Member News

The Dalhousie University GISciences Centre is to be presented the 2012 ESRI Inc. Special Achievement in GIS (SAG) Award at the upcoming ESRI Inc. International Conference in San Diego. The award is given to user sites around the world to recognize outstanding work with GIS technology.

The Dal GISciences Centre is the only Canadian group awarded this year; they were also presented with the 2007 Award of Excellence, given by the President of ESRI Canada Alex Miller. The GISciences Centre is in select company as it was one of over 100,000 potential nominees. The Centre is being awarded the 2012 SAG based upon years of service and promotion of GIS, geography, and spatial analysis within the academic community at Dalhousie and beyond.

Founded in 2005, the GISciences Centre has provided access to data, software, training, courses, analysis, and field schools. The Director of the Centre, James Boxall, stated upon hearing the news of the award: “It really is about the staff and students who have made the Centre what it is. They are the basis for the recognition, and we are all honoured by this award.” Staff and students currently working with Boxall in the Centre are: Jennifer Strang, Ray Jahncke, Max Lapierre, Jennifer Charney and Jennifer Grek-Martin. Boxall also notes that the Centre has helped promote the growth of spatial learning at Dalhousie and collaboration amongst government, the private sector and other educational institutions. “The result of this has been that Dalhousie has created – in a very short time – the largest user community of GIS within higher education in Canada. This means more GIS-related work across faculties and disciplines, and more students and faculty exposed to using GIS in teaching and research. Yet we feel we have only begun!”

And this just in: Max Lapierre, GIS student intern, has just been awarded a $2500 prize from ESRI Canada for his continuing studies in the application of GIS for planning and facilities. Congratulations all around!

The Microforms Department of the University of New Brunswick Harriet Irving Library is pleased to present to the public the Marianne Grey Otty Database.

The database, available on May 18th, offers information useful to genealogists and historians, as well as students. Anglican Church records from the Gagetown, New Brunswick area provide vital data on Loyalist settlers and their descendants, a group with a significant influence on early New Brunswick history.

A series of travelling ministers tending to scattered communities in New Brunswick kept extensive records from the years 1786 to 1841 that detailed marriages, baptisms, and deaths, along with anecdotal notes. The original materials were transcribed by author and local historian, Marianne Grey Otty (1890-1963). The records centre geographically on Gagetown, Queen’s County, and particularly focus on the New Brunswick communities of Fredericton, Saint Marys, Lincoln, Grand Lake, Waterborough, Long Island, Wickham, Hampstead, Maugherville, Petersville, Sheffield, Kingston, Springfield, Greenwich, and Saint John. However, entries as far flung as Nova Scotia, Ontario, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York are also included.

The Marianne Grey Otty database from the Loyalist Collection provides an opportunity to explore family connections, as well as providing a glimpse into eighteenth- and nineteenth-century New Brunswick.

The Trustees of the Margaret Williams Trust Fund are pleased to announce that the Trust has issued its 2012 award to Heather Buffett (see full release: MWTF 2012 Award Winner).

Please note that the Mount Library and University will be closed on Monday, May 21. Check out our full spring and summer Library Hours.

Visit the Mount Saint Vincent University Library website.

Lunch & Learn
Presenter: Jason MacDonald, Intellectual Property Assistant
May 23, noon – 1pm
Killam Library Room 2616

The latest attempt to modernize the Copyright Act of Canada has received third and final reading this week before Parliament. Bill C-11 attempts to bring Canada’s copyright laws into the modern age with what are seen as significant updates and amendments.


C-11 has been described as ‘flawed but fixable’. What are the potential impacts of its flaws and strengths on Canada’s Fair Dealing provision, and what can be done to make sure users’ rights aren’t eroded? Come to this presentation by Dal’s own Intellectual Property Assistant and find out. All are welcome–don’t forget to bring your lunch!

The Microforms Department of the University of New Brunswick Harriet Irving Library is pleased to present to the public the Marianne Grey Otty Database.  The site, available at http://vre.lib.unb.ca/motty  on May 18th, offers information useful to genealogists and historians, as well as students.  Anglican Church records from the Gagetown, New Brunswick area provide vital data on Loyalist settlers and their descendants, a group with a significant influence on early New Brunswick history.

A series of travelling ministers tending to scattered communities in New Brunswick kept extensive records from the years 1786 to 1841 detailing marriages, baptisms, and deaths along with anecdotal notes.  The original materials were transcribed by author and local historian, Marianne Grey Otty (1890-1963).  The records centre geographically on Gagetown, Queen’s County and particularly focus on the New Brunswick communities of Fredericton, Saint Marys, Lincoln, Grand Lake, Waterborough, Long Island, Wickham, Hampstead, Maugherville, Petersville, Sheffield, Kingston, Springfield, Greenwich, and Saint John.   Entries, however, as far flung as Nova Scotia, Ontario, Maine, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and New York are included.

The Marianne Grey Otty database as The Loyalist Collection provides an opportunity to explore family connections, as well as providing a glimpse into eighteenth and nineteenth century New Brunswick.

The elegant cover designs of English master bookbinder Douglas Cockerell (1875-1945) are world famous. In the 1930s the Dalhousie Libraries acquired Cockerell’s historical binding collection and a few of his own bindings as a generous donation from his friend William Inglis Morse.

The opportunity to add another unique item to the Douglas Cockerell Fine Binding Collection rarely arises, but last month one came on the market in Seattle, Washington. The beautiful binding was commissioned for a 1907 Oxford University Press edition of Robert Browning’s poetry, and thanks to a donation to support the development of the book collection, the Dal Libraries were able to to acquire it.

The full blue morocco Cockerell binding features gilded leaf and floral designs in all four corners and the five compartments of the spine panel. The book, which is in superb condition, is also graced with green marbled endpapers and is a pleasure to hold and leaf through.

The Douglas Cockerell Fine Binding Collection is housed in Special Collections on the 5th floor of the Killam Library. If you’d like more information about the Cockerell fine bindings or would like to see any of the items in the collection, please contact Karen Smith, Special Collections Librarian (kemsmith@dal.ca or 494-8803).

If you’re reading this, you already know that in addition to offering traditional library services on-site and online, the Dal Libraries also use social media to reach out to and connect with our users (and non-users too!). We blog, tweet, post to Facebook, have videos on Vimeo, and you can check in with us on Foursquare. As of this March we’ve also been pinning some great stuff on Pinterest.

Do you follow?

Dal Libraries on Twitter

Killam Library on Facebook and on Foursquare

Sexton Library on Facebook and on Foursquare

Dalhousie University Archives & Special Collections on Facebook

Dal Libraries on Pinterest

Our Vimeo site

WK Kellogg Health Sciences Library begins summer hours on Friday, June 1, 2012.

Monday – Friday        8am – 5pm

Saturday – Sunday     CLOSED

The Circulation Desk, computers, printers and photocopiers shut down 15 minutes before library closing.

Oxford Bibliographies Online (OBO)

Oxford Bibliographies Online (OBO) is an entirely new research tool for the social sciences and humanities. A scholar-curated library of discipline-based subject modules, OBO is designed to help busy researchers find reliable sources of information in half the time by directing them to exactly the right chapter, book, website, archive, or data set they need for their research.
This trial expires - May 31, 2012

Access

1. Link to -
   http://www.oxfordbibliographiesonline.com

Please Note: This trial is limited to current Memorial faculty, staff, and students.  If you are accessing this product from off-campus, you will be prompted for your User ID and PIN. For more information, go to our Off-campus guide.

We wish to advise the Dalhousie community, in particular faculty and graduate students whose research requires Canadian material not held at Dalhousie, that Library and Archives Canada (LAC) is planning on closing their interlibrary loan service as of February 2013 due to budget cuts.

This closure will impact on our ability to get certain materials through our Document Delivery service, especially newspapers and archival material on microfilm, Canadian short run journals and small press books, as LAC is often the only location for these items. If you are currently working on research which will require this type of material we encourage you to place your Document Delivery requests for them well in advance of 2013.

We would appreciate it if you could please pass this news on to any of your colleagues or students who could be affected by this closure but who may not see this notice.

Thank you!

Check out our book sale located in the basement of the Harriet Irving Library (continue past Room 014).

You will find a wide range of reading material and the prices are excellent!

Please pay at the Commons Service Desk. All proceeds go towards library acquisitions.

Student Positions Available for Fall :

Interested in working in our libraries this Fall? Each year, UNB Libraries hire Student Assistants for part-time work during the Fall and Winter terms.

If you’re interested in library work, it’s a good idea to submit an application now. More information and an application form are available at:
http://www.lib.unb.ca/about/student.php

Course instructors preparing for next term are reminded that scanning or photocopies of course materials need to be cleared for copyright before they can be made available to the class. Instructors are invited to use the new course reserve system developed and recently launched by the Libraries. Our new system offers many enhancements, including the ability to organize readings by week, linking to online readings, and the ability for students to log in and access their reserve readings for all courses in which they are enrolled.

Please submit your reading lists as soon as possible for courses to be offered during the Intersession term. We will endeavour to clear any items which require copyright clearance, but encourage instructors to provide as much lead time as possible.

Course Reading Lists should be directed to:

Harriet Irving Library

Jane Diduch   jdiduch@unb.ca   506-458-7063

Science and Forestry Library

Susan Malone   smalone@unb.ca   506-458-7759

Engineering Library

Elisabeth Schaap  engreserves@unb.ca   506-453-4747

Hans W. Klohn Commons
Stefanie Dempster   sdempste@unb.ca   506 – 648-5702

Further information on Course Reserves can be found here:  http://lib.unb.ca/faculty/reserves

We also encourage instructors to contact their liaison librarian with any questions regarding course readings: http://lib.unb.ca/faculty/liaison.php, or the Libraries Copyright information page:  http://www.lib.unb.ca/copyright/

If you need help with work over the summer, email Marg to decide on a time when to meet. It may take a few days for her to respond if she is out of town. My email is mrovers@nsac.ca

We are sharing this message from the Canada Council of Archives.  For more information on what is happening to the Canadian archival community, read this letter from Lara Wilson, Chair of the Canada Council of Archives, to James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages.

CALL TO ACTION

Who:

To members of the archival community and archives supporters

What:

The following call to action is in response to the elimination of the National Archival Development Program by Library and Archives Canada (LAC) on April 30, 2012, and the resulting impact on Canada’s 13 provincial and territorial archives councils, and the Canadian Council of Archives.

Background:

On April 30, 2012, LAC eliminated the National Archival Development Program (NADP), a 1.7 million contribution program administered by the non-for-profit Canadian Council of Archives (CCA) for LAC and distributed to Canada’s 13 archives councils to support archival activities locally.  Through the councils, NADP funding is on the ground in our 10 provinces and 3 territories, ensuring that Canada’s history is preserved in local communities.  Canada’s archival councils provide user-centred services, providing support to archives and archivists so that they may better serve all Canadians.

 

A one-of-a-kind program, NADP’s goal is to assist in the preservation and accessibility of Canada’s archival heritage through the following objectives:

• Increase access to Canada’s archival heritage through the national catalogue of archival descriptions ARCHIVESCANADA.ca
• Increase awareness and broaden use of Canada’s archival heritage
•  Increase representation of Aboriginal peoples and under-represented ethno-cultural groups in Canada’s archival heritage
• Increase the capacity of archival networks to undertake strategic and development activities; and;
• Increase the capacity of archival institutions to preserve Canada’s heritage.

NADP funds the following activities across Canada:

• Development of the national on-line catalogue of archival descriptions, and its provincial and territorial counterparts, so all archives, including the very small, can reach Canadians
• Provision of archival and preservation advice to archives
• Job exposure for new graduates from Canada’s archival and information studies programs
• Access to archival holdings information on-line
• Outreach and educational activities in communities to help small institutions manage their treasures
• Cataloguing of archival materials to make them accessible to the public
• Training opportunities for local archives run by volunteers or one-person operations
• Site assessments to both urban and rural archives, to safeguard Canada’s documentary heritage
• Preservation  of at-risk documents and other archival materials, including electronic records

Impact:

NADP was a joint federal/provincial/territorial initiative; NADP, and its predecessor financial assistance program, was a critical source of funding to the community – CCA has operated for 26 years; elimination of NADP means that 11 of the 13 provincial and territorial councils will collapse within 30 days to 6 months, without any financial support.  A number of councils have suspended their operations.  The CCA’s physical office in Ottawa will close its doors to the public effective May 4, as the organization moves to a virtual office and staffing has been immediately be reduced from 8 FTE to  4 FTE, and will soon be further reduced to a maximum of 2.5 FTE.  Further adjustments may be necessary  – but at this time minimum administration services will be maintained for the small program Young Canada Works in Heritage Institutions, ARCHIVESCANADA.ca, Arcan-l and other secretariat services.

WHAT CAN YOU DO:

If your MP is a Cabinet Minister, call the local office and offer a briefing as well as the letter.

Write the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable James Moore, and your MP asking them to stop the NADP cut.

Members of Parliament -

http://www.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfParliament/MainMPsCompleteList.aspx

Use the following key messages:

• Canada’s documentary heritage is preserved in its over 800 archival institutions
• NADP supports archives to preserve Canada’s documentary heritage for Canadians
• NADP leverages financial and partnership opportunities for archives across the country
• CCA serves the Canadian public. CCA’s work ensures the preservation of Canada’s heritage for the benefit of all Canadians-now and for the future. Through initiatives such as www.ARCHIVESCANADA.ca , CCA is the window through which the world may access Canadian archival information
• Archives support Canada’s economy. Sustaining Canada’s knowledge-based economy means sustaining and facilitating access to our knowledge resources. Archives are fundamental to the success of countless public, private, and educational enterprises.
• Archives preserve Canada’s past. Millions of historical documents, photographs, maps and audio-visual materials are held in archives across the country
• LAC’s stakeholder forum meetings cannot and will not take the place of an archival network of dedicated professionals and volunteers across Canada that took 26 years to build.  The damage done by elimination of NADP will take years to re-build.

Tell your own story about the value of the NADP and CCA’s services; use the following examples:

• Books and other outputs that have utilized holdings made accessible by NADP
• Non-traditional users whose access has been facilitated by NADP
• Achievements realized through expertise made available to you through archives advisors, preservation services, training opportunities.
• How has www.ARCHIVESCANADA.ca and provincial/territorial networks helped users find you
• What holdings have been preserved through NADP and in what ways has that had public acknowledgement
• What activities by other groups have been assisted through the results of NADP funded projects
• What federal initiatives have benefitted by records that were preserved or made accessible through NADP

Join the “Archivists on to Ottawa Trek” Google Group for more information!

Hard to miss the changes to our homepage, starting with the new background image. 

But the most significant difference can be found in the middle "window".  We've created a tabbed search box which allows you to find just books, just articles or everything we have (including DVDs, government documents, etc.).  Once you have the results, you should find easy-to-use links to the content.   It shouldn't take long to get the hang of it.

And you'll notice that we've maintained ready links to the Novanet catalogue, the "Journals A-Z" list (to find out whether we have a particular journal), and our most popular databases (like ABI or JSTOR).  We also offer a quick link to our statistical sources as well as comprehensive subject guides, from Accounting to Women's Studies.

We think this new format will improve access to our collections and make it easier to find whatever you need for your research.  But remember that if you have any questions, big or small, you can always ask one of our staff for help or advice.  They're more than happy to explain how these changes work or how they can make your life as a researcher easier.

Hard to miss the changes to our homepage, starting with the new background image. 

But the most significant difference can be found in the middle "window".  We've created a tabbed search box which allows you to find just books, just articles or everything we have (including DVDs, government documents, etc.).  Once you have the results, you should find easy-to-use links to the content.   It shouldn't take long to get the hang of it.

And you'll notice that we've maintained ready links to the Novanet catalogue, the "Journals A-Z" list (to find out whether we have a particular journal), and our most popular databases (like ABI or JSTOR).  We also offer a quick link to our statistical sources as well as comprehensive subject guides, from Accounting to Women's Studies.

We think this new format will improve access to our collections and make it easier to find whatever you need for your research.  But remember that if you have any questions, big or small, you can always ask one of our staff for help or advice.  They're more than happy to explain how these changes work or how they can make your life as a researcher easier.

Due to a scheduled UNB ITS outage, the UNB Libraries website and all online services, including document delivery and email, will be unavailable on Sunday, May 6th between 6am and 4pm.

Harriet Irving Library will NOT be open on Sunday, May 6th as previously scheduled.

Details regarding the outage are available from UNB’s ITS Services at http://www.unb.ca/fredericton/studentservices/enews/view/view.cgi?article=6061*5

We apologize for any inconvenience.

Yesterday, the Federal Government announced another round of major cuts to the federal public service.  Numerous departments are affected, including Library and Archives Canada which will lose over 300 positions.  In addition to staff cutbacks at LAC/BAC, the government has cancelled the National Archival Development Program (NADP) – a major source of funding for archival organizations across the country – and closed the office of the Canada Council of Archives (CCA).  The CCA was founded in 1985 as a result of federal-provincial efforts to encourage and facilitate the evolution of an archival system in Canada.  Major successes have been realized since then, in large part due to the funding programs and standards overseen by the CCA.

We are stunned.  This is not only devastating to the archival community but will impede access to Canada’s documentary heritage by Canadians for the foreseeable future.  The immediate impact on the Dalhousie Archives and Special Collections will be drastic.   We have spent significant time preparing two applications for this year’s NADP program and were recently informed that the projects had received provisional approval.  We were expecting to hire three temporary archives assistants this year – jobs that would be excellent opportunities for students or recent graduates – but are no longer in a position to move forward with the projects.   Since 2001, the Archives and Special Collections has received over $90,000 through the NADP program and other funding programs administered by the CCA.  These funds have contributed to the budgets for major projects, including:

• The refoldering and reboxing of poorly boxed archival materials
• The processing of dozens of small private medical collections
• The creation of a digital collection of Robert Doyle Costume and Set Design artwork
• The purchase of a large scanner and software for digitization projects
• The hiring of a professional conservator to clean glass plate negatives from the Waldren Studios Collection
• The purchase of safety ladders and book trucks
• The processing the archival records of the Maritime School of Social Work (UA-22)
• The hiring of a professional conservator to assist with the development of a long-term preservation plan
• The creation of over 130 guides to small archival collections
• The processing of the Eye Level Gallery fonds (MS-3-35)
• The processing of the IBEW Local 625 fonds (MS-9-55)
• Preservation activities on key historical records of Dalhousie University
• The processing of the Alan Creighton fonds (MS-2-701), Catherine Creighton and Family fonds (MS-2-656),  G. Wilfred Creighton fonds (MS-2-264), and Norman Creighton fonds (MS-2-689)
• The processing of the Oland and Son Limited fonds and Oland Family fonds

Without the funds from CCA administered grant programs, these projects would not have been possible.  All members of the Council of Nova Scotia Archives will be affected, and the fate of provincial/territorial associations across the country is in doubt.  The Archives Association of Ontario has already announced that all of its programs and services are on hold.  More importantly, the cuts will have an immediate impact on information-seeking Canadians, especially if provincial and territorial councils are forced to curtail their activities and services.  Portions of our documentary heritage will continue to remain inaccessible to the public while project-ready jobs will go unfilled.

What can you do?  Lots!

• Write to your MP and express your dissatisfaction with the government’s decisions to cut NAPD funding and close the CCA office
• Follow and engage with the Canadian Association of University Teachers‘ Save Library and Archives Canada campaign
• Come visit us to learn more about our holdings, services, and activities
• Visit other archival organizations in your area and express your support
• Spread the news about threats to Canada’s documentary heritage on your social media networks
• Send letters to the editors of your local newspapers

Please join us in rejecting this hostile agenda against our public memory and documentary heritage.  A future without stable and consistent funding for archival organizations is bleak indeed.