Menu

The LibVine

What's going on at Dalhousie Libraries

Category: Agriculture

Introduction to 3D Design

Interested in learning how to design models for use on the Dal Libraries’ 3D printers? We’re hosting an Introduction to 3D Design workshop where we’ll teach what you need to know to create your own 3D models. The workshop will walk you through all of the basic tools in Sketchup.  By the end of the session you’ll have a simple farmhouse model of your very own.

In the days following the workshop, we’ll print you a free copy of your model and notify you when it’s ready to be picked up. No previous experience is required to participate. With your new-found Sketchup skills, you’ll be well on your way to bringing your ideas into reality with the Dal Libraries’ 3D Printing service.

Introduction to 3D Design will be offered twice in Room G70 in the Killam Library.

Tuesday, September 30 from 12:30–1:30 p.m.

Wednesday, October 1 from 2–3 p.m.

To register, contact libsys@dal.ca and indicate which session you’d like to attend.

farmhouse2014-2

The farmhouse model as it looks in Sketchup.

farmhouse

The finished product, once printed on the 3D printer.

 

 

New Springer ebooks added

new eBooks

The Dalhousie Libraries recently added a number of new ebooks to our collection, in a wide variety of subject areas, from the scientific, Technical, and medical publisher Springer. New titles include:

Concise dictionary of engineering

Vulnerability of agriculture, water and fisheries to climate change

Adolescent identity treatment

Law and religious cultural heritage in Europe

Early neoplasias of the gastrointestinal tract

The significance test controversy revisited

And many more.

New Springer ebooks can be found using the “Books and More” search at libraries.dal.ca, or you can browse Springer ebooks and ejournals here: http://ezproxy.library.dal.ca/login?url=http://link.springer.com/

 

New Hours in the Special Collections & Archives Reading Room

new hrs sp coll arch reading room

If you love to spend your study time in the Special Collections & Archives Reading Room, you’re in luck. Extended open hours for this space started this week.

Now, the room is open during regular Killam Library hours, from 8 a.m.–midnight Monday to Friday, and from 10 a.m.–midnight on Saturday and Sunday. Reference assistance in this space will still be available from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday to Friday.

And if you want to check this space out, it’s on the fifth floor of the Killam Library.

 

 

GISciences Centre’s Lunchless Learn Series, Fall 2014

GIS lunchless learns

What is a Lunchless Learn? It’s a hands-on tutorial, held around lunchtime, open to all on campus (without the food).

A GIS, or Geographic Information System, is “a computer system for capturing, storing, checking, integrating, manipulating, analyzing and displaying data relating to positions on earth’s surface.” In other words, it’s an easy and fun way to look at the world differently.

This series gives people a taste of what GIS is and how it can be used. We are offering the same session at different times and locations, so choose the one that fits your schedule best. These sessions are meant to be self contained; after the intro session–take only the topics that are of interest to you.

Due to the high level of interest in these sessions, we ask you to sign up for each session. To sign up, contact gis@dal.ca

Intro – First Encounters of the GIS Kind
Tues., Sept. 16/11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.          Room G70, Killam Library, Studley Campus
Wed., Sept. 24/noon–1:30 p.m.              Room C300, C Building, Sexton Campus
Thurs., Oct. 2/11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.            Room G70, Killam Library, Studley Campus

Data: So You Want to Make a Map – where and how to find data
Wed., Oct. 8/noon–2 p.m.                          Room C300, C Building, Sexton Campus
Tues., Oct. 14/11:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m.         Room G70, Killam Library, Studley Campus

Raster – How to Become a Raster Master
Wed., Oct. 22/noon–1:30 p.m.                 Room C300, C Building, Sexton Campus
Tues., Oct. 28/11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.            Room G70, Killam Library, Studley Campus

Carto: Maps – the good, the bad, and the ugly
Tues., Nov. 4/11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.            Room G70, Killam Library, Studley Campus
Wed., Nov. 12/noon–1:30 p.m.              Room C300, C Building, Sexton Campus

New this year! ArcGIS Online – GIS that’s in the Cloud(s)!
Tues., Nov. 18/11:30 a.m.–1 p.m.         Room G70, Killam Library, Studley Campus

And don’t forget, the GISciences Centre is located on the second floor of the Killam Library.

Intern Profiles 2014: Valerie Collins, Killam Memorial Library

VCollins

Hailing from Eagle River, Alaska, Valerie Collins is the intern who has probably travelled the farthest to get to Dalhousie this year. Before coming to Dal, Valerie did a Bachelor of Arts, with a double major in English and German, at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

“I was one of those kids who grew up saying, ‘I want to be a librarian,’” said Valerie. But she wasn’t serious about it until she researched LIS programs in the last year of her undergraduate studies, and discovered how broad and innovative the field could be. “The program wasn’t offered in Alaska, so I decided that if I was going to leave then I should go far, and that’s part of what brought me to Halifax,” she said.

In addition to working on DalSpace, Dalhousie’s institutional repository, Valerie is spending her summer working on tutorial videos for the library, and providing reference assistance at the Killam Library Service Point.

Eventually, she plans to return to Alaska, but she hopes to stay in Canada for a while.

Valerie was also the recipient of the 2014 Stephanie Downs Memorial Award. Congratulations, Valerie!

Academic Term Hours 2014–15

ac hours2

Sir James Dunn Law Library

Monday–Wednesday: 8 a.m.–10:45 p.m.
Thursday: 8 a.m.–8 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
Saturday: noon–6 p.m.
Sunday: noon–10:45 p.m.

Effective September 15

W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library

Monday-Thursday:  7:30 a.m.*–11 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 a.m.*–7 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m.–11 p.m.

* Note: Circulation opens at 8 a.m. Mon.–Fri.
Effective September 5

Killam Memorial Library

Monday–Friday: 8 a.m.–midnight
Saturday & Sunday:10 a.m.–midnight

Effective September 4

Dalhousie University Archives & Special Collections Reading Room
(temporarily located in room 5105, Killam Library, due to renovations)

Monday–Friday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

GISciences Centre  
(located second floor, Killam Library)

Monday–Friday:  9 a.m.–noon & 1 p.m.–4 p.m.

MacRae Library

Monday–Thursday: 8:30 a.m.–10:30 p.m.
Friday: 8:30 a.m.–6 p.m.
Saturday: noon–5 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m.–10:30 p.m.

Effective September 4

Sexton Design & Technology Library 

Monday–Thursday: 8 a.m.–midnight
Friday: 8 a.m.–9 p.m.
Saturday: 10 a.m.–10 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m.–midnight

Effective September 2

Intern Profiles 2014: Andrew Roy, Killam Memorial Library

AndrewRoyPhoto

Andrew is from Edmonton, Alberta, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Alberta. Andrew discovered through his research that Dalhousie University offers a combined degree in both law and information management. This unique program provides the skills, knowledge, and experience to excel in areas that deal with digital privacy, intellectual property, and data analysis. When he finishes the four year program, Andrew will have both an MLIS (Masters of Library and Information Studies) and a JD (Juris Doctor) degree.

In addition to providing reference and research support at the Killam Library Service Point this summer, Andrew will be helping to implement LibAnalytics, a product that simplifies data collection and allows for more robust data analysis. This software will further encourage evidence-based decision making at Dalhousie libraries.

Back at the Atlantic Fringe Festival: Johnelle Sciocchetti

htwagposter2

Dal Libraries staff member Johnelle Sciocchetti will be at the Atlantic Fringe Festival again this year with another new play. This is Johnelle’s third year in a row writing and directing for the Fringe, but this year she’s also performing in the play. In addition to Johnelle, the production also stars Jordan Gracie with special guest Jacob Carey.

Johnelle’s theatre group Wildfire Theatre Society presents How To Win A Guy, a comedic show inspired by the bizarre flirtation guidelines in Cosmopolitan magazine, as part of the 24th Atlantic Fringe Festival. Motivated by the comedic genius of Lotus Weinstock, How To Win A Guy (HTWAG) combines ridiculous flirting, desperation, and a healthy dose of romantic insanity.

HTWAG will play on the following dates:

Friday, Aug. 29 – 9:30 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 30 – 7 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 31 – 9:15 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 1 – 4 p.m.
Thursday, Sept. 4 – 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 7 – 4 p.m.

All shows will take place at the Living Room (2353 Agricola St.).

Tickets are $6 and can be bought in advance online at http://www.eventbrite.ca/e/how-to-win-a-guy-tickets-12658490887 or at the venue before each show.

 For More Information Contact:   

Johnelle Sciocchetti (Wildfire Theatre Society)
(902)456-6191
jh625998@dal.ca

3D Printer Price Increase

The cost of 3D printing will increase on September 2. We will be moving from an hourly pricing rate to a weight-based pricing rate. This price rate will apply at all four Dal Libraries that have a 3D printer, the Kellogg Health Sciences Library, the Killam Library, the MacRae Library, and the Sexton Library.

The price will increase from $1 per hour to 8¢ per gram. While it is difficult to directly compare an hourly price rate with a weight-based price rate, in most cases, this will result in a price increase per 3D printed model.

Although this is a price increase, we continue to keep the costs as low as possible, charging just enough so that we can recover the cost of materials. We maintain our goal of making the 3D printer as accessible as possible for everyone to use.

We are moving to this weight-based pricing model for a number of reasons:

  • We need to more accurately recover the cost of materials for each model printed. The hourly pricing rate was introduced with the original 3D printer two years ago. We’ve since upgraded the printers and the newer printers can print models faster while using the same amount of PLA plastic.
  • This pricing model is more fair because the time that each printer can take to print a model can vary (we have 3D printers at four Dal Libraries).
  • We need to factor in cost not just for the PLA plastic in each model, but also for the inevitable wastage. Often we have to print a number of models for success, and we don’t charge individuals for failed models.

More information about 3D printing is available on our website.

Small model weighing 25 grams at ten per cent fill will cost $2 with the new weight-based price structure. (Model was $1.50 under the hourly price structure.)

Small model weighing 25 grams at ten per cent fill will cost $2 with the new weight-based price structure. (Model was $1.50 under the hourly price structure.)

Average-sized model weighing 50 grams at ten per cent fill will cost $4 with the new weight-based price structure. (Model was $3 under the hourly price structure.)

Average-sized model weighing 50 grams at ten per cent fill will cost $4 with the new weight-based price structure. (Model was $3 under the hourly price structure.)

Large model weighing 100 grams at ten per cent fill will cost $8 with the new weight-based price structure. (Model was $6.50 under the hourly price structure.)

Large model weighing 100 grams at ten per cent fill will cost $8 with the new weight-based price structure. (Model was $6.50 under the hourly price structure.)

TOP