Guest post: Written by James Spencer, RRC Library and Information Technology student

2020: A year of transition for students and faculty alike

This year has been truly the likes of which none of us have ever seen before. It has been quite an adjustment for both RRC students and staff alike transitioning to this world of social distancing and online learning. As a faculty that serves both RRC staff and students, the RRC Library had to adapt on the fly as well.

As a Library and Information Technology program student at the Exchange District Campus, I was fortunate enough to spend two weeks with the RRC Library staff at the Notre Dame Campus for my work experience practicum. The experience was truly eye-opening, it has given me a unique perspective on how the RRC Library has adapted during this time of the global pandemic. Although we may not be able to see it in person like in the past, there is a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes at the RRC Library to make this transition as smooth as possible for the entire RRC family.

Cloud-based Library system made for an easy pivot to online

The cloud-based system ALMA, used by the RRC Library staff, has allowed for a quick pivot back to a relatively normal online library experience for RRC students. If library records and accounts were housed internally on the RRC computer system as they were prior to ALMA, there would be a noticeable backlog resulting in poor service for RRC patrons. It is this interconnectivity provided by ALMA amongst the numerous RRC Library services that has helped to maintain regularity for RRC students and staff during these uncertain times.

Although most RRC students might be unfamiliar ALMA, whenever we use the OneSearch database on the RRC Library website, we are using Primo, the sister system to ALMA. It is ALMA that connects RRC OneSearch users to several databases such as EBSCOhost, Academic Search Complete, and CINAHL to name a few. These databases provide RRC students the essential journal articles that are needed for their studies.

Chat service allows staff to provide assistance to users while they’re at home

Another essential for RRC Library users is a live chat service. You may have noticed this little chatbot as you first enter the RRC Library website. I know what you’re thinking, is this a robot? Sorry to burst your bubble but it is a dedicated RRC Library staff member ready to help RRC students with their reference needs. Due to the restrictions of the pandemic, this service is more valuable than ever before. Thanks to this service, RRC students can stay safe at home and have their reference needs satisfied all the while.

Although we may remain socially distant for the time being, if we remain open to adapting and interacting with each other just like ALMA and the numerous RRC Library services it provides, we can all get through these times and be better as an RRC family when we do return to normalcy.

Visit the Library – Online!

• ASK A QUESTION by clicking on the Ask Us bubble.
• SEARCH OUR COLLECTION with the Library’s OneSearch tool.
• EXPLORE A TOPIC through our range of Library Guides.
• ATTEND A WORKSHOP listed in our Events Calendar.
• GET ACADEMIC HELP from the Academic Success Centre.

To view the complete range of supports available from the Library and Academic Success Centre, visit our websites!

LIBRARY

ACADEMIC SUCCESS CENTRE

This academic year finds us in quite a different world; however, our commitment to providing you with the supports and services you need to succeed at RRC remains unchanged. As we continue this year together, the Academic Success Centre & Library are here for you.

Library Lunch and Learn has evolved and expanded yet again. From its beginnings as a lunchtime session in the NDC Library classroom, it transitioned to pre-recorded mini-lectures on demand. We are pleased to announce that, beginning in January 2021, we will be adding live sessions to the mix. These webinars will provide an interactive learning environment with opportunities to ask questions and dig deeper into the learning process.

New Website Ties It All Together

Library Lunch and Learn has a new location on the web. Here you may:

• View the upcoming schedule
• Register for a webinar
• Access related handouts and guides
• Watch Lunch and Learn on demand

What is Library Lunch and Learn?

A series of mini-lectures demonstrating the ins and outs of Library tools, databases, and research methods in a short, upbeat lunchtime session.

Have a question?

During the Library’s regular hours, a friendly staff member is available to chat with you online. Just click on the Ask Us bubble at library.rrc.ca.

This academic year finds us however, our commitment to providing you with the supports and services you need to succeed at RRC remains unchanged. As we continue this year together, the Academic Success Centre & Library are here for you.

Written by Bren Johnstone, RRC Library & Information Technology student

Photo by Kaboompics.com from Pexels

Don’t get sucked in by fake news

You probably already know not to trust everything you read on the internet – but how comfortable are you really when it comes to checking the facts? In a world of constant updates, influencers, and increasing global awareness, it can be hard to keep track of what’s real and what’s a sensationalized story for internet fame. Use these resources to help build up your information literacy skills so you can spot the difference and avoid the trap of fake news.

What is media literacy anyway?

If literacy is the ability to make meaning out of words, then media literacy is the ability to think critically about that meaning. What is the goal behind it – selling something, convincing you to do something? Who is telling us, and what makes them a credible source or not? When did this happen? All of these questions can have an impact on how we understand what we’re being told.

One way to remember this process is the CRAAP test, originally developed by the California State University:

• Currency – how recent is the information? How time-sensitive is it?
• Relevance – is this information appropriate? Who is it meant for?
• Authority – who is the source? What credentials do they have for this claim?
• Accuracy – can this be verified by other sources? Is it everything, or just partial information?
• Purpose – what’s the goal? Is this fact or opinion?

Resources

To get you thinking about media literacy, this article by Maribeth D. Smith, “Arming students against bad information,” outlines the CRAAP test in more detail as well as highlighting the dangers of buying into misinformation.

If you want to get right into the practical skills, here are two video tutorial series to get you started:

• This video series by Crash Course and MediaWise is a good place to start identifying media literacy skills, like lateral-reading and evaluating evidence.
• LinkedIn Learning has a whole course plan available on developing information literacy skills for academic research, including how to evaluate different types of sources and how to search effectively.

And if you learn best by example, the Infodemic blog is a great place to explore. The blog is run by Mike Caulfield who is a digital literacy expert and uses Covid-19 information as a guidebook to demonstrate essential fact-checking skills.

Looking for more resources?

Check out the library guide for more sources on how to evaluate websites and online resources here. Or contact the library staff by email at library@rrc.ca or by visiting library.rrc.ca and click on the Ask Us button. In addition, the Library’s broad selection of online books, videos, and journals may be accessed 24/7 through OneSearch​ (RRC log in may be required).

This academic year finds us in quite a different world; however, our commitment to providing you with the supports and services you need to succeed at RRC remains unchanged. As we continue this year together, the Academic Success Centre & Library are here for you.

A special message from Library Services

This new academic year finds us in quite a different world, however, our commitment to providing you with the supports and services needed to succeed at RRC remains unchanged; in fact, it has grown stronger. We have expanded our online services, and also provide some onsite supports as requested, which means we are able to meet you where and when you need us. As we continue this fall term together, we are here for you.

Online supports

Our virtual services and support are available to you for free five days a week during the following hours:

Monday – Thursday
7:45 am – 5:00 pm

Friday
7:45 am – 4:30 pm

See below for an overview of what we offer and how to access our services.

Academic Success Centre

The Academic Success Centre offers an array of academic supports and services online, by e-mail or phone – visit their website and connect with them! They have a dedicated group of tutors and specialists ready to support you in your course work. To request tutoring, academic coaching, EAL supports, or academic writing support, students can complete the Tutoring and Coaching Request Form.

RRC Library

The Library’s online services remain as robust as ever, with continual improvements in programming and content. In addition to guides and mini-lectures on demand, the Library’s online collection is available 24/7 through OneSearch. We help students with research and database navigation through various online options such as chat, email and Teams. To ask a question or connect with a Library staff member, visit library.rrc.ca and click on the Ask Us bubble.

Or connect with us in-person

On Mondays and Wednesdays, the NDC Library is open 7:45 am – 5:00 pm. Come by for a quiet place to focus on your work (free wi-fi included) and in-person assistance from a Library staff member.

Onsite tutoring and EAL supports are available by appointment at NDC on Mondays and Wednesdays (daytime) and at EDC on Fridays (daytime). To book an appointment, students can complete the Tutoring and Coaching Request Form.

With the COVID-19 pandemic driving college courses into online learning environments, open educational resources (OER) are essential tools for educators because they allow instructors to reuse, remix, revise, redistribute, retain, resources without expense, and without seeking copyright clearances for use, and adaptation of the material. Through collaboration with educators who contribute their subject matter expertise, Open Educational Resources provide a sustainable and customizable option for delivering online teaching methodology.

OER Development at RRC

You may have seen past information from Red River College on its work to drive OER development. The Teacher Education department at Red River College is in the midst of creating an Open Education Resource that will supplement Teacher Education courses and Faculty Development on post-secondary campus’ across Manitoba and Canada.

In partnership with Campus Manitoba and the Manitoba Flexible Learning HUB, a framework for the resource was developed.

For more information on the project visit the OER Project page or view the following video:

How do I use Open Educational Resources?

Most OER resources are digital and can be embedded into the campus’s learning management systems (LEARN). Like using any teaching and instructional material the first step is finding Open Educational Resources that support your subject area. The Library can be a key ally in assisting you with sourcing OER content for your subject area and you can also explore resources on your own.

The library has an OER landing page to get your started finding OER’s to meet your instructional needs. Once you find a resource you would like to use you can download it, adapt it to your needs, and upload it in LEARN or you can link to a completed OER’s online.

How Open Educational Resources Support Students.

Use of OER’s helps to reduce the cost of educational resources for students. As textbook costs continue to rise OER’s can provide free or low cost alternatives to textbooks. The use, creation, and adaption of OERs in teaching and instruction can also provide enhanced opportunities for self-learning at home.

OER’s can act as engaging tools to develop digital literacy skills for: searching, reusing, recreating, disseminating, branding, and networking as you can involve students directly in the adaptation of the resource as part of their learning.

an illustrated version of OER benefits

Jtneill – Own work – Ways in which open education can facilitate flexible learning. CC BY-SA 3.0

OER’s supporting strategic goals on campus.

Use of OER’s can also tie your teaching into the strategic goals on campus. These resources can be Indigenized, to advance Indigenous achievement. Indigenization is a process of incorporating Indigenous perspectives, processes and knowledge systems.  It must be noted that Indigenization does not mean replacing Western knowledge or changing it, rather the goal is to  braid together Western and Indigenous knowledge so teachers and learners can appreciate both. OER’s can be freely adapted for valuable inclusion of Indigenous knowledge systems and perspectives. For more guidance on Indigenizing resources view this post from Campus MB which has some OER content to get you started.  Further to the strategic goals OER’s can incorporate digital tools to help evaluate student success. They foster sustainable growth by encouraging digital learning materials, and curb the increasing cost of instructional materials. They can be used to cultivate strategic partnerships as you can invite alumni and industry partners to contribute to adapting OER’s. Get started investigating OER’s today with the RRC Library and Campus MB, and look for more OER sessions in Fall 2020.

The past five weeks have been an absolute whirlwind with transitioning from the in-class learning environment to online. As a student, the sudden change meant having to figure out how to learn in a virtual environment, how to facilitate presentations through new tools, figure out a way to stay focused on school work, and manage the stress of a being a student during a global pandemic. It’s no easy feat adapting to this amount of change.

So, like any challenge, I think it’s important to celebrate the victories when they come. Here are some of the things that helped me stay focused during this trying time.

Create a Work Space

The first week that we started classes online, I felt displaced and couldn’t quite figure out a way to stay focused on my studies. I recognized that I was struggling to balance my study time with my home time and as a result, I felt quite restless. By the second week, I recognized that bringing my laptop with me as I moved around my home wasn’t working, so I decided to set up a work station. I cleared my computer desk of all things not school related and set up a second monitor to attach to my laptop, which created a dynamic work space with two screens.

“Setting up a work station created a dedicated space for me to focus on my work, and the result has made a drastic difference.”

Meagan’s work station

Setting up a work station created a dedicated space for me to focus on my work, and the result has made a drastic difference. When I am done my online classes for the day and I’m no longer working on homework, I can turn off my computer and step away from my work station. This gave me the balance I needed to separate my time spent on schoolwork and my downtime.

Build a Schedule

In the second week of online classes, I was fortunate enough to have my husband start working from home too. I decided that setting up a schedule was my next step in staying focused, and since I was waking up to his alarm anyways, I started mimicking his work schedule for my classwork. Luckily, his schedule fit perfectly with my class times and forced me to take proper lunch breaks. I have found that since working with a dedicated schedule, I can set clear goals for what I want to accomplish in my day, and I’m more productive because I set these parameters.

“…with a dedicated schedule, I can set clear goals for what I want to accomplish in my day, and I’m more productive because I set these parameters.”

These are only two small steps that made a significant impact on my learning from home. If you are looking for ways to keep focused while studying at home, check out the Working from Home – Students guide.

It’s also important to recognize that everyone learns differently, so if you want to share what has helped you study in the COVID-19 pandemic, we’d love to hear from you on Twitter or chat with a library staff member using our online service desk.

Online Service Desk Hours

While the Library’s physical doors are closed, the online service desk is still running and ready to serve you. Staff are online during the following hours:

• Monday – Thursday  7:30am – 8:00pm
• Friday  7:30am – 4:30pm
• Saturday  8:30am – 4:00pm

During this time, a staff member is available to chat or answer your email. Simply visit library.rrc.ca and click on the Ask Us button or send an email to library@rrc.ca.

Written by: Meagan Acquisto, Library Information and Technology program

The past four weeks have been a learning experience like no other. At different times, I have felt disoriented from my loss of structure, frustrated with technological problems, and distracted by the uncertainty of the future. On the other hand, I have also forced myself to work on the art of time management, been proud of my organization skills, and felt tremendous support from my classmates. Here are some of those triumphs from the past few weeks.

Connected Classroom

My class is made up of very few people. As a result, we have grown quite close over the past two years. When it was decided that RRC would be shifting to online learning due to the COVID-19 outbreak, I was scared about what that would mean for our classroom dynamic.

What I have found is that we are staying connected and closer than ever. With frequent questions, library memes, and positive words flowing through our WhatsApp group chat, we are able to maintain the support system that we created in the classroom. Looking for ways to connect with your peers? Check the Working from Home Guide for Students for some tools you can use!

Future Preparedness 

I was thinking this past week about the positives that could come from this uncertain time. Specifically, in regard to the many of us who are going to be finished our programs and heading out into the working world: a scary thing to do even without a global pandemic. What came to mind is that though this situation is oftentimes overwhelming, it has allowed us to learn skills that we may never have otherwise discovered.

For example, we may have learned how quickly and effectively we can adapt to new situations and circumstances. More than that, we may have learned new ways to present information. Above all, we learned that we can efficiently work and finish projects in a time of crisis. These are all skills that we can attest to in future job interviews when they come.

Want to share your learning triumphs in the COVID-19 pandemic? Reach out to us on Twitter or chat with a library staff member using our online service desk.

Online Service Desk Hours

While the Library’s physical doors are closed, the online service desk is still running and ready to serve you. Staff are online during the following hours:

• Monday – Thursday  7:30am – 8:00pm
• Friday  7:30am – 4:30pm
• Saturday  8:30am – 4:00pm

During this time, a staff member is available to chat or answer your email. Simply visit library.rrc.ca and click on the Ask Us button or send an email to library@rrc.ca.

Written by: Olivia Oborne, Library Information and Technology student

The Challenges of Changing your Study Habits 

We all know that change can be difficult, especially during a time of so many unknowns. 

As Red River College shifts to an online course environment, that means we need to change our study habits and change the way we access resources. 

Helpful Tips

In response to the changes to Red River College’s learning environment, the Academic Success Centre and the Library have created an Adjusting Study Habits During COVID-19 document with tips to help students adapt the way they study.

The tips in the document include how to:

• Stay Organized
• Avoid Multitasking
• Make the Most of Video Lectures
• Set a Schedule 
• Develop New Strategies
• Do Remote Team and Group Work
• Stay Connected to Others

As we are all adjusting to an online course environment, our advice is to be patient and to take care of your wellbeing first, then try out the suggested tips.

We Are Here For You

While the Library’s physical doors are closed, the online service desk is still running and ready to serve you. Staff are online during the following hours:

Monday – Thursday  7:30am – 8:00pm
Friday  7:30am – 4:30pm
Saturday  8:30am – 4:00pm

During this time, a staff member is available to chat or answer your email. Simply visit library.rrc.ca and click on the Ask Us button or send an email to library@rrc.ca.

Related links >>

• Working from Home Guide for RRC Students
• Online Tutoring and Academic Support
• Library Services Online Options

Photo by Markus Spiske from Pexels

Information is everywhere, but is it reliable?

COVID-19 information is everywhere you look lately: TV, radio, newspapers, government briefings, social media, friends, etc.  If you are looking for in-depth, scholarly information, the Library can help point you in the right direction.  Use these resources to find current reliable information.

UpToDate

UpToDate is a clinical support database for medical and health professionals.  It offers recommendations based on current medical information, which are evidence-based and authored by physicians.  View these peer-reviewed search results for COVID-19 (log in to your Red River student or staff account to access any of the links below).

• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Society guideline links: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• Coronaviruses

CINAHL – Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature

CINAHL gives you access to over 750 nursing and allied health journals including full-text, peer-reviewed articles.  You will also find lessons and evidence-based care sheets.  The following link takes you to the latest full-text, peer-reviewed articles on COVID-19: COVID-19 or “novel coronavirus”  Need help searching?  Email or Chat with Library staff.

Cochrane Library 

Cochrane Library includes systematic reviews, clinical trial reports and evidence to inform and support decision-making for health care professionals.  Cochrane has a special collection on Coronavirus (COVID-19): evidence relevant to critical care.  There is also a special collection for Coronavirus (COVID-19): infection control and prevention measures. Keep tuned to Cochrane as they have the following special collections in development:

• Effective options for quitting smoking during the COVID-19 pandemic
• Working from home
• Remote consultation and telemedicine
• Mental health implications linked to the pandemic
• Mental health for the workforce
• Mental health with relation to post traumatic stress disorder for those in recovery or post-ICU
• Home care for at risk populations

Medline

Medline is a database created by the U.S. National Library of Medicine which contains authoritative information on medicine, nursing and more.  The following search contains current, full-text, peer-reviewed articles on covid-19 or coronavirus or 2019-ncov.

Have questions? Contact Us!

The Library can assist you with finding the latest, authoritative information on COVID-19 or any other topic you are researching.  To contact us, email the Library at library@rrc.ca or visit library.rrc.ca and click on the Ask Us button. In addition, the Library’s broad selection of online books, videos, and journals may be accessed 24/7 through OneSearch​ (RRC log in may be required).

Written by Lynn Gibson, Library Services