GIS Day events return in-person this year after a two-year hiatus. In addition to quizzes, learning and laughter, a key part of the annual tradition at Brock is a GIS Day cake.
Submit one of your map creations (in JPEG format) to Sharon Janzen, Map Library Associate and Geospatial Data Coordinator, for a chance to have it featured on this year’s cake.
Contribute your JPEG to sjanzen@brocku.ca by November 9, 2022.
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On September 30, we recognize the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. On this national day of reflection, we remember and mourn for the children and for the generations of Indigenous people hurt by the residential school system. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a direct response to Call to Action 80, which called for a federal statutory day of commemoration.
We also recognize Orange Shirt Day, held on this day to bring awareness to the history of residential schools and their negative effects on children’s self-esteem and well-being. Orange Shirt Day was first observed in 2013 at St. Joseph Mission in Williams Lake, British Columbia, where, in 1973, Phyllis (Jack) Webstad had her new orange shirt taken away on her first day of residential school. She never saw the shirt again. We wear orange to show our commitment to recognizing and remembering the approximately 150,000 children forced to attend residential schools, where many experienced shame, deprivation, and abuse, as well as more than 6,000 students who did not survive.
Learn more about the impact of residential schools by exploring a selection of books, ebooks and streaming video.
In acknowledgement of the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, we are screening 11 NFB short films by Indigenous film makers in Library Classroom B. Everyone is welcome to drop in at any time during the hours of 9am and 6pm to watch, listen, learn and reflect.
We also encourage you to write a review for any of the films you see on the NFB website. This action is inspired by a #Next150 Challenge to engage with Indigenous cinema and continue our learning.
List of films (with thanks to the National Film Board)
Nunavut Animation Lab: I Am But a Little Woman
Gyu Oh 2010 | 4 min
Inspired by an Inuit poem first assigned to paper in 1927, this animated short evokes the beauty and power of nature, as well as the bond between mother and daughter. As her daughter looks on, an Inuit woman creates a wall hanging filled with images of the spectacular Arctic landscape and traditional Inuit objects and iconography. Soon the boundaries between art and reality begin to dissolve.
Stories from Our Land 1.5: Tide
Ericka Chemko 2012 | 4 min
This beautiful short film captures the majesty of ice sculpted by wind and water. By using time-lapse imagery, Iqaluit filmmaker Ericka Chemko reveals the dynamic intertidal dance of water and ice in the Arctic.
Stories Are in Our Bones
Janine Windolph 2019 | 11 min
In this layered short film, filmmaker Janine Windolph takes her young sons fishing with their kokum (grandmother), a residential school survivor who retains a deep knowledge and memory of the land. The act of reconnecting with their homeland is a cultural and familial healing journey for the boys, who are growing up in the city. It’s also a powerful form of resistance for the women.
Waseteg
Phyllis Grant 2010 | 6 min
Waseteg is the story of a young Mi’kmaq girl whose name means “the light from the dawn.” Sadly, her mother dies while giving birth and, though her father works very hard to provide for his family, Waseteg is surrounded by the bitterness and loneliness felt by her sisters.
As a young girl, Waseteg looks for solace in nature, and dreams of the stories she’s heard in the village – including one about Walqwan, the mysterious boy living across the river. Eventually, with the gentle care of the boy’s grandmother, Waseteg succeeds in finding Walqwan, discovering the Spirit Path, and restoring love to her family.
A short story about dreams, courage, identity, creation and embracing our Elders, Waseteg showcases Phyllis Grant’s signature style of bold lines, bright colours and simple movements. The film is beautifully narrated by legendary filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin.
Vistas: Dancers of the Grass
Melanie Jackson 2009 | 2 min
This short film presents a stunning display of a stop-motion animation as it vividly depicts the majesty of the hoop dance, a tradition symbolizing the unity of all nations.
Stories from Our Land 1.5: Inngiruti – The Thing that Sings!
Nyla Innuksuk 2012 | 5 min
This short documentary filmed in Pangnirtung features 2 elders reminiscing about the dances held in their community 50 years ago. One of the elders is master accordion player Simeonie Keenainak, and soon he’s making toe-tapping music with his instrument. In this celebration of the pleasures of music and dance, Keenainak plays for the enjoyment of friends, family, and the community at large.
To Wake Up the Nakota Language
Louise BigEagle 2017 | 6 min
“When you don’t know your language or your culture, you don’t know who you are,” says 69-year-old Armand McArthur, one of the last fluent Nakota speakers in Pheasant Rump First Nation, Treaty 4 territory, in southern Saskatchewan. Through the wisdom of his words, Armand is committed to revitalizing his language and culture for his community and future generations.
The Mountain of SGaana
Christopher Auchter 2017 | 10 min
In The Mountain of SGaana, Haida filmmaker Christopher Auchter spins a magical tale of a young man who is stolen away to the spirit world, and the young woman who rescues him. The film brilliantly combines traditional animation with formal elements of Haida art, and is based on a story inspired by a old Haida fable.
Breaths
Nyla Innuksuk 2016 | 4 min
In this evocative short documentary, Inuk singer-songwriter and humanitarian Susan Aglukark weaves together stories of artistry, family, and belonging as she explores the complex cultural shifts of the last 50 years of Inuit life. Turning her lens on the turbulence of colonial transition, director Nyla Innuksuk examines the forces that shaped Aglukark’s voice and how that voice is now being translated for a new generation of Inuit artists.
Produced by the National Film Board of Canada in co-operation with the National Arts Centre and the Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards Foundation on the occasion of the 2016 Governor General’s Performing Arts Awards.
Shaman
Echo Henoche 2017 | 5 min
This animated short tells the story of a ferocious polar bear turned to stone by an Inuk shaman. The tale is based on emerging filmmaker Echo Henoche’s favourite legend, as told to her by her grandfather in her home community of Nain, Nunatsiavut, on Labrador’s North Coast. Hand-drawn and painted by Henoche in a style all her own, Shaman is the first collaboration between the Labrador artist and the NFB.
Stories from Our Land 1.5: If You Want to Get Married… You Have to Learn How to Build an Igloo!
Allen Auksaq 2011 | 5 min
In the spirit of the 1949 NFB classic How to Build an Igloo, this short film records Dean Ittuksarjuat as he constructs the traditional Inuit home. From the first cut of the snow knife, to the carving of the entrance after the last block of snow has been placed on the roof, this is an inside-and-out look at the entire fascinating process.
Events
Categories: Learning Commons, Main
Registration for the Autumn Wellness Book Club is now open. Reading fiction has so many benefits for emotional wellbeing, from reducing stress to better sleep! This term, we will be reading Delia Owens’ 2021 novel Where the Crawdads Sing.
Described by the New York Times Book Review as “a painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature,” the book was also a feature film this past summer.
The Book Club will be hosted by Liaison Librarian, Justine Cotton, who is passionate about sharing the positive impact of reading and discussing books. You can contact her with any questions at jcotton@brocku.ca
Meetings will be held in-person in October (with an option to meet virtually, if preferred). As a part of the Club, members may choose to participate in a research study on the benefits of reading “for fun” on stress levels in university students.
Sign up at: bit.ly/autumnbookclub22
We love libraries! All kinds. So we are delighted to announce on-campus visits by staff from the St. Catharines and Thorold Public Libraries.
Getting a card is easy, and free. Fill in a form, present some ID, and then you’ll be all set to borrow video games, join book clubs, experience adult craft nights, and more. Online resources such as popular magazines, audio books, streaming videos and music are also available, and offer the perfect complement to our more scholarly collections.
Who: St. Catharines Public Library
Where: Matheson Learning Commons (Library main floor)
When: Tuesday, September 20, 12-4 pm.
Who: Thorold Public Library
Where: Matheson Learning Commons (Library main floor)
When: Thursday, September 22, 1:30-3:30.
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Sample map of shoreline erosion in the town of Lincoln. Created by 2020 Esri scholarship recipient, Meredith Caspell.
The Esri Canada GIS Scholarship Award competition is now on at colleges and universities across the country. The award includes software, books, training, funding and other benefits to undergraduate and graduate students 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 8 years. For 2021, the competition will be held virtually with a deadline for applicants set for April 1st. A cash prize of $1000 is in addition to the prizes noted above.
Projects may include personal research, academic projects or assignments. The winning participant will be required to complete a poster or Esri StoryMap by June 1, 2021 outlining how they used ESRI’s suite of products to enhance or conduct their research. A full list of requirements and information about the application process is available from Esri.
Want to learn more or apply? View the Brock University Institution page for Esri, or contact Sharon Janzen at sjanzen@brocku.ca
Discover ArcGIS at Brock, view examples of GIS mapping at Brock, and get your own copy of the software under the University’s site license.
ArcGIS Pro, Collaboration, Events, MDGL, Students
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Library Yoga is back for midterm season! Whether you’re winding down after your exams or preparing for your next big assignment, librarian and yoga instructor Chelsea Humphries is here to help you find space to pause, process, and prepare for your academic experiences, right in the middle of the (virtual) library!
These two Library Yoga sessions will be livestreamed on LifeSize on Wednesday, October 28th and Wednesday, November 4th from 12:15-12:45 PM. You can register and find the links to the events on ExperienceBU. Recordings of the events will be saved for later viewing on the Library’s YouTube channel.
These simple mindful movement sequences will pull you into the present moment, providing an opportunity for you to check-in with yourself, notice how you’re feeling, and take a few deep breaths before returning to your studies with refreshed energy and awareness. They are designed to be incorporated into the middle of a busy day, and they can be done in regular clothing and in any open space. Absolute beginners are welcome! After all, we all feel the midterm crunch and have likely had some of the following experiences:
Yoga can help you to notice experiences like these, when your mind and your body are telling you that you need to take a break. As a mindful practice, it can also help you approach your studies with a greater sense of calm and balance.
If you’re interested in checking out Library Yoga before the live sessions, we encourage you to get a feel for the practice with this curated playlist of Library Yoga sessions and study breaks on our YouTube channel. You can also learn more about Chelsea as a liaison librarian at Brock University on this page and as a yoga instructor on her website.
October 19-25 is the thirteenth International Open Access Week, an event for the research community around the world to spread awareness of the benefits of Open Access.
Join in at Brock by attending a presentation on Tuesday, October 20 at 1pm, which will introduce the Open Access movement broadly, delve into how it works in journal publishing, and finish by tying this all together with Brock’s new Open Access Policy.
The policy, recently adopted by Senate, calls for Brock researchers and scholars to deposit an electronic copy of their academic journal articles into the Brock University Digital Repository, an online collection of scholarly output produced by the Brock community and managed by the Library.
Researchers can submit work themselves to the repository or use a Library service called Support for Sharing Your Work – complete a form, attach your articles and Library staff will deposit them on your behalf.
More information about the open access policy, including answers to frequently asked questions and an opt-out form, can be found on the policy webpage.
For event details and connection information, please visit ExperienceBU. For more information, please contact your Liaison Librarian.
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As part of Geography Awareness Week, the Brock University Map, Data & GIS Library (MDGL) will be hosting GIS Day on Wednesday, November 13. Visit the MDGL between 12 and 2 p.m. to enjoy a pizza lunch ($) and a slice of their famous GIS Day cake (free!)
As part of Welcome Week activities at Brock, we invite you to drop by our table in the Matheson Learning Commons (main floor of the James A. Gibson Library), say hi, spin, and win library swag.
What: Spin it to Win it at the Library
Where: Learning Commons (Library main floor)
When: Tuesday, Sept. 3, 11 am to 2 pm & Wednesday Sept. 4, 11 am to 2 pm.
As part of Welcome Week activities at Brock, students are invited to learn more about the services and resources of the Brock University Library by attending one of six, fast-paced sessions. Hear about how you can make use of our 3D printers, discover rare books, harness the expertise of your own personal librarian, and enrich your learning experience at Brock. We’ll round out the presentation with a short tour of the Learning Commons.
Attendees who register @ https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/130056 will receive credit towards the CWC Personal Growth Domain.
What: Discover Your Library orientation sessions + tour.
Where: Learning Commons Classroom B (ST 230)
When: Tuesday, Sept. 3 at 2 pm & 3 pm, Wednesday Sept. 4 at 4 pm & 6 pm, Thursday Sept. 5 at 4 pm & 6 pm.