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The LibVine

What's going on at Dalhousie Libraries

Category: Agriculture

Streaming Video Databases — new trials

The Dal Libraries have two new streaming video databases for you to try out: Academic Video Online (until June 30) and Films on Demand (until August 6).

Academic Video Online is a database of video material with curricular relevance. Content includes documentaries, interviews, feature films, performances, news programs and newsreels, demonstrations, and raw footage.

The trial for Films on Demand includes the master academic package (films related to a variety of academic disciplines and fields of study), archival films and newsreels collection, and entertainment.

Try them out and let us know what you think of these databases! Contact us at library.collections@dal.ca

 

 

 

Donna Bourne-Tyson Elected to NDRIO Board of Directors

Canada’s New Digital Research Infrastructure Organization (NDRIO) launched earlier this year and recently named their inaugural board. Dalhousie’s Dean of Libraries Donna Bourne-Tyson is on the fifteen-member board, representing academic libraries and the data management sector.

“Canada has an excellent record of collaboration in developing digital research infrastructure, including the work of the Leadership Council for Digital Research Infrastructure, the Canadian Association of Research Libraries’ Portage Network and Research Data Canada, and other organizations providing national leadership for Data Management (DM), Advanced Research Computing (ARC), and Research Software (RS). This bodes well for the future of DM services — a coordinated approach to the discovery, reuse and preservation of research data will benefit researchers and all Canadians,” says Bourne-Tyson.

NDRIO will provide the digital tools, services, and infrastructure that scholars and scientists need to conduct the kind of leading-edge research that benefits society. It is a member-based organization, with founding members comprising more than 135 leading post-secondary institutions, research hospitals, institutes, and established digital research infrastructure (DRI) organizations across Canada. (Source: https://engagedri.ca/about-engage-dri/board-of-directors/)

Open Educational Resources (OER) Grant Recipient, Leanne Stevens

Congratulations to Leanne Stevens in the Department of Psychology & Neuroscience in the Faculty of Science. Dr. Stevens was awarded a $3,000 OER grant that was co-sponsored by Dalhousie Libraries and the Centre for Learning & Teaching.

What is an OER? As defined by UNESCO, Open Educational Resources are teaching, learning and research materials in any medium – digital or otherwise – that reside in the public domain or have been released under an open license that permits no-cost access, use, adaptation and redistribution by others with no or limited restrictions.

Dr. Stevens’ explains her plans for the grant:

Dr. Leanne Stevens (provided photo)

Over the last seven years, the Introduction to Psychology program has used four different textbooks. Although the cost of a new copy of the hardcover texts has varied, it has typically hovered around $150 for students. We have always felt that the cost was too high and posed a significant burden on students. As such, we’ve routinely pressured the leading textbook companies to reduce the cost or to offer more cost-effective options.

In recent years, we have been able to offer online versions of the text for lower prices (e.g., $60-$100), but acknowledge that this cost may still act as a barrier to student success in our classes. In an effort to reduce barriers and improve access for all students, we would like to adopt and adapt an open textbook for our Introduction to Psychology & Neuroscience program (includes six courses: PSYO 1011/1012/1031/1032 and SCIE 1506/1507). Building on and utilizing the resources created through the work done with our Tricky Topics video series (closed captioning, transcripts, creation of key UDL/accessible images/diagrams), we aim to create a high-quality, academically rigorous, and accessible textbook that would be free to all students.

More information about the grant can be found here: https://www.dal.ca/dept/clt/awards_grants/Grants/OER.html

Virtual Brightspace Support

Try a virtual drop-in session to ask members of our Instructional Technologies Team questions about Brightspace, and tools such as Panopto (for video streaming and lecture capture) and Collaborate Ultra (for virtual classroom and web conferencing).

We’re available to help you live Monday to Friday, 9 a.m.–8 p.m. Weekend support resumes in August.

No appointment needed! Access our virtual drop-in session at the link below.

We’re here for you. See you soon!
https://ca.bbcollab.com/collab/ui/session/guest/fc14f311a91f4a2091572388a4d281e7

 

Research Bootcamp 2020: ONLINE!

For the 6th year, the Dalhousie Libraries is offering Research Bootcamp, a suite of modules designed for teaching and research assistants and graduate students. Research Bootcamp is also open to faculty and staff.

This year, Research Bootcamp will occur completely online. Modules on the following topics will be posted weekly on Brightspace from May 25-June 29: library basics, literature reviews (searching and writing), citation tools, copyright, legal resources, PubMed, humanities resources, Canadian data and stats, grey literature, research data management, Excel, evidence synthesis, Covidence software, open access and predatory publishers, and conference posters.

Complete module list and descriptions are available at: https://dal.ca.libguides.com/ResearchBootcamp/2020/Schedule

Faculty can recommend the modules to their RAs/TAs or register on their behalf.

Event website, including schedule, module descriptions, FAQs: https://dal.ca.libguides.com/ResearchBootcamp/2020/About

Register at: https://dal.ca.libguides.com/ResearchBootcamp/2020/Registration

Registration deadline: June 3

A Self-Isolation Care Package from the Dal Libraries: the Browse & Borrow LibGuide

A new guide created by librarians Deborah Hemming and Melissa Helwig has been designed as a self-isolation care package aimed at engaging users from across all Dal disciplines and keeping you entertained and curious. The Browse & Borrow LibGuide features ebooks and other electronic resources that you can access from the comfort of home.

Each week, we’ll be launching a new topic on the guide featuring books, links, podcasts, and general inspiration related to a single subject or genre. Check back often for more featured topics!

So far, topics include:

  • Environment & Humanity — launched last week in time for Earth Day
  • Poetry — launched today just as HRM announced Sue Goyette as the new Poet Laureate

Happy reading!

New Library Database – Sustainable Development Goals Online

In 2018, Dalhousie launched Impact Together: Dalhousie’s Research and Innovation Strategic Direction, 2018-2023. This strategic direction is grounded in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of which there are 17, including no poverty, zero hunger, quality education, and gender equality.

Want to know more about the SDGs? The Dalhousie Libraries have got you covered! We’ve just purchased Sustainable Development Goals Online (SDGO), an interdisciplinary collection of digital content, including Taylor & Francis’s books and journals across all disciplines, themed around the SDGs.

SDGO includes more than 12,000 selected articles and chapters in an online library covering the 17 SDGs, plus teaching and learning materials (presentations, videos, case studies, teaching guides, and lesson plans). It was created in partnership with United Nations agencies and guided by an international advisory board comprised of academics, policy-makers, government, NGOs, and more. It is updated twice a year, in April and September. Access it here: https://dal.ca.libguides.com/SDGO

Notice About Accessing Brightspace (Sun., April 26)

Update: Sunday, April 26, 1;38 p.m.: The issue has been resolved. Thank you for your patience.

To access Brightspace today, go to dal.ca/Brightspace or go through my.dal.ca. Access through dal.brightspace.com is not working. We are working on fixing this. Thank you for your patience.

 

 

World Book & Copyright Day 2020

April 23 is World Book and Copyright Day!

This is a day to celebrate books for their role in creating inclusive and knowledge-rich societies, and to reflect on the publishing world from multiple angles: “books as vectors of values and knowledge, and depositories of the intangible heritage; books as windows onto the diversity of cultures and as tools for dialogue; books as sources of material wealth and copyright-protected works of creative artists” (World Book and Copyright Day website).

It’s important for all students, staff, and faculty to have some familiarity with copyright, especially Dalhousie’s Fair Dealing Guidelines. Copyright encompasses restrictions on how creative works can be used, but also important exceptions that benefit education, research, and study. Copyright applies not only to the use of other works, but your own creations. Whether you’re creating a video, or writing a thesis, copyright will be a defining component of the final product. You can find out more about copyright restrictions and exceptions on Dalhousie’s Copyright Office website, or e-mail copyright.office@dal.ca

Dal Libraries COVID-19 Update #3: Kellogg Library Learning Commons CLOSED & Laptop Lending

Due to new measures announced by the Nova Scotia government restricting groups of people to no more than five at a time, the Kellogg Library Learning Commons (CHEB) is now CLOSED. All other Dalhousie Libraries locations remain closed.

We will loan laptops to students without alternative access to computers. Contact library@dal.ca or (902)494-4089. Students on the Agricultural Campus who need a laptop can contact MacRae.library@dal.ca or (902)956-2708.

Visit libraries.dal.ca to access LiveHelp (via chat) eBooks, eJournals, databases, and more. For HelpDesk and remote learning and teaching support, contact support@dal.ca

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