Learning Commons

  • A beautiful new display with challenges (and prizes)

    Thursday, October 03, 2024 | By

    Display case contents from the Modern Languages, Literatures, and Cultures display in October 2024

    “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

    Tuesday, October 01, 2024 | By

    Fabric prints which reflect First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples.

    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

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

    Friday, September 13, 2024 | By

    Coat of Arms of Brock University

    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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  • 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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    Categories: Learning Commons, Main

  • 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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  • 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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    Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons

  • 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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    Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons

  • 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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