Wednesday, December 16, 2015

Ring in the New Year with Our New Web Site

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University of Alberta Libraries is ringing in the new year with a new web site!  On January 2nd, you’ll notice changes that aim to provide you with:

  • new and improved web content
  • enhanced site navigation
  • more direct access to library news and people
  • continued direct access to search, databases and journals
  • a responsive design for display across digital platforms


For a sneak peek at the new web site, go to:  https://search.library.ualberta.ca/

You may also be interested in trying out our new search tool, which will be in beta throughout winter term.  In May, it will become the Libraries’ default search option.


Monday, November 23, 2015

New Streaming Video Collections @ the Libraries

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The days of struggling with video playing paraphernalia in front of a lecture hall full of student are waning. University of Alberta faculty, students and staff now have online access to thousands of new videos thanks to recently acquired subscriptions to the video streaming services Kanopy and Criterion-on-Demand. Along with U of A Libraries’ pre-existing streaming video databases, the U of A community can access videos on a multitude of subjects with a few quick clicks of the mouse. Better yet, course instructors can post links to videos from these services to eClass to share with students.

If you have never explored the world of streaming video available through U of A Libraries, here are some services worth checking out:

Kanopy - This interdisciplinary streaming service offers instructors and students an extensive video collection include access to silent films starring Charlie Chaplin and Harold Lloyd; classics of world cinema from the Criterion Collection/Janus Films (including films from Ingmar Bergman, Fellini, Ozu and Truffaut); performance videos from the top names in theatre and dance; and a plethora of instructional videos on topics such as business management, computer programming and other career related skills.

Here’s what some of our professors have to say about Kanopy:

"[Kanopy] streaming service was excellent - and (this is key) immediate. You sent me the link right away, I watched the film, played part of it in my class the following week, and then posted a link on eClass."
- Siobhan Byrne, PhD.  Assistant Professor, Dept. of Political Science

"Kanopy has an impressive array of videos in the area of counselling and psychotherapy. The collection covers key approaches in psychotherapy, demonstrated by well-known therapists in the field. I can certainly see myself using some of the videos in my counselling classes."
- Jessica Van Vliet, Ph.D., R.Psych. Associate Professor, Dept. of Educational Psychology

Criterion-on-Demand - From Minnelli to Fosse and Altman to the Coen Brothers, this resource allows users to access over 1,900 documentary and feature films from around the world including a large collection of contemporary Hollywood films. Please note that it requires that Microsoft Silverlight be installed on your computer to watch videos.

Alexander Street Press Collections - Alexander Street Press is a streaming video provider with curated video collections on a variety of subjects and disciplines. Among their offerings:


Ask library staff for more information on these and other streaming video resources. Watch University of Alberta Libraries’ workshop page for upcoming sessions on how to use these wonderful video resources to enhance your classes.

Monday, November 16, 2015

Raiding the Rawlinson Afternoon

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Are you captivated by rare books? Medical history? Or, perhaps the grotesque? Now’s the chance to get your fix!


Staff at the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library will be rounding up some of the most fascinating, noteworthy and sometimes even macabre items from the Rawlinson Rare Book Collection so that students, staff and faculty may have a close encounter with these wondrous rare books. Visitors will be able to examine the anatomical drawings of Leonardo da Vinci, delve into the gruesome pictorial history of plastic surgery and touch the infamous book purportedly bound in human skin.

Drop by the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library on Wednesday, November 25 anytime between 1:00 - 4:00pm for your chance to take advantage of this unique opportunity.

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

It’s a new ERA!

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Open Access week is a great reason to celebrate ERA, the University of Alberta’s well-established open access digital repository. We’ve just launched ERA’s fresh new design and improved infrastructure, and invite you to explore the over 36,000 items in ERA’s collection at http://era.library.ualberta.ca.

ERA supports open access by providing a place for faculty to deposit their research and make it available to the rest of the world. Archiving in ERA is one easy way for researchers to meet new Tri-Agency requirements for open access as many publishers allow post-review articles to be shared through digital repositories. Sharing research broadly through a repository can increase its impact and reach, while also showcasing the work of research groups, departments, and teams, as well as students.

ERA is more than just software; our institutional repository staff will help you deposit your materials in ERA: Education & Research Archive.  If you forward us your CV, we can deposit items on your behalf through our mediated deposit service, or you can deposit your items using an easy self-deposit process. Send us an email at erahelp@ualberta.ca to get started!

The new framework for ERA is built on Hydra, an open source software developed through the collaborative efforts of a number of institutions, including the University of Alberta. Together with our partners we are contributing to the development of better institutional repository solutions for organizations across North America and internationally. Moving ERA to the Hydra framework is an important step towards providing a more sustainable and stable approach to managing the Libraries’ diverse digitized collections. We expect ERA to grow dramatically in the future as we begin incorporating collections like Peel’s Prairie Provinces and The Sir Samuel Steele Collection into the same framework. We are also very excited to begin work to support different kinds of digital content in ERA, such as audio and video files.

Take a few minutes to explore the new ERA at https://era.library.ualberta.ca. Contact us with any questions at erahelp@ualberta.ca.  We also invite you to help us continue to improve the usability of ERA by suggesting improvements, or by volunteering to participate in our frequent user testing.   

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Start your research odyssey with odesi

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<odesi>, a web-based data exploration, extraction, and analysis tool, lets you search for survey questions across thousands of datasets held in a growing number of collections, and supports basic tabulation and analysis online. It also allows for the downloading of most datasets into statistical software for further analysis.  

<odesi> gathers data from a number of sources.  You have the option to search across all data sets, or to narrow your focus to certain collections, which include:



  • Statistics Canada: Public-use microdata files (PUMFs) and aggregate data products made available to subscribers of the Data Liberation Initiative (DLI). Data includes socio-economic indicators, business and financial databases, census microdata and aggregate data, social surveys, education, crime, health, and more.
  • Public Opinion Polls: Historical Canadian public opinion polling data from Gallup.
  • Other Canadian Data: Studies from other Canadian data sources, including the Canadian Millenial Scholarship Foundation, the Canadian Policy Research Network, and the Institute for Social Research.
  • CORA: Researcher data and surveys from the Canadian Opinion Research Archive.
  • ICPSR: Metadata from the Interuniversity Consortium for Political and Social Research.  Note that while the metadata is available to everyone through <odesi>, only some schools will have access to the actual data files. These must be accessed through the ICPSR website. Links are provided where possible.

<odesi> is always expanding its survey data to include other national and international data sources.

<odesi> can be used for all types of research; some example topics include education, health, the environment, social, and economic well-being of populations within Canada and abroad. In <odesi> it is possible to build charts, tables, look at trends over time, and produce correlations.


Tuesday, October 13, 2015

Open Access Week 2015 - Open for Collaboration

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Open Access Week is a global event that runs from October 19 to 25 and is intended to highlight the Open Access Movement, which encourages unrestricted online access to research.

Traditional models of scholarly publishing keep research publications inaccessible behind costly subscription fees, requiring researchers and students to be affiliated with large academic institutions to gain access to them. With the shift to electronic publication in academia over the last twenty-five years, there is a growing consensus that the restrictions of the old publishing models are no longer conducive to nurturing research. The cost of academic journal subscriptions is also becoming a large monetary burden on institutions as they work to provide their scholars with access to the information they need. The Open Access Movement encourages journals to publish their content online so that it is freely available to everyone, increasing the exposure of the research it publishes and advancing the overall impact of the scholarship.

This past year was a particularly big year for open access in Canada with the announcement of the Tri-Agency Open Access Policy on Publications. The three largest federal research funding agencies in Canada imposed a new policy, whereby any research funded by these agencies will have to be made freely available either through an open access journal or online repository within twelve months of publication.

The University of Alberta Libraries is a strong proponent of the Open Access Movement. To celebrate the spirit of open access, librarians from the libraries' scholarly communications working group have engaged with design students to create an interactive exhibition in the Rutherford Library Galleria. This collaboration has grown over the past three years between the Libraries and the Department of Art and Design. It provides the Libraries with a way to connect with students, and to communicate issues around scholarly publishing. Students are introduced to the concepts of open access and then encouraged to produce installation pieces that express the movement. Past exhibits have featured large tape-art works, floor mazes and post-it note walls where the community could publicly write their about their views on open access.

This year's exhibition theme is "Open for Collaboration" and will feature ten large interactive installations made by students in DES 493. Works will include optical illusions, a Newton's cradle, a massive Rubik's cube and much more. The exhibition posters and graphics were designed by design student Yang Lan Tian Zhang.

The Libraries welcomes the community to a reception in the Rutherford Galleria on Tuesday October 20 at 6:30 pm to launch the exhibition.

Monday, October 5, 2015

Guest Speaker - Vincent Larivière: Scholarly Communication in the Digital Era

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The university of Alberta Libraries is pleased to present this guest speaker: 
Vincent Larivière: Scholarly Communication in the Digital Era

Wednesday October 14
10-11:30am
University of Alberta
ECHA L1-490 (basement) 
11405 87 Ave NW, Edmonton

This year marks the 350th anniversary of the creation of the first scientific journal. After coexisting alongside correspondence and monographs, journals became at the beginning of the 19th Century the fastest and most convenient way of disseminating new research results, and consolidated this position throughout the 20th Century, especially in the sciences. The advent of the digital era, 20 years ago, challenged their traditional role and form. Indeed, digital technologies, which are easy to update, reuse, access, and transmit, have changed how researchers produce and disseminate new knowledge, as well as how it is being used. Drawing on historical and contemporary empirical data, this talk will address the past and current transformations of scholarly communication, with an emphasis on how these have affected the speed of diffusion of knowledge. While common wisdom suggests that science and scholarship is diffused—and gets forgotten—faster, the reality is more complex… and much more interesting. 

Vincent Larivière holds the Canada Research Chair on the Transformations of Scholarly Communication at the Université de Montréal, where he is associate professor of information science. He is also scientific director of the Érudit journal platform, associate scientific director of the Observatoire des sciences et des technologies (OST) and regular member of the Centre interuniversitaire de recherche sur la science et la technologie (CIRST).Vincent holds a bachelor’s in Science, Technology and Society (UQAM), a master’s degree in history of science (UQAM) and a Ph.D. in information science (McGill), for which he received the 2009 Eugene Garfield Dissertation Scholarship award.

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

Ithaka Faculty Survey Key Insights and Opportunities

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Earlier this year, University of Alberta Libraries [UAL] sought feedback from faculty about the impact of digital information technologies on their research and teaching via the Ithaka Faculty Survey. In addition to the reports and data already posted here, Ithaka recently provided the Libraries with an analytical narrative of the results of the survey, that also provides some comparisons against aggregated findings of all participating CARL [Canadian Association of Research Libraries] institutions.

A key goal of the survey is to provide evidence-based strategic insights into how faculty members perceive the role of the Libraries and identify areas of opportunity for innovation. The results from the survey revealed the following strategically relevant key insights and opportunities.

Key Insights

  • In general, a substantial share of faculty value the library's role in serving as a gateway for the discovery of scholarly content
  • Across all disciplines, faculty view the library's role as a purchaser of collections as critical to their ability to conduct research
  • Arts and humanities faculty highly value and recognize the library’s role in providing access to needed research materials and scholarly content, and in the provision of research and teaching-related support for students in developing research and information literacy skills
  • Faculty in the medical/veterinary/health science and science disciplines are much more likely to prefer only electronic versions of scholarly resources including monographs and journal articles, when compared with their colleagues in the arts, humanities, and social sciences
  • In general, respondents value the library’s role in providing access to subscription-based online repositories of research data, indicating that faculty members may value specialized research content and collections in addition to access to traditional literature

Strategic Opportunities

  • To focus on enhancing engagement among faculty members in science disciplines regarding library-provided research and instructional support services
  • To enhance strategic communications or targeted outreach to faculty members in medical/veterinary/health science and arts and humanities disciplines specifically regarding how the Libraries can support faculty in organizing, managing, and preserving
  • To continue to develop services surrounding the curation of data

For Further Information





Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Pet Therapy in the Libraries

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Take advantage of some four-legged TLC this fall! Throughout the term, UofA Libraries, in association with Unwind Your Mind, will be welcoming therapy 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 has been shown to be 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.

  • October 28th: John W. Scott Library, 2:00pm
  • November 4th: Coutts Library, 1:00pm
  • November 18th, Cameron Library, 11:30am
  • November 25th: Rutherford Library, 2:00pm
  • December 2nd: Rutherford Library, 2:00pm
  • December 9th, Cameron Library, 11:30
  • December 10th: John W. Scott Library, 1:00pm
And, drop by the Augustana Library for dog therapy with Hutch the Library Dog!

                        Monday, September 14, 2015

                        Five Fascinating Items to Discover in the Rawlinson Rare Book Collection

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                        Attention all aficionados of medical history and antiquarian books! Did you know that University of Alberta Libraries has its very own rare medical book collection?

                        The Rawlinson Rare Book Collection is located in the John W. Scott Health Sciences Library. Named for anatomy professor Herbert E. Rawlinson, who taught at the UofA from 1927-1962, the collection features over 1500 volumes of books on a variety of health sciences topics, including Western Canadian medicine, anatomy, midwifery and women’s health, domestic healthcare, epidemics and public health, military medicine, and neurology.

                        There are a lot of amazing things to see at in the Rawlinson collection. Here are five items that we think are worth making a trip to the Scott to see:

                        1. Icones Anatomicae  by Andreas Vesalius - Andreas Vesalius was a 16th century physician and is now referred to as the founder of modern anatomy. In an age when human dissection was outlawed, Vesalius broke the rules by teaching anatomy through performing human dissections in a lecture theatre where his pupils could watch. Vesalius published his anatomical findings in his 1543 masterwork De humani corporis fabrica, which featured some of the most famous images in the history of anatomical illustration. Icones Anatomicae, published in 1934, features reprints of these illustrations produced using the 400-year old woodblocks created for the original Fabrica.

                        2. Corpus of the anatomical studies in the collection of Her Majesty, the Queen, at Windsor Castle by Leonardo da Vinci - Among his myriad of interests, da Vinci was an avid anatomist whose reputation as a great artist garnered him special permission to dissect human corpses. He sketched hundreds of stunning drawings in a number of notebooks that were believed to be lost in the centuries that followed. Many of these notebooks reappeared in the art collection at Windsor Castle. In 1978 Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II allowed 998 copies of da Vinci’s anatomical sketches to be made available for the public in this gorgeous three volume set. If you are a fan of da Vinci’s artwork these images are a must see.

                        3. Description anatomique des parties de la femme (...) by Jan Palfijn and Francois Mauriceau - Both Palfijn and Mauriceau were physicians concerned with obstetrics and female anatomy, and this volume, published in 1708, contains some wonderful foldout illustrations on the subject. What makes this volume unique is the second half, Traité des monstres, de leur causes, de leur nature, & de leur differences. Traité des monstres features numerous illustrations of rare birth defects including a multitude of siamese twins and some more imaginative half-human creatures with the heads or bodies of animals.

                        4. Plastic surgery of the face : based on selected cases of war injuries of the face including burns by Harold Delf Gillies - Not for the faint of heart, Gilles 1920 book takes a look at facial reconstruction procedures utilized during the First World War. This volume is filled with photos and illustrations from actual cases from this era and is fascinatingly macabre.

                        5. Speaking of the macabre, let’s not forget the most infamous book in the Rawlinson collection, ​Celsi de medicina libri octo. Published in 1722, this is the book that is purported to be bound in human skin.

                        Items housed within this collection do not circulate and can only be accessed in the Phyllis Russell Rare Book Room during business hours at the John W. Scott Library. All visitors to the Rawlinson must present their ONEcard, or other government issued identification, to staff at the Scott service desk. Be sure to have the titles, author names, and call numbers of the books you would like to view handy when you come to the service desk. You can find more visit procedures and information on the Rawlinson Collection in our History of Medicine Library Guide.

                        Thursday, September 10, 2015

                        Seeking members for Students' Library Advisory Committee

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                        Do you want to make a difference on campus? Are you eager to develop your skill set outside of the classroom? Apply to become a member of the University of Alberta's Students' Library Advisory Committee.

                        If selected, you will work collaboratively with your peers and library staff to enhance and improve library services to better meet the evolving needs of undergraduate and graduate students, now and in the future.

                        Last year's committee members, pictured below, played an active role in helping the Libraries make key decisions related to its Course Textbook Initiative, communication efforts with students, new furniture purchases, and web site usability.

                        For more information about SLAC's mandate, membership, and expectations, and to submit your application, go to http://library.ualberta.ca/slac/

                        Deadline for applications:
                        September 22, 2015

                        Questions? Contact one of the Co-Chairs:
                        Angie Mandeville at afm1@ualberta.ca
                        Kim Frail at kim.frail@ualberta.ca

                        Tuesday, September 1, 2015

                        Course textbooks are expensive! Borrow one from the Libraries.

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                        The Libraries' Course Textbook Initiative's aim is to increase student access to textbooks and offset student costs on them. Just over $100,000 has been allocated to the purchase of select course textbooks, funded by UAL and the Students' Union.  

                        After consultation with its Students' Library Advisory Committee last year, the Libraries decided to prioritize the purchase of one copy of all required undergraduate textbooks that cost $50 or more and that support courses with a total enrolment of 20 or more students.  For courses with large enrolments, one textbook is ordered for every 75 students.  A small portion of the budget has been set aside to respond to individual requests for textbooks that fall outside of these two priority areas.    

                        This new initiative will be reviewed at the end of each term to assess the use of purchased materials as well as purchasing priorities for future terms.


                        Friday, August 28, 2015

                        Teaching This Term? Course Readings, Made Easier!

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                        Teaching in fall term?  Still working on your reading list?  We can help!

                        Send us your course reading list and we'll ensure any print or electronic resources available through the library are easily accessible to all of your students.

                        Upon submission of your request, we will:
                        • provide you with persistent links to all the eReadings on your list, which you can include in eClass and distribute to your students.
                        • ensure that all of your eReadings can be read by multiple students at once (some publisher licenses limit to one reader at a time, but we can fix this for your class).
                        • place print-only items on reserve in the Library Reserve Room of your choice.

                        Submit your reading list via our Reading List/Reserve Request form.

                        This page also includes more information about turnaround times and creating your own links to eReadings.


                        Friday, July 3, 2015

                        New library service for Alumni

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                        University of Alberta Libraries and Alumni Relations have partnered to offer a suite of library services to Alumni featuring remote access to databases with electronic full text content.  Alumni will now have exclusive access to a number of online resources, including over 5,000 full-text scholarly journals, magazines and trade publications covering a wide range of disciplines.

                        It has never been easier to access the latest information – anytime, anywhere.

                        To celebrate the launch of this exciting new service, eResources for Alumni are available free of charge to U of A alumni until October 31, 2015.  After that, subscriptions will be a low C$88/year – that’s a world of information at your fingertips for only C$7.33/month.


                        To see the hundreds of titles on offer and access these online resources from anywhere in the world, register now.





                        Thursday, June 18, 2015

                        Head-Start Tips for New Students

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                        University of Alberta Libraries are among the best in North America. We have stuff that you can’t just get on the internet and that’s a huge advantage for your studies. But, it also means learning new skills and techniques. We won’t pretend it’s easy or quick but, after all, you’re coming to University for the challenges, right?


                        You will get full access through your CCID (for electronic material) and ONEcard (for hard-copies) sometime in August but here are a few things you can do anytime.

                        Explore our website!
                        • Be sure AskUs if you have a question, big or small. It might be a lifesaver (or at least a mark-saver) later on.
                        • If you really want access to something that requires a “CCID” - come to a library and ask for a temporary one.  

                        • Everyone is welcome.
                        • Find good study spaces.
                        • Get used to asking questions from our friendly and knowledgeable staff.
                        • Browse our shelves for inspiring books, newspapers, videos, music, and so much more.


                        Tuesday, June 16, 2015

                        Participate in Libraries Usability Testing and Focus Groups

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                        University of Alberta Libraries has launched beta versions of its new website and search tool, which will be fully implemented in the next academic year.  In an effort to ensure these new search tools meet the distinct needs of our diverse user community, we invite you to participate in upcoming usability testing and focus groups.  


                        Undergraduate & Graduate Students
                        • Register for a 30-45 minute one-to-one meeting with one of our usability testers between Thursday, June 25th, and Friday, July 10th
                        • Participants will be asked to complete a set of tasks using the Libraries' website and search tool
                        • Date and time will be confirmed with you via email


                        Graduate Students
                        • Register for this focus group to provide input regarding your search starting points, needs, and questions
                        • Date & Time:  Wednesday, July 8, 2015, 10am-Noon
                        • Location:  Cameron Library, Room 4-02
                        • Registration will be limited to 15 participants
                        • Refreshments will be provided


                        Faculty
                        • Register for a focus group to hear feedback on search tools from the Ithaka Faculty Survey, and provide input regarding your search starting points, needs, and questions
                        • Dates & Times:  Tuesday, July 7, 2015, 1-3pm and Thursday, July 9, 2015, 10am-Noon
                        • Location:  Cameron Library, Room 4-02
                        • Registration will be limited to 15 participants
                        • Refreshments will be provided

                        The Libraries new beta website and search tool is accessible now.  Take a look!



                        Thursday, June 11, 2015

                        LGBT+ Book Month @ Rutherford Library

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                        Inspired by the American Library Association’s first annual GLBT Book Month, and coinciding with Edmonton Pride, Rutherford Library has launched LGBT+ Book Month!  The library is hosting physical and online exhibits and displays to highlight relevant library and campus collections that represent a diverse range of LGBT+ voices, perspectives, and experiences.     

                        Borrow items from our circulating display in Rutherford North, which contains a rotating collection of literary and non-fiction works.

                        View the Institute of Sexual Minority Studies and Services (iSMSS)’s fantastic exhibit in Rutherford South foyer, which showcases the diversity within contemporary LGBT* publishing. All iSMSS resources will be available to borrow following the exhibit from their lending library in Education North.

                        Visit our e-books display on our Pinterest “eShelf”. We also invite you to join us on Facebook to discuss books and share upcoming Pride events around the city!

                        Find more book lists and recommendations:


                        Tuesday, June 2, 2015

                        Publication and Research(er) Metrics in the Humanities and Social Sciences

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                        The University of Alberta Libraries, in partnership with the Office of the Vice-President's (Research) University of Alberta Grant Assist Program, will be offering a series of sessions and workshops on Publication and Research(er) Metrics in the Humanities and Social Sciences throughout the month of June to Arts faculty and graduate students.

                        The following workshops will be offered:

                        Overview of Publication and Research(er) Metrics in the Humanities and Social Sciences
                        June 9, 2015, 10:30am – 12pm
                        Rutherford South 2-03

                        Google Scholar for Metrics
                        June 12, 2015, 12 - 12:50pm
                        Rutherford South 2-03

                        Social Science Research Network (SSRN)
                        June 15, 2015, 12 - 12:50pm
                        Rutherford South 2-03

                        Web of Science and Scopus
                        June 19, 2015, 12 - 12:50pm
                        Rutherford South 2-03

                        Mendeley
                        June 24, 2015, 12 - 12:50pm
                        Rutherford South 2-03

                        Academia.edu and ResearchGate: Sharing, Monitoring, and Following Research
                        June 26, 2015,12 - 12:50pm
                        Rutherford South 2-03

                        For more information, and to register go to: http://bit.ly/MetricsHSS.

                        Friday, May 29, 2015

                        Truth and Reconciliation Commission Closing Events Streaming at Cameron Library

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                        On June 2, 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) will release its final report on Indian Residential Schools in Canada.  TRC is also hosting a 4-day closing event in Ottawa, Ontario from May 31 to June 3. It is working with its national partners to host events in cities and regions across Canada.

                        The University of Alberta, the City of Edmonton, the Confederacy of Treaty Six First Nations, the Province of Alberta’s Ministry of Aboriginal Relations, Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada-Alberta Region, the Edmonton Catholic School Board and the Edmonton Public School Board are partnering to deliver local events commemorating this historic milestone in our collective history.

                        Come to Cameron Library at University of Alberta Libraries to view any of the following events, which will be live streamed on June 1st and 2nd.

                        Monday, June 1, 2015: TRC Education Day

                        • 8:00-8:15 AM: Welcome by Commissioner, Opening Prayer and Qulliq Lighting
                        • 8:25-9:40 AM: Breaking Stereotypes
                        • 10:15-11:30 AM: Youth Dialogue Panel
                        • 11:40 AM-12:10 PM: Celebration of Hope and Reconciliation

                        Tuesday, June 2, 2015: TRC Findings Report Release Day

                        • 7:00-7:15 AM: Honourary Witness Induction
                        • 7:15-9:00 AM: Honourary Witness Talking Circle
                        • 9:00-10:30 AM: Release of the TRC Findings on Indian Residential Schools
                        • 11:15 AM-12:00 PM: Response from Parties to the Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement

                        For More Information


                        Friday, May 22, 2015

                        Sarah Polkinghorne Selected as Peer Mentor for Librarians' Research Institute

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                        The Canadian Association of Research Libraries [CARL] recently announced the 2015 Peer Mentors for this year's Librarians' Research Institute [LRI], which will be hosted by Simon Fraser University in June.  We are very pleased to share that Sarah Polkinghorne, Subject Librarian for Art & Design, Drama, and Psychology in UAL's Rutherford Library, has been selected to serve in this capacity.

                        LRI Peer Mentors have a proven research record and an active, sustained research agenda.  In consultation with program leaders, they develop and deliver the content to participants. The Institute also provides an opportunity for Peer Mentors to connect with the other librarians doing a similar level of research in Canada, and meet institute participants from across the country.

                        Sarah will be one of five Peer Mentors who provide support to 30 LRI participants.  As a graduate of the program herself, Sarah will offer support and advice from an informed perspective.   She has a strong track record of research, and her current interests relate to librarians' experiences of teaching and the role of information in everyday life. Sarah is a two-time recipient of the award for Best Paper by a Practitioner from the Canadian Association for Information Science. In 2013, she received an award to present her work in Aberdeen at the Information: Interactions and Impact conference.

                        "It is very encouraging to see continued interest from the academic library community to develop research skills among practicing librarians." said Gwendolyn Ebbett, Chair of the CARL Research Libraries Committee and University Librarian at the University of Windsor. "It is encouraging to see research being published from past Peer Mentors and participants, and we continue to support this important part of our community."



                        Tuesday, May 19, 2015

                        Ithaka Faculty Survey Results Now Available

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                        University of Alberta Libraries [UAL] recently sought feedback from faculty about the impact of digital information technologies on their research and teaching. All University of Alberta faculty were invited to participate in the survey via email, which ran from December 22, 2014 through the end of January, 2015.  The survey gathered benchmark data in the areas of:

                        • Data Preservation and Management
                        • Discovery
                        • Role of the Library
                        • Student Research Skills
                        • Digital Research Activities
                        • Formats
                        • Market Research

                        The survey results are now available below.  These survey findings will have great value to our institution in tracking how scholarly practices and attitudes are evolving.  They also confirm many of our current directions, and will help us to develop and implement strategies for supporting faculty needs in a rapidly changing environment.