collection takes an inter-disciplinary approach to the world-wide sporting extravaganza.

    Of note: The Olympic Sports Economy and Circus Maximus consider the economic impacts of mega sporting events on host countries.

    Individual athletes are profiled in titles such as Playing the Long Game by Canadian soccer star Christine Sinclair, and The Greatest Athlete (You’ve Never Heard of): Canada’s First Olympic Gold Medalist, George Washington Orton.

    The 2024 Olympics featured collection is accompanied by a display of Olympic trivia and posters at the Thistle entrance to the Learning Commons.

    Browse, borrow and enjoy in between catching your favourite events.

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  • Canadian Reads

    Tuesday, July 02, 2024 | By

    Book covers from the Canada Reads featured collection for 2024

    Explore July’s curated collection of books and e-books, Canadian Reads, and delve into the print world of Canadiana.

    Looking for a Canadian award-winning fiction to read? The collection includes:

    Interested in educating yourself on contemporary issues in Canada? Try some of these reads:

    Browse the collection by visiting the display next to the Ask Us desk or view the e-books online.

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  • Disability Pride Month

    Thursday, June 27, 2024 | By

    The Disability Pride Flag: A charcoal grey flag with a diagonal band from the top left to bottom right corner, made up of five parallel stripes (going from bottom up; left to right) in red, gold, pale grey, blue, and green

    July is Disability Pride Month.

    Take some time to explore this collection of titles in the fields of Mad Studies and Critical Disability Studies. Both fields have been instrumental in advancing the voices and knowledges of Mad and disabled persons to enact transformative change.

    “Disability is not only an identity, but also a community with a diverse culture all their own to be proud of and celebrated. Disability culture is about visibility and self-value. Disability Pride Month is a time for recognizing these facts and listening to people with disabilities.”

    From Ontario’s Bill 128 – “Disability Pride Month Act, 2023”

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  • Indigenous History Month at the Library

    Tuesday, June 04, 2024 | By

    Among the various visual elements illustrating Indigenous cultures, the sun represents the summer solstice. First Nations, Inuit and Métis as well as the four elements of nature (earth, water, fire and air) are represented by different symbols and colors. The visual is supported by a multicoloured smoke*reminding us of Indigenous spirituality but also the colors of the rainbow, symbol of inclusion and diversity of all FirstNations, Inuit and Métis communities and their members.

    In June, we commemorate National Indigenous History Month to recognize the history, heritage and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada. We invite you to browse our newly updated Indigenous Reads collection of print and ebooks. Recent additions include:

    A sub-collection of streaming videos features several genres including science fiction, documentary, and drama.

    Indigenous Peoples Awareness Week (IPAW), hosted by Hadiya’dagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre, celebrates Indigenous Peoples through four days of workshops and educational activities. IPAW runs from Monday, June 17 until Thursday, June 20 and is open to everyone, including those in the Brock and wider community. More information about the IPAW schedule and how to register will be posted on The Brock News as it becomes available.

    The University will also host the Indigenous Leader Speaker Series on Wednesday, June 20 at 6:30 p.m.

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  • Artificial Intelligence

    Monday, June 03, 2024 | By

    A robot with a human face and a torso of exposed wires

    Take time in June to explore literature around the expanding impact of artificial intelligence. Read about how the digital world and machines are affecting our daily lives.

    This Featured Collection includes titles about:

    Browse this collection of e-books online, and print books by visiting the physical display next to the Ask Us desk.

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  • The History and Enduring Appeal of the Nancy Drew Mystery Stories

    Tuesday, May 14, 2024 | By

    Two book covers from The Secret of the Old Clock by Carolyn Keene.

    Has there ever been a more perfect heroine than Nancy Drew?

    She solves mysteries so effortlessly that the police often look to her for advice. She is beautiful, talented, athletic, and has a loyal group of friends. Her boyfriend, Ned Nickerson, is an equally high achiever: captain of the Emerson College football team, President of his fraternity, and top of his class!

    She’s perfect in so many ways but what’s even better is the fact that she has almost complete freedom to do whatever she wishes, from taking off in her convertible to flying overseas to solve a case. It’s easy to see why so many girls devoured this series.

    I can vividly remember discovering my first Nancy Drew book, at the Pen Centre public library branch when I was around 7 years old (yes, the Pen Centre had a branch right beside Eaton’s!). It was The Mystery of Lilac Inn and it was a classic mystery story, with hidden panels, ghostly figures, and a diamond theft. I loved the twists and turns but, even more, I just wanted to BE Nancy.

    Many readers have shared that feeling, which is part of Nancy’s enduring appeal. Nancy Drew stands out in popular culture, but not everyone is as familiar with the controversy and the history around the mystery stories!

    Fun Facts about The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories: 

    There never was a Carolyn Keene. 

    The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories were ghostwritten by a series of authors throughout the years.  

    Children LOVED Nancy Drew, but teachers and librarians did not!  

    Years ago, the immense popularity of series books (think The Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden) was a source of frustration for librarians and teachers who felt they were a “menace to good reading.” (see: “The Menace of the Series Book” by Lucy Kinloch, 1935)  

    Children still loved Nancy, despite the concerns raised by adults. A child’s review from 1932 where she writes: “The Nancy Drew Mystery Stories” are my favorite books…the book became very exciting…”: 

    A book review of 'The Mystery at Lilac Inn' by a young reader as published in a newspaper.

    Marjorie Thorsen’s book review of The Mystery at Lilac Inn.

    Nancy evolved over the years 

    In the earliest Nancy Drew books (1920s-1940s), Nancy was a blonde 16-year-old girl who took incredible risks. There were plane crashes and Nancy was gagged and bound in a few stories. The books were long (200+ pages) with 25 chapters.  

    In the 1950s, Nancy’s character was transformed to be a demure, Grace Kelly-like girl with “titian” hair who was now 18 years old. She was still daring and intelligent, but she also dabbled in flower arranging and attended balls and fraternity parties. The books became shorter (20 chapters) and older books were revised to be easier to read and to (thankfully) remove racist language.  

    Collecting the Books is challenging 

    It’s difficult to ascertain if a hardcover Nancy Drew is an original because there were so many iterations of the books. The originals had dustjackets, some books had blue inside covers with reenactments of the stories, and some had different illustrators. There have also been reprints of the original series, which adds to the confusion!  

    While I don’t have any true originals from the 1920s/1930s, I love the book collection that I do have. Some of my copies belonged to girls in the 1950s and it’s fun to see their inscriptions and how they marked off the stories they had read in the series or planned to read next. It’s fun to think that Nancy Drew has appealed to girls for over 100 years and that there is even a television show still running featuring this famous detective! 

     

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