News

  • Staff picks: our favourite books & films

    Thursday, June 01, 2023 | By

    A little wooden toy van with an open book on its roof.

    Do library workers read all day as the old trope goes? No. But in our off time, watch out. We’re serious about our books.

    This month’s featured collection comprises some of our favourite fiction – old and new, as well non-fiction on topics as diverse as animated film production, indigenous culture, and the enduring mystery of the life, loves, and violent death of one of Canada’s most famous artists.  A sub-collection of our favourites on film includes romance, comedic mystery and even a cold war classic.

    Explore this month’s featured collection of staff picks online and in print next to the Ask Us desk.

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    Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons

  • Join our team as the Makerspace Supervisor

    Thursday, May 18, 2023 | By

    A person inside a magnifying glass

    Brock University Library invites applications for a full-time permanent Makerspace Supervisor in our state of the art facility which consists of prototyping equipment, an audio lab, a photography/video production lab and an instructional lab.

    The Makerspace Supervisor will provide operational leadership and supervision to the Makerspace team, coordination, technical support, and end-user support for the Library Makerspace. The Supervisor is responsible for developing and/or coordinating partnerships and participation in events, including preparing and delivering workshops and demonstrations.

    If you are keen to promote ‘Maker Culture’ on campus and in the community, we invite you to learn more about the role, qualifications, salary, etc. and apply by June 2 at 12:01am

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    Categories: Main, Makerspace

  • Join our team as Teaching & Learning Librarian, Special Projects

    Tuesday, May 16, 2023 | By

    A person inside a magnifying glass

    Brock University Library invites applications for a full-time, two-year limited term appointment position of Teaching & Learning Librarian, Special Projects. Responsibilities include course-based instruction in a variety of formats and supporting special projects of strategic importance to the department, including development and maintenance of e-learning objects, support for open education, and assessment of teaching & learning.

    Learn more about this opportunity and how to apply. Applications will be accepted until June 18, 2023 at 12:01am.

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    Categories: Main

  • Join our team as a Circulation Clerk

    Tuesday, May 16, 2023 | By

    A person inside a magnifying glass

    Brock University Library is recruiting for two Circulation Clerks for the User Services & Engagement department.

    The Circulation Clerk in User Services & Engagement is responsible for assisting users with locating, using and borrowing material and providing basic copying and printing services to all users at the Ask Us desk. Depending on departmental needs, the Circulation Clerk may work a variety of days/shifts including day, evening, weekend and/or holiday on an “on-call” temporary basis.

    Learn more about the role, qualifications, salary, etc. and apply by May 30 at 12:01am

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    Categories: Main

  • New exhibit features student artwork to highlight the vital role of pollinators 

    Thursday, April 13, 2023 | By

    A young woman stands in front of an exhibit display case. The exhibit features pinned butterflies and moths, as well as books on the subject of pollination.

    Butterflies, moths, and bees are the feature in latest Brock Library exhibition, located in the Learning Commons display cases. Displaying a number of vibrantly coloured pinned specimens, the exhibit aims to highlight the role pollinators play in sustaining our local ecosystems and encourages onlookers to help promote and protect pollinator populations. 

    The exhibit is curated by Brock Studio Art and the History of Art and Visual Culture (double major) student Mari Brint and Library Engagement Assistant Sara Nixon, displaying insect specimens and artwork prepared and created by Brint.  

    Inside of an exhibit display case. On display are pinned, taxidermy butterflies and moths presented on canvas panels. The background features a colourful field of flowers and interpretive text panels.

    The exhibit features a collection of pinned moths and butterflies prepared by Brock student, Mari Brint.

    Mari has always had an interest in insect taxidermy and bug pinning when visiting museums and butterfly conservation gardens, but only recently took up the practice, “After my final studio courses, I felt that I needed to take a step away from my traditional and preferred medium of painting and try something new to branch out and explore new creative mediums. During that time, I discovered the processes involved with preparing moths and butterflies for pinning and display, and began researching the ways in which I can help with the conservation efforts of insects”, says Mari.

    Participating in the Brock University Seed Library is just one way that community members can get involved with pollinator conservation efforts. The Seed Library offers free access to seeds to grow gardens at home, including several varieties of flowers that help sustain pollinator habitats, and subsequently support increasing populations of butterflies, bees, and moths.  

    Anyone can “borrow” from the Seed Library, free of cost. Interested community members can visit the Ask Us Desk on the Main Floor of James A. Gibson Library to browse the seed catalogue to select up to five packets of seeds (per person, per day). Ideally, participants will harvest seeds and return them to the Seed Library after a bountiful season of growing.  

    Growing gardens of pollinator-friendly plants, no matter the size, can help local pollinator populations thrive. “Butterflies and moths are not only a beautiful part of the natural world but one that needs our help in the cultivation and protection of their habitats,” says Mari. 

    To learn about growing your own pollinator gardens, the Library has also curated a featured book collection as a compendium to the exhibit. The Featured Collection, which can be found both online and at the book display case by the Ask Us Desk, offers hardcopy and e-book titles that dig deeper into the topics of pollination, gardening, growing food, as well as our relationships to plants and bugs, and more. 

    There are lots of ways to get involved in protecting our local pollinators here at the Library! Be sure to visit the Learning Commons this spring to view the exhibit, borrow the Plants and Pollinators book collection, and borrow from the Seed Library. 

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    Categories: Learning Commons, Main

  • Faculty course reading lists required for the spring term

    Tuesday, April 04, 2023 | By

    A woman works on a laptop and holds documents in her hand

    Course readings for the spring term are being processed at Brock University Library.

    To ensure your students have access to their spring course materials, we encourage you to submit reading lists as soon as possible. Ideally by mid-April.

    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.

    Note: Effective Spring Term 2023, the Library’s Course Readings & Reserves system (Ares) will only connect with Brightspace courses. Connection between Ares and Sakai courses will no longer be available.

    Questions? reserve@brocku.ca

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    Categories: Main

  • Plants and Pollinators

    Monday, April 03, 2023 | By

    Four taxidermy butterflies of vibrant colours are pinned to a fabric canvas. The background features a colourful field of flowers.

    Our April Book Display embraces the spring season by digging into the colourful world of pollinating insects, plants, and our relationships to them – as well as the practice of growing plants and food. Featured both online and in-person in the Library, this collection aims to help reconnect us to the nature that surrounds us. Learn about the how to plant a butterfly garden in your own backyard , the history of human’s relationship to flowers, the future of the world’s rarest foods, and so much more.

    This collection is presented alongside a special exhibit on display in our Library and Learning Commons display cases. Curated by Brock Studio Art and the History of Art and Visual Culture (double major) student Mari Brint and Library Engagement Assistant Sara Nixon, the exhibit explores the role pollinators play in our local ecosystems, and how we can help butterflies, bees, and moths thrive in our own gardens. A particular highlight of the exhibit, are several taxidermy butterfly and moths specimens, as well as artwork, created and prepared by Mari Brint. 

    Visit the Learning Commons on the Main Floor of the Library to explore both the Book Display and Exhibit spaces.

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    Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons

  • Exhibit: Letters & Correspondence from the Archives Historic Documents

    Wednesday, March 22, 2023 | By

    historic letters in learning commons display case

    Stop by the Library Learning Commons and check out our most recent exhibit of selected letters & correspondence from the Archives & Special Collections‘ historic documents. Highlights of the exhibit include a note linking St. Catharines to the Underground Railroad, two letters from World War I, and a demanding missive from the coach of the Toronto Maple Leafs. The exhibit was inspired by the One Book, One Niagara selection: Care Of: Letters, Connections, and Cures (Ivan Coyote), exemplifying how the written word can have lasting (even historic) significance.

     

    Categories: Archives, Featured Collections, Learning Commons

  • Streamlining Access to Course Material

    Monday, March 20, 2023 | By

    Woman with a notebook and journal articles

    Brock’s new Academic Plan is centered on five key priorities, including a teaching and learning environment that is “Accessible, Flexible, and Customizable” (Priority #2).  One of the actions nested under this priority is to “Streamline the processes by which students access learning materials and maximize the use of library resources for course support”. 

    We know from research that access to learning materials such as textbooks, readings, open educational resources, and other learning materials is a key factor in equity and academic outcomes.  Conversely barriers to course materials have a significant negative impact on student success.   

    We also know that instructors play a pivotal role in helping students access and use course readings.  On March 2nd, the Library, the Campus Store, and CPI hosted an event for faculty highlighting various options available to instructors to help facilitate access for students.  The goal was to promote resources and services available to faculty through the Brock Library, Campus Store, and CPI, and to kickstart a discussion about how to better streamline the course materials landscape at Brock. 

    Library support for Course Material 

    One of the ways that the library supports affordable and accessible course materials is through the Course Readings service. Instructors can share their course syllabus with the Library’s Course Readings team, who will then locate the material and load it into an online platform which connects directly to the course within Brightspace.

    We can add digital material from: the library collection, the web (including open educational resources), audio/visual sources, and materials we source from partner institutions. Additionally, we ensure the resources we put in the platform are accessible and copyright compliant.  

    While online/electronic material offer the greatest flexibility for students, we are also able to put print material (including instructor copies) on short term loan at the Ask Us desk in James A. Gibson Library. 

    The Library currently supports over 300 courses across the University. Learn more about the Library’s Course Readings service.

    If an instructor is considering moving away from the traditional textbook model and into adopting an open textbook or other open educational resources (OER), the library can help with that, too. Learn more about Library support for OER.

    Campus Store support for Course Material 

    Did you know any profits earned through the Campus Store are invested right back into faculties, programs, and courses at Brock?  

    The Campus Store’s Course Materials team actively connects with instructors to ensure course materials are available for students when courses start. The team is currently finalizing adoptions for the Spring/Summer and working hard for the Fall/Winter terms so students can start the semester with material in hand.  

    Through the My Course Materials platform, students receive a personalized shopping list of course materials available through the Campus Store for the courses they have registered in. Over 25,000 students viewed the Campus Store’s My Course Materials this past fall and winter terms – you’ll find a link to it in the Brightspace menu. 

    With course materials continually evolving and affordability at forefront, the Course Materials team is a knowledgeable resource for multi-format sourcing and price matching with leading competitors. 

    Missed the email from the Campus Store Materials Team? Please contact us at adoptions@brocku.ca 

    What’s Next 

    The Library, Campus Store and CPI are committed to finding ways to streamline access to course materials and finding new ways to make course materials more affordable and accessible to all students.

    This past year, the Library and Campus Store have worked together on a pilot project to make printed course packs more affordable by leveraging library-acquired materials when possible, and we will continue to build on this collaboration. All three partners have been working to ensure access to all resources can happen through Brightspace.

    Future initiatives are likely to include making open educational resources easier to adopt for instructors and easier to use for students. We welcome your feedback, ideas, and suggestions on how we can make your experience and access to course materials even better.

    Categories: Main

  • Spotlight on Trans titles

    Friday, March 17, 2023 | By

    A wartercolour stylized trans flag in blue, pink, and white

    In support of International Transgender Day of Visibility, held March 31st, Brock Library presents a newly updated  selection of books and e-books by and about trans people on a diversity of genres and topics such as allyship, memoir, poetry, and history.

    Included in the collection are several titles by Canadian author, musician, and performer Ivan Coyote whose recent book Care Of: Letters, Connections, and Cures was selected as the title for the inaugural One Book, One Niagara event. As the grand finale of the event, Ivan will speak at Brock University on Wednesday, March 29 at 7pm. 

    Browse the collection, and reserve your ticket to see Ivan @ the Sean O’Sullivan Theatre this month.

     

     

     

    Tags:
    Categories: Featured Collections, Learning Commons

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