We are investigating the problem and hope to have it resolved soon. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Public Reading: Zachariah Wells and Rachel Lebowitz
Tuesday, March 26/7:30 p.m.
Killam Memorial Library
Archives & Special Collections Reading Room, fifth floor
The Dalhousie Libraries are proud to host authors Zachariah Wells and Rachel Lebowitz for a joint reading.
Zachariah Wells is a poet, freelance critic and editor. He is the author of numerous books of poetry, including Unsettled and Track & Trace, as well as a number of chapbooks and letterpress broadsides.
Rachel Lebowitz is the author of Hannus, a creative biography about her great-grandmother, and Cottonopolis, a book of prose poetry about the Industrial Revolution.
Together, Rachel and Zachariah wrote a children’s book called Anything But Hank!
This public reading is presented by the Dalhousie University Libraries Special Collections and the Canadian Literary Collections Project.
Job Posting: Digital Archivist
The Dalhousie University Libraries are seeking a creative, collaborative, enthusiastic Professional Librarian/Archivist for the position of Digital Archivist. The deadline for applications is April 12, 2013. For details, please visit library job vacancies
Free Software Downloads
Did you know that students, as well as faculty and staff members at Dalhousie, can download certain software for free?
Some of the free software available includes: antivirus (Windows), antivirus for Mac, ArcGIS, Minitab, Solid Edge and more.
Go to: https://software.library.dal.ca A log in box will open, prompting you to enter your net ID and password.
This is the page that will open, listing the various software available to students:
Need assistance with software installation? Contact the Help Desk.
Don’t see the software you need? Check out what’s available at reduced rates through PCPC, who sell software at special educational prices, available only to the post-secondary community.
Food for Fines 2013 – Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who participated in Food for Fines at the Dalhousie Libraries between February 8-17. Across our five Dalhousie Libraries, we collected 339 food items and $155.25 in cash donations.
A total of $528.36 in fines were waived in exchange for your food donations. Food items were divided between the Dalhousie Student Union Food Bank, Feed Nova Scotia and the Colchester Food Bank.
Across Novanet (all university and college libraries in Nova Scotia), a total of 1,113 food items were collected, as well as $308.25 in cash donations.
Thank you again for taking part in Food for Fines.
Michael Groenendyk wins national business competition
(Photo: Bruce Bottomley)
Michael Groenendyk, the School of Information Management student who helped bring 3D printing to the Dalhousie Libraries, recently won the grand $5,000 prize at a national business competition.
Michael’s proposal was for a 3D design service called Final Frontiers 3-D Design, creating designs for science fiction and fantasy products such as custom-made rings and detailed home decorations.
Michael credits having worked at the Killam Library’s Help Desk with giving him an edge to win the competition. Over the past year, he has spent many hours at the Help Desk, assisting people using the 3D printer, giving him both a solid knowledge of the technology and seeing the ways in which people use the 3D printer.
Congratulations on this fantastic accomplishment Michael! Read more about Michael’s win in Dal News.
UPDATE: Dalhousie Libraries’ statement of support for Dale Askey and McMaster University
Dale Askey is a librarian at McMaster University. In 2010, while working as a librarian at a university in Kansas, he published a blog post called The Curious Case of Edwin Mellen Press.
The blog post contained Mr. Askey’s professional opinion, as an academic librarian, of Edwin Mellen Press, an independent scholarly press established in 1972. According to the Edwin Mellen Press website, their sole criterion for publication is that a manuscript must make a contribution to scholarship.
In the blog post, which has since been removed, Mr. Askey said the publisher was a purveyor of “second-class scholarship.” Due to this statement and other content in the blog post, Mr. Askey and McMaster University are now facing a lawsuit launched by Edwin Mellen Press claiming a total of $4.5 million in damages. The publisher claims that Mr. Askey’s comments were false and defamatory. The claims have yet to be proven in court.
The Dalhousie University Libraries support Dale Askey and McMaster University in their defence against the Edwin Mellen Press libel suit, which is an affront to academic freedom. Librarians must be able to exercise and express professional judgment knowing the principles of intellectual freedom will be respected and upheld. The Dalhousie Libraries join our CARL, ARL and CLA colleagues in urging Edwin Mellen Press to drop the suit.
For more information about this lawsuit, read the CBC story.
UPDATE — March 4, 2013
Edwin Mellen Press is dropping at least one of its lawsuits against McMaster librarian Dale Askey. Read the CBC story here.
Dal Night Owls: spring 2013
Nights Owls will run Sundays through Thursdays from March 10-April 26.
Need to keep on studying after midnight? Dal Night Owls means you can study till 3 a.m. at the Killam Library.
Beginning Sunday, March 10, the Learning Commons in the Killam Library will remain open until 3 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays, until the last day of exams (April 26).
These extended hours apply to the Learning Commons and atrium only. The Help Desk, Circulation Desk, and upper library floors will close at midnight. Students in those areas can move to the Learning Commons or atrium.
Access to this service is for current Dalhousie or University of King’s College students with a valid DalCard. To access the Killam after midnight, swipe your card through the reader at the main University Avenue entrance. Students already in the Learning Commons/Atrium at midnight will need to swipe their DalCard in a mobile card reader as requested by the commissionaires.
PARKING & SAFETY
To improve safety, the McCain Building Parkade* across from LeMarchant Street will offer FREE parking from midnight until 3 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays, until April 26.
If you’re walking or biking, consider becoming “study buddies” with friends or classmates who live near you, and head home together.
*The McCain Building Parkade is the main parking area for events at the Arts Centre each evening and a fee will be charged if you park there before midnight. After midnight, parking is free of charge until the Learning Commons and atrium closes at 3 a.m.
Have questions about Night Owls? You can call the Killam Circulation Desk at 494-3617.
Good luck with your studies!
LibQUAL+ Survey Prize Winners
Congratulations to the two students who won the LibQUAL+ prize incentives, Erin and Gloria.
Thank you to everyone who completed a LibQUAL+ survey, your comments and feedback will help us serve you better.
Freedom to Read Week
February 24-March 2 marks Freedom to Read Week in Canada.
Freedom to Read Week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about and reaffirm their commitment to intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Organized by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council, Freedom to Read Week is good reminder to not to take this freedom for granted.
The Freedom to Read website has a challenged works section of books and magazines that have been challenged in Canada and the stories behind why a particular work was challenged. Maybe you’ll celebrate Freedom to Read Week today by exercising that freedom and reading a challenged title.