Changes to the way you check in to study rooms

August 19, 2026 Kristy

We have a new room booking system and a new check-in process for study rooms.

Book a Study Room

Book a study room online using the new booking system. Study rooms are for current Dalhousie students only. You must have a valid Dalhousie NetId and password to access the room booking system. You can:

book up to 7 days in advance
reserve a room for up to 2 hours
manage or cancel your booking online

New! Check-ins for study rooms

Our study rooms are in high demand! To make booking and accessing rooms easier, we’ve introduced a new self-check-in process that confirms your reservation when you arrive.

How to check in to your study room

You can check in in either of these ways:

Use the link in your confirmation email. Open the link and enter the code from your confirmation email when prompted.
Scan the QR code on your study room. Each study room has its own QR code. Scan the code displayed on the room door and enter your confirmation code when prompted.

You may enter your room early if it is available, but you will still need to complete the check-in process at your scheduled booking time.

Your check-in device must share your location

The device you use to check in must be able to share its location so the system can confirm that you are in the study room you booked.

Neither the booking system nor Dalhousie Libraries stores your location.

If you do not check in within 30 minutes of your booking start time, your booking will be automatically cancelled, and the room will become available for someone else to book.

Leaving early? Check out

If you leave before your booking ends, check out of the room using the same link or QR code you used to check in. Checking out helps us make study rooms available to other students when they are no longer being used.

Need help?

If you have trouble checking in or out, or have questions about your study room booking, visit your library’s service desk.

Call for 2026 OER Development Grant Applications

January 7, 2026 Kristy

The Council of Atlantic Academic Libraries seeks applications for Atlantic OER Development Grants. Funding is provided by the four Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island).

Atlantic OER Development Grants provide financial support to instructors in the Atlantic Region who create and adapt new Open Educational Resources. The goal is to support instructors in increasing the availability of high-quality, free, openly licensed resources to enhance student learning. You can apply for three different funding tiers, depending on the scope of your project. The tiers are:

Tier 1: Creating an Open Textbook (up to $7,000) – This funding is intended for the development of a new open textbook. The topic should not be covered in an already existing open textbook. This tier is meant for creation projects at a larger scale.

Tier 2: Adaptation of an Existing Open Textbook (up to $4,000) – This funding is intended for substantive adaptation projects. Sometimes it can be possible to find an open textbook that covers foundational knowledge but needs to be adjusted. For example, the textbook might require adjustments to ensure it adheres to local educational standards, or adjustments might be made to make it relevant to the local context (eg, an American business textbook may need adjustments to make it suitable for a Canadian business context), or new examples and interactive elements may be added to a book.

Tier 3: Creation of Ancillary Materials (up to $1,000) – This funding is intended for smaller creation projects. Ancillary materials can be defined as course materials that are meant to supplement and support a textbook. Examples of ancillary materials include: slide decks, interactive tutorials, and quiz and test banks. Often, ancillary materials can enhance student learning.

The application period closes on February 6, 2026.

Libraries 2024-2025 Annual Report

January 5, 2026 Kristy

Happy 2026! We are pleased to share our 2024-2025 Annual Report. Amid an ever-changing academic landscape, the library remains at the heart of Dalhousie University, providing essential resources, innovative services, and spaces that foster learning and research.

Each year, our staff engage with thousands of students and faculty, while the scholarly information resources we provide are accessed millions of times. Collaborative initiatives undertaken in 2024-2025, such as the development of the Bridge into Agriculture research guide and the preservation of the Anita Martinez photographic collection, reflect our commitment to inclusive knowledge creation and responsible stewardship. Through regional and national partnerships, we also worked to ensure timely and reliable access to resources beyond our own collections and to support grant agency policies that advance open access to research.

We invite you to explore these stories and more in our 2024–2025 Annual Report and join us in recognizing the essential role the Libraries play in advancing Dalhousie’s academic mission.

Celebrating 20 Spatial Years: The GIS Centre Turns 20

November 13, 2025 Kristy

November 16, 2025, marks a milestone for Dalhousie University’s Geographic Information Systems Centre (GIS Centre); 20 years of innovation, collaboration, and impact. Established on November 16, 2005, the Centre was launched on International GIS Day, during Geography Awareness Week, making it the perfect moment to introduce a first-of-its-kind GIS hub in a Canadian university library.

From day one, the GIS Centre stood out. It managed a campus-wide Esri software license, ensuring every student, faculty member, and lab had access to powerful GIS tools. At a time when open data was still a dream, the Centre became the clearinghouse for spatial data, supporting research and teaching across disciplines.

From Learning Commons to the 5th Floor

The Centre was officially opened by then-President Tom Traves in the newly created Learning Commons on the first floor of the Killam Library. As demand grew, the Centre relocated twice before settling on the 5th floor of Killam Library, where it continues to thrive.

Today, the Centre is powered by three dedicated staff, Jennifer Strang, Thomas Zuberbuehler, and James Boxall, who work with students, faculty, and staff at Dalhousie, while also collaborating globally with universities, NGOs, governments, and research organizations.

Global Impact Through Projects

Over the past two decades, the GIS Centre has contributed to projects that span continents and disciplines, including:

Sea Level Rise & GIS Training – Science University of Hue, Vietnam
Western Basin Aquifer & Climate Change – Collaborations with institutions in Canada, USA, and Mexico, supported by World Bank and USDA
Halifax Harbour Sea Level Planning – Post-Hurricane Juan projections to 2100 for Halifax Council
Halifax Explosion 100th Documentary – Mapping for CBC
Arsenic & Bladder Cancer Research – Atlantic Path project
International Oceans Institute Summer Training

And countless more, covering nearly every field of study and corner of the globe.

By the Numbers

4,840 days of operation (excluding hurricanes and snowstorms)
31 student employees
14 Esri Canada GIS Scholarships awarded
13,199 photographs from space archived from Commander Chris Hadfield
40,000+ datasets stored, created, or delivered – over 50 terabytes of spatial data

Beyond Data: Building Knowledge

The Centre’s role extends far beyond data management. Staff have supported Dalhousie through online tutorials, in-class labs, guest lectures, course development, and participation in thesis committees. They’ve published articles and book chapters, presented at conferences, hosted GIS and mapping events, and even brought GIS education to elementary schools.

While the Centre doesn’t claim sole credit, its contributions have helped Dalhousie rank 7th in Canada for geography (QS) despite not having a geography department or major.

As we celebrate 20 years of spatial innovation, we’re reminded that this is just the beginning. The next 20 years promise even greater opportunities to advance GIS education, research, and global collaboration.

Here’s to 20 spatial years, and many more to come.

Celebrate GIS Day and 20 years of the GIS Centre at Dal on November 21!

Upcoming Changes: New EBSCOhost Interface Launching December 31, 2025

October 20, 2025 Kristy

On December 31, 2025, EBSCOhost databases will move to a new interface. This update will change the look and functionality of EBSCOhost. You will need to take action if you want to preserve your saved searches and alerts. All databases and content will remain the same.

Affected Databases

Academic Search Premier, America: History & Life, Business Source Complete, CINAHL, EconLit, Film & Television Literature Index, Gender Studies, GreenFILE, Historical Abstracts, International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance, Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, SPORTDiscus, and more.

Note: Dalhousie Libraries’ access to APA PsycINFO and APA PsycARTICLES moved to Ovid on October 1, 2025. Access these via Novanet or the Dalhousie Libraries Database A–Z list.

What Users Need to Do Before December 31

While saved articles and eBook records in MyEBSCO Folders should migrate automatically, saved searches and alerts may not. To avoid losing important work—especially for knowledge synthesis reviews—we’re asking users to take these steps before December 31:

1. Save Your Search Alerts

Go to any EBSCOhost database via our Databases A–Z List
Sign in to MyEBSCO
Click Folder → Search Alerts
For each alert:
- Click Retrieve Alert → Save Searches/Alerts
- Name the search and select Saved Search (Permanent)
- Click Save
Repeat for all alerts.

2. Export Your Permanent Searches

Go to Folder → Saved Searches
For each search:
- Click Retrieve Saved Search → Print Search History
- Save as PDF OR copy into a Word document
- Include database name and date
Repeat for all permanent searches.

Want a Sneak Peek?

Watch: Introduction to the New EBSCOhost – Tutorial
Read: The New EBSCOhost Interface – Quick Start Guide
(Tutorials from our library team coming soon!)

Need Help?

Questions or assistance? Contact your subject liaison librarian. We’re here to help you prepare for a smooth transition.

Changes to ProQuest: What You Need to Know

October 1, 2025 Kristy

If you use ProQuest to find articles, reports, or other research materials, you might notice things look a little different. That’s because ProQuest (owned by Clarivate) has reorganized how its databases are grouped and accessed. Here’s a quick overview of what’s changed and what it means for you.

What’s New?

Our subscription to ProQuest Central has been upgraded to ProQuest Central Premium. This new version includes even more content than before. ProQuest has also bundled its databases into themed collections, which are now grouped under 8 broad subject areas called ProQuest One. For example:

ProQuest One Social Sciences
ProQuest One Health & Nursing
ProQuest One Business, and more.

Each of these includes multiple collections and databases, providing you with access to a broader range of materials in one place.

What Does This Mean for You?

More content: You now have access to additional resources that weren’t included before, like J.P. Morgan Research in the Business collection.
Fewer direct links: Some individual databases (like Sociological Abstracts) can no longer be linked to directly. Instead, they’re part of larger collections. You can still search them, but you’ll access them through the broader collection or subject area.
Updates coming soon: Our library team is updating links on our website (like the A-Z database list and LibGuides) to reflect these changes. You may also need to update any saved links or course materials that point to specific databases.

Need Help?

If you’re unsure how to access a specific resource or need help updating your materials, please reach out to us at library.eresources@dal.ca.

New archival resource illuminates Nova Scotia’s industrial history

May 6, 2025 Kristy

Newfoundland Railway: [75 ton flatcar]

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new archival resource.

The University Archives recently published a guide to the TrentonWorks fonds, a significant collection of archival material related to the TrentonWorks factory that operated in Trenton, Nova Scotia, from the late 19^th century through the late 20^th century.

The Archives acquired this material through donations from the 1970s to the early 2000s. While an inventory of the collection has been available for years, a recent grant from the Provincial Archival Development Program enabled the Archives to fully process the collection and publish a detailed online finding aid.

The finding aid to the TrentonWorks fonds brings together over 20 linear metres of textual records, photographs, technical drawings, and other material that documents the industrial history of Pictou County and Cape Breton. Highlights include records that document:

Coal mining in Pictou County and Cape Breton, and iron ore mining in Newfoundland and Brazil
Nova Scotia’s production of munitions and other supplies supporting Canada’s WW1 and WW2 efforts
The manufacture of railcars sold by Eastern Car Company and Canadian Car and Foundry Company

The TrentonWorks fonds provides extensive information about Nova Scotia’s labour history and the finances and operations of national and multi-national businesses that led the industrial development of Nova Scotia.

Explore the online finding aid here: https://findingaids.library.dal.ca/trentonworks-fonds

Email general questions to archives@dal.ca or schedule a research consultation with archivist Creighton Barrett.

Killam Retrofit: April & May 2025 Updates

April 17, 2025 Kristy

Second Floor Closed: April 28-May 7

The entire second floor of the Killam, including the book stacks, atrium seating, and McNab silent study room, will be closed due to construction from April 28-May 7. There will be no power on the second floor.

Fifth Floor Closed During Evenings: April 28 – May 2

The fifth floor, including the Archives, Special Collections Reading Room, and GIS Centre, will close at 5:00 p.m. from April 28-May 2. Alternative quiet study spaces can be found on the 4^th floor.

Downie Wenjack Legacy Space (Learning Commons): April 28-May 7

The windows (curtain wall) near the emergency exit to the courtyard in the Learning Commons will be under construction from April 28 – May 7. Access to the learning commons and Ko’Jua Okuom will not be affected.

Noise: Expect loud noise and vibrations in the first few days. There may be some noise and vibrations felt throughout the building as well. The final days of work will be quieter with minor interruptions.
Emergency Exit: The emergency exit will be available in case of evacuation.

Atrium Slate Flooring Repairs: May 12-16

Access: A safe path will be maintained, but some areas will be temporarily blocked.
Disruptions: Expect noise, vibrations, and dust throughout the repair period.
Closures: Atrium seating will be unavailable and restaurants will be closed during this time.

Entrance & Accessibility:

To minimize disruption, please use the Howe Hall side entrance whenever possible.
The front ramps will remain open for those with accessibility needs.
In case of an emergency evacuation, use alternative exits when possible.

Health & Safety:

Those sensitive to dust or construction materials are advised to use alternative entrances.
Air purifiers and filters will be employed to help contain dust and fumes.

Ongoing: Basement Construction March 24-May 10

Work in the basement area that began March 24 is ongoing until May 10, 2025. We will provide updates if access to other buildings is impacted.

Thank you for your patience as we near the end of the Killam Deep Energy Retrofit Project.

Category: Arts, Social Sciences & Sciences

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