News

• Ukraine in Crisis

  Friday, March 04, 2022 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Our latest virtual book collection presents readers with 29 new books (written within the past 5 years), on the history, geo-politics, economy, and people of the country.

  The War in Ukraine’s Donbas Origins, Contexts, and the Future, and Flight MH17, Ukraine and the new Cold War : prism of disaster give insight to the 2014 conflict. Internal divisions within the country between east and west, and wedge issues such as European Union membership (Ukraine and Russia : from civilized divorce to civil war and Ukraine : contested nationhood in a European context) provide insight into the complexity of the current crisis.

  Providing access to credible sources of information is never more important than in times of crisis.

  Browse the full Ukraine in Crisis collection.

   

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

• ESRI Canada GIS Scholarship Contest, 2022

  Tuesday, March 01, 2022 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  The Esri Canada GIS Scholarship Award program provides software, books, training, funding and other benefits to undergraduate and graduate students at universities across Canada who can demonstrate competent use of Esri’s geospatial technologies.

  Brock University has been privileged to take part in the Scholarship Award program for the last 9 years. This year, the 2022 Esri Scholarship Competition will be held virtually with a deadline for applicants set for April 1st. The winner will receive a cash prize of $1,000 plus additional books, software, and learning opportunities.

  The successful applicant will be required to complete a poster and an ArcGIS StoryMap by June 1, 2022 outlining how they used ESRI’s suite of products to enhance or conduct their research. Projects may include personal research, academic projects or even course assignments.

  Brock’s 2021 recipient was Jessica Linzel who “Reimagines Historical Topics with GIS”.

  Read the stories of previous recipients and information for student applicants.

  Questions? sjanzen@brocku.ca

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

• Freedom to Read Week: banned classics and modern challenges

  Thursday, February 17, 2022 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  In celebration of Freedom to Read Week (February 20-26), we present a selective timeline of censorship activities throughout history.

  For more recent challenges to the printed word, check out 7 days | 7 Challenged Books on our Instagram and Twitter feeds from February 20-26.

  8 C.E.
  The Roman poet Ovid was banished from Rome for writing Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love). He died in exile in Greece eight years later. All of  Ovid’s works were burned by Savonarola in Florence in 1497, and an English translation of Ars Amatoria was banned by U.S. Customs in 1928.  8th Floor of the Library – PA 6519 A8 H6

  35
  The Roman emperor Caligula opposed the reading of The Odyssey by Homer, written more than 300 years before. He thought the epic poem was dangerous because it expressed Greek ideas of freedom. 8th Floor of the Library – PA 4025 A5 M43 2004

  1525
  Six thousand copies of William Tyndale’s English translation of the New Testament were printed in Cologne, Germany, and smuggled into England were then burned by the English church. Church authorities were determined that the Bible would be available only in Latin. 10th Floor of the Library  – BS 140 1989

  1597
  The original version of Shakespeare’s Richard III contained a scene in which the king was deposed from his throne. Queen Elizabeth I was so angry that she ordered the scene removed from all copies of the play. 8th Floor of the Library  – PR 2821 A2 W5 1968

  1614
  Sir Walter Raleigh’s book The History of the World was banned by King James I of England for “being too saucy in censuring princes.” 10th Floor of the Library  – D 57 R183 1972

  1624
  Martin Luther’s German translation of the Bible was burnt in Germany by order of the Pope.
  10th Floor of the Library – BS 239 1967

  1859
  Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species was published, outlining the theory of evolution. The book was banned from the library of Trinity College, Cambridge, where Darwin had been a student. In 1925, Tennessee banned the teaching of the theory of evolution in schools; the law remained in until 1967. On the Origin of Species was banned in Yugoslavia in 1935 and in Greece in 1937. 5th Floor of the Library  – QH 365 A1 1987 v.15

  1885
  A year after the publication of Mark Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, the library of Concord, Massachusetts decided to exclude the book from its collection. The committee making the decision said the book was “rough, coarse and inelegant, dealing with a series of experiences not elevating, the whole book being suited to the slums that to intelligent, respectable people.” By 1907, it was said that Twain’s novel had been thrown out of some library somewhere every year, mostly because its hero was said to present a bad example for impressionable young readers.
  6th Floor of the Library  – PS 1306 A1 1996

  1929-1962
  Novels by Ernest Hemingway were banned in various parts of the world such as Italy, Ireland, and Germany (where they were burned by the Nazis). In California in 1960, The Sun Also Rises was banned from schools in San Jose and all of Hemingway’s works were removed from Riverside school libraries.  6th Floor of the Library  – PS 3515 E37 S9 1954 

  1932
  In a letter to an American publisher, James Joyce said that “some very kind person” bought the entire first edition  of Dubliners and had it burnt. 6th Floor of the Library  – PR 6019 O9 D8 1969

  1980s
  During its examination of school learning materials, the London County Council in England banned the use of Beatrix Potter’s children’s classics The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny from all London schools. The reason: the stories portrayed only “middle-class rabbits.” I.R.C. (WH 222-Book Stacks)  – PZ 7 P85 Tap 1979

  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, 2022).

  Tags: Our Collections
  Categories: Main

• World Religions focus of new student exhibit

  Tuesday, February 15, 2022 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  James A. Gibson Library Student Assistants are beautifying our display cases with striking new exhibits on a variety of themes. This month, the interior library cases exhibit the work of Dani Shae Barkley.

  Artist’s Statement:

  I was inspired to create this small exhibit on World Religions to promote the flourishing of faith amongst members of the Brock community. I believe spiritual wellness is a key aspect of living a whole life, especially during the difficult times of the pandemic. It is my hope that this display will spur faith-based people on in their religious practices and challenge everyone to dig more deeply into their personal beliefs. I also hope that this display helps to create a culture of curiosity, acceptance, understanding, and love for all people, especially within the Brock community. Please enjoy this exhibit on World Religions, which is meant to inspire, bless, encourage, and honour everyone who has the opportunity to witness it.

  Stop in and view the exhibit which runs until Thursday, March 10. Many thanks to Dani Shae.

  Tags: display, Students
  Categories: Learning Commons, Main

• Join our team as Teaching & Learning Librarian, Business and Education

  Friday, February 04, 2022 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Brock University Library invites applications for the full-time probationary position of Teaching & Learning Librarian, Business and Education. Qualified candidates will have experience in library instruction, and the desire to collaboratively support the development and implementation of a curriculum integration strategy, open educational resources & open pedagogy, assessment, online/blended learning, and learner accessibility.

  We are at an exiting time in our organization, examining the structures, processes, and service models that best align with the Library’s and the University’s strategic plans.

  Learn more about this opportunity and how to apply. Applications will be accepted until Tuesday, February 28 at 12:01 am.

  Tags: Employment opportunity
  Categories: Main

• New workshop applies critical thinking to social media influencers

  Thursday, February 03, 2022 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Do you follow health and wellness accounts on Instagram or other social media platforms?  How do you know if the people you follow truly know what they are saying and showing about fitness, nutrition and wellness?

  Join librarians Chelsea and Justine for a workshop on “investigating the influencer” where they will discuss:

  • how to verify health & wellness claims
  • the impact of algorithms on what we see in our feed
  • how to check credentials and discover expert advice on social media
  • uncovering affiliate marketing and questionable promotions

  Join this online event February 14 from 12 to 12:45pm.

  Tags: Students, Wellness, Workshops
  Categories: Main

• Welcome Back to Campus

  Monday, January 31, 2022 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  As some Brock students return to on-campus classes this week, the James A. Gibson Library has resumed regular hours.

  For everyone’s safety:

  • Masks are required at all times. 
  • No food permitted. Lidded drinks okay.
  • Seating has been reduced to encourage physical distancing. 
  • Capacity in group study rooms has also been reduced.

  Access to upper floors / bookable rooms / graduate spaces:

  • Individual study spots in the Learning Commons / Library main floor no longer require advanced-booking. 
  • All upper library floors have re-opened and the book stacks are fully accessible.
  • Group study rooms and the Graduate Meeting room are available for booking. The graduate study space has also re-opened.
  • Attending hybrid classes? We recommend the individual study carrels on floors 5, 6, and 7. Please use headphones. A number of individual closed study rooms are available on floors 8, 9, and 10 are available for advanced booking. 
  • Classrooms A & B are not available for drop-in use.

  Questions?
  Visit the Ask Us desk or email us at libhelp@brocku.ca

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

• Celebrating Black History and African Heritage Month at Brock

  Thursday, January 27, 2022 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Our February featured collection is comprised of recently published titles on aspects of the Black Canadian and African American experience.

  Topics as diverse as sexuality, literature, geography, dance, and mob-boss prosecution are represented.

  Enjoy this collection of e-books and browse the corresponding print display in the Learning Commons.

  Explore our varied featured collections @ bit.ly/VirtualBookDisplay

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

• Learn more about data extraction with Covidence

  Wednesday, January 26, 2022 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  To support researchers conducting evidence synthesis reviews – systematic reviews, scoping reviews, etc. – the Library subscribes to Covidence: software which streamlines the process of screening citations, assessing risk of bias and/or extracting study characteristics and outcomes.

  Covidence is presenting two webinars focused on the data extraction process at 11 am EST or 4 pm EST on Feb. 3.

  This session includes a live Q&A session on how to set up your template, organize your process, define your outcomes, resolve consensus, and the opportunity to get your specific questions answered.

  Please be sure to register here for the 11:00 am session or here for the 4:00 pm session if you’d like to join, or if you’re unable to join but would like to receive a recording of the session ~24 hours after it commences.

  Tags: Research, Workshops
  Categories: Main

• Open Access Publishing Fund update

  Monday, January 10, 2022 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  While the Library Open Access Publishing Fund is fully expended for the 2021-22 budget year, the Library continues to support Brock authors in making their research openly accessible – in many cases, at low or no cost.

  Researchers can make their scholarly articles open access – for free – by depositing a copy in the Brock Digital Repository, an online archive of Brock research which can be freely accessed by anyone. Authors can submit papers themselves or use the Library’s supported-deposit process.

  The Library has negotiated open access agreements and discounts with a growing number of publishers which allow Brock authors to publish in their journals for free, or at significantly lowered costs.

  And finally, researchers can search the Directory of Open Access Journals to select one of more than 12,000 scholarly, peer-reviewed open access journals which do not charge article processing fees.

  Questions? Contact Liaison and Scholarly Communication Librarian Elizabeth Yates ~ eyates@brocku.ca

  Tags: Faculty, Graduate students, Open Access, Research, Scholarly Communication
  Categories: Main