Instructors: Course Readings at Your Students' Fingertips!

Instructors, have we got a service for you!

Send the library your course reading list and we will provide you with durable links to online articles and ebooks. You can use these links in eClass and on course websites so your students will have easy access to class readings. Usually, some ebooks may only be accessed by a limited number of people at a time but when you use this service, we raise user limits on e-books for course readings.

Also, at your request, we will add print items to the library reserve room of your choice that students may borrow for short term loans.

The library already has many required textbooks available in our reserve rooms through a partnership with the Bookstore.  If your course text needs to be added please include it in your request.

And, as always, Ask Us if you have questions!

Borrowing Laptops and Video Cameras from the Library

Have you been dreaming of creating a video for your next project?  Are you in need of several laptops for group work? Or, is your laptop simply in for repair? There are so many resources at the library to help bring your ideas to fruition with our equipment lending program.

The University of Alberta Libraries has a variety of equipment for borrowing, including:

• Standard PC Laptop
• PC Laptop with ArcGIS:  geographic information system (GIS) for working with maps and geographic information
• PC Laptop with Adobe Creative Cloud - software suite to support graphic design, video editing, web development, photography, etc.
• PS Laptop with SPSS: statistical analysis software
• Macbook Pro with GarageBand, iMovie, and more.
• 4K digital video cameras
• Remote control tripods

For more details on the equipment and software installed, visit our website: http://guides.library.ualberta.ca/technology/equipment-lending

Equipment is lent for 24 hours and must be returned from the same library you borrowed from. The participating libraries are Cameron, Bibliothėque Saint-Jean, Scott, Coutts, Augustana, Winspear, Law, & Rutherford Libraries.

As for your privacy, the laptops are not encrypted and all personal information including files and saved documents are deleted when the laptops are restarted.  They must also not to be used to create, store or access any university sensitive information.

Still curious if we have the right equipment for your needs? Ask Us!

Images of Research 2016 Winner Pony Meyer

Images of Research (IOR), a competition for graduate students to showcase their research in one image, launches for its second year on Monday, January 23, 2017. Last year’s winner,  Pony Meyer, was recently featured on the UAlberta home page.

Meyer, who identifies as non-binary, is currently pursuing an Interdisciplinary PhD between the Drama department and Faculty of Physical Education and Recreation. Their winning portrait,  entitled “King Me!”,  captures the community validation aspect of their research, which explores the role of drag king performance in the lives of transgender/genderqueer drag king performers.  The photo was created in collaboration with Katie Cutting of Lazy Kitten Productions and shot with friends who volunteered their time.



“I thought it was a great opportunity to share something about your research in a different way,” said Meyer who thinks the competition has much to offer. “Even creating the written description is good practice for graduate students, to try to make the connection between images and writing.”

Meyer, who hails from Kentucky, U.S., appreciated that the competition was open to international students and that there was a cash prize,  which was used to pay for interview transcription services, something that is difficult for them due to chronic pain. Meyer will also use the image as part of their final dissertation along with other images and video links to performances.

Since the first Images of Research Competition and Exhibition was a great success, the University of Alberta Libraries (UAL) and Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) are eager to see the submissions for 2017.

“We were thrilled with the response in 2016, over 100 stunning entries, so we have made the deadline a bit earlier this year to provide even more time for students to prepare and submit their entries,” said Trish Rosseel, Associate University Librarian and one of the organizers.  Submissions for IOR 2017 will be accepted from Jan. 23 to Feb. 10, 2017.

Digital image workshops are being offered in collaboration with Campus Design and Print Solutions on January 26 and February 2 to help grad students navigate the technical requirements.

Brewster Kahle Visiting University of Alberta

Join us for Brewster Kahle, the founder of the Internet Archive, who will be speaking at the university on January 25, 2017 from 1:30 - 2:20 PM.

The University of Alberta Libraries and the Internet Archive have been partners since 2008.

Kahle, LLD '10, is a passionate advocate for public Internet access and a successful entrepreneur with a rich history of involvement in the development of the internet that dates back to 1989. He founded the Internet Archive in 1996 which now consists of 26 petabytes of data - the books, web pages, music, television, and software of our culture.

Most recently, there have been discussions about creating a copy of the Internet Archive in Canada. For more background, check out these articles and blog posts.

FAQs about Internet Archive Canada - Internet Archive blog
Fears of Trump prompt Internet Archive to make mirror site in Canada by Brady Strachan, CBC.ca

Help us welcome Brewster Kahle to the University of Alberta at CCIS 1-140 on January 25, 1:30-2:20 PM. Introduction by Gerald Beasley, Vice-Provost and Chief Librarian of University of Alberta Libraries.

RSVP by January 23, 2017: http://bit.ly/2izjdWv

Due to unforeseen circumstances, this lecture was not recorded. 

Pop-up Museum, (dis)Agreements, in Cameron Library

Photo from (dis)Agreements created collaboratively by HUM participants.

The Humanities Program invites you to the opening reception of (dis)Agreements in Cameron Library on January 10th, 2017, 5:30 - 8:30 PM, or to walk through the display from January 9 - 26, 2017.

For this exhibit, participants explored how systems and institutions are built on (dis)agreements and how people, often unwillingly, become part of the agreements by accessing these systems. They explored the role power plays in developing systems and how power is accessed and withheld.

The Humanities Program (HUM) brings together a diverse group of adult learners who all share a passion for lifelong learning. The program is a collaborative effort between the U of A and the greater off-campus community. It offers multiple courses each year that emphasize critical thinking in everyday life.

Each term, they work together to produce a cumulative project that highlights their learning. It is an opportunity to showcase the knowledge of the participants and, more importantly, for the learners to take ownership of it.

Projects in HUM are described as a work in progress. Every class they try to set aside thirty minutes for an activity that provides people with different ways to learn and share. Each project is the beginning of a new idea. HUM celebrates "unfinished" works and challenges you to think differently about what learning looks like and how it is shared.

Dogs in the Library is back for 2017!

Warm up throughout the winter term with the help of everyone's favourite therapy dogs! U of A Libraries, in association with Unwind Your Mind, will be welcoming dogs from the Chimo Animal Assisted Wellness and Learning Society (CAAWLS) to four of our north campus libraries (Rutherford, Cameron, John W. Scott Library and the Education Library).

Pet therapy is a fun, enjoyable way to decrease feelings of loneliness and anxiety. Therapy dogs are wonderful listeners, love meeting new people, and are happy to indulge in a cuddle. We invite everyone to take break from their work and studies to spend some time with these canine therapists.

Upcoming dates, times, and locations are noted below.