Learning Commons

  • Doing OK? – a campus-wide mental health campaign

    Brock Library thanks Bailey O’Hagen, Wellness Navigator in the Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre for this exhibit and blog post. Visit the display in the Matheson Learning Commons until October 31. 

    This year, The Wellness Navigators and The Wellness HUB are shining a spotlight on their Doing OK? mental health campaign—an initiative focused on building a compassionate campus where students have the skills and confidence to reach out and support one another.

    Our library display highlights the campaign’s key message of “Doing OK?”—a reminder to check in on a friend. University life can get busy with classes, deadlines, and everything in between, and it’s easy to get caught up in the rush. Through this display, we wanted to reflect on how important it is to take the time to pause, connect, and reach out. Sometimes, it can be as simple as sending a friend a message asking, “How are you doing?”—a small question that can open the door to meaningful conversation and support.

    This campaign encourages students to regularly check in on their friends and loved ones. It focuses on building awareness around the importance of reaching out, recognizing when someone might need extra support, and knowing how to have these conversations with their friends.

    The campaign follows these five steps to guide your check-ins:

    1. Recognize the Signs – Noticing the Changes in mood, behaviour, or routine may signal that someone is struggling.

    2. Ask – A simple “Are you doing OK?” can go a long way.

    3. Listen – Be present, and let them share without judgment.

    4. Encourage Action – Gently support them with next steps – whether it’s reaching out to a resource, a trusted person, or using a coping strategy.

    5. Check Back In – Continued support shows you care and builds trust.

    Together, we can create a campus where compassion and connection thrive.

    The “Doing OK?” campaign is part of the Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre (SWAC). To learn more about the campaign and explore mental health supports and resources, visit our Doing OK? page.

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  • A 10-minute European vacation awaits

    “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 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 MLLC students. May your curiosity be piqued and perhaps some of the questions rooted in the history of these cultures will be raised by the materials on display.

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  • Celluloid Crazy

    Film festival season is here!

    This month’s featured collection is all about cinema. Explore some of the titles, which range from film history, film criticism, and special topics.

    Come by the Ask Us Desk and check it out!

    Follow this link to see the entire collection, including a collection of eBooks:

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  • Display: Welcome to Brock & the Library

    New and returning students are invited to stop by and view a new exhibit showcasing the many services and resources of the Brock University Library.

    Archives & Special Collections:
    Exhibited at the Thistle entrance to the Library, is cool story in the remarkable life of Sean O’Sullivan.  At the age of 20 while studying at Brock, O’Sullivan was elected to the House of Commons. In this role- some fifty years ago, he undertook a quest to make the beaver the national symbol of Canada. We encourage you to view the entertaining source documents about this chapter in Canadian history.

    Brock University Art Collection:
    Get a sneak peek of Intentional Futures, an exhibition located at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts.

    Brock Library Makerspace and Maps, Data & GIS services:
    The Learning Commons display cases show Niagara’s grape-growing regions visualized in a new and dynamic way. Come and view the Makerspace-created 3D puzzle of the Niagara Peninsula Wine Sub-Appellations map.

    Resources for a successful start at Brock:
    A guide to study spots, wellness resources for loan, and various ways to get help from the library are also featured this month.

    Welcome to Brock University Library runs to Friday, September 26.

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    Categories: Learning Commons, Makerspace

  • Cosmic Reads

    “Space is big. Really big. You just won’t believe how vastly, hugely, mindbogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it’s a long way down the road to the chemist’s, but that’s just peanuts to space.” – Douglas Adams (Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy)

    Astronomy, astrophysics, astronauts, rockets, and space. This month’s Featured Collection is all about outer space! Grab a book and read, but don’t forget to look up and wonder what is beyond. 

    Browse our physical collection at the Ask Us Desk in the Matheson Learning Commons, or explore our eBooks and Space Films collections.

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  • Display: Keep calm and succeed at Brock

    Brock Library thanks Kristina Saltarelli, Mohawk College Library Technician intern for this display and blog post. Visit the display in the Matheson Learning Commons through September. 

    University life is more than lectures…it’s about finding balance. Keep Calm and Succeed at Brock is a collection of books that offer tips and inspiration for managing stress, eating well on a budget, building strong friendships, improving study habits, and taking care of your mental and physical health. Whether you’re entering your first year or your last, these reads are here to help you feel your best!

     

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  • The Write Tools

    Whether you’re new to Brock or back for another term, this month’s Featured Collection is here to sharpen your writing and research game.

    Need help tackling essays, research papers, or thematic analyses? Find books on academic writing, research methods, and discipline-specific strategies on display near the Ask Us desk – plus a curated selection of eBooks.

    Looking for more tools? Check out LIB101: Library & Research Foundations on Brightspace, or the Omni Search Tips guide.

    And if you’re after program-specific help, explore Brock’s full set of Research Guides – including ones tailored to your courses.

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  • Gettin’ outdoors

    In honor of the start of summer and the spirit of going outdoors during the warm days ahead, this month’s featured collection is all about nature and “The Great Outdoors”. Reconnect and rediscover nature by grabbing one of the books off of the Featured Collection shelf at the Matheson Learning Commons. From bird watching, foraging, plant identification and hiking, there is a little bit of something for everyone! The collection also features a series of eBooks and several film and video resources as well.

    We would also like to take this opportunity to highlight the NaturePlus Pass. The NaturePlus pass gives you access to a dozen conservation areas and parks across Niagara courtesy of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority. NaturePlus passes are available at the Ask Us Desk!

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  • Breaking down barriers through learning: accessibility in higher education

    Brock Library thanks Mark Castrodale, Student Accessibility Case Manager in the Student Wellness and Accessibility Centre for this exhibit and blog post. Visit the display in the Matheson Learning Commons until June 27. A featured collection of supporting literature is available through Omni.

    Access to education is a fundamental right for all persons. “Access is not just a word that indicates a lack of inclusion; it is also a way of perceiving, talking, and acting…As a perception, as talk and conduct, as a form of consciousness, access leads us to ask how access can be an interpretive move that puts people into different kinds of relations with their surroundings. Anything said about access can be read for how it reflects a host of questions: Who has access? Access to where? Access to what? When?” (Titchkosky, 2011, p.13). As such, access to higher education represents a collective responsibility, and ethical imperative. Considering issues of access can enhance the quality of education, deepen curriculum and pedagogy, and open paths for often marginalized persons to meaningfully participate and engage in teaching and learning opportunities. While there are advisable practices to improving access, accessibility in higher education represents an ongoing process, and a shared journey.

    Reference:
    Titchkosky, T. (2011). The Question of Access: Disability, Space, Meaning. U of Toronto Press.

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    Categories: Learning Commons, Main

  • In the Garden

    This month the Library presents you with a seasonal selection of titles designed to give some garden inspiration.

    In the Garden includes books on growing and pruning plants and vegetables, soil science, and attracting birds, butterflies and bees to your garden. Titles on the history and economics of gardens, medicinal plants, insects, and fungi round out the collection.

    Browse and borrow the print items located next to the Ask Us desk and view online titles.

     

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