RRC Polytech’s fourth annual Truth and Reconciliation Week, with activities scheduled throughout the week of September 26-29, 2022. This event is dedicated to deepening our understanding of Canada’s history, Indigenous cultures, and sparking a conversation around Truth and Reconciliation.
Truth and Reconciliation at Library and Academic Services
Library and Academic Services is actively responsive to Truth and Reconciliation, diversity, inclusion, and equity, through our work, policies, and engagements. One way we do this is by building a collection that is rich in resources about Truth and Reconciliation, Residential Schools, and Indigenous Experiences. Through these books, videos, guides, and other resources, we all have the opportunity to increase our understanding, which leads to healing and strengthened relationships. This week and always, we invite you on a Truth and Reconciliation journey through the Library’s collection!
Guides to Get You Started
Guides are a great place to start on any topic as they highlight resources hand-selected by Library staff. Of particular interest is our Residential Schools guide.
Both CBC’s Curio.ca and National Film Board offer outstanding videos on this topic. To view a few hand-selected options, click on an image below. (note that login may be required to view online resources).
We welcome questions and comments from the College community! Feel free to connect with us in person at the Notre Dame and Exchange District Campus Libraries or through Ask Us Chat at library.rrc.ca.
Written by Linda Fox – Library Technician, Program Support and Promotion
It’s a few weeks into the school year, so it’s time to get to know all the awesome services, spaces and resources the Library offers to help you achieve your academic goals.
Whether you’re coming into the Library for the first time, you haven’t been to a library in a while, or you’ve never used the library as a post-secondary student, find out all the ways you can be an RRC Polytech Library power user.
1. Find your spot and get comfortable Use the Library’s spaces whenon campus
First, find the Library, and get to know the space. We recently posted a great virtual tour of the NDC Library space, give it a read-through and you may feel more prepared to come in for the first time. Get comfortable using the space to meet your needs; study independently, attend your online classes (using one of the available headsets or webcams), and meet with classmates to work on projects. The Library has two locations, one each at the Notre Dame and the Exchange District campuses, both with great study spots to discover and settle into.
2. Ask Questions! There are no silly questions, and we offer lots of ways for you to ask them!
Come find us at the front desks in the Library, a Reference Technician is ready to help you figure out anything from printing, finding your way around campus, using the Library website, to getting started with an assignment and better understanding the information resources involved in academic research. Not on campus? You don’t need to come in person, there are lots of ways to connect with the Library! Call us (204) 632-2233. Text us (204) 400-2463, or find us on the Library’s web pages during open hours by clicking the Ask Us bubble to start a chat. After hours? No problem, email library@rrc.ca.
3. Get to know OneSearch Found on the Library homepage, OneSearch is how to search the Library’s many physical and online resources.
The Library has an ever-expanding digital and physical book and media collection which can be searched using our OneSearch system. If you’ve heard an instructor tell you to search the catalogue or search for articles, this is what they mean.
Getting started is very easy, using searches that resemble how you use google. Once you have started with some search terms and you are viewing the search results, you can take different steps and adjust settings to create more accurate results. Find out more about navigating OneSearch, the basic and advanced search options, as well as the use of Boolean operators and filters to amp up your searches.
4. Find the Guide you need Starting a research project or program of study and unsure where to get started?
Interested in broader topics and just areas of interest? There are Student Success Guides on topics including intercultural competence, employment Skills, and using Statistics Canada.
Having trouble figuring out how to use a specific database in your research? The Library’s Database Instruction Guides have step-by-step instructions for how to use many of the different databases subscribed to through the Library.
5. Use the right Database The Library subscribes to different databases that support the colleges many schools and programs.
Available databases range from software tools, searchable collections of codes and standards within an industry, and other reference collections, diagrams, and industry reports.
When looking at the A-Z list of databases, remember that databases marked with the OneSearch icon, are searched collectively when you use OneSearch. Databases missing that icon, need to be searched and used individually.
6. Discover Academic Success Centre supports Find the Academic Success Centre in the top banner of the Library homepage.
The Academic Success Centre’s services make up a big part of the academic support’s the Library has available to students, and is where students can access a variety of services including:
At the NDC campus, the Academic Success Centre has a new tutoring space called ATLAS – an acronym for Active Tutoring and Learning Achievement Space
Find the Academic Success Centre when entering the NDC Library by taking a right and following the signs for ATLAS.
At EDC you will also find the Academic Success Centre inside the library, when entering through the northern entrance of the Library, the ASC is located through the opening in the wall to the right.
7. Book Equipment before you need it The Library has an assortment of equipment available from both the Notre Dame and Exchange District Libraries.
8. Use streaming video services Videos are a great tool in online learning and instruction, and the right videos from the right sources can be cited and used as resources in your academic writing.
9. Export citations and keep them organized with RefWorks RefWorks streamlines research, data organization, and academic writing by providing an easy-to-use tool for citation, bibliography, and reference management.
10. Know about academic integrity and how it affects you Academic integrity hinges on six fundamental values, as defined by the International Center for Academic Integrity: Honesty, Trust, Fairness, Respect, Responsibility, and Courage.
As a critical piece of the learning environment and a fundamental core value of any academic institution, academic integrity directly links the credibility of an institution’s scholarship, research, certificates and diplomas. Academic integrity is essential to ensure students’ investment in their education is protected. To find out more, check out the Academic Integrity Guide for Students.
11. Explore other eLearning resources The Library website offers many types of online learning resources that you can access and use as study aids, or in your own supplemental learning.
Check out Hybrid LEARNing Modules, a suite of self-directed tutorials housed in LEARN that provides relevant and helpful resources.
The Academic Success Centre has compiled the review materials for specific business math and accounting courses into one central location to help you easily access these resources at any time: Business Math & Accounting Review Self-Enroll LEARN Courses
…And finally: Follow the Library on social media Stay up to date on the latest by following the Library on Social Media!
The Library is on Twitter and Instagram with daily tips, study hacks, events and other great need-to-know information.
Library staff love to hear from the College community about our collection! Feel free to connect with us in person at the Notre Dame and Exchange District Campus Libraries or through Ask Us Chat at library.rrc.ca.
Written by Artemis Hedrich – Library Technician, Information and Program Delivery
Pride will officially kick off in Winnipeg on May 27th with the Human Rights Conference. Pride is a celebration of confidence, self-respect, and solidarity as expressed by 2SLGBTQIA+ people, associated with openness about one’s own sexual and/or gender identity, and the celebration of Queer culture and history. It is also a protest in support of human rights and equality for all those who express sexual and gender diversity. This protest demands political, industry, health care, and community leaders address the human rights concerns of the Queer community and move toward positive and informed change.
Encouraging allyship is important for everyone and helps to make the world a more inclusive and affirming place. We encourage you to activate your allyship by exploring queer resources, data, and history. Our Guides are subject and database specific curated collections of library and external resources, that provide instruction, and “jumping off points” for unlocking your full capacity to find well sourced and high quality resources and information.
Below we have highlighted our Guides that contain resources to support learning about gender and sexual diversity. Learning is an important part of allyship. The impact of 2SLGBTQIA+ -specific allyship also extends beyond benefiting Queer identities by decreasing the likelihood of implicit and explicit bias, and removing barriers to true inclusion.
Why Diversity Matters:
When talking about the complexities of cultural identities, we sometimes focus on ethnicity, language, or religion. However, gender and sexual diversity also play a key role in our identities and day-to-day lives. As part of our efforts to foster respect and inclusion, we need to recognize our cultural biases or assumptions, regarding expectations of gender roles/expressions. Rather than either/or, gender and sexual identities are unique, fluid and complex.
Use our Guides – Find Information on Gender and Sexual Diversity:
Sexual health can be a challenging issue to discuss in the clinical context. Studies have reported that some health care providers may face barriers to discussing sexual health with their 2SLGBTQIA+ patients, including lack of knowledge of same-sex sexual practices.
“Although 2SLGBTQIA+ people are as diverse as the general Canadian population in their experiences of mental health and well-being, they face higher risks for some mental health issues due to the effects of discrimination and the social determinants of health.”[i]
Use our Guides – Find Gender and Sexually Diverse Health and Well Being Information:
Chart 2 Gender diversity is highest among 20- to 24-year-olds, Statistics Canada, 2022-04-27
Statistics around gender and sexual diversity help us gain a better understanding of the Queer experience and help researches, advocates and the Queer community use data to illustrate the concerns of 2SLGBTQIA+ people. Statistics can also be used to track the impact of policy changes that effect 2SLGBTQIA+ people as a whole, or within more specific identity groups. This helps ensure data informed decisions are made when advocating for positive change or advocating against changes that will negatively impact the needs of gender and sexually diverse people. Statistics are a powerful lens through which we can view the Queer experience and community.
On behalf of the RRC Polytech Library we wish everyone a safe and happy Pride. We remain dedicated to providing a respectful atmosphere that is diverse, inclusive and equitable to our students, staff and external partners. Our diversity is one of our greatest strengths and our goal is to provide a barrier free environment for individuals to succeed in their academic, employment and research goals.
[ii] “Representation is an essential part of treating everyone with dignity and equality (SDG 10)”, Colleges and Institutes Canada, last modified May 16th 2022, Perspectives, May 16 (collegesinstitutes.ca)
Planning for Fall? It’s a Great Time to Incorporate Our Supports
Spring is often the time to update course content and plan for fall, and it’s also a great time to incorporate supports offered by Library and Academic Services. In this article, we highlight popular ways we can help you and your students succeed at RRC Polytech. For future reference, we encourage you to bookmark our Faculty Support page which contains links to the complete range of services and supports we offer.
In-Class Workshops
The Academic Success Centre and Library offer online in-class workshops for student cohorts at the request of faculty. Our suite of workshops includes Academic Skills, Writing Skills, Technology Literacy Skills, Library Instruction, and Copyright.
To request an in-class workshop, please click the links below:
The Academic Success Centre and Library have developed a suite of Hybrid LEARNing Modules. The purpose of these modules is to offer learning strategies and resources that faculty can share with their students to further develop foundational skills for success in their studies. The modules feature self-directed tutorials in LEARN and facilitated live sessions via Webex (or MS Teams).
While the ASC is primarily a student service unit, our staff have found that partnerships with faculty are the best way to support students. Partnerships can take many forms, including customized and embedded academic supports in programs, in-class workshops, diagnostic assessments, and the sharing of our learning resources.
The primary purpose of the Library’s collections is to support learning, instruction and research at RRC Polytech. If you have suggestions for a new title or resource to add to our collection, you may fill out the Suggest a Purchase form. Our subject specialists are available to discuss subject area gaps in the collection as well as Open Educational Resources (OER) options with you.
Guides
The Library’s Guides are curated lists of resources on specialized topics. We can help you find which guides are most relevant for your students or work with you to develop a new Guide to meet your needs. The benefits of Guides are far-reaching for both students and instructors. Below are a few success stories resulting from instructors utilizing Guides.
Also, you may be looking for information, either for your own research needs, course development, or course readings. Library staff are skilled at locating and referencing information, and it would be a pleasure to assist with that. To connect with a Library staff member, visit us in person or through our Ask Us chat during regular Library hours.
Copyright
Copyright plays an important role when instructors are building content and creating course materials. Our P7 Policy provides guidance around copying but there is also a suite of library-directed copyright services to support and assist faculty in navigating copyright.
The Library’s Copyright Officer supports faculty with the following services:
You can:
Check your copying decisions against our policy using our self-serve Fair Dealing Tool.
Contact the Copyright Officer with questions, or to request services and support.
Connect with Us!
More information about our services and supports is available on our website. You may also connect with us through Ask Us chat, our Ask a Question form, or visit one of our service desks during regular Library hours.
Written by Ebony Novakowski, Linda Fox, and Melissa Coyle – Library and Academic Services
A picture may be worth a thousand words but is it worth a copyright infringement?
While in some cases it may be fair for Research, Education and/or Private Study to copy images, it is important to remember that most images are protected by copyright.
Students and Instructors often use images as part of creating course content and completing assignments, in doing so they have a responsibility to act under copyright policy at RRC Polytech. In this day and age people are willing to legally debate who owns a money selfie. Check out the video for more details on how a monkey sparked debate in the copyright world.
The Good: There is a lot of content online intended to be reused.
The Bad: There is a lot of content that isn’t intended to be reused and legally requires permission, and/or payment if you want to use it.
The Ugly: It can be hard to tell what you can and can’t use and when you are getting yourself into copyright trouble.
How do we navigate copyright as students and educators when using images for education?
The library is here to help. Check out the Open Image Collections & Image Use Guide that can point you in the direction of images that are free to use, or have creative commons licenses, or general terms of use that allow reuse. This guide will also help you understand how to attribute images and connect you to resources about image citation in various styles.
How do we know if we can use an image?
Open Images are images that have an open license such as Creative Commons or that have fallen into the Public Domain that others can use in their creative works and/or in support of education.
When an image is created it is automatically protected by copyright, the creator of the image is automatically the copyright holder of that work. Unless the copyright is transferred under an employment agreement or the image rights are sold. This means that unless image creators or rights holders specifically indicate that individuals are able to use their content only the image creator or rights holder themselves has the exclusive rights to distribute, reproduce, create a derivative work (creating a ppt presentation or digitally editing the image), telecommunicate, or publish the image.
Why do we need to know about Copyright when using images?
The current way copyright works images, inclusive of images on the internet, and google images, is that images (or any copyright materials) “belong” to the individuals, organizations, and companies that create or own them. In most cases legally you need to ask permission when you use them, OR use them by the terms and conditions, or licenses that the creator, company, or organization has expressed for use for the image.
Creative commons licenses are one way creators can offset the automatic “all rights reserved.” approach of copyright and give you a clear indication of permissible ways you can use the work, and that is why we encourage the use of Creative Commons materials in education.
Want more information on how Creative Commons works? Check out this video and Copy responsibly.
The last couple of years has seen a transformation in education and teaching techniques. The transition to largely online learning saw many educators quickly having to relearn how to deliver and rewrite their course content to match. Not all course materials and delivery methods transitioned easily to an online delivery model, and everyone had to work double-time developing new content, and searching out alternative materials. Throughout, Open Education Resource’s (OER’s) made this job easier, and lot more affordable, both institutionally, and for students.
OER’s. Applaud them. They are the real MVP’s. Going out there every day, offering themselves up to be reviewed, taken apart, and reassembled – within the limits of what their creative commons licenses stipulate, of course – all to meet so many different needs and applications, and asking almost nothing in return… well, maybe attribution (see how to use OER’s correctly.)
If you have never used an OER (as unlikely as that seems) find out about them today. It’s Open Education Week and there are lots of great open-access online resources to learn about and adopt. A great place to start learning about OER’s is the RRC Polytech Libraries OER Guide
OER’s come in all shapes and sizes, for every education level, but it is important to know where to find ones that are open access, copyright free, and fit your curricular needs.
In recognition of Open Education week, here is a list of just some of the many great OER resources available online.
Need a process for evaluating whether an OER resource is appropriate for your purpose? Try this OER Evaluation Checklist adapted from Kirkwood Community College Library.
When using OER’s, it’s important to know how to identify licenses and credit appropriately, but don’t let that intimidate you. You can easily learn all about creative commons licenses and how to use OER’s correctly.
Still feeling lost on how to use something you found online? Did you know that Red River College Polytech Library and Academic Services has a Copyright Officer? Ebony Novakowski, is your copyright expert on using all forms of media on LEARN, in presentations, and more! You can find out even more on the Libraries copyright page.
Artemis Hedrich Reference Technician Library and Academic Services, Information & Program Delivery Red River College Polytechnic
Nursing Reference Center Plus isn’t your typical reference database. Instead, it is an evidence-based, point-of-care information resource. Unlike UpToDate, it is designed specifically for nurses.
Nursing Reference Center Plus has many unique features. For example, you can use NRC+ to:
Access Evidence-Based Caresheets, Care Plans and Quick Lessons on diseases and conditions
Read clinical papers and access competency checklists on skills and procedures
Find Cultural Competency documents that cover key considerations in providing culturally competent care to specific groups
Search two trusted drug collections simultaneously for monographs and drug-related topics
Catch up on the latest in essential nursing leadership and management topics such as assessing competencies, developing leadership skills and succession planning, fostering employees, organizational change, Interprofessionalism and more
Learn more with interactive learning continuing education (CE) modules
Did you think we already had all of that? Not quite.
The Library recently upgraded its Nursing Reference Center databases subscription to Plus. So, why is this a big deal? Here are a few of the advantages of Plus:
Nursing Reference Centre
NRC
NRC+
Care Plans
0
57
Core Measure Topics
0
59
Cultural Competency Topics
110
270
Images
140
1,300
Leadership & Management CE Topics
23
230
Management Topics
70
440
Mobile App
NO
YES
Nursing Skills & Procedures and Competency Checklists
2,300
4,900
Patient Education Handouts
3,300
8,900
Regulatory Topics
0
290
Risk Management Topics
80
220
Videos
0
757
“Sounds awesome; how do I learn more,” you ask? Let me show you!
Library Guide
The Nursing Reference Center Plus Guide(https://library.rrc.ca/NRC-PLUS) is chock-full of screenshots and clear instructions to guide you through everything you need to know to master using this database.
Would you prefer to watch a 30-minute lecture?
Lunch & Learn Live Webinars
Join us for our next Nursing Reference Centre PLUS (database) webinar in May 2022 to see the database in action. We will spend 30 minutes exploring the different facets of what makes this database unique, and you will have the opportunity to ask questions.
Our recorded webinars give you the best of both worlds with an accessible recorded video format on demand. In addition, the closed-captioned recording is only 19 minutes long.
We have also included the PowerPoint for the webinar for your convenience.
Still have questions?
Send me a message, I would be happy to answer your questions or set up a one-on-one tutorial.
(Instructors, feel free to link to any of these resources in your LEARN content.)
The Library re-launched two guides early this year. In partnership with the Academic Success Center, we have enhanced and expanded these guides with new content and updated resources.
The new Academic Writing and Citation (https://library.rrc.ca/academic_writing) guide expands on the previous Getting Started with Academic Writing guide. It now incorporates original content from the ASC Writing Centre (https://library.rrc.ca/writing_students) as well as content from the Citation and the Moving from APA6 to APA7 guides (now retired).
This guide can assist you in understanding how to write your papers better, increase your fluency with APA 7 and other citation styles, and learn about plagiarism and how to avoid it.
The updated Academic Study Skills (https://library.rrc.ca/academic_skills) guide builds on our original Study Skills guide with original content from the ASC’s Academic Coaching and Study Skills pages.
Here you will find strategies for time management, reading and note-taking, study skills, and test-taking. This guide can help to increase your understanding of course material, improve your marks, and make learning a little less stressful.
Each guide contains tons of helpful advice along with links to books, ebooks, videos, streaming videos, websites, self-directed tutorials and much more.
A big thank you to Nora Sobel, Nick Schroeder, and Dayna Graham for working with myself and Fatima DeMelo to update, release, and promote these fantastic resources.
In this wave of the COVID-19 pandemic you may find yourself with less time on campus and more time studying at home. The RRC Polytech Library is here to help. This post will cover some of our supports and some tips to keep you on track with your studies.
This Library is Open
The library is open at the Notre Dame Campus: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 AM – 3 PM
The Library is open at the Exchange District Campus: Tuesday and Thursday from 10 AM – 3 PM
RRC Polytech Libraries have an extensive collection of ebooks allowing students from all campuses (including regional ones) to access our collection via the internet.
When searching for a journal or article, from the results page, you can use the filters to limit by ejournals or online article by selecting (available online).
Need something that is only available in print from our collection? We are happy to make a partial copy for you. You can request any print article from our collection or a chapter from a book through the Digitization service. Our library team will make you a copy.
Did you know that the library has streaming video services? Our collection is designed to serve our students. Explore our video databases as well as curated collections for special topic areas.
Adjusting your Study Habits
image source: pixabay
Studying is hard at the best of times. Just like your instructors, your routines may have to adjust during this wave of the pandemic. Here are some suggestions for how to swap your old habits for new ones
Campus Well-Being is now offering fitness and lifestyle consultations to staff and students.
Looking for some expert fitness advice? Not sure where to start on your journey to better overall health? Book a free, virtual session with one of our certified fitness professionals.
Your consultation will will take 30 to 40 minutes and can be done over the phone or via MS Teams. Your coach will ask you some questions about your current health, fitness, and lifestyle before collaborating with you on a plan to take concrete, actionable steps to better your health.
Take Care
Your well being and mental health matter. January 29th is Bell “Let’s Talk”. The day focuses on destigmatizing, building awareness, acceptance, and action in mental health. Of course, events will look slightly different this year, but continuing conversations about our mental health is more important than ever. To engage with RRC events for Bell visit the Campus Well-Being website.
ASHRAE – Techstreet ASHRAE is a society of heating, refrigerating, and air-conditioning engineers that shape industry through research. This database gives access to their books, standards, and guidelines. A limited number of standards are available through the library’s subscription.
ASTM develops and publishes technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services. The Compass database gives full-text access to the ASTM Book of Standards, Research Reports, and related material.
A database of e-books covering a variety of engineering subjects. Includes a variety of engineering, electrical, mechanical, construction codes, standards, and guides.
Access to the National Building Code of Canada, National Fire Code of Canada, National Plumbing Code of Canada, National Energy Code of Canada, and more.
Since the start of COVID, codes and users guides published by the National Research Council of Canada are available directly through the NRC Publications Archive in free electronic format.
Written by Bettina Allen, Reference & Circulation Coordinator
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