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!
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.
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!
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:
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.
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.
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.
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:
rrclibrary.libguides.com/MMIWG
or
Other guides you may find interesting:
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 Notre Dame Campus Library will be presenting a series of drop-in mini-lectures in our classroom this year. Each session will feature one topic to help you find and access quality information efficiently. Topics include:
Location: Notre Dame Campus Library Classroom
Date: every second Thursday starting in October
Time: 12:15-12:45pm
| Date | Time | Topic | Facilitator |
| Oct 3 | 12:15-12:45pm | OneSearch (new and improved) | Rosemary |
| Oct 17
POSTPONED |
12:15-12:45pm | How Not to Drown In Information | Fatima |
| Oct 31 | 12:15-12:45pm | UpToDate (database) | John Mark |
| Nov 14 | 12:15-12:45pm | Peer Reviewed Journals 101 | Rosemary |
| Nov 28 | 12:15-12:45pm | CINAHL Plus | Joan |
| Dec 12 | 12:15-12:45pm | eCPS (database) | Rosemary |
| Jan 16 | 12:15-12:45pm | OneSearch (new and improved) | TBD |
| Jan 30 | 12:15-12:45pm | Knovel (database) | TBD |
| Feb 13 | 12:15-12:45pm | TBA | TBD |
| Feb 27 | 12:15-12:45pm | Nursing Reference Centre (database) | TBD |
| Mar 5 | 12:15-12:45pm | TBA | TBD |
| Mar 19 | 12:15-12:45pm | TBA | TBD |
| Apr 9 | 12:15-12:45pm | TBA | TBD |
Schedule is subject to change – always check the Events Calendar at Library.rrc.ca for current sessions.
The library has upgraded its Online Catalogue! The new and improved, OneSearch will search print books, ebooks and a variety of databases simultaneously. Come spend 30 min in the library and learn how to use this powerful tool.
Forget information overload, we often feel like drowning in information with nobody throwing us a lifeline to shore. From CRAAP to RADAR, pick up some quick tips to evaluate information while researching for an assignment and learn how Google/Wikipedia can work with library resources not against.
UpToDate is point-of-care medical and drug database that contains clinical information intended to assist medical professionals in treating their patients. It is available to students and staff at Red River College from the Library’s website and can be accessed via an app from anywhere and at any time on your own mobile device. The database is intended for use in clinical settings specifically to improve patient treatment by delivering current information at the point of need, supporting timely decision making and insuring consistent care. Learn more about what this database has to offer and how to access and use it.
For many disciplines peer reviewed research is required. Not sure if your perfect article is Peer Reviewed? Check out this session to learn: what is a peer reviewed (or scholarly) article or journal, how to identify a peer reviewed article and where to find peer reviewed articles.
CINAHL Plus with Full Text is the core research tool for all areas of nursing and allied health literature with full text coverage of 770 health journals. Attend this session if you would like to build better searches, know more about MeSH Subject headings, or just be more successful in your searches.
Looking for drug monographs? Need information on medications before you go on your clinical? This lecture will talk about the online CPS and all the features available through this powerful database including monographs, glossaries, calculators and CPS notifications and advisories.
Visit library.rrc.ca for more information about specific dates and topics. Stay tuned to your student and staff news for updates in your inbox.
If you have suggestions for topics would like to see presented in the 2020 series please contact Rosemary Woodby at rwoodby@rrc.ca.
At the Library we are familiar with the technical hurdles that may face students. In this article, we will list some of the more common technical questions we get, and outline how you can overcome technical problems and succeed in your studies.
The Red River College Library continues to receive inquiries about the wireless network. However, at the Library we are wireless users, just like you! At RRC, the Information Technology Solutions department manages the wireless networks.
There is an online technical guide if you are having difficulty connecting your device to wireless:
There are four important lessons to remember when connecting to RRCWireless:
To connect your student email to your mobile device, follow the instructions posted on this page:
Academic licensing allows students to install Office 365 on their personal computer. To do so, you need to follow the instructions in this guide:
Details of your “printing account” can be found by logging in to the “Papercut” application on a college computer, or browsing to the the papercut website:
The Library has a guide that will help you installing College Printers on your personal laptop:
You are welcome to visit one of the Library Helpdesks for face-to-face support:
Library Helpdesk staff are great at helping students diagnose a wide variety of issues.
RNWMP operations in Winnipeg General Strike, 1919. Canadian government / Royal North West Mounted Police; declared to be in the Public Domain, http://collectionscanada.gc.ca/pam_archives/index.php?fuseaction=genitem.displayItem&lang=eng&rec_nbr=3615118 [Public domain]
He was one of two people fatally shot in a crowd of thousands. However, the ambiguity surrounding his death seems to outweigh the death itself. Did he antagonize his aggressors or was he a passive victim? Hit by a stray bullet, perhaps? Even the spelling of his name is up for debate. Mike Sokolowski, a Ukrainian working class immigrant who was shot by North-West Mounted Police while protesting, was one of several notable people involved in the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919 who are now buried at the Brookside Cemetery, which neighbours Red River College’s Notre Dame Campus.
As part of the Winnipeg General Strike’s 100th anniversary activities, former CUPE president Paul Moist has organized walking tours at the Brookside Cemetery. Information regarding the official tours can be found here. For those interested in doing a daytime tour during the week, Paul is offering a lunch hour tour on two weekdays for the RRC community specifically. Attendees are welcome to attend one or both days—a different section of the cemetery will be explored each day.
Anyone planning to attend should email the Library at circndc@rrc.ca indicating which day(s) they will be attending. Attendance is limited to 20 participants for each day.
*All participants must read the Safety Guidelines.
For other exciting community events and opportunities to commemorate the Winnipeg General Strike’s 100th anniversary, be sure to check out the Manitoba Federation of Labour website and the display at the library entrance.
While the strike began as a means to improve workers’ rights, it revealed other societal issues and influenced more than just the world of organized labour. Underlying issues in politics, women’s rights, and immigration were all brought to light by the strike. If you want to learn more about the strike itself, or are interested by some of these surrounding issues, consider checking out some of the following physical and online resources that are offered at the library. Many of them will be out in the library’s main display case.
The Bolshevik’s Revenge (A Sam Klein mystery) – Allan LevineThe “war to end all wars” has just ended, the Bolsheviks have seized power in Russia and most of the Western world is convinced that a widespread workers’ revolt is imminent. Winnipeg is no exception as sector after sector of the city is shut down by a massive General Strike, and when one of the city’s most prominent capitalists is murdered, detective Sam Klein is called in to solve the case before the city erupts in chaos.
Negotiating Sex Work: Unintended Consequences of Policy and Activism – Edited by Carisa Renae Showden and Samantha MajicAttitudes on sex work are primarily divided between those who consider that selling sexual acts is legitimate work and those who consider it a form of exploitation. Organized into three parts, Negotiating Sex Work rejects this either/or framework and offers instead-diverse and compelling contributions that aim to reframe these viewpoints.
We’re Going to Run This City: Winnipeg’s Political Left After the General Strike – Stefan Epp-KoopWe’re Going to Run This City explores the dynamic political movement that came out of the largest labour protest in Canadian history and the ramifications for Winnipeg throughout the 1920s and 1930s.
Working People: An Illustrated History of the Canadian Labour Movement – Desmond MortonWorking People tells the story of the men and women in the labour movement in Canada and their struggle for security, dignity, and influence in our society. Highlighting some of the great events of labour history, Desmond Morton explores the clash between idealists, who fought for socialism, industrial democracy, and equality for women and men, and the realists who wrestled with the human realities of self-interest, prejudice, and fear.
– CBC documentary by Andy BlicqWas the strike a legitimate protest against low wages, poor working conditions and a lack of bargaining rights, or was it an attempt by immigrants to import “Bolshevism” and a new political order? Bloody Saturday takes a contemporary look at the key moments of the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike and how lives were lost and changed.
– Joan SangsterTransforming Labour offers one of the first critical assessments of women’s paid labour during the quarter century after the close of the Second World War, a period when more and more women, particularly those with families, were going ‘out to work’. Using case studies from across Canada, Joan Sangster explores a range of themes, including women’s experiences within unions, Aboriginal women’s changing patterns of work, and the challenges faced by immigrant women. By charting women’s own efforts to ameliorate their work lives as well as factors that re-shaped the labour force, Sangster challenges the commonplace perception of this era as one of conformity, domesticity for women, and feminist inactivity.
– Trebor ScholzOne of network culture’s toughest critics, Trebor Scholz chronicles the work of workers in the “sharing economy,” and the free labor on sites like Facebook, to take these myths apart. In this rich, accessible, and provocative book, Scholz exposes the uncaring reality of contingent digital work, which is thriving at the expense of employment and worker rights. The book is meant to inspire readers to join the growing number of worker-owned “platform cooperatives,” rethink unions, and build a better future of work. A call to action, loud and clear, Uberworked and Underpaid shows that it is time to stop wage theft and “crowd fleecing,” rethink wealth distribution, and address the urgent question of how digital labor should be regulated and how workers from Berlin, Barcelona, and Seattle can act in solidarity to defend their rights.
Blog author: Jordan Zimmerly
AV Services’ new Web content
There is more to AV Services than meets the eye. In our newly enhanced Web content, we would like to provide a central place where users can look up information about our services and resources. You will also find handy online forms that you may use to communicate with us. Of course, you may also stop by in person, call us, or email us at your convenience.
Hope to hear from you soon,
RRC Library – AV Services
The Red River College Libraries would like to remind our patrons of the following holiday hours of operation:
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
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”.
The last 3 months of Canadian Corps’ victories at the end of the First World War
Reference: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/news/info-graphics/hundred-days-armistice
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).
“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.
12 units are included: cells and tissues, integumentary, skeleton and joints, muscle types, nervous, endocrine, circulatory, lymphatic, respiratory, digestive, urinary, and reproductive
RRC Staff and students should refer to our guide:
How to use and install Visible Body – Anatomy and Physiology.