Articles tagged with: Faculty

• 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

• 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

• Instructors encouraged to submit winter term reading lists soon

  Monday, November 15, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

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

  To ensure your students have access to their winter course materials, we encourage you to submit reading lists as soon as possible. Ideally by November 22, 2021.  

  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. 

  A note about print reserve readings:

  While we encourage instructors to continue using online alternatives, print items are accepted.

  It is important for instructors to consider the element of risk in choosing to use print reserves for your course: If strict public health measures were to resume, these materials might be inaccessible for your students. Electronic readings have the benefit of being available to students no matter the changing public health measures.

  Several alternatives to print resources are available including the creation of course-specific online packs. The Reserves team is ready to work with you to develop these for your students. More information about non-print options is available. Liaison Librarians are also available to help you identify alternate resources. 

  The E-Textbook Challenge.

  Providing digital access to some textbooks may be hindered by the textbook publishers because most textbooks are not available to libraries in any format other than print.  Most of the major textbook publishers — Pearson, Cengage, Houghton, McGraw Hill, Oxford University Press Canada Textbooks, Elsevier Imprints, Thieme — do not sell e-textbooks to libraries. This means that for courses that have adopted textbooks from these publishers, students who do not purchase the textbook have no alternative access to the textbook contents. 

  Questions? reserve@brocku.ca

  Tags: Faculty, Services
  Categories: Main

• Welcome Back to Campus

  Wednesday, September 08, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Wednesday, September 8 update for the James A. Gibson Library:

  For your safety:

  • Masks required at all times.
  • Seat booking is not required.
  • Attending online lectures? We recommend the individual study carrels on floors 5, 6 & 7. Please use headphones.
  • No food permitted. Lidded drinks okay.
  • Classrooms A & B are not available for drop-in use.
  • Seating has been reduced to encourage physical distancing.

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

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

• Omni partnership pays dividends

  Monday, August 30, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Brock University students, staff, and faculty can now use Omni to request shared physical resources quickly and easily from across all 16 Omni partner institutions, a collection of nearly 23.5 million resources.

  Read more about this innovative collaboration in the Brock News and learn how to make your request in just a few clicks.

  Questions? libhelp@brocku.ca

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

• Library expertise at one click

  Friday, May 07, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Ask a Librarian is a collaborative virtual reference service that connects students, faculty members, and researchers from participating university libraries across Ontario with real-time library and research assistance through chat.

  Since the pandemic began, Brock and partner libraries have seen a sharp increase in questions from our respective communities. In our post-chat exit survey, we recently heard from a Brock student who noted “I love the library chat. I use it all the time and it is always so helpful. It has been a lifesaver during the pandemic!”

  With online support at the forefront right now, we’ve added a new Ask a Librarian tab across our website. Assistance is now just one click away.

  Learn more about Ask a Librarian, or chat with us now.

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

• Submit your Omni feedback today!

  Monday, April 19, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Since December 2019, students, faculty and staff have been using Omni, Brock University’s new Academic Search Tool, to support their research needs.  How has your experience been?

  The Library is seeking feedback from all members of the Brock community.  We want to hear from YOU: the good, the bad, the ugly.  You can tell all in this short survey.  We’ll be sharing your anonymous feedback with Omni partners to inform future modifications that seek to improve the user experience for all our Omni schools.

  BONUS: All survey respondents have the option to enter a draw for a $50 Amazon gift card. Enter by noon on April 30^th.

  Share your Omni feedback now.

   

   

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

• Temporary Service Adjustments, March 25-April 5

  Thursday, March 25, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  In response to Brock University moving into Stage 1 of the University’s Response and Recovery plan, the Library is adjusting its in-person services.

  During this period, bookable study space will not be available.

  The book pickup service will continue, but with shortened hours and a new contactless model. The new hours for pickup are Monday, Wednesday & Friday from 10am-2pm. Upon arrival for pickup and after screening by campus security, please come to our Book Pickup table just outside the entrance of the library. Give us a call at 905-688-5550 x4583 to let us know you have arrived, and Library staff will bring your books out to you. Full instructions will be provided to you over email when your items are ready for pickup.

  Online library services such as scanning requests and Hathi Trust are unaffected by the shutdown. We will continue to support access to the information you need for your research and teaching.

  If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us at libhelp@brocku.ca

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

• Instructors encouraged to submit spring term reading lists soon

  Friday, March 12, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Reserve request processing for the spring term is underway at Brock University Library.

  To ensure your students have access to their spring course materials, we encourage you to submit reading lists by March 29, 2021.  

  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. 

  An important consideration: print reserve materials remain unavailable for spring 2021 courses.

  Several alternatives to print resources are available including the creation of course-specific online packs. The Reserves team is ready to work with you to develop these for your students. More information about non-print options is available. Liaison Librarians are also available to help you identify alternate resources. 

  The E-Textbook Challenge.

  Providing digital access to some textbooks may be hindered by the textbook publishers because most textbooks are not available to libraries in any format other than print.  Most of the major textbook publishers — Pearson, Cengage, Houghton, McGraw Hill, Oxford University Press Canada Textbooks, Elsevier Imprints, Thieme — do not sell e-textbooks to libraries. This means that for courses that have adopted textbooks from these publishers, students who do not purchase the textbook have no alternative access to the textbook contents.

   

  Questions? reserve@brocku.ca

  Tags: Faculty, Graduate students, Services
  Categories: Main

• Agreement with SAGE gives Brock authors more options for publishing Open Access

  Tuesday, March 02, 2021 | By Evelyn Smith

  

  Brock Library is pleased to share that The Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) and SAGE Publications have signed a transformative agreement that will give Brock authors increased support for Open Access publishing. 

  As of January 1, 2021, Brock-affiliated authors may now publish Open Access with no Article Processing Charges (APCs) in over 900 SAGE Choice journals. Brock authors will also receive a 40% discount on APCs in SAGE’s Gold Open Access Journals. More information for authors is available here. 

  Much of academic publishing output is behind paywalls that limit who can access and learn from this research. Transformative agreements are an emerging vehicle to shift scholarly publishing towards Open Access and broader availability of this research. These agreements transform libraries’ existing subscriptions to publishers’ journals so that they include not just access to articles, but also cover affiliated authors’ APCs. This is CRKN and Brock’s first transformative agreement. 

  Questions? Read more about Library support for Open Access publishing, or email Evelyn Feldman, Collections/Liaison Librarian, at efeldman@brocku.ca.  

   

   

   

  Tags: Faculty, Open Access, Scholarly Communication
  Categories: Main