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What's going on at Dalhousie Libraries

Category: Archives & Special Collections

Intern Profiles 2013: Samantha Fritz, Killam Memorial Library

Samantha low res

Samantha in the Special Collections Reading Room, fifth floor of the Killam Library.

Samantha Fritz is spending her summer as an intern in the Killam Memorial Library. Having completed her first year of the Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) degree, one of the things Samantha is enjoying so far is seeing the theories she’s learned in the classroom come to life in the library.

“I really enjoy learning the theories behind the organization and classification of information,” says Samantha. “I have a background in history and English, so I was also drawn to the MLIS program because I loved the research aspects to those disciplines.”

Coming to Halifax via Kitchener, Samantha says that she chose Dalhousie’s program not only for the high-quality of the courses offered, but also because of the welcome she got from the people in the program. “The program here at Dal makes you feel like you are part of a community,” she says, adding, “and Halifax is a beautiful city.”

Since her internship began, Samantha and the two other Killam interns have been keeping busy on a number of projects, including citing and uploading to DalSpace more than 350 faculty profiles. Other projects include uploading the Proceedings of the Nova Scotian Institute of Science to DalSpace (older issues) and to Open Journal Systems (newer issues), and offering information assistance at the Killam Library Service Point (formerly the circulation desk). Samantha has also been using Camtasia software to produce a new tutorial video about how to search for journals, a common question asked in the library.

Samantha sees herself working in an archive or special collections library in the future. She is also interested in working in an academic library, and she finds projects that connect the libraries to their universities particularly intriguing. She also enjoys the digitization process. “Learning the technical skills such as HTML coding and working with metadata present challenges which are certainly interesting to grapple with,” she says. “The opportunities with this degree are so diverse, I could go into a traditional librarianship role, or do more of the information management side; the opportunities are endless,” says Samantha. Whatever she chooses, she’ll be well served by her love of organization and challenges.

Access Journals Easily from BrowZine

browzine

What is BrowZine, anyway?

BrowZine unites articles from databases into complete journals, then arranges them by subject on a library-branded newsstand. The result is a revolutionary new way to browse, read and monitor scholarly journals on various electronic devices.

The Dal Libraries have access to BrowZine on a trial basis until Nov. 30 (this has recently been extended from Sept. 30).

To access the trial from an  iPad (works best on iPad 2 or later)

•           From an iPad, download BrowZine from the App Store and install it.

•           When you open BrowZine for the first time, you will see a list of schools, select Dalhousie, then enter your Dal ID and password.

•           Select the subject areas and start browsing

BrowZine is also available for Android users.  It can be downloaded on a Google Nexus, Samsung Galaxy or Kindle Fire HD tablet (Ice Cream Sandwich or Jelly Bean OS recommended) from the Google Play or Amazon/Kindle stores.  Same approach as listed above for access on those devices.

If you have previously downloaded BrowZine and have been using their Open Access library, you will first need to log out of that library.  To do so, open BrowZine and tap the Settings button at the bottom; in the Settings page, tap the Logout button in the upper right.  The list of libraries will appear, please follow the above steps.

Unfortunately, not all e-journals Dalhousie has access to are available via BrowZine. This is a list of supported publishers.

BrowZine will be adding JSTOR content later this month, and on October 1 EBSCO, ProQuest, and OVID content will be available as well. We welcome your feedback about this product, please comment below.

 

 

Job posting: Systems Administrator

systems administrator

The Dalhousie Libraries are seeking a Systems Administration with excellent interpersonal, communication, and problem solving skills. Reporting to the Director of Library IT, the Systems Administrator creates and maintains the core infrastructure for all of the Dalhousie Libraries.

This competition closes on Wed., Sept. 4. For more information, see the job posting.

Intern Season 2013

intern season

Every summer, the Dalhousie Libraries welcome students from Dal’s Master of Library and Information Studies program for internships. Working with these bright and enthusiastic individuals is one of our favourite things about summer at the Dalhousie Libraries. Over the next couple of weeks, we’ll be featuring profiles of these fantastic folks here on our blog, and highlight the great work they’re doing to make the libraries better.

James Rothwell, Sexton Design & Technology Library
Keriann Dowling, Killam Memorial Library
Marc Harper, W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library
Nicole Bloudoff, Killam Memorial Library
Linda Cormier, MacRae Library
Samantha Fritz, Killam Memorial Library
Maggie Neilson, W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library
Jannaya Jensen, Dalhousie University Archives
Veronika Kollbrand, Sir James Dunn Law Library

Agricultural Campus Open House: A fun day for all

Yesterday, approximately 35 members of the Dal Libraries staff from the Halifax campuses joined our colleagues in Truro at the Agricultural Campus for their annual Open House event.

The Agricultural Campus staff created a welcoming, fun, and interesting environment for everyone to explore. Faculty, staff, and students were on hand to explain various research projects and offer samples of local produce and delicacies. There were also games for the kids, contests for young and old, adorable animals, and beautiful gardens to take in, as well as a barbecue, ice cream, and cake. The new Seed Lending Library was featured in the MacRae Library, offering free samples of seeds such as lettuce and parsley.  A full list of all the activities from yesterday can be viewed here.

Our Communications Coordinator Marlo MacKay tries her hand at soap felting, a process where you add layers of wool to a bar of soap to make your loofah-type product,

Our Communications Coordinator Marlo MacKay tries her hand at soap felting, a process involving adding layers of wool to a bar of soap to make a loofah-type product. (photo by Stephen Murray of the Sir James Dunn Law Library)

Thank you to our new President, Dr. Florizone, for providing the Dal Tiger bus that many of the library staff and other Dal staff took to the event.  Thanks also to the staff at the MacRae Library on the Agricultural Campus, Elaine MacInnis, Verna Mingo, Sherree Miller (who came in on her vacation), Jolene Reid, Jennifer MacIsaac, Erin MacPherson, and Linda Cormier, the MacRae Library’s SIM intern, for being such gracious hosts. We can’t wait to go again next year!

A scene of the beautiful rock garden on the Agricultural Campus. (photo by Stephen Murray of the Sir James Dunn Law Library)

A scene of the beautiful rock garden on the Agricultural Campus. (photo by Stephen Murray of the Sir James Dunn Law Library)

 

Cake served by the staff at the MacRae Library.

Cake served by the staff at the MacRae Library. (This and all following photos courtesy of Debbie Bangay of the Killam Library.)

Nellie and Susan (KIllam Library) on the bus en route to the Open House event.

Nellie and Susan (Killam Library) on the bus en route to the Open House event.

 

Janet, Susan and Nellie of the Killam Library enjoying the beautiful grounds of the Agricultural Campus.

Janet, Susan and Nellie of the Killam Library enjoying the beautiful grounds of the Agricultural Campus.

 

Four little sheep all in a row. They were being herded as part of a demonstration with a Shetland sheepdog.

Four little sheep all in a row. They were being herded as part of a demonstration with a Shetland sheepdog.

This man is a professional falconer, bringing his hawk to the Agricultural Campus to rid the crops of unwanted pests such as sparrows.

This man is a professional falconer, bringing his hawk to the Agricultural Campus to rid the crops of unwanted pests such as sparrows.

 

Chicks, always cute!

Chicks, always cute!

Sheep shearing

Sheep shearing

 

Introducing Creighton Barrett, the new Digital Archivist

creighton

Creighton Barrett is the brand-new Digital Archivist for Dalhousie University. A new position at Dal, Creighton will be responsible for:

  • Developing programs to acquire and provide access to born-digital archival material
  • Overseeing the adoption of digital preservation standards and best practices
  • Increasing capacity to digitize historical records held in the University Archives
  • Contributing to activities of new Digital Scholarship Centre

Creighton is not a new face in the Dalhousie Archives, though. Previously, he held the position of Archives Specialist. In that role he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the archives, processing archival material, and supervising student and contract workers, as well as working with the Dal Libraries’ website committee, which he will continue in his new role.

“I’m really excited to help contribute to digital archives initiatives and programs here at Dalhousie.  The world of archives is rapidly changing and I am looking forward to joining a growing community of people tackling the technical, organizational, and resource challenges involved with digital preservation and stewardship,” says Creighton.

“We are thrilled to welcome Creighton into his new position as Digital Archivist in the Dalhousie University Archives and the Dalhousie Libraries’ Centre for Digital Scholarship. Creighton will play an important role in the development of services and infrastructure that will allow the University Archives to begin the transition from a primary paper and analogue based repository to one whose future holdings will be received almost exclusively in digital form. Creighton will also work closely with members of the Centre for Digital Scholarship to ensure that the work created through the Centre is preserved and available for research use for generations to come,” says Michael Moosberger, Dalhousie’s Archivist.

Congratulations Creighton!

Historical fashion catalogues in the University Archives

Simpson Catalogue 1914-1915082

Cover of the 1914-15 Simpson’s Fall and Winter Catalogue

The University Archives is thrilled to announce the availability of a collection of historical catalogues from fashion and department stores.

The collection includes catalogues from Simpsons, Simpson-Sears, Sears, Eaton’s, and other catalogue and department stores.  The collection contains hundreds of catalogues from 1888 to 2005.

These catalogues have been in the Archives for decades and have been used by researchers to design costumes, date museum objects, and provide valuable context to the social and cultural life of Nova Scotians over the years.  But the collection was recently reboxed and listed; the University Archives now has a complete inventory that will be made available to researchers.

Eatons Catalogue 1913-1914083

Page from the 1913-1914 Eaton’s Catalogue

We hope the catalogues will be of interest to costume studies and theatre students and faculty, business historians, and anyone interested in learning more about Nova Scotian and Canadian society through its fashion and consumer goods.

Drop by the Archives to browse the collection!

Geoff Brown, the new Digital Scholarship Librarian

Geoff Brown

Geoff Brown has worked for the Dalhousie Libraries since 1995. In his most-recent position, Geoff was the Head of Technical Services at the Killam Library, a role which included some system-wide responsibilities as well.

Geoff is now the Digital Scholarship Librarian, a new position for the Dal Libraries. This position complements the new Digital Scholarship Initiative of the Dalhousie Libraries. Geoff will be the point person for the Libraries’ online journal publishing and hosting (OJS) service, eTextbook hosting, digital collections metadata development and related initiatives.

“We are thrilled to welcome Geoff into his new position as Digital Scholarship Librarian for the Dalhousie Libraries” Centre for Digital Scholarship. Geoff will provide leadership and expertise in a number of key areas as the Centre develops a suite of services and initiatives; all of which will promote a collaborative approach to research at Dalhousie and beyond by making more and more materials publicly available in digital form,” says Michael Moosberger, the Dalhousie University Archivist.

 

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