Lean on us during this Time of Stress

Photo by Kat Jayne from Pexels

Library staff understand that we are in an extraordinary situation with the COVID-19 outbreak which is affecting everyone in the College community.  We are working remotely during our closure, to help students find and use online resources, and assisting instructional staff with resources and other Library supports.  Staff are available through Chat and Email during the following hours:

Mon-Thu 7:30am – 9:00pm
Fri 7:30am – 4:30pm
Sat 8:30am – 4:00pm

You may access our online books, videos, and journals 24/7 through OneSearch (RRC log in required).

For information about online services provided by Academic Success Centre, please visit ASC’s Online Academic Supports website. General news and updates about Library Services will be posted at library.rrc.ca.

College Supports to Ease Anxiety

We are all experiencing increased levels of stress, including learning how to work and learn remotely, care for children and elderly relatives, study in Canada while being far from home and family, and of course being concerned about our own health and welfare.

There are ways to help reduce stress and combat isolation which you may find valuable, such as mindfulness and meditation strategies, fitness apps and virtual social gathering.  RRC’s Healthy Minds, Healthy College initiative provides some resources for maintaining physical and mental fitness during this time of social distancing.  

The College’s Counselling Services will have staff available through phone, email and WebEx to address your concerns.  Visit their page for more information at rrc.ca/counselling/.

Answers to many of your questions can be found on the College’s Coronavirus information page which is being updated continuously.

Reduce stress by Knowing the Facts and Keeping Informed 

Knowing the facts about COVID-19 helps reduce stress from rumors and false information.  Health Canada has up to date information to keep you informed.  Additionally, the World Health Organization has extensive information on the virus. Locally, check Manitoba Health for updates.

Looking for up to the minute information?  Reuters.com, Reuters Canada and the Associated Press are reliable news sources.

Managing Stress

The World Health Organization’s Mental Health Considerations during COVID-19 Outbreak provides strategies for maintaining mental and psychological well-being.

Additionally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides tips to Manage Stress & Anxiety during this uncertain time.  

Lastly, the Canadian Mental Health Association is a reliable source of stress reduction information.  Check out their publication Coping with Stress which is free online and the Stress Index quiz.  The Mood Disorders Association of Manitoba offers Self Care strategies also.

Posted by Lynn Gibson, Library Services

As part of Media Literacy Week, the Library is excited to welcome Jacques Marcoux, a CBC News investigative reporter, for a discussion on misinformation in the media and what that means for both those who consume it and those who produce it.

Date: Friday, October 11th, 2019

Time: 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Location: Lecture Theatre (A104), Exchange District Campus, 160 Princess Street

Seating: E-mail jzimmerly@rrc.ca to reserve your seat. Space is limited.

Jacques Marcoux is a CBC News investigative reporter specializing in data analysis. Previously he worked as a multiplatform reporter for the CBC’s French network Radio-Canada, as a public relations officer in the agricultural industry and worked in competitive intelligence gathering in the financial industry.

You can view recent stories from Jacques here.

Be sure to check out more Break the Fake tips and resources here.

In an age of information overload, it’s easy to consume as much as we can without considering where it came from or what the consequences might be. It can take long enough just to read a piece of information, let alone to verify it and decide whether or not it holds any water.

MediaSmarts’ Break the Fake logo

This year’s Media Literacy Week theme is Break the Fake, and the Library wants to help you make breaking the fake news cycle a little less daunting and a little more empowering. Here are 4 tips to help you break the fake!

Tip #1: Use fact-checking tools

Perhaps the most obvious way to make sure what you’re reading is true is to confirm the facts being presented. There are many fact-checking websites that do this regularly so a quick pit-stop after reading a news story is sometimes all it takes to debunk fake news. Here’s a list of useful fact-checking websites:

You can also do a general Google search of the story with the word “hoax” after it to see if any other sources might have questioned a news item’s credibility.

Keep in mind that if a fact-checker hasn’t debunked something, it doesn’t automatically make the story true. It just means that the story hasn’t been fact-checked yet. Not every story gets verified by fact-checkers so while it’s important to be aware of these websites, it’s important to be aware of their limitations as well.

Want more quality fact-checkers? Click here for an extensive list of fact-checkers from all over the world that have committed to the International Fact-Checking Network’s code of principles.

Tip #2: Find the source

It’s important to understand where something originally came from before you decide to trust it. A news story shared on social media almost certainly wasn’t published there, or it might be based entirely on someone else’s story. Fortunately, it often only takes a few clicks to find your way to the original source.

On social media, the link is usually found at the bottom of the post. On a website, look for key phrases like “according to” or “reported by” that indicate where the information came from.

For images, use a reverse image search tool like TinEye or Google Images. Upload the image or paste the image’s URL into the search bar to get a list of results where that image has been found.

To get the image URL, right-click the online image and select “Copy image address.” Alternatively, right-click the image and select “Properties,” then copy the URL provided. Filter the results from oldest to newest to see when and where the image was first published.

*If you’re using Google Chrome you can search the image by right-clicking the image and selecting “Search Google for image.”

Follow the trail until you’ve found the original source!

Tip #3: Verify the source

When it comes to breaking fake news, we have to determine whether or not the original creator is trustworthy. Even if that information was shared with us by trustworthy family or friends, we shouldn’t assume that they checked the facts themselves. Instead, we should verify the original source ourselves first, then decide whether or not it’s reliable.

Here’s 3 questions to determine if a source is reliable:

1. Do they really exist?

It’s become easy to create fake websites that look far more credible and professional than the actual content that they produce. Don’t assume their “About Us” page is necessarily true either.  Use a far-reaching website like Wikipedia or Google to see if others have found them to actually exist. Don’t forget to make sure that these “others” actually exist themselves.

2. Are they who they say they are?

Just as it’s easy to create fake websites and content, it’s easy to pose as someone who actually does exist online. If you know the source exists, be sure the information is coming from them and not an impostor.

Look for indicators that verify who they are. Twitter and Instagram verify users by putting a blue check mark next to their name on their profile.

3. Are they trustworthy?

Make sure the source has a reliable process for producing information and a good track record for providing it accurately. Do they make mistakes? More importantly, do they admit to them and correct them when they do? Are they experts on that topic? Are they willing to publish information that their owners or readers would disagree with? Answering these types of questions can help you determine where the source’s interests lie and whether or not they should be trusted.

Tip #4: Check other sources

To make sure you’re getting the whole story, check other news sources to see how they covered the event or topic. This is a great way to see if what you read omitted any important information. It’s also an effective way of highlighting any possible bias that a source might have.

Using the “News” tab when doing a Google search is an easy way to narrow down results to real news outlets when looking for other sources.

*Find it faster! Use Control-F (Command-F on Macs) to jump to a keyword or phrase in an article.

You can also try to find the consensus view on the topic (what most experts agree to be true). If the story is only sharing information that experts agree to be false, you’re likely reading misinformation.

MediaSmarts has created a custom search to help you find the consensus view on specialist topics like science and medicine. You can try it out here!

Now that you’re equipped with these tips and tools, go ahead and put them–and the news you come across–to the test. While you might not be able to stop fake news from being published, you can stop it from spreading.

Want to learn more? Check out MediaSmarts, a not-for-profit that develops digital and media literacy programs for Canadians, or go to the “How to Evaluate Websites and Online Resources” guide to explore some of the Library’s resources on the topic.

More of a hands on learner? Play the Reality Check game to test your skills and learn some new authentication techniques.

RRC Library is committed to challenging colonialism and working towards reconciliation on this National Day for Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women & Girls by remembering and respecting our Indigenous sisters.  If you would like to see resources on this topic check out our MMIWG library guide.

Find the MURDERED AND MISSING INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GIRLS guide here:

library.rrc.ca/MMIWG

or

1. Go to library.rrc.ca
2. Click on “Your GUIDE is ready“
3. Select the subject box – the MURDERED AND MISSING INDIGENOUS WOMEN AND GIRLS guide is in the Indigenous Education section – to see all the guides on this subject
4. Click the desired guide and you have a great starting point.

Other guides you may find interesting:

• Residential Schools (library.rrc.ca/ResidentialSchools)
• Indigenous Languages (library.rrc.ca/Indigenous_language)
• Indigenous Health & Well-Being (library.rrc.ca/IndigenousHealth)

What is a Guide?

Guides are curated web pages created by our library staff. Many people who are starting to explore a topic aren’t sure where to start – there are so many options and it can be overwhelming.

Guides are a starting spot for students looking for more information on a particular topic in the collection. A guide will typically include featured books and journals (both print and electronic), databases, Videos (DVDs and streaming) and websites. They may also include specialized information specific to the topic (i.e. WHIMIS or resources specific to an assignment).

Do not hesitate to contact guide owners (information is on the guide) if you have any suggestions to improve this guide (content or special interest areas) or stop by the library – we would love to hear from you. If you would like to see a specific guide for a particular topic please let us know.

We encourage you to share this resource with your students, include it on your Learn site and help us promote this Library tool.

The Red River College Libraries would like to remind our patrons of the following holiday hours of operation:

• Sat 15 Dec – Sun 16 Dec
  Closed
• Mon 17 Dec – Tue 18 Dec
  Notre Dame Campus Library: 7:45AM – 4:00PM
  Exchange District Campus Library: 8:00AM – 4:00PM
• Wed 19 Dec
  Notre Dame Campus Library: Closed.
  Exchange District Campus Library: 8:00AM – 4:00PM
• Thu 20 Dec – Fri 21 Dec
  Notre Dame Campus Library: 7:45AM – 4:00PM
  Exchange District Campus Library: 8:00AM – 4:00PM
• Sat 22 Dec – Tue 1 Jan
  All locations closed throughout the holidays.​
• ​Wed 2 Jan 2019
  Return to regular hours. ​​

Please refer to our web pages for detailed info:
Holiday Hours Page  |  View the hours for the next 30 Days​

Veterans know the price paid for our freedom and they want all Canadians to share in this understanding. They are passing the torch of remembrance to us, the people of Canada, to ensure that the memory of their efforts and sacrifices will not die with them, and that an appreciation of the values they fought for will live on in all Canadians.

Reference: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance

Canada’s Hundred Days and the Armistice
100th anniversary – 1918-2018

This year, Canada remembers our country’s great contributions and sacrifices in the First World War. Our many achievements on the battlefields of Europe were capped by a three-month stretch of victories at the end of the war – August 8th to November 11th, 1918 – that came to be known as “Canada’s Hundred Days”.

100th Anniversary of Canada’s Hundred Days and the Armistice

The First World War (August 4, 1914 – November 11, 1918)

• 650,000+ Canadians and Newfoundlanders served
• 170,000+ wounded
• 66,000+ dead

Canada’s Hundred Days (August 8 – November 11, 1918)

The last 3 months of Canadian Corps’ victories at the end of the First World War

• 100,000+ Canadians advanced 130 km
• 32,000+ prisoners taken
• 3,750+ artillery pieces, machine guns and mortars captured
• 39,000+ wounded
• 6,800+ dead
• 29 Canadians and 1 Newfoundlander received the Victoria Cross (VC)—the highest award for military valour service members could earn. This represents nearly one-third of all VC’s earned in Canadian history.

Reference: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/news/info-graphics/hundred-days-armistice

Acts of Remembrance – Social Media

Every year in November, we stop to remember, salute and honour Canada’s Veterans and active duty personnel. This year, we hope that Canadians from coast to coast to coast will join us to pay tribute to our heroes for their service and sacrifice. Let’s start a social media movement that tells our Veterans that #CanadaRemembers.

Posted by Mark Nelson – RRC Library

Red River College has obtained access to “Visible Body – Anatomy & Physiology”, a visually stunning, step-by-step introduction to each human body system from Wolters Kluwer.

RRC Staff and students may now use this resource, by connecting through the library web site. For instructions, please refer to our guide (link is below).

• RRC Libguide: How to use and install Visible Body – Anatomy and Physiology.

What does Visible Body provide?

“Visible Body – Anatomy & Physiology” provides a 3D introduction to the human body in 50 visual interactive chapters. Anatomy and physiology is presented in 3D model sets, animations, and illustrations.

Each unit presents a body system in a series of chapters, with bite-sized visual interactivities and quizzes. The site also features trackable unit objectives, with multiple-choice and dissection quizzes for assessing self-paced learning.

What units are included?

12 units are included: cells and tissues, integumentary, skeleton and joints, muscle types, nervous, endocrine, circulatory, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive

What are some of the features?

• The user can view anatomy and physiology of all 12 body systems, and study the detail of the complex physiology by rotating, zooming and dissecting 3D models of bones, organs, and tissues.
• The user can work through a bite-sized presentation of a concept, then use the self-assessment quizzes to assess mastery
• The user can use study tools to reinforce and track learning

Would you like to see a demo?

How do I connect to “Visible Body – Anatomy & Physiology”

RRC Staff and students should refer to our guide:
How to use and install Visible Body – Anatomy and Physiology.

Do you want to increase the effectiveness of your study time? Do better on tests? Join these free brain-based workshops to increase your study skills — and your performance on tests and assignments.

Join these free lunchtime workshops to find out what your brain needs to learn at maximum efficiency.

Library Window Display: Transgender Day of Remembrance

November 20th is Transgender Day of Remembrance. It is a day that was established to memorialize those who were killed due to anti-transgender hatred or prejudice. The Transgender Day of Remembrance raises public awareness of hate crimes against transgender people and also gives a moment when people can stop and memorialize those who have died by anti-transgender violence. (Source: http://www.transgenderdor.org/)

Visit our the Notre Dame Campus Window Display

To increase awareness on this issue, Notre Dame Library Services has set up a window display at Notre Dame Campus where you can find information about Transgender Day of Remembrance.

As well, the RRC Library has many LGBTT* themed items in its collection. Check out some of the items that are currently on display in the Notre Dame Campus window display.

Veterans know the price paid for our freedom and they want all Canadians to share in this understanding. They are passing the torch of remembrance to us, the people of Canada, to ensure that the memory of their efforts and sacrifices will not die with them, and that an appreciation of the values they fought for will live on in all Canadians.

100th Anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele

The Battle of Passchendaele raged in Belgium in the summer and fall of 1917. The Canadian Corps joined the fighting there in October and would overcome almost unimaginable hardships to triumph on a brutal and muddy battlefield. This victory only came at a high price, however, as over 4,000 Canadian soldiers lost their lives and almost 12,000 more were wounded.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele. The service and sacrifice of the Canadians who fought there will never be forgotten.

Reference: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-world-war/passchendaele

Acts of Remembrance – Social Media

Every year in November, we stop to remember, salute and honour Canada’s Veterans and active duty personnel. This year, we hope that Canadians from coast to coast to coast will join us to pay tribute to our heroes for their service and sacrifice. Let’s start a social media movement that tells our Veterans that #CanadaRemembers.

You can even dress up your online profile with social media ready pics and graphics:
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/get-involved/remembrance-day/social-media/acts-of-remembrance

Notre Dame Campus Window Display

Check out the Notre Dame Campus Library window display, which highlights books and materials chosen to help you to learn more about this topic. To view a complete list of books in the window display click here: http://library.rrc.ca/Search/Window-Display.aspx