Cloud Powering Digital Humanities Research Workshop

April 20, 2018 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

Compute Canada/Acenet and Dalhousie Libraries are teaming up to offer a two-day workshop on using Compute Canada’s cloud environment for researchers in the social sciences and humanities, with a particular focus to those who might be thinking about, or currently working in the Digital Humanities. The workshop is limited to faculty members and graduate students at Halifax-based universities affiliated with Compute Canada.

What: Cloud Powering Digital Humanities Research workshop
Where: 6135 University Avenue, McCain Building, Room 2018, Dalhousie University
When: May 14 & 15, 9 a.m.–4:30 p.m.
Course website: https://cgeroux.github.io/DAL_2018/

Registration is free and limited to 20 participants from Halifax-based CFI-eligible institutions
Register here: https://goo.gl/forms/YGPThKosnZouBLOs2
For any questions regarding the workshop, please contact chris.geroux@ace-net.ca

Research Bootcamp for RAs, TAs, & grad students

April 11, 2018 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

For the 4th year, the Dalhousie Libraries is offering Research Bootcamp, a suite of sessions designed for teaching and research assistants and graduate students. If you or someone you know could benefit from developing effective and efficient information management techniques and literature search skills to support research endeavors, please share this information with them.

Sessions will run from May 14–June 6 and will cover: library basics; literature reviews (searching and writing); citation tools; writing abstracts & grant proposals; copyright, open access & predatory publishers; legal resources; business and competitive intelligence resources, PubMed and other health sciences databases; humanities resources; Canadian data and stats; grey literature; research data management; Excel; data visualization; and conference posters. Complete session list and descriptions are available at http://dal.ca.libguides.com/ResearchBootcamp/2018/Schedule

Faculty can recommend the workshops to their RAs/TAs or register on their behalf. Participants can attend most sessions in-person in Halifax (various Halifax campus locations) or via video conferencing at the Agricultural Campus or DMNB.

Event website, including schedule, session descriptions, FAQs http://dal.ca.libguides.com/ResearchBootcamp

Night Owls & Extended Hours 2018

April 3, 2018 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

Exam season will soon be upon us! Extended hours and Night Owls* have begun at the Dalhousie Libraries. Consult the hours widget on the landing page of libraries.dal.ca to get the hours of Dal Libraries location of your choice.

*Night Owls is available Sundays–Thursdays in the Killam and CHEB locations. All Dalhousie & King’s students are welcome, but after midnight you’ll need your DalCard for access.

Please note: Hours in the W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library (Tupper location) and the Wallace McCain Learning Commons will not be extended during exams.

Welcome Courtney Bayne, Records Manager

March 14, 2018 Marlo MacKay 2 Comments

We are very pleased to welcome alumna Courtney Bayne to the Dalhousie Libraries in the new role of Records Manager.

Reporting to the University Archivist and working closely with the University’s Records Committee, the Records Manager will work with all administrative and academic units across the university advising them on the development of policies and procedures that supports the implementation of the University’s Records Management Policy. The Records Manager ensures the effective, efficient, and economical management of the University’s information resources are handled in an ethical and sustainable manner.

Courtney holds a Master in Information Management from Dalhousie and has over ten years of experience in the records and information management field. She has held numerous positions with the Province of Nova Scotia and volunteers with the Canadian regional team of the International Records Management Association (ARMA).

“It is great to be a part of the warm and welcoming community here at Dalhousie,” said Courtney. “I started my journey in records management with a Libraries and Technology Diploma from NSCC and while in school I worked at the Nova Scotia Archives. After being introduced to the records management field I felt connected working with individuals in improvement of processes and providing guidance in the application of standards, procedures, and policies. Identifying the operational value of the information that is created in an organization and persevering it accordingly is very important to me. As an ARMA member I keep engaged with the ever-evolving information and records management world. I love the challenges that arise, working though puzzles, and making the end result functional and easy to apply for end users. I look forward to working with the community at Dalhousie to make a robust and proactive records management program,” said Courtney.

“We are pleased to have an individual with Courtney’s extensive knowledge and experience in records management joining us at Dalhousie as the Dal Libraries continue to provide leadership in supporting the implementation of records and information management best practices across the university,” said Michael Moosberger, Associate University Librarian Archives, Special Collections and Records Management & University Archivist.

Courtney is the proud owner of a German Short Haired Pointer puppy named Digby that she enjoys taking on hikes and runs.

Esri Canada App Challenge & GIS Scholarship

March 8, 2018 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

1. ESRI CANADA APP CHALLENGE

The ECCE App Challenge is a coding competition that promotes innovation and creativity within Dalhousie’s GIS Centre, a member of ESRI Canada’s Centres of Excellence. Each year, teams of students at ECCE schools across Canada are tasked to create new and unique apps powered by Esri technology and open data to help address a problem related to a specific theme.

The App Challenge at Dalhousie University will take place between March 18 (noon) and March 25 (noon). Teams will be given one week to complete their apps, and to submit the source code accompanied by supporting documentation, team profiles, and a video sales pitch for their app. These will be assembled and hosted in a GitHub repository used by the ECCE to showcase the apps created by each team.

Challenge rules:

– Maximum three students per team (undergrad or graduate)
– Your app must use open data
– You app should focus on the theme of smart cities
– You may use any platform for development (e.g. Web, iOS, Android)
– Your app must include at least one Esri component (e.g., ArcGIS API for Javascript, ArcGIS SDK for iOS), although other additional technologies are encouraged
– Your team must produce a sales pitch video explaining what your app does, and why it is valuable
– Any source code that you produce for your app must be shared under the GPL 3.0 open source license
– Your team must submit a completed app to the ECCE program at the end of the week

How to register:

Get your team together and then contact either James Boxall (james.boxall@dal.ca) or Gwen MacNairn (g.macnairn@Dal.Ca) with the GIS Centre at Dalhousie University. Send the names and email addresses of your team members, and choose/submit a team name.

What can be won?

A cash prize of $1500 (yes, that’s $500/team member) will be awarded to the top ranked Dalhousie team. Dalhousie judges will forward submissions from four of the top Dalhousie teams to ESRI Canada for the national competition. Winners of the national competition will be awarded an all expenses paid trip for all team members to the Esri User Conference in San Diego, California (July 9-13, 2018).

Schedule: runs for one week, from 12 noon on Sunday, March 18 to 12 noon on Sunday, March 25, 2018.

Eventbrite: http://bit.ly/2tko5cZ

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2. ESRI CANADA GIS SCHOLARSHIP GUIDELINES

This scholarship is for a high achieving Dalhousie student who has integrated GIS technology into their studies at Dal. The scholarship package will help support a currently enrolled student to continue their studies in GIS and consider GIS as a future career option.

Scholarship package includes:

1) A one-time payment of $500

2) A perpetual license of Esri’s ArcGIS software, for education and research use:

• ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced
• ArcGIS for Desktop Extensions, including: ArcGIS Spatial Analyst, ArcGIS 3D Analyst, ArcGIS Geostatistical Analyst, ArcGIS Network Analyst, and ArcGIS Publisher
• ArcGIS for Desktop Advanced
• One-year ArcGIS Online Organization Plan (includes 100 service credits and 1 named user)
• One year of complimentary maintenance (which provides software updates, technical support and unlimited access to e-learning courses through the Esri Training site)

3) A one-year Professional-level subscription to the ArcGIS Developer Program (ADP), which includes ArcGIS Enterprise for development purposes as well as CityEngine

4) Select Esri Press Publications including:

• Python Scripting for ArcGIS
• Getting to Know Web GIS, 2nd Edition
• The Esri Guide to GIS Analysis, Volume 3

5) Two Esri Canada instructor-led training courses

6) Registration to one of Esri Canada’s User Conferences in 2018

7) A personal and editable profile in the Esri Canada GIS Scholarship Web Portal

Application Package must include:

– A cover letter (highlighting GIS & RS activities)
– A current CV/Resume
– An academic transcript (can be unofficial)
– GIS Poster* (attach as a PDF)
– GIS Summary Report** (attach as a PDF)

Suggested guidelines for the Poster* and Report** are listed below.
Email your application package to the Dal GIS Centre: james.boxall@dal.ca
Specify subject as: GIS Scholarship
Deadline to apply: Sunday, March 25, 2018 (on or before 11:59 p.m.)

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3. 2018 INTERNATIONAL ESRI YOUNG SCHOLARS AWARD

This is a national competition which will be awarded to one Canadian student. If you follow the international guidelines, the same poster and summary report can be submitted to both the Dal GIS Centre (by March 25) and to the Esri Canada Young Scholars Award (by March 29, 2018).

Submission package must include:

– Contact information
– Institution name and program of study
– Personal statement describing your experience with GIS
– Academic transcript (can be unofficial)
– GIS Poster* (attach as a PDF)
– GIS Summary Report** (attach as a PDF)

International guidelines:

*GIS Poster

• Must use ArcGIS software
• Must be created only by the applicant
• Graphics be of sufficient quality for printing (300 dpi)
• Portrait orientation (24 inches wide by 36 inches high)
• File size should not exceed 10 MB

**GIS Summary Report (explains your project or research):

800–1,000 words maximum

• Can include maps and other illustrations

Submit via: https://scholars.esri.ca/eys-application/

Deadline to apply: Thursday, March 29, 2018 (before 5:00 p.m.)

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An evening with Donna Morrissey

March 6, 2018 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

Join us for an evening with Donna Morrissey as she reads from her Thomas H. Raddall Award-winning novel, The Fortunate Brother. All are welcome.

Monday, March 19, 7 p.m.
Halifax Central Library, Room 301

“One of the very best literary novels I have read in years.” — Ron Rash, NYT best-selling author.

Presented by Dalhousie Libraries and Halifax Public Libraries.

Link to (free) tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/a-evening-with-donna-morrissey-tickets-43884616068

Dalhousie hosts meetings as part of national discussion on research data management

March 5, 2018 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

By Michele Charlton & Marlo MacKay

The three federal research granting agencies, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), are consulting with stakeholders across Canada on the development of a Tri-Agency research data management policy.

On February 15, more than fifty stakeholders from across the Atlantic region gathered at Dalhousie University and online to take part in a discussion with Matthew Lucas, who represented the granting agencies and is the Executive Director of Corporate Strategy and Performance for SSHRC; and Jeff Moon, who is the Director of Portage, a national network launched and supported by the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL) that develops resources and platforms to support researchers and institutions in good data management practices.

Participants included vice-presidents of research, university librarians, CIOs and other IT professionals, deans, and additional professionals from libraries and research offices. Similar meetings have already taken place with stakeholders in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia, and Alberta.

The importance of research data management

The agencies’ consultations build on the 2016 Tri-Agency Statement of Principles on Digital Data Management, which outline the agencies’ overarching expectations regarding research data management and the responsibility of researchers, research communities, research institutions, and research funders in meeting these expectations.

As noted in the Statement, “when properly managed and responsibly shared, digital research data enable researchers to ask new questions, pursue novel research programs, test alternative hypotheses, deploy innovative methodologies and collaborate across geographic and disciplinary boundaries. The ability to store, access, reuse and build upon digital research data has become critical to the advancement of science and scholarship, supports innovative solutions to economic and social challenges, and holds tremendous potential for Canada’s productivity, competitiveness and quality of life.”

The agencies believe that research data collected with the use of public funds should be responsibly and effectively managed and be made available for reuse by others whenever possible. Libraries and others in academic institutions are leading the charge to support researchers in adopting good data management practices.

Researchers collect and rely on increasing amounts of digital data, but they don’t all have the tools or training to effectively manage this data. This creates a risk that sensitive data may be inappropriately released or that valuable data may be lost altogether. Insecurely stored research data may fail to meet ethical and legal requirements, or may become inaccessible due to hardware obsolescence.

“Effective data management also helps researchers share their data more broadly, which in turn creates new opportunities to advance research. The benefits of this kind of data sharing are evident in disciplines like astronomy,” said Matthew Lucas. While the agencies recognize a number of factors that preclude data sharing, the agencies encourage researchers to provide access to their data whenever possible.

In situations where sensitive research data cannot be shared, good data management practices are even more crucial to ensure that data is securely deposited and protected.

Providing the tools and training to help successfully manage data

Dalhousie has tools and services made available by the Dalhousie Libraries to help researchers share and preserve their data, including:

· DalSpace, an institutional repository which collects, preserves, and distributes digital material produced by the Dalhousie community.

· A recently launched data repository called Dataverse. Dataverse is an open source software application, developed at Harvard, that allows researchers to deposit, cite, preserve, and appropriately share their research data.

· Data Management Services including access to the DMP Assistant, to develop data management plans.

“A data management plan is a living document that you edit over time as your project evolves,” said Jeff Moon. “Portage is building a community of practice across Canada that involves over 100 volunteer experts providing support for RDM platforms and services such as the DMP Assistant, data repository options, help with data curation, developing metadata standards, preservation and training.”

“Libraries are first and foremost concerned with providing equitable service. We serve all researchers, whether they have funding or not, so we are particularly interested in ensuring the research data management policies and the services we develop are inclusive for all researchers,” said Donna Bourne-Tyson, University Librarian of Dalhousie. “We were pleased to host this important discussion for the Atlantic region and to hear colleagues’ comments and questions,” said Bourne-Tyson.

The agencies hope to launch a public online consultation on a draft Tri-Agency Research Data Management Policy later this year.

Fair Dealing Week: Copyright Office Drop-in Hours

February 22, 2018 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

As part of Fair Dealing Week, the Copyright Office will be holding drop-in office hours. Bring your copyright questions relating to fair dealing, thesis guidelines, film screenings, and more to Roger Gillis, Copyright and Humanities Librarian and Lachlan MacLeod, Copyright Services Coordinator.

For more information please visit the Copyright Office Website, or e-mail copyright.office@dal.ca

Tuesday, February 27, 1–2 p.m.
Room G42,
South Learning Commons, Killam Library

Journals Cited by Wikipedia (JCW): Presentation & Discussion with Gaetan Landry

February 21, 2018 Marlo MacKay Leave a Comment

Join Gaetan Landry for an updated version of a talk originally given at Wikimania 2017 in Montreal of the Journals Cited by Wikipedia (JCW) system. The JCW system is used by the English Wikipedia’s community to keep track of which journals are the most cited on Wikipedia.

The JCW system is mainly used by WikiProject Academic Journals to prioritize the creation of articles on academic journals. However, the system has many side benefits and can also be used to evaluate the on-Wikipedia impact of academic journals, and provide another citation metric similar to the Impact Factor, Eigenfactor, or PageRank metrics used in academia.

Gaetan will discuss what motivated him to originally propose the JCW system and extensions to other topics such as Magazines cited by Wikipedia, Books cited by Wikipedia and Publishers cited by Wikipedia. The talk should be interesting to all audiences, particularly those interested in Wikipedian history and academic publishing (including open/libre access supporters).

Gaetan is a faculty member on the Agricultural Campus and has been a Wikipedian since 2006. He has given multiple talks at Wikimania, created about 175 articles and contributed to over 200,000 edits. A member of the Bots Approval Group since 2011, he is responsible for overseeing the operation of several bots on Wikipedia. He has written articles in The Wikipedia Signpost and is involved with several WikiProjects.

You are encouraged to bring a laptop to this presentation. All are welcome.

Date & Time: Friday, February 23, 10–11a.m.
Location: Killam Memorial Library, Room 2902 & MacRae Library, Cobequid Room (the presentation will be held in Truro with videoconferencing to Halifax)

RSVP: Erin.MacPherson@dal.ca

The Lives of Dalhousie Digital Exhibit, Digital Editions & Dal 200th Timeline

February 21, 2018 Marlo MacKay 1 Comment

by Alice Albarda (Project Assistant, Dalhousie University Archives)

The faculty, graduates, and class of 1870.

For Dalhousie’s 200th anniversary, Alice Albarda and Geoff Brown of the Dalhousie Libraries’ University Archives have created a two-part digital exhibit based on The Lives of Dalhousie, a comprehensive two-volume history of Dalhousie University written by Peter B. Waite. The goal of this project was to supplement the book by showcasing material from the Dalhousie University Archives.

The Lives of Dalhousie University Volume One, 1818-1925: Lord Dalhousie’s College and Volume Two, 1925-1980: The Old College Transformed were written by Peter B. Waite, Dalhousie’s historian, from 1986-1992. The two-volume book chronicles Dalhousie’s history from Lord Dalhousie’s arrival in Nova Scotia in 1816 to the end of Henry Hicks’ presidency in 1980.

The exhibit follows the format of the books, with a section for each chapter. Within each section, Alice and Geoff have selected a handful of topics to highlight. Some of the topics, like Thomas McCulloch or the Dalhousie No. 7 Stationary Hospital, are important parts of Dalhousie’s history that many people are already familiar with. However, the team tried to also select topics that were less well-known and might provide some insight into the everyday lives of Dalhousians throughout the school’s history.

Each topic in the exhibit is illustrated with items from the Archives, which have been fully digitized and are also available through the Archives catalogue or DalSpace. Throughout the course of the six month project, Alice scanned material as needed and uploaded them to both the exhibit and the Archives catalogue. The material includes historical photographs, articles from the Dalhousie Gazette, academic documents, and personal mementos.

Exhibit highlights:

Roy Atwood, who operated the campus canteen for over 30 years. Roy’s canteen was one of the few places where students could hang out on Studley Campus and Roy was a fixture of campus life
The Diary of Sam Peeps, a gossip and humour column that was published in the Gazette in the 1940’s and ruffled quite a few administrative feathers
A collection of group portraits of Dalhousie athletes from the 1920’s and earlier
James De Mille, one of Dalhousie’s first professors, who was also a popular author in the late 19th century
A collection of postcards sent to a young Haligonian by his uncle, who was a member of the Dalhousie University No.7 Stationary Hospital during WWI

Dixie Pelluet, an outspoken advocate for equal gender treatment in academics, due to unfair treatment that she received at the hands of Dalhousie’s administration
George Vibert Douglas, a Dalhousie geology professor who also joined Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1921 Antarctic expedition
The sheet music for Dalhousie songs and cheers, which were sung by the Dalhousie Glee and Dramatic Club

The full text of The Lives of Dalhousie has been published on GitBook and is linked throughout the exhibit, so viewers can read more about Dalhousie’s history if they so desire.

As a further celebration of Dalhousie’s 200^th anniversary, the Dal Libraries has put together a timeline for each day of 2018 that includes many of the images found in our Lives of Dalhousie University exhibit. The timeline is our way of connecting Dalhousie to the broader community by featuring an event, historical photograph or other material for each day of 2018. With such a rich history, we had plenty of material to choose from. The timelines are being posted on a monthly basis and offer a fun, informative and sometimes whimsical view of Dalhousie’s past.

Lives of Dalhousie University (digital edition, downloadable versions on DalSpace): https://dalspace.library.dal.ca/handle/10222/73583

Online versions on Gitbook

Dalhousie 200^th Anniversary Timeline https://libraries.dal.ca/find/university-archives/dal-200th.html

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