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What's going on at Dalhousie Libraries

Category: General Library News

Freedom to Read Week

From February 21–27, the Dal Libraries are celebrating Freedom to Read Week.

Organized by the Freedom of Expression Committee of the Book and Periodical Council,  Freedom to Read Week is an annual event that encourages Canadians to think about their intellectual freedom, which is guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“Freedom to read can never be taken for granted. Even in Canada, a free country by world standards, books and magazines are banned at the border. Books are removed from the shelves in Canadian libraries, schools and bookstores every day. Free speech on the Internet is under attack. Few of these stories make headlines, but they affect the right of Canadians to decide for themselves what they choose to read.” — freedomtoread.ca

Here is a photo of our Freedom to Read Week display in the Killam Library:

ftrweek

Celebrate your freedom to read by checking out a book from our challenged books display.

Author Reading with Binnie Brennan

Binnie Brennan blog

 

Join us at the Killam Library for a reading with author and musician Binnie Brennan.

Tuesday, March 1, 4;15 p.m.
Killam Memorial Library
Archives & Special Collections Reading Room (fifth floor)

Binnie has written three books of fiction. She has made long and short lists for several awards, winning the Ken Klonsky Novella Contest award in 2009. In addition to her books, she has been published in several literary journals and one of her stories, A Spider’s Tale, was adapted for the stage. Binnie also plays the viola in Symphony Nova Scotia. In this reading, Binnie will talk about the creative process and read from her book, Like Any Other Monday.

This public reading is sponsored by the Canadian Literary Collections Project.

 

Food for Fines 2016 — Increased Incentives for Donating

Steel can
From Mon., Feb. 8 until Sun., Feb. 28, you’ll have increased opportunities to reduce or clear your Novanet library fines by “paying” with food donations during Food for Fines.

The program has expanded in three ways this year:

  • Value of fines waived per food item donated has increased from $2 to $3
  • $50 cap on the amount of fines waived has been removed
  • The program will run a second time this year, from Oct. 17–Nov. 6

Food donations will be given to the Dalhousie Student Union Food Bank, Feed Nova Scotia (recommended donations include cereal, pasta, canned vegetables, soups and stews) and the Colchester Food Bank (for donations made at the MacRae Library on the Agricultural Campus). Donations of canned goods or other non-perishable foods can be brought to the front desk at any of the five Dalhousie Libraries during regular hours. Cash donations are also accepted.

Dalhousie students, faculty and staff can pay off their fines this way. We also welcome donations if you don’t have overdue fines. “What started as a Dalhousie initiative more than ten years ago has grown to be a provincewide initiative including all of the Novanet libraries,” said Elaine.

Last year, the five Dalhousie Libraries collected 551 food items and $213.25 in cash donations. A total of $913.50 in fines were waived in exchange for food donations. Food items were divided between the Dalhousie Student Union Food Bank, Feed Nova Scotia and the Colchester Food Bank. Across Novanet, which includes all university and college libraries in Nova Scotia, a total of 1,817 food items were collected, as well as $609.25 in cash donations.

Welcome Seungkyoo Lee

seungkyoo

Seungkyoo has worked in administration and customer service for more than ten years in Korea and Canada. She holds a Bachelor of Economics and an International Commerce Degree from Sejong University in Seoul, South Korea. In 2014, Seungkyoo obtained a Master’s degree of Information and Library Science from the University of Montreal, where she lived for nine years.

Since then, she has worked in the library at the Bedford Institute of Oceanography and at Halifax Public Libraries. In January, Seungkyoo joined the Dalhousie Libraries’ team. Seungkyoo will perform duties in the areas of course reserves, resources, and circulation at the Killam Library; in addition she will “float” among the other Dalhousie Libraries when her help is needed.

“I am excited, enthused, and highly motivated to establish myself in a productive work relationship with the team at the Dalhousie Libraries. My past library experience and being trilingual in English, French, and Korean will positively benefit the team and enhance customer service,” says Seungkyoo.

Student Feedback Wanted: Dalhousie Libraries External Review

Students, your input is wanted for the Senate Review of the Dalhousie Libraries.

As part of the Dalhousie University Senate Review of University Libraries, the external reviewers, Mr. Gerald Beasley (Vice-Provost and Chief Librarian, University of Alberta) and Ms. Vivian Lewis (University Librarian, McMaster University) will be on campus February 11 and 12. Students, library staff, faculty, and representatives of associated units are encouraged to participate in the review.

The open forum for students (in person) is scheduled in the Killam Library, room 2902,  on Friday, February 12 at 1 p.m. Complimentary coffee and cookies will be served. Sessions for faculty are Thursday, February 11 at 2 p.m. and Friday, February 12 at 3 p.m.

If you want to participate but can’t make it in person, teleconference sessions can also be arranged on February 11th and 12th. To RSVP to a group session, or to arrange an individual or group meeting, please contact Courtney Sutton at (902) 494-7806 or courtney.sutton@dal.ca

Written submissions are also welcome and should be addressed to the External Reviewers for the University Libraries and emailed in confidence to Courtney Sutton. Verbal and written inputs are strictly confidential to the External Reviewers.

Exhibition Co-Curated by Dalhousie Libraries’ Creighton Barrett

Creighton Barrett, the Digital Archivist for the Dalhousie Libraries, and Peter Dykhuis, Director/Curator of the Dalhousie Art Gallery, have curated an exhibition about artist-run culture in Halifax. The exhibit will run in the Dalhousie Art Gallery (6101 University Avenue) from January 22 until April 17, with an opening reception on Thursday, January 21 at 7 p.m.

Mariah Blackmore, a Dalhousie Libraries’ intern who is based in the Dalhousie Archives, will be providing archival reference service in the gallery on Fridays from 12–4. Brennan Dempsey, a graduate student in the History Department, will be providing reference services on Tuesdays from 12–4.

Special thanks to Dalhousie Libraries staff members Dianne Landry and Kelly Casey who have provided assistance throughout the project, and to Shirley Vail who scanned a variety of material from both of these archival fonds.

Here are the full details about the exhibit:

“Why are we saving All these artist publications + Other Galleries stuffs?”
THE EMERGENCE OF ARTIST-RUN CULTURE IN HALIFAX

Curated by Creighton Barrett, Digital Archivist, Dalhousie University
Archives, and Peter Dykhuis, Director/Curator, Dalhousie Art Gallery

OPENING RECEPTION Thursday 21 January at 7 PM

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Canadian artists began to self-organize and establish independent spaces for creating and presenting contemporary art. These spaces were called “parallel galleries” or “alternative spaces” and are now known as artist-run centres. Halifax is home to some of the oldest artist-run centres in the country: between 1970 and 1975, Charlotte Townsend-Gault organized the artist-run Mezzanine Gallery at NSCAD. In 1972, a group of female artists established the Inventions Gallery, but the gallery closed after a fire in 1973. A few former members of Inventions Gallery collaborated to found Eye Level Gallery in 1974. The burgeoning interest in video and installation art led to the establishment of Centre for Art Tapes (CFAT) in 1978.

The emergence of artist-run culture is part of a larger historical narrative of 1960s counterculture, cultural policy debates, and widespread interest in communications and technology. This exhibition explores the formative years of artist-run culture in Halifax, from 1970 through the mid-1980s, by presenting posters and invitations from the Mezzanine Gallery fonds, Eyelevel Gallery fonds, and the Centre for Art Tapes fonds in an integrated chronology. The order is periodically disrupted by thematic groupings of textual records and ephemera clustered around quotations from these early archival documents that capture the growing pains and aspirations of this nascent culture.

“Why are we saving All these artist publications + Other Galleries stuffs?” is the only question scrawled on a list of Eyelevel Gallery members present at a board meeting sometime in 1979. There is no record of an ensuing conversation (unless it remains to be discovered among the linear metres of administrative records). The exhibition will also feature a temporary Archives Room with the archives of Eyelevel Gallery and the Centre for Art Tapes presented in the way in which they are permanently stored in the Dalhousie University Archives. These materials will be available for supervised consultation on Tuesdays and Fridays from 12 to 4 p.m. Visitors are invited to perform research in the gallery and craft their own answer to this everlasting question.

Eyelevel Gallery and the Centre for Art Tapes have been invited to present contemporary programming alongside this historical retrospective, which complements the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia’s exhibition The Last Art College: Nova Scotia College of Art and Design 1968-1978.

DAG_Calendar Jan to July 2016

Copyright Office presents on changing Access Copyright Licensing Agreement.

As you may be aware, Dalhousie will be experiencing changes to our copyright licensing scheme effective January 1, 2016

To prepare for these changes, the team at the Copyright Office has had a busy fall providing 26 presentations on copyright to many of the university’s departments and faculties (including FASS, Science, Engineering, Health Professions and Medicine).

The goal of these short, 10-15 minute, presentations has been to discuss the changes in licensing, why they are important and the tools that faculty and instructors have at their disposal in making materials available.Although the major discussion has focused on Fair Dealing and licensing changes, the presentations have served as springboards for discussions on various copyright issues.

Check out some Common Copyright Questions.

Interested in having the Copyright Office team present to your faculty or department? Contact Copyright Services Coordinator, John Yolkowski by email at jyolkowski@dal.ca, or by phone at (902) 494-4346.

Looking for more information about Copyright? Visit http://www.dal.ca/dept/copyrightoffice.html

John.Y

Upcoming Kellogg Library Subscription Changes

The W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library has determined that it has a significant collections budget shortfall for 2015/16. Reducing book purchases and spending endowment funds will help reduce the shortfall but additional cancellations are also required. The following items will be cancelled in the New Year but much of the material will be available through other Dalhousie subscriptions or through free Document Delivery.

Subscriptions to be cancelled Continuing alternate access
Nursing and Allied Health Database CINAHL and other databases
Elsevier Clinics Clinical Key
Springer Protocols Access will remain for pre-2016 content
Karger Journals Request newer content through Document Delivery
Karger eBook Series Collection Request through Document Delivery

Why is there a budget shortfall at the Kellogg Library?

This year the Libraries collections budget increased by 1.9% and money was provided to offset some of the effect of the 2014/15 US dollar exchange rate. In addition to its portion of the Libraries’ collection budget, the Kellogg Library receives funds from other sources to help cover the costs of some programs. In general, the amount of these additional funds has decreased.

Roughly 85% of Kellogg library materials are paid for in US dollars. The Canadian dollar has declined significantly this year. In May, a $10,000 US subscription was worth $12,200 Canadian. Today, that subscription will cost $13,360, a 9.5% increase.

The Libraries are diligent and negotiate the lowest possible increases, but vendors are increasing prices anywhere from 1% to 8% per year. These vendor increases significantly inflate costs over time: a subscription that cost $50,000 USD in 2010 and increased 5% annually will cost $64,000 USD this year.

Will there be further cancellations?

When inflation combines with a weak Canadian dollar, university libraries face very difficult choices. Across the country, libraries are making cuts to stay within their budgets. Most recently Memorial University announced cuts, but many others have made similar announcements, including British Columbia, Brock, Ottawa, Queen’s, Ryerson, Simon Fraser, and Western.

We monitor spending closely and make adjustments throughout the year. We work to minimize the impact on student learning and faculty research, but journal and database subscription cancellations are increasingly common and are likely to continue.

Deciding what to retain and what to cancel is a complex balancing act. To help ensure that we make the best choice in the circumstances, the Kellogg librarians will be discussing collection changes with their departments throughout 2016 and 2017.

Alternate access to cancelled material

Despite these cancellations, the Libraries continue to provide a large collection of journals (110,000) and books (1.5 million) to support learning, teaching and research.

When a subscription is cancelled, the content is often available in another database and we often retain access to previously purchased materials.

When we don’t have alternate access, we can usually obtain the material you need through Document Delivery. (Haven’t used Document Delivery before? Watch this video.)

Contact:
Patrick Ellis, Associate University Librarian, Resources and Head, W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library
Patrick.Ellis@dal.ca (902-494-1669)

Updated: Your guide to extended hours at the Dal Libraries

Fall2015ExtendedHours

Updated: December 8, 2015

Exam time is quickly approaching! But fear not, the Dal Libraries are here for you, providing you with longer hours to linger in the library with your favourite study buddy or night owl.

For more information about the Night Owl program at the Killam Library, see here.

Killam Memorial Library
Effective November 21- December 20*

Sundays: 8 a.m.–3 a.m.*
Mondays-Thursdays: 8 a.m.–3 am.
Fridays: 8 a.m.–midnight
Saturdays: 8 a.m.–midnight

*On Sunday, December 20, the Killam Library will be closing at 6 p.m.

**Access to the Killam Library from midnight to 3 a.m. is for Dalhousie and King’s students only. Students must have their student ID with them to get in. Regular library services are not offered during this time, students will have access to the South Learning Commons or the atrium.

MacRae Library
Effective November 23 –December 16:

Monday–Friday: 8:30 a.m.–midnight
Saturday: 10 a.m.–5 p.m.
Sunday: 10 a.m.–midnight

Sexton Design & Technology Library
Effective December 4 – 20th:

Monday – Friday: 8:00am – midnight
Saturday: 10:00am – midnight
Sunday: 10:00am -midnight

Sir James Dunn Law Library

Friday, December 4: 4:00 p.m.–10:45 p.m.
Saturday, December 5: 6:00 p.m.–10:45 p.m.
Thursday, December 10: 8:00 a.m. – 10:45 p.m.
Friday, December 11: 4:00 p.m.–10:45 p.m.
Saturday, December 12: 9:00 a.m. -12:00p.m. & 6:00 p.m.–10:45 p.m.
Thursday, December 17: 8:00 a.m. – 10:35 p.m.
Friday, December 18: 4:00 p.m. – 10:45 p.m.
Saturday, December 19: 6:00 p.m. – 10:45 p.m.

W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library
Effective November 6 –December 19:

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

*Circulation is available at 8:00 a.m., Monday-Friday

* The Kellogg Library will be closed from December 21-January 3.

Copyright and the LMS

CpoyrightVideoWith the winter term quickly approaching, it is a busy time getting course readings ready in Brightspace and Blackboard. Given some of the recent copyright changes here at Dalhousie, We’d like to remind you how this can be done in a manner that is respectful of Canadian copyright law, and Dalhousie’s Fair Dealing Guidelines: http://www.dal.ca/dept/copyrightoffice/guidelines/fair-dealing-guidelines.html

If you wish to upload materials yourself into Brightspace/Blackboard, we’ve made it easy to figure out if what you want to put online is copyright compliant. Libraries staff have put together a short video tutorial which explains Dalhousie’s Fair Dealing Guidelines, and will provide you with guidance when it comes to making sure your materials are copyright compliant. Check it out here: http://libcasts.library.dal.ca/Copyright_and_Brightspace/

Thank you for helping foster sustainable and ethical copying practices at Dalhousie!

 

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