News

  • The Map, Data & GIS Library is celebrating and you should too!

    Tuesday, February 11, 2020 | By

    ArcGIS Pro logo with key

    ArcGIS Pro and ArcGIS Online resources are now available to the Brock University community through an enterprise login and Brock credentials. Just a few steps and you can have a world of mapping capabilities at your fingertips.

    Prior to this new method, students, staff and faculty were required to contact staff of the MDGL to obtain access.  Staff always responded to each request as quickly as possible but it was certainly not instant.  These Esri products are not free tools, however this is just one of the many resources that the Brock University Library provides access to for its users. We hope everyone takes the opportunity to explore the world of GIS and all of its many possibilities!

    Follow these simple instructions to begin using ArcGIS now!

    For further assistance please contact maplib@brocku.ca.

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    Categories: Digital Scholarship Lab, Main, MDGL

  • Research made easy with Omni

    Tuesday, February 04, 2020 | By

    Just in time for the research crunch, we invite you to learn the tips and tricks of Omni, our new academic search tool. All students, staff, and faculty are invited to attend one of two hands-on workshops this week. Both sessions will be held in Matheson Learning Commons classroom A on

    • Tuesday, February 4 at 2 p.m., and
    • Thursday, February 6 at 10:30 a.m.

    Learn to:

    • discover collections at Brock and the 13 other partner institutions.
    • refine search results by availability, resource type, focused subjects, library collection, and more.
    • browse a virtual bookshelf using Virtual Browse.
    • follow citations from references within an article, and those that cite it.
    • pin, collate, and tag materials in your ‘favourites’ file for easy retrieval.
    • cite, email, and export to a citation tool to manage your information.

    You are welcome to just drop-in to a session however, students will earn CWC credit if they register first on ExperienceBU

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    Categories: Main

  • On display: International Exchanges

    Monday, February 03, 2020 | By

    February 3 – 7, 2020 marks International Week here on campus! With events, socials and demonstrations happening all week-long, International Week highlights the cultural diversity that exists in our community and the importance of broadening your experiences to appreciate the beauty of the world around us.

    As part of IW, the Learning Commons Thistle display cases feature the International Mobility Program.

    A full list of events can be found on the Brock International Website

     

    Tags:
    Categories: Featured Collections, Main

  • Makerspace News

    Wednesday, January 22, 2020 | By

    close up shot of a black and pink microphone with a person playing guitar in the back

    What’s New This Term!

    Tech Highlights

    Now that we’re all moved into our new space, it allows us to start working in-depth with several of our new technologies. One of the most notable and quite frankly largest additions to our tech roster is the Whisper Room, an official sound isolation booth perfect for any form of audio recording! Coated wall to wall in sound dampening foam, it couples excellent with our audio tech to produce smooth and clear vocals free of any disruptive background noise.

    These coupled technologies are both dynamic and condenser microphones for a variance of sound quality and provide room for students to dabble and experiment. Each mic is directly connected to an audio interface which is connected to the computer workstation adjacent to the booth, loaded with several audio editing software to balance both vocals and instruments. The booth itself is also hooked up with a remote LED light to illuminate the room for viewing music sheets or scripts with clarity. The computing station also comes with its own mic for two way communication between station and booth to make recording a breeze.

    Located in our audio lab, the booth is open for all to use, so feel free to stop in and give it a try, no matter your musical inclination!

    Collaborations

    Students

    But it’s not just faculty and staff that use the space for their own projects, after all its biggest population is students, so it’s no wonder we have an abundance of their work to choose from!

    Recently, given our new move, students are slowly beginning to trickle back into the space, but a certain group has been consistent in attending every day since our official opening

    began back on the 6th. Students Travis Lewis May, Nick Rutherford, Duke Samaka, and Anjola Komdafe have been making extended use of our esteemed audio lab with great enthusiasm. The group is crafting a collective track demo of their music work, so in many ways this is a double collaboration!

    Each member takes up an individual role, one directing and composing, another providing additional composition regarding beat, the writer, and the audio engineer to form their own small scale production team. They each bring a variety of editing knowledge to the table, boasting skills in both FL Studios and Logic Pro both of which the Makerspace provides.

    They’ve been extremely grateful to the Makerspace for providing a dedicated space to work on audio, as this was not the first time the team came together to create music. Originally they used to house a makeshift studio within one of the member’s dorms in Brock’s own Village residence. With it came the several obstructions of managing their noise levels and picking up the background noise of dormitory life, making for a rather temperamental recording space. Now they can apply their extensive knowledge to create in a fully equipped recording environment.

    If you would like a chance to do a live session of your own in our audio lab, or any lab for that matter, visit our Main Service Desk in the Makerspace and make a reservation any time between 1- 6 pm. You can also email us your booking request at makerspace@brocku.ca with the subject line “Audio Lab Reservation”.

    FACULTY

    Over the past three and a half years we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with students and faculty on a variety of personal and curricular based projects.  We got to sit down with Dr. Karen Louise Smith who has been an avid supporter and user of the Makerspace, and we asked her some questions to learn a bit more about what sparked her interest in using the Makerspace.  She has previously collaborated with the Makerspace for another course she teaches, COMM 3P91 – Information Technology: Policies and Issues where students had to 3D print an object to spark a conversation about a controversy that emerges from an information technology theme.

    What technology did you use in your class to enhance experiential learning?

    I developed a podcasting assignment for the Social Media course (Comm 2P91 / IASC 2P91 / PCUL 2P91) in the fall 2019 semester that was centered around fake news. The students in my course were able to borrow technologies like a Zoom recorder, or snowball microphone, from the Makerspace to record audio clips to use in their podcasts…Read More

     

    Featured Partnerships in Brock News

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    Important Announcements

    Social Media – Any updates or news can be accessed via our social media on Instagram @brockmakerspace and Twitter @BrockMakerSpace. Be sure to give us a follow on either (or both if you’re so inclined) to know when we’re throwing something new and exciting your way! Don’t forget to tag us in any of your posts, we’ll be sure to give it a like and feature it on our own pages! Embrace the digital and keep on making, in and out of the space!

    Upcoming Events & Workshops

    MAKERSPACE EVENT THEMES

    The theme this month of January will be Audio, where we will take you through a progression of topics surrounding the capturing, editing, and refining of your audio.

    Event Titles

    • Makerspace Tour: Audio Lab
    • Audio: Basics of Recording for Podcasting
    • 3D Modelling Sound Waves

    Makerspace Event Calendar

    Subscribe to our Experience BU page to stay up to date on our events and learning opportunities.

    More Events

     

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    Categories: Makerspace

  • Faculty Collaborations: Dr. Karen Louise Smith

    Wednesday, January 22, 2020 | By

    Over the past three and a half years we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with students and faculty on a variety of personal and curricular based projects.  We got to sit down with Dr. Karen Louise Smith who has been an avid supporter and user of the Makerspace, and we asked her some questions to learn a bit more about what sparked her interest in using the Makerspace.  She has previously collaborated with the Makerspace for another course she teaches, COMM 3P91 – Information Technology: Policies and Issues where students had to 3D print an object to spark a conversation about a controversy that emerges from an information technology theme.

    Dr. Karen Louise Smith

    PhD, University of Toronto
    MA, Simon Fraser University
    BA, McMaster University

    What technology did you use in your class to enhance experiential learning?

    I developed a podcasting assignment for the Social Media course (Comm 2P91 / IASC 2P91 / PCUL 2P91) in the fall 2019 semester that was centered around fake news. The students in my course were able to borrow technologies like a Zoom recorder, or snowball microphone, from the Makerspace to record audio clips to use in their podcasts. After the students recorded their audio, they could continue to edit their podcasts using Audacity software in the Makerspace. Because Audacity is an open source software title, students could also download a copy of the editing program to work on their projects independently.

    What sparked the idea to collaborate with the Makerspace for this class?

    I wanted to collaborate with the Makerspace on this podcasting assignment so that my students could explore the democratic potential of social media. Through this assignment, I wanted my students to tinker, create, and act as media makers versus consumers online. Podcasting provides a relatively early example of a social media genre, which fostered opportunities for creative expression and self-publishing for internet end users. Creating opportunities for my students to create their own digital media closely relates to my previous research on web literacy and citizenship. I remain hopeful that experiencing the democratic potential of the web is one way in which society can resist disinformation, surveillance, exploitation and some of the negative aspects of our digitally mediated lives.

    What has been your overall experience with working with the Makerspace staff and technology resources?

    The Makerspace offers all of the technical equipment that my students need to create a quality podcast. I hear from students that they appreciate that the Makerspace is available virtually every day during the term for drop-in support. Makerspace staff are also readily available to me as a faculty member when I need assistance.

    Do you hope to collaborate with the Makerspace in the Future?

    Yes, I hope to repeat the podcasting assignment again in the Social Media course in 2020.

    We look forward continuing our relationship with Dr. Smith by supporting her innovative and nuanced methods of incorporating Makerspace technology into her pedagogy.

    Links

    Dr. Karen Louise Smith https://brocku.ca/social-sciences/cpcf/people-in-the-department/karen-louise-smith/#1562268043356-51eb4bbe-b548

    Social Media course https://brocku.ca/webcal/2019/undergrad/comm.html#COMM_2P91

    Audacity https://www.audacityteam.org/

    Previous research https://ijoc.org/index.php/ijoc/article/view/6174

    Web literacy https://mozilla.github.io/webmaker-whitepaper/

    Information Technology: Policies and Issues https://brocku.ca/webcal/2019/undergrad/comm.html#COMM_3P91

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    Categories: Makerspace, Uncategorised

  • Publish, don’t perish: how to spot deceptive publishers

    Monday, January 13, 2020 | By

    Academic publishing is a hugely profitable enterprise, so it’s no surprise that some dubious companies take advantage of researchers by charging publishing fees but then failing to deliver quality outcomes.

    These publishers are called “predatory” because of their unscrupulous business practices, which may include:

    • Failing to provide rigorous peer review
    • Making false claims about how journal articles are disseminated e.g. indexing in credible scholarly databases
    • Falsely claiming prestige markers e.g. Impact Factor
    • Charging article processing fees before an article is accepted for publication

    It can be challenging to avoid these problematic outlets, but a new quick guide from the Library can help.

    For further information, check the Library’s Journal Evaluation Strategies or contact your Librarian or Scholarly Communication Librarian Elizabeth Yates, eyates@brocku.ca

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    Categories: Main

  • New year, new academic search tool

    Monday, January 06, 2020 | By

    Come explore Omni, our new academic search tool. All students, staff, and faculty are invited to attend one of three hands-on workshops this month.

    Learn to:

    • discover collections at Brock and the 13 other partner institutions.
    • refine search results by availability, resource type, focused subjects, library collection, and more.
    • browse a virtual bookshelf using Virtual Browse.
    • follow citations from references within an article, and those that cite it.
    • pin, collate, and tag materials in your ‘favourites’ file for easy retrieval.
    • cite, email, and export to a citation tool to manage your information.

    You are welcome to just drop-in to a session however, students will earn CWC credit if they register first on ExperienceBU

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    Categories: Main, Uncategorised

  • Introduction to Compute Canada Resources Coming to Brock Library

    Monday, January 06, 2020 | By

    Compute Canada Logo

    Research often involves computational demands that exceed the resources contained within a laboratory or research institute. Some common research computing challenges include data storage, execution of large scale computational cycles, as well as access to advanced research computing (ARC) expertise. Did you know that Brock University is partnered with Compute Canada? Compute Canada deploys state-of-the-art advanced research computing (ARC) systems, storage and software solutions which helps accelerate research and innovation. Compute Canada’s vision is to “make Canada a world leader in the use of advanced computing for research, discovery and innovation.” You can access this amazing resource right here on campus!

    On January 15th from 10-11 AM the Brock University Library’s Digital Scholarship Lab (DSL) will be hosting an Introduction to the Compute Canada Federation research computing resources. This session provides an introduction to the ARC resources offered by the Compute Canada Federation with demonstrations of accessing the national storage infrastructure, executing programs on the national general purpose compute clusters as well as a tour of the documentation, support and training materials.

    This workshop is open to everyone and is being held in the DSL, located at the front of the Rankin Family Pavilion.

    To register please visit Eventbrite.

    For more information please contact dsl@brocku.ca

     

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    Categories: Digital Scholarship Lab, Main

  • ARGH Meetings Coming to Digital Scholarship Lab in 2020

    Wednesday, December 18, 2019 | By

    The Ad hoc R Group Help (ARGH) Coding Club and Support Group is coming to the Digital Scholarship Lab beginning early 2020.  The mission of ARGH is to facilitate a collaborative and supportive environment where students, post-docs, and faculty may develop data analysis, graphical, programming, and statistics skills together, using R.  Replace statistics anxiety or code fear with inspiration and motivation to learn. Visit ARGH Coding Club for more club details.

    ARGH will meet every second Monday from 12-1 pm in the Digital Scholarship Lab, located in the Rankin Family Pavilion.  Some sessions will feature presenters who will demonstrate code for a graphical, statistical, or analytical problems they have mastered or are working on.  Other meetings will be R help sessions for fellow researchers.

    Anyone is welcome to attend meetings to get assistance with R related projects, learn from others, collaborate and network.

    Drop-in’s are welcome however you can also register for meetings at ExperienceBU by following the links below:

    January 6

    January 20

    February 3

    March 2

    March 16

    March 30

    April 13

    April 27

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    Categories: Digital Scholarship Lab, Main

  • Makerspace News

    Tuesday, December 10, 2019 | By

    What’s New This Month!

    Makerspace Highlights

    Oh yes, it’s happening.

    After keeping both students and staff alike in suspense, we’ve finally come to bring the good news. We are moving!

    More importantly, we’re moving somewhere BIGGER.

    Yes, the Brock Makerspace is relocating from its humble little home in the James A. Gibson library out into the newly built Rankin Family Pavilion.

    With this added space, we’ll be able to load in new equipment and software previously unavailable to showcase. Things like resin printing, laser cutting, and several copies of technologies already displayed in the old space give students ample opportunity to explore and engage in their creative exploits.  We provide dedicated spaces for each of our varying technologies (audio, video, 3D printing, VR, etc.) so students who wish to pursue a specific type of tech can have a focused environment that gives them the tools they need to create and succeed!

    This new space also provides us with a dedicated workshop lab that is all our own to utilize. And being directly located in the space gives all students and staff immediate access to experiment. Along with the abundance of rooms, our central workstation is now much larger, with plenty of desk space for patrons to tinker and create.

    Read more

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    Categories: Makerspace

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