Dalhousie Libraries 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!

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 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.

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!

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!

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.

Library Lunch & Learn
Tuesday May 8, noon – 1 pm
Killam Library Room 2616

What is 3D printing and why are we about to begin using it at the Dalhousie Libraries?

Marc Comeau, Director, Library IT, and MLIS students Riel Gallant and Michael Groenendyk will give a brief overview of 3D printing and scanning technology, provide a description of the Dalhousie Libraries pilot project slated to launch in the Killam Learning Commons in May, and show what has been accomplished so far. They will also discuss potential opportunities for the future of this project at the Libraries.

The presentation will include a live demonstration of 3D printing.

All are welcome. Don’t forget to bring your lunch! Can’t make it? Watch the 3D printing preview video!

Three long-serving and highly valued members of the Dalhousie Libraries staff are about to retire. Sharon Longard, Tim Ruggles and Tina Usmiani will be taking early retirement effective July 1, 2012 and moving on to new chapters in their lives. All have been with the libraries for many years and have made invaluable contributions in their fields. Here are brief descriptions of their careers at Dal.



Sharon Longard, Head of Reference Services, Killam Library
As a new graduate of the Dalhousie School of Library Service, Sharon was hired in June 1978 as a Science Librarian in the Macdonald Science Library. She was appointed the subject librarian for Psychology and worked as a science reference and instruction librarian. In the early years Sharon worked closely with Psychology Department faculty members to develop an information literacy component for the Psychology 2000 class. She has been teaching psychology students about library resources, both in person and online, for over 30 years. Sharon has worked on countless Library and Faculty of Science committees through the years. She served as Head of Science Services from 1998-2004 and is currently Head of Reference and Research Services in the Killam Library.



Tim Ruggles, Health Sciences Librarian
Tim began his career at the Dalhousie University Libraries at the newly built Killam Library in 1973 as a cataloguer, eventually becoming Assistant Head in that department. For much of his time at the Killam he served as the library’s Political Science subject specialist. In 1986, after graduating with an MLS degree from Dal’s School of Library and Information Studies (now called School of Information Management), he was appointed to a librarian position at the W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library. This position was originally half-time in Technical Services and half-time in Public Services. In the late 1990’s Tim became the Library’s point person in evidence-based medicine. He worked closely with the Departments of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine for many years in their ebm training programs for residents. In 2009 Dal’s Emergency Medicine Department showed their appreciation for Tim’s work by naming an award after him: the “Tim Ruggles Critically Appraised Topic Award” is now presented annually to the resident who writes the best CAT. Tim has also shared joint responsibility as liaison for undergraduate medicine for many years.



Tina Usmiani, Dalhousie Libraries Communications Officer
Tina has been working off and on at the Libraries since 1979, when she was hired as a cataloguer at the Killam and became the library’s Russian subject specialist. In 1982 she went to University of Toronto to do a PhD in Russian Studies and returned to Killam cataloguing in 1990 after working briefly in the Law Library. Tina continued her work as a library assistant in Special Collections from 1996 until 2009, when she acquired her current position as the Dalhousie Libraries Communications Officer.

SEXTON LIBRARY HOURS:

Effective April 25 to August 17

Monday – Thursday 8:00am-9:00pm

Friday 8:00am-6:00pm

Saturday 1:00pm – 6:00pm

Sunday CLOSED

************************************

Effective August 18 to September 2

Monday – Friday 8:00am-4:00pm

Saturday and Sunday  CLOSED

Holiday hours will be posted!

The Law Library summer Hours effective Thursday, April 26:

Monday – Friday: 8:00am – 4:30pm

Saturday – Sunday: CLOSED

3D printing and scanning for the Dalhousie community is only a few weeks away! SIM students Michael Groenendyk and Riel Gallant have been hard at work testing this service to make it user-ready for the pilot project slated to be set up in the main Killam Learning Commons in May.

3D printing has been around for decades, but only recently has it become accessible to larger audiences thanks to hobbyists and the RepRap project. 3D scanning has also increased in popularity, gaining momentum as the technology improves and becomes more affordable. Dalhousie Libraries’ new Makerbot Replicator and NextEngine 3D scanner will offer you the opportunity to explore this revolutionary technology, and prepare us all for a future shaped by 3D printing.

Here’s a little preview of what’s coming!

The Killam is now on regular spring/summer hours. These are:

April 24 – September 5, 2012
Monday – Thursday 8am – 9pm
Friday 8am – 6pm
Saturday & Sunday 10am – 6pm

The Killam will be CLOSED on the following days:

Saturday May 19 – renovations
Sunday May 20 – renovations
Monday May 21 - Victoria Day
Sunday May 27 – renovations
Saturday June 2 – renovations
Monday July 2 - Canada Day
Monday August 6 – Natal Day
Monday September 3 – Labour Day

The Archives and Special Collections has been working closely with the Ecology Action Centre since last year’s donation of the organization’s historical records and reference library.  We’ve been busy getting the materials described so they can be accessed in our Reading Room.  We now have a print finding aid that is available on-site.

We hope to have the full finding aid online later this year, but in the meantime, we are also digitizing some of the organization’s key records and publications.  Ryan Dyck, a Practicum Student from the School of Information Management, has been scanning annual reports, general meeting minutes, and back issues of the EAC’s primary publication, Between the Issues. 

Ryan has been posting the digitized material in DalSpace, the university’s institutional repository.   Right now, the collection contains some recent issues of Between the Issues, annual reports, and minutes of some of the organization’s earliest annual meetings.  While modest in size (for now!), the collection provides a window into the development and growth of one of Canada’s foremost environmental advocacy groups.

We’re also excited about some tests we’ve been doing with World Cat Local.  Ecology Action Centre materials in DalSpace can now be found in the Library Catalogue.  Try a search for Between the Issues  and use the “Downloadable Archival Material” filter on the left side of the catalogue:

If you’re only searching materials at the Killam Library, this will narrow your results to full-text, downloadable back issues from DalSpace.  The link to view and download the issue can be found in the full item record:

We have some kinks to work out, but keep an eye out for more downloadable archival material – from the EAC and other archival collections – in the months to come!

In a previous post we announced a new service for Dal faculty: Libraries staff will add permanent links to your course reading lists and upload the lists to the New OWL for you, getting copyright clearance if necessary. The slides below give detailed instructions on how to use this service, including contact information for each library.

By rob

Want to make course-related articles and book chapters available electronically to your students in New OWL? The Dalhousie Libraries are offering faculty a new service this May: an option to have links to licensed e-content added to your reading lists and uploaded to New OWL by one of the Dal Libraries’ Circulation staff, with copyright clearance obtained if necessary.

You can do this online via the Reserve page on our website.

• Go to the Reserves page and select the appropriate library submission form (available as of Monday April 23)
• Login and fill in the brief course particulars
• Choose “Upload Reading List for New OWL” (you still have the option to fill out our regular form for “In-Library Reserves” if you don’t want your list annotated and added to your New OWL course)

And that’s it! Once you’ve submitted your list, Libraries’ staff will create persistent URLs for electronic items and post the list to New OWL for you.

We work with paper as well! We’ll seek copyright clearance for print material – articles and book chapters — through our Intellectual Property Assistant and then scan and upload the items into New OWL. If we’re not able to obtain copyright clearance, the material will be placed on Reserve at the Circulation Desk of your selected library and you will be notified of this change.

By offering this service the Libraries are hoping to build new partnerships with faculty, meet the students where they are, and provide quick and reliable access to library resources. We also hope you find it useful!

Note: Please allow at least 2 weeks for your reading lists to be processed. For further information or to get started, please contact:

• Sandra Dwyer, Killam Memorial Library, 494-2138, sandra.dwyer@dal.ca
• Mary MacDonald, Kellogg Health Sciences Library, 494-3895 mary.macdonald@dal.ca
• Amanda Sparks, Sexton Design & Technology Library, 494-6095, amanda.sparks@dal.ca
• Jason MacDonald, Dalhousie Libraries Intellectual Property Assistant, 494-3601, jason.macdonald@dal.ca

The Dalhousie Libraries are delighted to welcome Jason MacDonald, who joins our staff as Intellectual Property Assistant, based in the Killam Library, effective April 16. Jason comes to Dalhousie from Medicine Hat College in Alberta where he served as Copyright Information Officer/Information Services Technician.

After completing a BA degree at Dal, Jason received a Library and Information Technology Diploma from NSCC. Since 2002 he has worked at the Medicine Hat College library providing a variety of services, including reference and instruction and interlibrary loan, taking on the copyright portfolio in 2005.

Here at the Dal Libraries Jason will be working closely with Donna Bourne-Tyson and Ian Colford on copyright issues, as well as the further development of open access initiatives on campus. He will also be handling day-to-day responsibilities in the Killam Library Administration Office.

“Returning home to Nova Scotia to this exciting opportunity at Dal was an easy decision!” Jason remarks. “The natural beauty of the city and province, the appeal of being closer to family and friends as well as the reputation of the institution all combined to bring me home to stay.”

You can reach Jason with copyright questions by phone at 494-3601, or email him: jason.macdonald@dal.ca. He’s also on Twitter: @jay_macd

Please join us in welcoming Jason to the Dalhousie Libraries!

Can you hear the drumming? Thanks to Sam Scully, Dal’s collection of music scores for percussion has just received a boost. There are now 19 scores in the Killam Library Music Collection for modern percussion music by noted contemporary composers Abe Keiko, Alvin Curran, John Cage and Iannis Xenakis.

Many of you in the Dal community will remember Sam Scully, who was our Vice-President Academic and Provost from 1998 until 2006. The Scully Endowment was set up for the Music Department by Dr. Scully in 1999, with the clearly stated mandate that the “funds […] be used primarily for the acquisition of materials to enable the performance of music. This will include scores, recordings, treatises on performance techniques and videos.”

It took a few years before the endowment reached a level where the annual earnings could support purchasing the intended materials. The first Scully Fund allocation was used in 2008 to acquire 34 high-quality DVDs of recitals and operas. In successive years the Scully Fund has also supported the purchase of 37 violin scores and 21 piano scores.

So the we all reap the benefits of Dr. Scully’s desire to facilitate music performance at Dalhousie. In a very tangible way Sam continues to support and share his love of music with the Dal community. Come on up the the Music Room on the 5th floor of the Killam and explore his gifts for yourself!

OAPEN is pleased to announce the launch of the Directory of Open Access Books, a discovery service for peer-reviewed books published under an Open Access license. DOAB provides a searchable index to the information about these books, with links to the full texts of the publications at the publisher’s website or repository.

The primary aim of DOAB is to increase discoverability of Open Access books. Academic publishers are invited to provide the metadata of their Open Access books to DOAB. These metadata will be harvestable in order to maximize dissemination, visibility and impact. There are currently just over 20 publishers participating with about 750 Open Access books, and new publishers and books will be added in the next few days.

A link to DOAB has been added to our Open Access subject guide, where you’ll find a wealth of information, resources, policies etc. about OA.