We would like to take this opportunity to wish Paddy Burt, Library Director, warm wishes as she retires from Red River College and starts a new phase in her life. We thank you for all you have done to advocate for the Library and lead us in the right direction. You certainly will be missed.
Here are some photos of Paddy’s retirement party, held on Sept. 15, 2016:
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Check out our photo highlights of yesterday’s mini-golf tournament at Red River College Library, Notre Dame Campus. A big thank-you goes to Bettina Allen for planning the event and to all of the staff who volunteered. This was a lot of fun and we look forward to hosting mini-golf again.
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On June 1, the Red River College Library, Notre Dame Campus, held its first annual mini-golf tournament. A big thank-you goes to Bettina Allen, and all of the Library staff who volunteered to make this day a success. Lots of participants came into the Library to play, and a great time was had by all! We look forward to holding another mini-golf event soon.
On May 16, Red River College is rolling out a new Student Email system (powered by Office 365), which will enable you to access your email, contacts, and calendar from virtually anywhere. Stay in sync and on schedule with Outlook, and coordinate more effectively with classmates and Instructors. The new Student Email will not change how you send email from Learn, but it will provide additional communication enhancements to you. You’ll be sent further information regarding this change to your current student email.
Student Email will not be available from 4pm on Friday, May 13 until 10pm on Sunday, May 15 while the upgrade is completed.
Once the change is complete, students will see a different look and feel, but the general email experience will remain the same. The email addresses for all students will remain as “username@academic.rrc.ca” and all of their mail from the current Student Email system will be transferred into the new system.
Important: If students have set their student email to automatically forward to another email address, they will likely find they have to reset their forwarding in the new email system.
Support documentation for the new mail system will be located at the IT Solutions Blog (https://blogs.rrc.ca/its/help-resources/).
A project management assignment planted a seed that bloomed at the Roblin Centre’s John and Bonnie Buhler Library. Library Technician Rosemary Woodby with the support of a Program Innovation Fund (PIF) was able to procure two six foot tall, self-watering planters. A partnership with the Greenspace Horticultural students and their instructor, Ruth Rob, supplied the plants. Using the knowledge they have acquired as part of the Horticulture Practice course, the students planned the design and layout; chose and grew the plants and on a bright sunny Apr 13th installed them in the planters. The Reading Room’s trademark sunlight takes care of the rest.
Living Walls, sometimes called Green Walls, have sprung up in a variety of settings, both 
inside and out. Some of the larger interior walls are physically connected to the HVAC system to actively pull air in for better circulation. Our wall isn’t quite so complicated however, using a ‘passive system’ as illustrated by the Florafelt system (Pictured right). While the project is not without risks ranging from plant to pump failure, but the gains far outweigh them and we can expect:
Last but not least, the greenery provides some welcome relief for staff and students from the stressful periods during the academic year. Woodby and Rob hope to apply what they have learned from installing this wall and add a second next year.
Image: Rosemary Woodby
Image: Rosemary Woodby
Image: Fatima DeMelo
With contributions by Rosemary Woodby
The assignments are piling high, money is tight, and the deadlines just keep coming. When things get overwhelming, there are small things you can do to counteract the stress in your life. Below are simple ways to reduce stress, borrowed from the book Everything You Need to Know About Stress Management (Barbee 2012, 14-16):
Check out Red River College’s Student Success Website for various student supports and additional info on managing stress.
For more information on other resources at RRC Library, stop by the Library desk or contact our reference staff at:
February is Black History Month in Canada, and you are invited to celebrate black Canadians – their experiences, stories, achievements and contributions. Below is a collection of videos from CBC’s Curio.ca and NFB intended to help commemorate Black History Month. (Note: Red River College Library subscribes to NFB Campus and Curio.ca. Log in may be required to view these videos.)
“Martine Chartrand’s animated short dives into the heart of Black culture with an exhilarating trip through history. Watch as a young boy traces his roots through the stories his grandmother shares with him about the events that shaped their cultural heritage.” – NFB website
“Based on the award-winning novel by Lawrence Hill, The Book of Negroes depicts the extraordinary life journey of Aminata Diallo, an indomitable African woman who cuts a swath through a world that is predisposed to underestimate her. Kidnapped by slave traders in West Africa and subsequently enslaved in South Carolina, Aminata must navigate her way through the American Revolution in New York, the isolated refuge given to Black Loyalists in Nova Scotia and the treacherous jungles of Sierra Leone, before ultimately securing her freedom in England at the dawn of the 19th century.” – Curio.ca
*Part of the Black History Month Collection on Curio.ca.
“This documentary pays tribute to a group of Canadians who took racism to court. They are Canada’s unsung heroes in the fight for Black civil rights. Focusing on the 1930s to the 1950s, this film documents the struggle of 6 people who refused to accept inequality. Featured here, among others, are Viola Desmond, a woman who insisted on keeping her seat at a Halifax movie theatre in 1946 rather than moving to the section normally reserved for the city’s Black population, and Fred Christie, who took his case to the Supreme Court after being denied service at a Montreal tavern in 1936. These brave pioneers helped secure justice for all Canadians. Their stories deserve to be told.” – NFB website
“In the 1980s, Howard McCurdy was a feisty Member of Parliament from Windsor, the first black NDP MP and the only black person in the House of Commons at the time. He became known for his interest in civil rights, for people of all races and colours. It’s a passion he inherited from many McCurdys before him. The McCurdys settled in Amherstburg 150 years ago and became leaders in the struggle for equality. Nasa McCurdy Jr. was a church leader and a school trustee, a man at the centre of the oldest black community in Canada. He became an important figure in the Underground Railroad movement, helping black slaves escape from America.” – Curio.ca
*Part of the Black History Month Collection on Curio.ca.
Read more:
The month of February is all about affairs of the heart. This Valentine’s Day, while you are taking time to remember your sweetheart, always remember February is the month where the Heart and Stroke campaign asks you to remember the perils of heart disease.
Heart disease and stroke take one life every 7 minutes, and 90% of Canadians have at least one risk factor. Heart Month is the Heart and Stroke Foundation’s key opportunity to reach millions of Canadians in February and alert them to the risks of heart disease and stroke. Volunteers are the face and the voice of the Heart and Stroke Foundation and Heart Month is a critical time when we depend on you to share our message.
In February, the “Heart and Stroke Foundation” began a national canvassing campaign. The success of this program depends on its 100,000 volunteers, who make friendly, personal requests to their neighbours and online networks. Volunteers canvass for donations through the month of February, to support life-saving research and raise awareness of heart disease and stroke within their communities.
Look for a “Heart” themed display in the showcase window just outside the Notre Dame Campus Library. As well you can check out some related items in our Library Collection. We have placed several of these items in our Notre Dame Campus window display.
With a well-deserved break fast approaching, we at RRC Library want to wish you all of the best in the holiday season and in the new year to come. Below are some highlights of the beautiful Christmas decorations put up by the Library staff this year. Enjoy!
CBC and NFB produce the best in informative documentaries and news reports that probe deeper into subjects that matter most to Canadians. The flood of Syrian refugees coming to Canada is a recent concern for Canadians. This blog post lists documentaries that provide a thoughtful investigation what it means to be a refugee (Syrian or otherwise).
CURIO: Syrian Refugee Crisis: Lessons from Vietnamese Boat People
As desperate migrants from the Middle East and Africa make their way across Europe, many in Canada are reminded of another refugee crisis that hit close to home. In the late ’70s and early ’80s, Canada took in 60,000 refugees, at the time often called the “Vietnamese boat people.” CBC reporter Judy Trinh was four years old when her family fled from Vietnam.
CURIO: The Journey from Syria to Canada
Danny Ramadan fled war-torn Syria in 2011 and eventually came to Vancouver in September 2014.
NFB: Tree That Remembers
In 1992 a young Iranian student hanged himself on the outskirts of a small Ontario town. Having escaped the Ayatollah’s regime and found a new home in Canada, he could not escape his past. In this film, Masoud Raouf documents the experiences of Iranian-Canadians – former political prisoners like himself – who were active in the Iranian democratic movement and continue to struggle with the past.
NFB: Who Gets In?
Explores the many questions raised by Canada’s immigration policy in the face of one of the world’s largest immigration movements. Shot in 1988 in Africa, Canada and Hong Kong, the film reveals first-hand what Canadian immigration officials are looking for in potential new Canadians, and the economic, social and political priorities orienting their choices.
RRC Polytech campuses are located on the lands of the Anishinaabeg, Ininiwak, Anishininwak, Dakota Oyate, and Denésuline, and the National Homeland of the Red River Métis.
We recognize and honour Treaty 3 Territory Shoal Lake 40 First Nation, the source of Winnipeg’s clean drinking water. In addition, we acknowledge Treaty Territories which provide us with access to electricity we use in both our personal and professional lives.