Menu

The LibVine

What's going on at Dalhousie Libraries

Category: Architecture, Engineering & Planning

Goodbye, Mike!

Michael Groenendyk with a model of the Taj Mahal that was printed on the 3D printer at the Killam. (photo by Bruce Bottomley)

Michael Groenendyk with a model of the Taj Mahal that was printed on the 3D printer at the Killam. (photo by Bruce Bottomley)

The Dalhousie Libraries are wishing Mike Groenendyk the very best in his new position as the Business Librarian at Concordia University (starting August 19).

Mike graduated from Dalhousie’s School of Information Management program this spring. While still in his first year of the program, he and classmate Riel Gallant approached the Dalhousie Libraries with a radical idea to get a 3D printer in the Killam Library.

Both University Librarian Donna Bourne-Tyson and head of Library Information Technical Services Marc Comeau agreed to give it a try. The project has been so successful that it’s been expanded to include the Sexton Library, with more 3D printers to come at other Dal Libraries in the future. Mike and Riel’s goal was to democratize 3D printing, meaning that it had to be inexpensive and in a public space, and they achieved this goal in a very short time.

In addition to bringing accessible 3D printing to Dalhousie, Mike also worked at the Help Desk in the South Learning Commons in the Killam Library. There he provided assistance to staff, students and faculty regarding the use of Dalhousie-supported software, personal computers, email,  and wireless Internet. He also provided assistance with other IT-based services such as web hosting, worked on the transition to Dalhousie’s new Office 365 email and collaboration tools, helped print incoming 3D model submissions, and helped to prepare the new 3D printers that recently came in.

Mike, we will miss you. Concordia is lucky to get you!

Dal Libraries at the Pride Parade

Staff, friends, and family from the Dal Libraries walked as part of the Dalhousie group in the Pride Parade on Saturday (July 27). The weather was mild and breezy, perfect for a parade. Thousands of people lined Barrington St. and Spring Garden Road, cheering on the colourful floats and walking groups. We can’t wait until next year to do it all again!

Sandy Dwyer (the Dal Libraries HR Advisor) and Marlo MacKay (the Dal Libraries Communications Coordinator) waiting for the parade to start.

Sandy Dwyer (the Dal Libraries HR Advisor) and Marlo MacKay (the Dal Libraries Communications Coordinator) waiting for the parade to start.

 

Cindy Miller (W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library) and Judy MacDonald (Hardware Services, located in the Killam Library).

Judy MacDonald (Hardware Services, located in the Killam Library) and Cindy Miller (W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library).

 

Family, friends and staff from the Dal Libraries.

Family, friends and staff from the Dal Libraries.

Staff from the Dal Libraries with Dalhousie’s new President and his family. From left to right: Stephen Murray (Sir James Dunn Law Library), Marlo MacKay (Dal Libraries), Judy MacDonald (Hardware Services, Killam Library), Cindy Miller (W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library), Dr. Richard Florizone, daughters Elinor and Zoë, his wife Dr. Mona Holmlund, and Sandra Dwyer (Dal Libraries).

Staff from the Dal Libraries with Dalhousie’s new President and his family. From left to right: Stephen Murray (Sir James Dunn Law Library), Marlo MacKay (Dal Libraries), Judy MacDonald (Hardware Services, Killam Library), Cindy Miller (W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library), Dr. Richard Florizone, daughters Elinor and Zoë, his wife Dr. Mona Holmlund, and Sandra Dwyer (Dal Libraries).

Even the Tiger got in on the parade.

Even the Tiger got in on the parade.

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

 

A new role for Lindsay McNiff, Reference Librarian

Lindsay McNiff

Last summer, we welcomed Lindsay McNiff to the Dalhousie Libraries. Lindsay came to us from Toronto, initially for a ten-month term, spending five months at the Killam Library followed by five months at the Kellogg Library. Her term was  recently extended, and instead of splitting her time in chunks at each library, she’ll now have concurrent responsibilities at the Killam and Kellogg Libraries.

At the Kellogg Library,  she’ll be providing research support and instruction for the Faculty of Dentistry. At the Killam Library, she’ll be providing the same for the Faculty of Management and the Department of Economics. Lindsay will continue to manage the Dal Libraries’ collection of online tutorials, and will also serve on the Dal Libraries’ Information Literacy and User Experience & Assessment Committees.

This fall, Lindsay will be working closely with the Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences (FASS) as part of their First Year Seminar Pilot Project. This pilot project entails offering small seminar sections on a variety of intriguing topics to first year students with the goal of fostering engagement and academic socialization. Lindsay and three other Dalhousie librarians, Oriel MacLennan, Dominic Silvio, and Karen Smith, will work with the professors and students to weave 21st century fluencies into the course content.

Lindsay is also involved with the Association of College and Research Libraries-supported Assessment in Action Project, designed to support and demonstrate library impact on student success.

 

 

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.

 

Goodbye Aran!

aran

 

The Dal Libraries are saying goodbye to Aran Silmeryn, who has just accepted a position at the Vaughan Memorial Library at Acadia University.

Aran started working at the Killam Library on the first day of classes in September of 2010. His duties included staffing the circulation and information desks, as well as handling Novanet Express hold requests and claims returned files. In October 2012, Aran was seconded to Document Delivery to cover a maternity leave, which gave him the opportunity to develop a new set of skills. He was also a member of the award-winning Dal Libraries Green Team, a team that came up with environmentally friendly initiatives for the libraries.

Prior to coming to Dal, Aran worked at the NSCC Waterfront Campus Library, where he completed his diploma in Library & Information Technology. A mid-life career shift that he decided to go for in 2008, Aran was first employed in the library field within three months of starting his studies, all the while living in Wolfville and commuting to HRM.

“I’ve loved working at Dalhousie, but I’m also relishing the opportunity to work within my own community. Wolfville has been my adopted hometown for ten years, and I can see first-hand what a positive effect Acadia has on the fabric of the place. As work environments, the Vaughan and the Killam Libraries really mirror each other, but there will be differences, subtle and broad. I’m fascinated to find out what they’ll be. And naturally, I’m looking forward to trading in three hours of highway driving for a five minute stroll down a tree-lined street, ” says Aran.

“It was a pleasure working with Aran,” says Sandy Dwyer, who was the Head of Circulation at the Killam during most of Aran’s time here. “He was a valuable member of the team and he will be truly missed.”

Congratulations and best wishes from all of us at the Dalhousie Libraries, Aran!

TOP