News

  • Canada 150: Sesqui VR Experience – a Community Event

    Tuesday, September 12, 2017 | By

    Virtual Reality Experience at Homecoming MIWSFPA September 16th, 10-5
    The Brock University Library Makerspace in collaboration with Sesqui is bringing a Virtual Reality Experience to St. Catharines and all are invited. The VR Experience features 5-minute stories about Canadians who are shaping their world through creativity. Visitors to the event can make their own Sesquatch, a virtual identity participants can share in an interactive and playful way.  The Library Makerspace will also be showcasing the emerging technologies such as 3D printing, robotics and circuitry which are available at the James A. Gibson Library.

    Join us on Saturday, September 16th from 10 am to 5 pm at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts in downtown St. Catharines.

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  • Scholars Portal E-Journals Milestone

    Thursday, August 31, 2017 | By

    image of fireworks

    This week, the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) announced that the Scholars Portal Journals platform topped 50 million articles – coinciding with the Council’s 50th anniversary. Learn more about the platform and the coveted Trusted Digital Repository status it holds.

    To access Scholars Portal Journals please visit: journals.scholarsportal.info

     

     

    Categories: Main

  • E-Reserves: an improvement for students & faculty alike

    Thursday, August 31, 2017 | By

    Ares, our e-reserve system is making life a whole lot easier for Brock students and faculty alike. Learn more.

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  • On Display: Inuit Carvings from the Pelino Collection

    Tuesday, August 22, 2017 | By

    Bears on a rock by Tommy Takpanie.

    The sculpture of Tommy Takpanie. Pelino Collection

    Through December 15th, the Library is hosting an exhibit of exquisite Inuit soap stone sculptures on loan from the private collection of Brock alumnus Joe Pelino (BSc ’91). Learn more about Pelino, his collection and his connection to Iqlauit in the Brock News.

     

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    Categories: Featured Collections, Main

  • Problem-based learning in the Makerspace

    Thursday, July 20, 2017 | By

    Connecting to the CURRICULUM

    The Accelerated English Language Program (AELP) as part of their curriculum were assigned a problem-based learning task on a bottled water company.  Using an inquiry-based approach, students developed their own question about sustainable design and researched the topic using the library database.  The students developed a business case for their innovative design and prepared a 25 minute business presentation.  As part of the presentation, students produced an actual infused, flavoured sparkling water along with the innovations in the design of the water bottle and water bottle holder.  Once the design was produced, the students went to the Makerspace to produce a prototype of their water bottle holder design.  Students worked on a number of programs before printing their prototype on a 3D printer.  After printing, the students presented their 25 minute business case presenting with the innovations they designed.

    I think the project was successful, as it gave them not only the ability to talk about their ideas, but also insight into the process, which gave them a little more to work with.

    Hand drawn images to 3D models

    Project steps:

    Students took their hand drawn image and scanned it using the Doodlefab.ninja website.  We converted the scanned image into an SVG file and imported it into Tinkercad.  We took our new 3D logo and impressed it into a 3D model of a bottle holder 3D model file.  After exporting the new design we sent it to Makerbot Desktop to prepare it for printing.  Below are the images for each stage.

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    Categories: Makerspace

  • We are all International

    Monday, July 17, 2017 | By

    Karen Bordonaro - book cover

    Who is international? Turns out, we all are. As each of us possess an accent, so too are we international. This is one theme which emerges from Karen Bordonaro’s new book, International Librarianship at Home and Abroad (Chandos).  Bordonaro is a Liaison Librarian in the Gibson Library, and has been an ESL instructor at Brock University. The book was informed by personal experience – Karen is an American who commutes daily to campus –  and a survey of 300 librarians from around the globe. In an era of intensifying internationalization in higher education, the book reinforces that libraries are an integral piece of these efforts. Working abroad is one way of being an international librarian, but there are other ways to achieve a global mission right here at home. Among the responses received from survey participants, supporting study-abroad students and working with international students, as well as hosting and mentoring librarians from abroad, are international activities. Contributing library material and expertise – the work of Librarians Without Borders, is also cited. Karen notes, “libraries connect people and resources across boundaries.” International librarians are “one profession, many communities, connecting to each other to promote learning globally and locally.”

    International Librarians at home and abroad by Karen Bordonaro will be available soon in the Gibson Library.

     

     

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  • Federal Court Ruling on Copyright

    Thursday, July 13, 2017 | By

     

    Yesterday, the Federal Court of Canada released its long-awaited decision in the case of Access Copyright v. York University, finding against York University. The full decision can be found here. The decision may have profound effects on copyright law in educational institutions across Canada, and the right of users to fair dealing for the purposes of education, research, and private study.  The decision is lengthy and complex, and is currently being reviewed and discussed amongst universities. Brock will keep the community informed of the apparent impact of the decision, and of any new developments. If you have any immediate questions about the decision, please contact Brock’s copyright legal counsel, Jordan Snel.

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  • Library hours for the summer term

    Monday, July 10, 2017 | By

    Library Summer Hours 8-5, M-F

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  • Brock Librarians strengthen support for Open Access

    Tuesday, June 27, 2017 | By

    Diagram illustrating benefits of open access

    Brock Librarians are leading by example as champions of open scholarship with a new commitment to freely share the results of their scholarly activities.

    Under Library Council’s new Open Access Policy, librarians will strive to practice Open Access by:

    • Depositing their scholarly outputs in the Brock Digital Repository or other appropriate subject/institutional repository
    • Publishing in open access journals whenever feasible
    • Openly disseminating any scholarly non-textual outputs
    • Advocating for open publishing in their work as editors, reviewers and authors
    • Assisting all Brock researchers, including their library colleagues, to make their research openly available

    “This policy statement reflects Library Council’s support for the importance of openness,” said Ian Gibson, chair of Library Council, “while respecting the academic freedom of Librarians to publish in the manner they feel is most appropriate for their work.”

    Open Access has many benefits, including broadening the reach of Brock research, enhancing opportunities for collaboration and promoting new models of freely sharing scholarship. It also ensures publicly funded research is freely available to the public.

    Questions? Please contact Elizabeth Yates, Liaison/Scholarly Communication Librarian ~ eyates@brocku.ca

     

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  • Makerspace and EAP at OAIE conference

    Friday, June 23, 2017 | By

             

    It was such a pleasure partnering with Brock’s ESL Services to participate in the OAIE Conference, June 18th – 20th, 2017. This annual conference was filled with great workshops that explored the challenges and celebrated the accomplishments experienced by International Education all over Ontario. The OAIE conference welcomes educators, administrators, and recruiters who work in EAP programming. 

    As a representative of the Library Makerspace, I really wanted to share some of the collaborations with the Brock IELP students and highlight benefits of the project and inquiry-based learning approaches used in our makerspace. The presentation was well-received by the approximately 30 participants in attendance. For many, this was the first opportunity to hear about Maker spaces and culture in an academic setting. We received a lot of great feedback about our presentation and people were excited about the possibilities for future experiential learning projects they could incorporate within their institutions. 

    One of the conference themes was interdepartmental and community collaboration.  I believe that our proposal showcased a unique collaboration that speaks to the needs of the 21st century learner. One of the benefits of presenting to a diverse group was it gave us further insight into how to better design collaborative programming for the future. 

    EAP & Makerspace Projects: A Unique Collaboration

    Our interactive presentation introduced four novel collaborations especially designed for international students as they transition into undergraduate studies. The focus was on best practices that can be adopted by participants looking to develop projects that appeal to creativity and add learner engagement, or to departments looking to establish connections across campus.

    PRESENTERS: James Papple, Academic Coordinator, Brock University / Tabitha Lewis, IT Support Technician/Makerspace Coordinator, Brock University

    We hope to share more as we learn and try more.

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