June is the month to celebrate National Indigenous History Month as well as LGBTQ Pride Month. As a way to honour and acknowledge these communities, as well as their struggles and achievements, Rutherford Library is streaming films that highlight diverse aspects of their respective histories each weekday in June. All of the films listed below, and many more, are accessible through the streaming resources available through UAlberta Libraries.

Please note that some of these films have graphic or disturbing content, or address issues that may be upsetting for some people. Viewers are encouraged to seek out support if they wish to after viewing these films.



Some mental health support services on campus include:

• First Peoples' House
• The Landing: Centre for Gender and Sexual Diversity
• Peer Support Centre (Student Union)
• Counselling & Clinical Services (UofA)

Event: National Indigenous History Month and LGBTQ Pride Month video celebration

Location: Learning Lounge, Rutherford Library North

Date: Each weekday in June

Time: 10:30-12:30 (film running times vary from 75 minutes to 2 hours.)

Royden Mills has done it again and set up an astonishing exhibit in the Rutherford Galleria and in Rutherford Library South. Undergraduate students, graduate students and local artists have thought about an issue that matters to them and how it is represented in material that we use.

The hope is to elicit a response in you, big or small, and figure how we feel about these issues of importance.  Life is short and how do we spend our time? 


By going to school, going to work, and then retiring, our infinitely quick, precious lives are over. How do we deal with our own mortality?



What is life really about? Have we fulfilled our purpose and helped make a difference? Have we stopped living in the present moment, missed brief moments of brilliance or revelations that stand out to change us? When we use material or “matter” it is soon gone; discarded; and forgotten. Matter is how we navigate the world with our bodies and what material we use to do so.

This art exhibit portrays the artists’ take on social movements or issues that are important to them. We, as the audience, will see what each piece means to us; what issues in the world we care about; and how we have contributed to its success or decline.  Will you let yourself be moved even if you do not completely understand? 

Are you willing to see what matters in the pieces of art that are deeply personal and original and stop and to think, “What matters to me?”

Come to the Rutherford Library Galleria to feast your eyes on this unique exhibition. The Opening Celebration is on Saturday, April 13, 2019 from 1 pm – 4 pm.

Come back on Saturday, April 27, 2019 from 1 pm – 4 pm for International Sculpture Day! There will be a talk led by our artists.  Everyone is welcome.  

The exhibit will only stay up until May 11, 2019, so be sure to head down to the Rutherford Library Galleria after your exams are done for a relaxing viewing. You will not want to miss out!

More information on International Sculpture Day: https://www.sculpture.org/isday/index.shtml

-Pictures by Hanne Pearce

• Scott Library is focusing on medical milestones for Black History Month. The display will also feature profiles of pioneers in medicine and the healthcare field.

The Rutherford Reading Room, aka "Harry Potter Room"

The special Snapchat filter uses the wanted poster from Harry Potter the Prisoner of Azkaban

The libraries hosted a fantastic exhibition this spring in the Rutherford Galleria from April 14 to May 14, 2018. Check out this guest post from Royden Mills, UAlberta Sculpture Instrutor.

Curators: Marilène Oliver and Royden Mills, K-Lee Fraser
Special Thanks to:  Stephanie Jonsson, Cambell Wallace, Steve Dixon and Mark Seignor

This Exhibition offered energy from the momentum of studio artists who either were studying or have studied in direct connection to the Faculty of Arts and especially the Department of Art and Design at the University of Alberta. First Nations artists from Portage College in Lac La Biche presented an important collaborative Installation for this exhibition as invited guests.

The spectrum of contributing artists included First-year Fundamental students with a cross section of Undergraduate students, a few Graduate students and former students who already had terrific, professional careers. This exhibition ran for a month and was really a wonderful opportunity; and we were grateful to the Rutherford Library staff, especially Michael May, who started the exhibitions years ago. We gratefully acknowledged stellar support from Sarah Polkinghorne who enthusiastically supported it and K-Lee Fraser who carried the energy wonderfully this year.



The Printmaking and Sculpture Divisions at the U of A made the show a part of the course curriculum and the undergraduate student work done by them was completed for this exhibition in less than the thirteen weeks of course time this term.  The energy they dedicated spoke to a passion they had for efficiently using their studio practice and reached out in an effort to inspire others.  These artists were all trying to make lives as studio professionals.



Change Climate:  The exhibition was titled in a way about the climate that these students wanted to address which included a range of serious issues that affected the climate of our existence.  The changing weather patterns were obviously a very big and significant concern in our era, the anxieties that we felt over human influence over temperature change, the hopes and fears we felt around the socio-political climate of our era are also very much in the forefront of the minds of some of these artists too.

In some cases the work spoke directly and obviously with full force on trying to provoke change or reaction, but in other cases there was expressed equivocation over feelings to do with human wilfulness and engagement with nature.  There was no question that we had to do something about SO many things in our era and these were the people who carried the responsibility of trying to inspire us by using their Fine Art studio practice. They hoped we would consider things that we may have overlooked about being alive. Perhaps it was the role of artists to present alternatives to orthodoxy in our world through the very way they lived.



Our students studied the traditions of Fine Arts proudly; they all were taught how to draw accurately, they were taught how to sculpt accurately, and they studied art history and contemporary visual culture; and they were faced with trying to sort out how they must generate sustainable lives as professional artists.

The Art and Design Department has proven remarkably successful at launching people into pertinent careers by helping to build individuals who are agile enough to deal with many types of traditional and contemporary media. The students were challenged to take on the same uncommon work ethic that professionals of any discipline require.

You saw work here by a spectrum of artists, junior through accomplished artists seeking not merely to match the décor or be background music to the daily life of this University space.  They sought more. They respected the intelligence of the audience and believed that, generally speaking, all people enjoyed arriving at doing something that at first they may not have considered possible of themselves.  That kind of satisfaction over applying one’s self and challenging one’s self was a sign of respect offered by these artists to the audience.

In the end, the work validated both artist and audience member and in that way art really can save lives, one validation at a time.  We hope you found something that stirred something in you!

Royden Mills, Co-curator of the exhibition, April 2018

University of Alberta Librarian David Sulz is known for his enthusiasm for learning and inspiring that in others. He listens to students, creates a safe environment, and is an active learning partner.

David Sulz and Yichuan Wang

Recently, he was recognized for these qualities and awarded the UAlberta Excellence in Learning Support. This award is specifically designed to recognize members of the University community whose role does not involve teaching, but who nonetheless directly and significantly contribute to the student learning experience.

Those who nominated David for his excellence in learning support were graduate students, colleagues, and professors. Each mentioned David’s enthusiasm for learning and his role as a connector of students. He creates a very fun and safe space for struggle with idea formation and an atmosphere where the struggle is embraced as an exciting growth opportunity. His joyful personality, life wisdom, and listening skills make him an active catalyst for learning and great conversation partner.

He uses alternative techniques to engage students and researchers to think differently about their subject and get excited about their learning. Whether he’s suggesting mind maps or encouraging students to explain their research in a sentence or two to a group of high school students touring the library, David makes learning fun.

Congratulations David!