SIM alumni, Lee Wilson (MLIS ’16) was married in Moncton on August 5th. Congrats Lee and Erica on a beautiful wedding day! We send you best wishes for a happy future together.
SIM is happy to celebrate significant life events with our alumni. Do you have something to share? Submit it to inform@dal.ca anytime.
From NSLA: In honour of the 150th Anniversary of Confederation, NSLA and Nova Scotia’s nine regional library systems present Libraries 150, a province-wide project to promote reader engagement in the celebration of Nova Scotia’s writers and citizens, ideas and attitudes, culture and environment, stories and treasures.
The cornerstone of Libraries 150 is the 150 Books of Influence, a compilation of 150 books that Nova Scotians feel have somehow influenced or defined them. The titles on the list will be those books that have captured Nova Scotians’ hearts and minds; books that tell Nova Scotia’s stories and inspire its citizens.
To find out more about the project, or to suggest a title for the list, visit www.150booksns.ca
Creighton Barrett – SIM alumnus (MLIS ’11), instructor and Digital Archivist at Dalhousie University – recently stopped by CBC Radio to discuss ways librarians like him are using police forensic techniques to solve the mystery of data storage in the 21st century.
Dr. Bertrum MacDonald (SIM Professor and former Director) talked to Local Xpress about his love of music and information in this profile (excerpt below):
“The Halifax Camerata Singers, led by artistic director Jeff Joudrey, with the Rhapsody Quintet present Halifax 1917: From Dreams to Despair, with actor Jeremy Webb, in a sold-out show Saturday at the Halifax Central Library.
MacDonald is most deeply moved by a new commission for the choir and the quintet from Nova Scotia composer Chris Palmer that will end a theatrical concert depicting 1917 in music from the start of 1917 with New Year’s ragtime through operetta, vaudeville, sacred and secular choral music, patriotic band music and First World War songs up until the disaster.
“One of the privileges of singing in this choir is Jeff has been commissioning new works and been giving prominence to Canadian composers,” says MacDonald, “though we’ve done extraordinary work by international composers.”
Palmer’s piece is based on a poem he saw in Dalhousie University’s Rare Books Collection written in 1917 and first published in 1918 by D.M. Matheson, a former principal of Alexander McKay School.”
MLIS student Domenic Rosati worked with SIM Lecturer Patti Bannister and her team on this project as a reading course this past fall. Congratulations to all involved – a very successful pilot.
“Lovers of handwriting have long cursed computers for spelling the end of the ancient craft, but a new crowdsourcing program from the Nova Scotia Archives lets them put their passion for penmanship to work in deciphering historic documents.
John MacLeod, senior archivist at the archives, said they’ve put scans of many documents online, but reading them can be tricky.
“The handwriting is at times challenging. Increasingly, in a computer world, people’s appreciations and ability to decipher handwriting is lessening over time,” he told CBC.
Earlier this year, with help from a student from [MLIS student Domenic Rosati], the archives came up with an idea to invite members of the public to read the scans online and type a transcription beside it.”
Read the full article here.
Podcasts (digital audio files made available on the Internet for downloading to a computer or mobile device, typically available as a series) are more popular than ever. They are a great way for enthusiasts to share information and communicate with like-minded people in the digital age. Many of our MLIS alumni have started their own podcasts and we highly recommend you check them out – here are just a few:
Name of podcast: The Rules
Name of podcast: BookRage
Name of podcast: You Were Going to be Fantastic
(Reblogged from here)
This Valentine’s Day, find love in the library.
Blind Date with a Book
Rescheduled to: Thursday, February 16
Where: Killam Library (11 a.m.–3 p.m.) and MacRae Library (11 a.m.–1 p.m.)
What: Fall in love with a good book.
If you’re looking for mystery, fantasy, poetry, romance, or… science fiction, the Killam and MacRae libraries are where you’ll want to be this Valentine’s Day.
Blind Date with a Book wants to set you up with the book of your dreams, featuring sharp and witty profiles better than anything you’ll find on Tinder.
Just come to the lobby of the Killam Library (Studley Campus) or the MacRae Library (Agricultural Campus) on February 14. Check out the display of discreetly wrapped books and peruse the descriptive tags. You’re sure to find one that quickens your pulse.
Want to read the book? Free copies are available at all five Dal Libraries and at the front desks of the residences. (psssst, there is also one available in the SIM lending library – feel free to borrow but please return when finished!)
October is Canadian Library Month. During CLM, libraries and library partners across Canada raise awareness of the valuable role libraries play in Canadians’ lives. This year’s theme was “A Visit Will Get You Thinking”. Libraries are vital community hubs, and it is safe to say most of us have needed and used a library at some point in our lives.
In honour of CLM, we asked members of our community to tell us, “What do libraries mean to you?”.
“Through my life, libraries have been a partner. Growing up in a small town in Southern Ontario, my local library in Ancaster provided my first exposure to the wide range of books available. Trips to the library fueled long summer days spent reading. In high school I started to explore various libraries in the big city of Hamilton, and was amazed at the tools I could find to support my research. At Queen’s the library not only became my study place, but I was exposed to primary sources through the archives. In Toronto I worked in a corporate library, a whole new type of library to explore, and also frequented the public and academic libraries in my neighbourhood. Once my daughters were born, I saw libraries again with new eyes, as I watched them explore, play and learn. Libraries have been a partner through all these stages and changes, stimulating my curiosity, facilitating my learning, and providing recreation. They are a central part of what I consider community.” – Sandra Toze (SIM Director)
“Libraries to me mean a sort of sanctuary, where I know the rules, and can feel at home, no matter where I am in the world. It’s a place to find information, use a computer, or just avoid the rain for a few minutes. A library accepts me no matter how confused I am, how small my question is, or how foreign I sound. It’s a home away from home.” – Lucille Kiester (Liaison Librarian, WK Kellogg Health Sciences Library)
“Libraries mean many things to me, but above all knowledge and freedom. With the rapid changes in technology and society we have seen over the past few decades and the challenges that have come with them, I am grateful we have institutions like libraries that support both the right to know and freedom of expression.” – Lori McCay-Peet (SIM Professor)
“Especially in rural areas, libraries mean access. They’re community hubs that facilitate access to and the exchange of information in so many ways, especially for individuals for whom barriers may exist such as economic, health status, language, or digital literacy.” – Carlye Stein (1st year MLIS Student)
“Libraries, academic and public, to me have always been a home away from home. As a young immigrant I remember spending time at the libraries made me so happy that I could forget how much I missed not having my family around, at least for a short time. While I was still new to Canada, the libraries were among the first places that I immediately felt accepted and welcome. I could access the internet, books, magazines, newspapers, and a happy place all at the same time. Once at a library I still always feel that only the sky is the limit.” – Zara Palevani (2nd year MLIS Student)
Did you know there is a small lending library in the SIM admin area? The library is located in Suite 4010, between offices 4013 and 4014. All faculty, staff and students are welcome to use it at any time.
Important: The lending library operates on the honour system – users are asked to “take a book, leave a book”, meaning if you borrow a book you must replace it with another. Please do not leave a book unless you can also take one. We want to ensure the stock is regularly refreshed and that staff do not have to spend time organizing the shelves.
This library is open to everyone, but in turn that means everyone must work together to respect the system and keep it tidy.
Using the lending library is the perfect way to discover a new book or pay a much-loved book forward to someone else, without stretching your budget or storage space. Come check it out today.