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• Cheering on the Class of 2021

  Friday, June 18, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Congratulations to the 2021 Brock University Graduating Class.

  We’ve shared late nights and early mornings with you. We’ve been at the ready when you’ve dashed in to print assignments and loaned countless course reserve readings and whiteboard markers. We’ve explained the research process, and taught dozens of workshops from 3D printing and ArcGIS to programming, research 101, and yoga.

  All of those interactions big and small, in-person and online have led to this great day – your graduation from Brock University.  We are proud of your accomplishments and offer our whole-hearted best wishes.

  Surgité!

   

  Tags: Students
  Categories: Main

• New titles from Cambridge Histories Online

  Wednesday, June 09, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Cambridge Histories, with over 100 years of content and 350+ volumes, is a series of continually updated reference works covering a broad range of subjects across the humanities and social sciences. Cambridge University Press intended the series to cover all of human history with concentrations in political and cultural history, literature, philosophy, religious studies, music, and the arts. Each volume includes authoritative narrative accounts by specialists and extensive bibliographies. Some histories are individual volumes, while others are part of multi-volume series (eg. History of Violence). The search interface is simple and straightforward, the text is fully searchable and books or book chapters can be linked directly from Sakai. Downloading of individual chapters is permitted.

  New 2021 titles include: The Cambridge History of the Kurds and The Cambridge History of Terrorism.

  For more information about Cambridge Histories Online, please contact Laurie Morrison at lmorrison@brocku.ca

   

  Tags: Our Collections
  Categories: Main

• Career Opportunity in Library Collections Services

  Monday, May 31, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Brock University Library invites applications for the full-time probationary position of Head, Collections Services (Library).

  Candidates will have experience in the acquisition of materials in all formats. The position includes providing leadership and direction for the operations of Collections Services, a department of 10 people.

  Apply online by June 28, 2021 at 12:01am EST.

  Questions? Email jdingle@brocku.ca, Acting Head, Collections.

  Tags: Collections, Employment opportunity
  Categories: Main

• The Library is here to support fall course planning

  Thursday, May 20, 2021 | By Andrew Colgoni

  

  Instructors, as you prepare for the Fall 2021 term, the Library is ready to work with you for whatever mode of teaching you are considering – on campus, online, blended or hybrid.

  Here’s some of the ways we can help.

  Course Reserves and Readings

  For maximum flexibility, we are encouraging all instructors to continue using digital/online course readings for the fall term. This way, your students will be able to access any course readings no matter where they are physically located, or how often they may be on campus.

  Several alternatives to print resources are available including the creation of course-specific online packs, leveraging articles, book chapter scans, and other digital material. The Reserves team is ready to work with you to develop these for your students.

  An instructor self-serve option is also available, providing flexibility to instructors who wish to do this work themselves. All self-submissions will get a final check for copyright compliance, and will then be active for students.

  With regard to e-textbooks, it is important to remember that most of the major publishers will not sell these to libraries. This limitation means that students who do not purchase the textbook have no alternative access to the textbook contents. You can read more about this limitation, and what non-print options are available. Liaison Librarians are also available to help you identify alternate resources.

  For those instructors teaching primarily on-campus, the library is considering models for safely offering print reserves in September. We are interested in hearing from instructors that anticipate needing printed course reserves, so we can understand the level of demand and specific needs. Please reach out to Andrew Colgoni, Associate University Librarian, Student Success to start that conversation.

  Open Educational Resources

  Open Educational Resources (OER) are teaching and learning materials (including textbooks, courses, learning objects, tests, media, etc.) that you may freely use and reuse, without charge. Brock University Library, with our partners in CPI, can support faculty and instructors interested in using, adapting, or creating OERs in their courses or programs. Support for OER use is part of our broader commitment to helping faculty make course materials more affordable for students, in conjunction with course reserves.

  If you’re considering incorporating an OER into your course, the Library and the Centre for Pedagogical Innovation are here to support you in finding the right resource for your course and how best to use it in your curriculum. Learn more about our OER Services.

  Teaching Support

  Our librarians are available to work with you on building research skills, information literacy, and related literacies into your course curriculum. Contact the liaison librarian for your program.

  You may also wish to include the library’s various online learning resources into Sakai or your syllabus. We have a comprehensive list of research guides for Brock’s programs, as well as tutorials, videos and guides for common research tasks, like searching Omni, the library’s academic search tool.

  Streaming Video and Film Digitization

  Instructors looking to include film or video in their curriculum are encouraged to search Omni, or look through our Streaming Video Resource guide, which includes all of our subscription platforms and a number of free resources. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, we can work with you on possible alternatives. Contact us directly at libhelp@brocku.ca to learn more.

  Access to Collections

  The pandemic has highlighted how important access to electronic resources has been, and the library will continue to prioritize purchasing electronic resources where possible. The pandemic has also highlighted just how valued the print collection is. Through programs such as the HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access Service (ETAS), we have been able to provide digitized access to about a third of our print collection while the physical library space is closed. Instructors should note that should we be able to open the library fully, including the floors housing our print collection, we would need to discontinue ETAS. We commit to continue working with our users and responding as best we can to facilitate access to print content.

  We plan on continuing Interlibrary Loan services, though it continues to be subject to availability and access at our partner libraries.

  Tags: OER, Open Educational Resources, Services, Streaming Video, Teaching & Learning
  Categories: Main

• New Resource: CAB Abstracts with Fulltext

  Friday, May 14, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  CAB Abstracts (previously produced by the Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, now produced by an international non-profit agency CABI) covers agriculture very broadly, from agronomy, economics, all applied and biological sciences, plant sciences, tourism, hospitality, and leisure, environmental, food, international, and rural development, global health, veterinary and animal sciences, and much more. Includes journals, monographs, conferences, books, annual reports, and other sources. The scope of content in current international and least-developed scholarly research not cited in most mainstream scholarly databases.

  • Instant access to over 12.5 million bibliographic records, includes news and blogs
  • Over 475,000 hard-to-find linked full text sources, so nice!
  • Comprehensive subject indexing coverage in all interdisciplinary research areas
  • Includes access to relevant world-wide sources back to 1910
  • English language summaries, indexing, abstracts, and organism descriptors
  • Check out the CAB Thesaurus to better define search, organism, and preferred keyword search terms
  • Works well with linking to Brock Library full-text articles, open sources, and citation management systems e.g. Zotero
  • Create a My CABI account to save searches, set up email alerts, and share findings with colleagues
  • Best kept Brock Library database secret – try it today!

  Ian Gordon
  Science Liaison Librarian

  Tags: Our Collections
  Categories: Main

• New Resource: Times Literary Supplement (TLS) Historical Archive

  Tuesday, May 11, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  The Brock Library is pleased to announce new online access to the Times Literary Supplement (TLS) Historical Archive (1902-2014).  The Times Literary Supplement (TLS) is one of the most esteemed and essential publications for those who love to discover new literary works and explore lively discussions on diverse topics.  Beginning in 1902 as a supplement to the Times (London) newspaper, the TLS publishes reviews, poetry and prose, as well as timely essays.  In addition to introducing readers to literary works and ideas, the TLS provides a window into contemporary issues and discussions.

  Researchers can find reviews of major literary works such as Andrew Lang’s 1902 review of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Hound of the Baskervilles).  Individual poems and book extracts are also included, as in this Ted Hughes poem, published in 1960.

  Explore the TLS Historical Archive

  Discover current TLS issues here.

  Tags: Our Collections
  Categories: Main

• Library expertise at one click

  Friday, May 07, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Ask a Librarian is a collaborative virtual reference service that connects students, faculty members, and researchers from participating university libraries across Ontario with real-time library and research assistance through chat.

  Since the pandemic began, Brock and partner libraries have seen a sharp increase in questions from our respective communities. In our post-chat exit survey, we recently heard from a Brock student who noted “I love the library chat. I use it all the time and it is always so helpful. It has been a lifesaver during the pandemic!”

  With online support at the forefront right now, we’ve added a new Ask a Librarian tab across our website. Assistance is now just one click away.

  Learn more about Ask a Librarian, or chat with us now.

  Tags: Faculty, Services, Staff, Students
  Categories: Main

• Omni feedback form remains available

  Wednesday, May 05, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Thank you to everyone who participated in our Omni Feedback Survey! Participants had the option to enter a draw for a $50 Amazon gift card.  The contest closed Friday April 30^th at noon and one lucky winner was randomly selected.  Congratulations to Cedric Junor, a 2^nd year film studies student!

  Feedback from the survey will help us learn how Omni has been helpful in your research journey as well as identify areas that could be improved.  As Omni is a consortia search tool with 15 other universities in Ontario, the anonymous feedback we received will contribute to the overall experience for all schools. Although the contest has closed, the survey still remains available to anyone else in the Brock community who would like to share their feedback.  We always appreciate learning from our users.

  Share your feedback now.

   

  Tags: Services
  Categories: Main

• Discover your library this spring

  Monday, May 03, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Brock University Library welcomes you to the spring term. If you are new to Brock, take a look at the Discover Your Library page for a quick introduction to library people, services, & resources.  Supporting you in your academic life is core to our mission.

  We have developed a number of online and in-person services and supports in response to COVID-19. Our focus is on access to electronic resources and virtual help. You can learn more about these services on our COVID-19 page.

  For new students, the shift to academic research can be a challenge, but getting assistance is easy. We offer email and chat services as well as online research consultations with our Liaison Librarians.

  We look forward to working with you and wish you all the best for a successful term.

  Tags: Archives and Special Collections, Digital Scholarship Lab, Makerspace, MDGL, Our Collections, Services, Staff, Students
  Categories: Main, MDGL

• Submit your Omni feedback today!

  Monday, April 19, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Since December 2019, students, faculty and staff have been using Omni, Brock University’s new Academic Search Tool, to support their research needs.  How has your experience been?

  The Library is seeking feedback from all members of the Brock community.  We want to hear from YOU: the good, the bad, the ugly.  You can tell all in this short survey.  We’ll be sharing your anonymous feedback with Omni partners to inform future modifications that seek to improve the user experience for all our Omni schools.

  BONUS: All survey respondents have the option to enter a draw for a $50 Amazon gift card. Enter by noon on April 30^th.

  Share your Omni feedback now.

   

   

  Tags: Faculty, Feedback, Staff, Students
  Categories: Main