News

• Annual Esri Scholarship Competition returns to Brock

  Thursday, March 09, 2023 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Attention all Brock GIS users! It’s time for the annual Esri Scholarship Competition. Eligible students (current students from undergrad to grad) can submit a ~500 word ESRI GIS Project Proposal with their resume to sjanzen@brocku.ca by April 24th 4:30 p.m.

  Geographic Information Systems is mapping and analysis software. Esri is the industry standard for GIS across all sectors. GIS is used at Brock in Health Sciences, Biological Sciences, Environmental Sciences, History, Literature & Language, Political Science, Earth Sciences, Recreation and Leisure Studies and Geography/Tourism.

  The deliverables for the successful candidate will include a poster and report in the form of an Esri StoryMap due by June 1, 2023. Prizes include $1,000 cash reward, software access, books, conference passes and more! 

  Details: https://scholars.esri.ca/profile/?uid=Brock%20University
  Student FAQ: https://scholars.esri.ca/students/faq-students/ 

  Submissions and questions should be directed to Sharon Janzen, sjanzen@brocku.ca in the Map, Data & GIS Library, MC-C306 

  Tags: ArcGIS Pro, MDGL, Students
  Categories: Main, MDGL

• Employment Opportunity

  Friday, March 03, 2023 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Brock University Library is accepting applications for the position of Library Assistant / Operations Support in our User Services & Engagement department.

  The Library Assistant will provide circulation assistance, research help and delivery of basic copying and printing services to users at the Ask Us Desk. The Assistant will process interlibrary loans and reserve materials, and participate in collection maintenance. The incumbent will provide occasional support for the Supervisor by preparing staff schedules and serving as a resource person. A Bachelor’s degree and the ability to work evenings and occasional weekends is required. A two-year Library Technician Diploma, and familiarity with copyright legislation and related policies are preferred.

  Learn more about the role, qualifications, salary, etc. and apply by March 20, 2023 at 12:01 am

  Tags: Employment opportunity
  Categories: Main

• Student-curated display celebrates International Women’s Day

  Wednesday, March 01, 2023 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  This month, in support of International Women’s Day, Student Library Assistant, Mishrka Bucha has curated a thematic display of books by and about remarkable women and their contributions to society. Browse and borrow from the print display next to the Ask Us desk in the James A. Gibson Library, or read the e-books from anywhere.

  Mishrka notes: “The women today are the thought of their mothers and grandmothers embodied and made alive” is a quote by Matilda Joslyn Gage which embodies the 2023 celebration of International Women’s Day. More than ever today, women are free and empowered to have a voice and make a difference in many fields including science, business, social sciences and humanities. More than ever today, women are safer to be strong and make a difference. This 2023 let us imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively we can all #EmbraceEquality

  I wish all a very happy International Women’s Day Celebration.

  Tags: Our Collections, Virtual Book Display
  Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons

• Library Yoga and other activities planned for Wellness Week

  Friday, February 24, 2023 | By snixon

  

  Brock University Wellness Week (March 6-10, 2023) invites students to de-stress, unwind, and have fun in the midst of the semester.

  Brock Library is pleased to be a part of the Wellness Week roster, offerings two Library Yoga practices with Sara Nixon, Library Engagement Assistant and certified yoga instructor. All are welcome to this in-person beginner-friendly yoga practice, with yoga mats generously provided by Brock Recreation and library books used as yoga blocks. Dim lights and ambient music will help create a relaxing atmosphere, and Sara will guide you through feel-good yoga postures with gentle cues and demonstration. Two 45-minute practices will be offered: Tuesday, March 7 at 9 a.m. and Thursday, March 9 at 4 p.m. Pre-registration is required and space is limited. Sign-up on ExperienceBU.

  A wide variety of resources aimed at supporting students’ well-being are available at Brock Library all year long. Students, and any member of the community, can borrow board games, light therapy lamps, and recreational reading titles from the Badger Books collection, to name a few wellness options. Visit Wellness at the Library to see the different ways we can help you unwind and de-stress.

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

  Tags: Services, Students, Wellness
  Categories: Main

• ArcGIS Online – analysis tools!

  Friday, February 24, 2023 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  The “new” Map Viewer came to us in 2021 but users were mystified by the gaping lack of analysis tools! We were “forced” to return to Map Viewer CLASSIC to perform analysis and bring the results into the new map viewer. Well, my mappy friends, the day has come! ArcGIS Online Map Viewer now has a whole suite of GIS analysis tools including overlays, buffering, proximity analysis, data enrichment and georeferencing! Plus, so much more.

  Visit arcgis.com and sign in using your Brock credentials as per these instructions to start analysing today!  For more information about analysis in ArcGIS Online check out this blog.

  Tags: ArcGIS Online, MDGL
  Categories: MDGL

• Archives & Special Collections the focus of podcast episode

  Wednesday, February 15, 2023 | By snixon

  

  Looking for podcast recommendations? David Sharron, Head of Archives & Special Collections at Brock Library was recently a guest on Foreword, a podcast produced by Brock University’s Faculty of Humanities. David and podcast host, Alison Innes, sat down to discuss what an archive is, how to conduct archival research, and how technology is changing archives, to name a few topics.

  In the episode, David also shares some of his personal journey in the archival world and spotlights a few of the archival collections cared for here at Brock.

  Listen to the episode now. Also be sure to subscribe to Foreword on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

   

  Tags: Archives and Special Collections, podcasts
  Categories: Archives, Main

• Freedom to Read Week begins Sunday, February 19

  Friday, February 03, 2023 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  In celebration of Freedom to Read Week (February 19-25), we’ve created a featured collection of censored and banned titles for you to explore.

  Included in the collection are several recent titles including George, Asha’s Mums, and Tendencies which continue to be challenged, restricted or banned from schools for LGBTQ2S+ content. But, censorship is hardly new. William Tyndale’s English translation of the New Testament was ordered burned in 1525 by Church authorities who determined the Bible should only be available in Latin. King James I of England banned Sir Walter Raleigh’s work The History of the World for “being too saucy in censuring princes.”

  Freedom to Read Week “is organized by the Book and Periodical Council’s Freedom of Expression Committee, a group committed to promoting intellectual freedom in Canada. Since 1978, the committee has worked with educators, librarians, publishers, writers, booksellers, advocacy groups and the community at large to provide information that addresses censorship and book and magazine challenges in Canada.” (Book and Periodical Council, 2023).

  Tags: Our Collections, Virtual Book Display
  Categories: Featured Collections

• Celebrating Black voices and sharing Black stories

  Friday, January 27, 2023 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  This month, we celebrate African Heritage and Black History by bringing a special spotlight to Black voices and Black stories. February’s Featured Collection book display brings you important, thought-provoking works of Black writers across disciplines and perspectives. You can find our “Celebrating Black Voices and Sharing Black Stories” book display both online, and at our print display next to the Ask Us desk on the main floor of the Library.

  Interested in the work of Canadian authors? Look out for the books sporting the illustration you see above at our print display.

  Two online titles in this month’s Featured Collection deserve a special mention. Brock University Professor Tamari Kitossa’s Appealing Because He is Appalling: Black Masculinities, Colonialism, and Erotic Racism highlights the contradictions of Black men as objects of sexual desire. Those interested in a local focus to Black History can dig into dann J. Broyld’s Borderland Blacks: Two Cities in the Niagara Region During the Final Decades of Slavery. Broyld spent a semester at Brock researching in the Archives & Special Collections for this book.

  The Brock community is celebrating Black History Month and African Heritage Month with a full calendar of events and programming. See what’s going on and join in the celebrations on ExperienceBU.

   

  Tags: African Heritage Month, Black History Month, display, Our Collections, Virtual Book Display
  Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons

• Resources for a mindful new year

  Tuesday, January 10, 2023 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Mindfulness and wellness practices invite us to nurture ourselves, and cultivate self-compassion.  Some of the easily accessible resources for the Brock community to live mindfully include:

  • Taking a walk through the forest. The Bruce Trail runs behind the Brock campus.
  • Jotting down what you are thankful for, concerned about.
  • Curling up with a good book and a hot beverage.
  • Taking a Library Yoga session in the comfort of your own room. The playlist is at bit.ly/LibraryYoga
  • Thinking of others, helping when you can.
  • Nurturing a new houseplant.

  This month, our print book display and e-book collections are full of strategies and inspiration to help you be the best version of yourself.

  Browse the featured titles now, and note the special sub-collections on the topics of Yoga, Breath, and Movement Practice, Inspiration and Reflection, and Mindfulness for Stress and Anxiety.

  Tags: display, Our Collections, Virtual Book Display
  Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons

• December thematic book (and film) collections focus on visible and invisible disabilities

  Thursday, December 01, 2022 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  On Dec. 3, 2022, we recognize International Day of Persons with Disabilities, a day that was first launched by the United Nations in 1992 “to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities.”  

  One way we can learn more about disabilities is to read a book! Check out our selection of titles at our print book display, and online in Omni. A sub-collection of films is also available. These titles feature works by and about people with visible and invisible disabilities.  

  On December 7, join the University community for ‘Engaging and Celebrating with Disability Communities’. This event will take place from noon to 2 p.m. in Pond Inlet, and will feature a presentation by Nathan Shipley, a disability self-advocate, activist and public speaker, as well as interactive roundtable experiences with disability community members. 

  The event is organized in collaboration with the Office of Human Rights and Equity, the Brock-Niagara Centre of Excellence in Inclusive and Adaptive Physical Activity, and the Anti-Ableism and Mental Health (AAMH) Committee, which is a working group of the President’s Advisory Committee on Human Rights, Equity and Decolonization. 

   

   

   

  Tags: Book Display, Our Collections, Virtual Book Display
  Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons