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Category: Agriculture

Outages on Sunday, April 28

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On Sunday, April 28 from 7 a.m.–5 p.m., we will be doing maintenance on our library systems, requiring an outage of almost all systems. This work is necessary to add disk space to our local storage network, giving us the storage capacity needed to grow in the coming years. We apologize for the inconvenience these outages cause.

Services affected:

  • DalSpace
  • Dataverse
  • Room bookings
  • Software.dal.ca
  • Findingaids.library.dal.ca
  • Library Hours
  • Libcasts
  • Dal Class
  • OJS
  • Omeka

Services NOT affected:

  • Library website (most of the website will be online, however some widgets [like the hours] will be unavailable)
  • Ezproxy
  • Primo
  • Novanet
  • Instructional technologies (Brightspace, Panopto, Collaborate)

Updates will be posted on status.dal.ca as work is completed.

Putting Dal on the Map: Launching the Chris Hadfield Space Photographs Collection

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(originally appeared in Today @ Dal on April 16)

On April 11, the Dal Libraries launched the Chris Hadfield Space Photographs Collection to a packed house in the Killam Memorial Library. Space and geography fans of all ages gathered to get their first look at the collection on the Killam’s data visualization wall before the link to the collection was publically released.

Commander Chris Hadfield donated over 13,000 of his space photographs to Dalhousie for the purposes of sharing, preserving and promoting their use in teaching and research. The photographs capture what he saw while orbiting Earth as Commander of the International Space Station (ISS) in 2013. Due to an incredible stroke of serendipity, Dal Libraries’ GIS Specialist and Map Curator James Boxall obtained the photos from Commander Hadfield on behalf of Dalhousie.

Inspired by the photos, Boxall saw the potential in using the Story Map platform to organize the collection. Caitlin Cunningham, a PhD student and intern in the Dal Libraries GIS Centre, is the author of this Story Map. Over a year, Caitlin reviewed all the photos, selecting the best 200, and then designed a series of related Story Maps to make them interactive and accessible. Dalhousie is one of only two institutions in the world to have these photos, and the only institution to create a public archive with the images.

“We are honoured that Chris Hadfield has entrusted the Dal Libraries to preserve his collection. Commander Hadfield is thrilled with the work we’ve done so that his photos can be an ongoing resource for students and the space-curious. The potential for these photos to inspire teaching and research is limited only by our imaginations and extends far beyond Dalhousie,” said Donna Bourne-Tyson, University Librarian.

In addition to presenting the photos georeferenced to their orbital path and plotted on a map, the collection features “swipe maps,” which puts two images of the same location on top of each other, for the purposes of comparing them by sliding left and right. The swipe maps emphasize change over time, making them useful for urbanization and climate change studies. Another activity presents 56 images without a label or map location, giving the public a chance to play spatial detective by figuring out where on Earth the image is. Answers can be submitted to the Dal Libraries.

Commander Hadfield sent video greetings that were played at the launch, expressing his thanks for the work the Dalhousie Libraries have done with his photos and his Chief of Staff from Chris Hadfield Inc., Cheryl-Ann Horrocks, was in attendance.

New Collections Analysis Librarian, Kirsten Huhn

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8B5CA037-C52B-485E-80BD-6AAB49C02957We are pleased to introduce Kirsten Huhn as our new Collections Analysis Librarian. Kirsten started with the Dal Libraries on February 4.

Prior to joining the Dal Libraries, Kirsten was the Head of Acquisitions and Serials at Concordia University Library in Montreal. She has also worked as a librarian at Jacobs University Bremen in her native Germany. Kirsten has extensive professional experience in Collection Services, specifically in the areas of acquisitions, collection management of serials and electronic resources, and budget management.

The Collections Analysis Librarian is a new position in the Dalhousie Libraries. In this role, Kirsten is supporting the acquisition, assessment and integration of the Libraries’ print and electronic collections. Working as part of the Resources team, she is closely involved in collection development and management operations. In addition to her role in the Resources team, Kirsten serves as a subject liaison to Earth Sciences and Environmental Sciences.

Kirsten is a strong believer in user-centered service and is looking forward to supporting the academic mission of Dalhousie, through her role with the Dal Libraries.

Kirsten has a Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) from McGill, and a Magister Artium (M.A.) from Leipzig University. In 2000, she was a visiting student in the Graduate Studies program at Dalhousie.

We’re so happy to welcome Kirsten back to Dalhousie and Halifax.

 

 

 

ProQuest Ebook Central Maintenance: April 20

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libcentral ebook centralProQuest will be performing maintenance on Ebook Central and LibCentral later this month, to ensure their ebook platform remains updated and secure.”

The maintenance will take place Saturday, April 20 from 1–3 p.m. ADT. As a result, the ProQuest Ebook Central platform will be temporarily unavailable. ProQuest apologizes for the inconvenience.

 

 

Research Bootcamp 2019 for RAs, TAs, & grad students

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RESEARCH BOOTCAMP LOGOFor the fifth 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 cover:

  • research skills
  • literature reviews
  • citation management
  • copyright
  • writing abstracts & grant proposals
  • legal resources
  • PubMed & other health sciences databases
  • open access & predatory publishers
  • grey literature
  • Canadian data & stats
  • key resources in engineering & applied sciences
  • managing human research data
  • conference posters
  • APA citation
  • Excel
  • data management planning
  • evidence synthesis
  • humanities resources
  • eBooks & scholarly research
  • introduction to R
  • ESRI Story Maps
  • data holdings at the ARDC
  • data visualization & pivot charts
  • data cleaning with OpenRefine
  • Covidence

Complete session list and descriptions are available at: http://dal.ca.libguides.com/ResearchBootcamp/2019/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 from the Agricultural Campus or DMNB.

Registration begins Wednesday, April 10: dal.ca.libguides.com/ResearchBootcamp/2019/Registration

 

 

 

New Manager of Operations, Academic Technology Services

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BrianWe are pleased to announce that Brian Lesser is the new Manager of Operations in the Academic Technology Services (ATS) unit, which is the Dal Libraries department responsible for managing technology in the libraries and classrooms, video conferencing services, and Brightspace.

This role is a new one for the Dalhousie Libraries. Brian will be responsible for overseeing the Libraries technical infrastructure, provide management and leadership to the operations team (system administrators, developers, and statistical computing), will be responsible for the implementation of technology-enabled learning projects, and will have ownership of the academic software lifecycle.

Brian is a two-time Dalhousie alumnus, with a BA and a Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS). He was awarded the Louis Vagianos Medal on convocation in 2018 for “the capacity for blending originality with practical thinking and the courage to seek solutions to professional problems outside the mainstream.” The first winner of this award was our very own University Librarian, Donna Bourne-Tyson.

A Nova Scotia native, Brian started his career in academic technology at Acadia University as a student assistant and pedagogical researcher running summer technology camps for secondary school teachers and students. His career at Dalhousie began in 2004 as a student assistant, then in 2006 he became a Systems Administrator with the former Academic Computing Services department of central IT services.

Brian joined the Dalhousie Libraries in 2013 when Academic Computing Services merged with the Dalhousie Libraries’ ITS, now known as Academic Technology Services. His early career had focused on instructional technologies and eLearning, but since joining the Dalhousie Libraries and pursuing an MLIS degree, Brian has developed a strong interest in library systems and library services, including a keen interest in user experience, service design, and research data management.

 

Launch of the Chris Hadfield Space Photographs Collection

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hadfield cover picColonel (Ret.) Chris Hadfield donated thousands of copies of his space photographs to Dalhousie so we could share, preserve and promote their use in teaching and research. The photographs capture what Colonel Hadfield saw while orbiting Earth as Commander of the International Space Station (ISS) in 2013.

Using the Story Map platform to present a curated selection of the photographs, we are proud to launch the Chris Hadfield Space Photographs Collection, which we will be displaying on our new data visualization wall in the Killam Library. We will be joined by representatives from Chris Hadfield Inc. for this special event. All are welcome.

Thursday, April 11, 3 p.m.
Killam Memorial Library, Room 2600 (LINC)
6225 University Avenue

Link to free tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/launch-of-the-chris-hadfield-space-photographs-collection-tickets-58383848663

 

 

 

Night Owls Starts This Weekend!

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night owls early birds digital assetStarting on March 17, the Kellogg Library Learning Commons in the CHEB and the Student Learning Commons in the MacRae Library will stay open till 3 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays.

Starting March 24, the first floor of the Killam Library will stay open till 3 a.m., Sundays through Thursdays.

Prefer mornings? Starting March 23, the MacRae Library will open at 10 a.m. on Saturdays. The Killam Library will open at 8 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday mornings starting March 30.

Are you a night owl or an early bird? Either way, good luck with your studies!

Night Owls is for Dalhousie and King’s students. A valid DalCard is required. 

 

 

Afrofuturism: a panel discussion

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afrofuturism image for blogJoin us for this panel discussion on Afrofuturism with Dr. Asha Jeffers of King’s and Dr. Isaac Saney of Dalhousie. Kewoba Carter of Dal’s International Centre will moderate.

This is event is presented by the Dalhousie Libraries in support of this year’s Dal Reads book, Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson. Set in the near future in a dystopic Toronto, Brown Girl in the Ring contains themes of folklore, feminism, and magic realism steeped in Afro-Caribbean culture.

Monday, March 18, 7 p.m. title announcement 2018 19
Rowe Building, Room 3089, 6100 University Ave.

This is event is presented by the Dalhousie Libraries in support of this year’s Dal Reads book, Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson. Set in the near future in a dystopic Toronto, Brown Girl in the Ring contains themes of folklore, feminism, and magic realism steeped in Afro-Caribbean culture.

About the panelists and moderator:

Dr. Asha Jeffers:
Dr. Jeffers is a Faculty Fellow at University of King’s College. She has a PhD in English literature from York University. Her research focused on literature about the children of immigrants — the second generation — across national and ethnic lines. She’s particularly
interested in myths of the past and myths of the future.

Dr. Isaac Saney:
Dr. Saney is Director of Dalhousie’s Transition Year Program, established to redress educational barriers and injustices facing the Mi’kmaq Nation, other First Nations, and African Nova Scotians. His teaching and scholarship encompasses Africa, the Caribbean, the US Civil Rights Movement, Cuba, and Black Nova Scotian history. He is a community activist and participant in the anti-war movement and the anti-racist struggle, with roots in the Black Nova Scotian community and the Caribbean.

Kewoba Carter:
Kewoba is an International Student Advisor & Co-ordinator in Dalhousie’s International Centre. Originally from the island of Dominica, she taught secondary school English Caribbean Literature for two years. She then moved to Canada and graduated from Dalhousie with a Bachelor of Arts Combined Honours in International Development Studies and English.

WEATHER RELATED CLOSURES TONIGHT (SAT, MARCH 2)

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Due to the forecast, the Killam Library and the Kellogg Library Learning Commons (CHEB) will close at 10 pm. The Wallace McCain Learning Commons will close at 9:45 pm. Apologies for the inconvenience. Stay safe, everyone!

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