The College Library has everything to do with College Wide Learning Outcomes.  Providing a broad coverage of current topics, a comprehensive library collection is critical to informing and updating students and faculty with the latest knowledge in their fields.

Libraries are not mere warehouses for books and other materials.  Through the teaching efforts of Library staff students learn information and digital literacy. These skills may not be taught explicitly in classrooms yet are necessary for students to be able to research and write papers, think independently and critically, and in general, be academically successful. Information competencies benefit students in the long run as they continue on with their future education and careers.

Like many other skills, information literacy must be learned and practiced, even in an age where large student populations own electronic devices, if not more so. On a daily basis, students who come into the Library or visit us online are introduced to a plethora of information resources including electronic books and streamed videos.  They learn how to access the electronic databases to do faceted searches, to narrow down or broaden the focus of their search, and evaluate resources.  And they learn to appreciate that even though Google is a powerful tool it is not the only search engine and it does not always give good results.

By solving technical problems in the computer lab and explaining to students the likely causes and steps to take to troubleshoot, our staff members are often lifesavers to students, teaching them to find the answers and solutions for themselves and giving them the confidence to explore and hence grow their own skills.

Authors: Can Li and John Mark Allen  – Red River College Library, Notre Dame Campus

The Red River College Library would like to thank all those who responded to our “Library Art Contest”.  Since we received so many wonderful entries, it was difficult to choose a winner. However, at the end of the process we have made the choice of two winners: Adam Brandt: Trouble at Lachine Mill and Amy Wood: Generals Die in Bed.

The winning entries are found below.  Please continue to watch the Library web site as we will soon be posting all the fantastic entries we received for this contest.  Thank you to all contestants!

Adam Brandt: “Trouble at Lachine Mill”

Amy Wood: “Generals Die in Bed”

Updated 14 Nov 14 – Added photos of winners receiving awards.

Adam Brandt – Norman Beattie

Paddy Burt – Amy Wood

Ally Week is a national youth-led effort empowering students to be allies against anti-LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) bullying, harassment and name-calling.

It is usually held in September or October, often coinciding with National Coming Out Day on October 11, and October also being LGBT History Month. The event started in October 2005 and has grown since. This year Ally Week took place October 13-17, 2014.

The goal of Ally Week is to diminish stereotypes and exclusion while highlighting that peer support for LGBT students is stronger than the students themselves may have thought existed. People across the country can engage in a national dialogue about how everyone in and out of school can work to become better allies to LGBT youth.

Visit our the Notre Dame Campus Window Display

To increase LGBTT* awareness Library Services set up a window display at Notre Dame Campus where you can find additional information about the LGBTT* initiative at RRC.  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.

List of Items: http://library.rrc.ca/Search/Window-Display.aspx

October is Canadian Library Month. The Library invites you to show off your artistic talent by illustrating a 3 X 5 library index card.  This is the second year that we are running this contest.  You may review last year’s winners here.

RULES:

• Open to all RRC students
• Choose up to 3 cards from any Library location.
• Illustrate the FRONT of the card incorporating the card’s wording or concept.
• Use any physical media.
• Write your name and contact information clearly on the back.
• Entries must be submitted to either Library location by 4:30PM Friday 31 October 2014.

Entries will be judged on:

• Quality of the artwork.
• Artistic interpretation.
• Creativity.

Submission

• Entries must be submitted to either Library location by 4:30 pm on Friday 31 October 2014.
• Winning cards will be displayed in the Library.

Examples

• To view examples go to: http://lj.libraryjournal.com/2012/08/library-services/how-to-host-a-card-catalog-contest/

• View last year’s winners .

For More Information

Check out our posters throughout the campus. If you have any further questions you are invited to make inquiries at any of our Library Reference Desks.

TEDxManitoba is a locally organized conference in its fourth year.

In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TEDTalks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event.

When: June 12, 2014  (Speakers scheduled 9:00AM – 4:30 PM)
Where: Tom Hendry Warehouse Theatre, 140 Rupert Avenue
Web:  http://tedxmanitoba.com/

For individuals interested in attending, tickets are no longer available, however, on June 12th you may still connect to watch the live stream on the TEDxManitoba.com web site.

The Red River College Library will be live streaming TEDx Manitoba at both the Notre Dame and the Exchange District Campus Library locations.  Come on down and enjoy a few TED talks with us!

List of Speakers

Hosted by emcees, Aisha and Ismaila Alfa, TEDxManitoba 2014 will be a day full of big ideas, passionate stories, life reflections, insights and expertise.

The 2014 TEDxManitoba speakers include: (subject to change)

• Ali Ashtari, PhD: Head of Research at Invenia and Canadian immigrant
• Brian Bowman: Partner with Winnipeg’s Pitblado Law
• Angela Cassie: Director, Communications and External Relations at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights
• Pay Chen: Toronto-based radio and television host, producer and writer
• David Gingera: Founder and President of urban agriculture venture CitiGrow
• Althea Guiboche: Winnipeg single parent, poet and author battling homelessness and poverty
• Joe Kalturynk: Founding director of RAW:Gallery of Architecture and Design and Founding partner and designer of RAW:almond 2013/14
• Jo MacDonald: Winnipeg educator
• Andrew John Milne: Winnipeg artist technologist
• Leif Norman: Full time commercial and event photographer
• Sandi Reimer: Administrative professional for the Province of Manitoba and inspirational runner
• David Samborski: Engineer and writer
• Nick Skytland: Houston-based open innovation, data and technology consultant
• Chris Summerville: CEO of the Schizophrenia Society and Executive Director of the Manitoba Schizophrenia Society
• Ted Geddert: Builder of well-designed and architecturally inspiring prefab houses

Stay connected for additional TEDxManitoba information

• Web: www.tedxmanitoba.com
• Twitter: www.twitter.com/TEDxManitoba  …use hash tag #TedXManitoba
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/tedxmanitoba
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/user/TEDxManitoba

Watch for Live Tweets from @RRCLibrary!

Mark Nelson from the Red River College Library will be in attendance and live tweeting #TedXManitoba on the @RRCLibrary Twitter account.  Twitter users are invited to follow along and engage!

What was discussed at past TEDxManitoba sessions?

You may watch many of the previous presentations on the TEDxManitoba Youtube Channel, including this wonderful presentation shown below.

Check out the displays at the Notre Dame Campus and the Exchange District Campus Libraries

In preparation for Pride Week (May 23-June1) and to increase awareness about LGBTT* matters, the Red River College Library and the LGBTT* Initiative have prepared LGBTT* displays in the Notre Dame Campus Library window display and at the Exchange District Campus Library display area (in front of the Circulation Desk).

The displays include information about LGBTT* terminology and affirmative language, the LGBTT* Initiative at Red River College, LGBTT* services and programs in the local community, and many other educational resources. Check them out!

Pride Week Events

In the coming weeks there are several RRC related Pride Week events that you should be aware of:

Thursday, May 29: As part of Pride Week, University of Winnipeg Students’ Association LGBT* Centre and Red River College’s LGBTT* Initiative are delighted to host a free joint educational event and will present the documentary Gen Silent. This film asks six LGBT* seniors if they will hide their friends, their spouses- their entire lives in order to survive in the care system. The film discovers how oppression in the years before Stonewall now affects older lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people with fear and isolation. The program begins at 7:00 pm at University of Winnipeg, 515 Portage Avenue (The Hive). Venue is fully accessible. For more information, contact Nora Sobel, Diversity Initiatives Coordinator at nsobel@rrc.ca.

Sunday, June 1: Pride Winnipeg will hit the streets for the 27th annual Pride Parade. Red River College will again be participating with a large group of energetic volunteers that walk along the parade route carrying Rainbow flags and a large College banner. For more information, please contact Janice Manson, Events Coordinator at jmanson@rrc.ca. For more information on the Pride Parade and Festival, visit www.pridewinnipeg.com/festival/parade/

Tuesday, June 10: As part of College Days, the LGBTT* Initiative presents an Ally Practice Session (Only for Allies). This is a half-day educational session for College Allies who have already attended a 1-day Ally Training and now are interested to further advance their Ally Skills. Participants will analyze different scenarios in the College environment, practice role-play activities, and develop Ally strategies.

To attend this Ally Practice Session, please register online at https://blogs.rrc.ca/diversity/lgbtt-initiative-ally-practice-session-only-for-allies/ before May 23, 2014. The session has space for 20 participants. For more information, please contact Nora Sobel, Diversity Initiatives Coordinator at nsobel@rrc.ca or 204-632-2404.

For more information

For more information about the LGBTT* Initiative at Red River College, please contact Nora Sobel, Diversity Initiatives Coordinator at nsobel@rrc.ca, 204.632.2404, or visit www.rrc.ca/LGBTT

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies,” said Jojen.

“The man who never reads lives only one.”

―     George R.R. Martin,   A Dance with Dragons

From the Recreational Reading Book – Exchange District Campus Library

At first glance it seems a Recreational Reading Book Exchange located in an academic library might cause some confusion.  There are already books therefore why have a place for potboilers, romances, and fantasy?  Besides already drawing you into the library after noticing book four in A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Marin, why not stay for the crash-course on how to search a database at the reference desk.  It’s not an outlandish idea, in fact many colleges and universities have developed their own leisure reading programs for students.

While Red River finds itself only minutes from the Millennium Library, some students may not be eligible for a library card.  If time is tight, money for students feels even tighter, to the point that $12.99 paperback looks like a splurge.  For others, myself included, it’s a case of books taking up space in personal libraries.  Perhaps it’s time to part with a copy, and hope it ends up as someone’s latest discovery.  The Recreational Reading Book Exchange may fulfill all those needs, and also enhances academic achievement in ways like:

• increase your reading skills
• increase vocabulary
• help your writing skills
• broaden reading horizons and cultural literacy

(-From Library Stocks Up on Leisure Reading, University of Guelph)

Some comfy places to sit
Periodical Reading Room,John and Bonnie Buhler Library, Exchange District Campus

On April 24th the library solicited donations as part of the Red River College EcoFair proving donating gently used books also helps support the environment as well.  However, we take donations year round at both campuses, in any genre, for that one moment a reader wants a break from textbooks for a quick trip to New York, Northern Ontario, or Westeros.

Related Reading

At Your Leisure: Establishing a Popular Reading Collection at UBC Library
by Bailey Diers & Shannon Simpson

Why Your Academic Library Needs a Popular Reading Collection Now More Than Ever
By Pauline Dewan (EBSChost Database-Login Required)

Red River College (RRC) has a growing reputation as one of Canada’s greenest employers, thanks especially to its Sustainability Initiatives: http://blogs.rrc.ca/redgreen/

As an integral part of the College, the Library is no exception and practices sustainability in its everyday operations, such as purchasing environmentally friendly products whenever possible for its own supplies. These include paper products with recycled content, refillable pens, Enviro-Stik pencils, and recycled paper clips.

And, the Library also goes beyond what is required.  How does RRC Library uniquely practice sustainability? By:

• “Ever-greening” its collection; i.e. weeding to make room for new materials.  The old materials are not just thrown out to the landfill.  Far from it!  Once removed, they are made freely available for anyone to pick up from our freebie display.  Leftover items are picked up by the College’s Recycling team. 
• Practicing responsible printing – by staff and students with a bias to “keep it green and leave it on the screen”.
• Saving non-confidential photocopier/printer waste sheets that are blank on at least one side, for use as scrap paper by students and staff.
• Responsible recycling or disposal of video tapes, batteries, electronic equipment, etc.
• Inviting users to bring their own (ear)buds.   
• Launching its recreational reading book exchange program.
• Scrolling information on strategically placed screens for all to see instead of printing handouts.
• Featuring green themes in its window display, such as the recent “Prepare for Spring!”
• Creating curriculum-based, sustainability-related research guides, such as
  • Greenspace Management http://library.rrc.ca/subjectguides/greenspace/page_01.htm;
  • Prairie Restoration/Naturalization http://library.rrc.ca/subjectguides/prairie/page_01.htm; and 
  • Solar Car http://library.rrc.ca/SubjectGuides/solarcar/default.htm.
• Refreshing the air and milieu with plants – all provided by Library staff.
• Undertaking a composting pilot project at its Exchange District Campus location that collected 157.5 lbs. by weight and 205 liters by volume, over one calendar year, Jan. 26/12 to Jan. 25/13.

For further information about greening libraries:

• American Library Association: http://www.ala.org/tools/green-libraries
• Canadian Library Association’s Feliciter v. 58 no. 1 (2012) theme on “Greening Libraries”: http://www.cla.ca/Content/NavigationMenu/Resources/Feliciter/PastIssues/2012/Feliciter1_Vol_58_web.pdf
• Toward a Greener Library (University of Notre Dame):
  http://green.nd.edu/sustainability-in-action/toward-a-greener-library/  
• Greening the Library (Queen’s University): http://library.queensu.ca/library/about/vision/projects/green

RRC Library has many smoking-cessation related items in its collection, including many self-help books. Check out some of the items that are currently on display in the Notre Dame Campus Library window display.

Mid-January is the perfect time to revisit your New Year’s resolutions. If you’ve already let them slip, don’t worry too much as it is never too late to begin a life altering change to any bad habit. If one of your resolutions is to quit smoking, this is a good time to start as National Non-Smoking Week (NNSW) is January 19 to January 25.

National Non-Smoking Week is a yearly event in Canada. Since 1977, it continues to be observed on the third full week of January. Canada is a world leader in tobacco control. Smoking is at an all-time low in Canada and the number of Canadians that smoke on occasion has dropped to 17%. As well, the rate of Canadians who smoke on a daily basis is even lower at 14%.

Despite this achievement, tobacco use continues to be the most important cause of premature death in Canada. It is a leading cause of preventable lung disease, including lung cancer, and is also a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. It has negative effects on nearly every organ of the body and is responsible for more than 37,000 premature deaths every year in Canada.

Not to mention… smoking is a very expensive habit. Are you a millionaire? Maybe not… then why not quit today?

“Weedless Wednesday” is on 22 Jan 2014

The Wednesday of National Non-Smoking Week is termed “Weedless Wednesday”.

Quitting smoking may be easier said than done, right? A great suggestion is to take advantage of “Weedless Wednesday” to kickstart the process of quitting smoking.

Top Tips for Quitting Smoking

According to the Canadian Centre for Tobacco Control (CCTC) some of the top tips for quitting smoking include:

• writing a “break-up letter” to tobacco
• keeping track of when and why you smoke each cigarette
• making it public, by declaring your intentions to your family and friends
• using the 4-D method when you feel a craving for a cigarette:
  1. take deep breaths,
  2. drink water,
  3. distract yourself, and
  4. delaying. (Realize that the craving will pass)
• managing stress in ways other than with cigarettes
• rewarding yourself
• reminding yourself of all the good that you’re doing by quitting

Reference: http://www.alive.com/posts/view/219/let_national_non-smoking_week_help_you_quit_smoking

The Library has Smoking Cessation Resources

RRC Library has many smoking related items in its collection, including many self-help books on the topic of quitting smoking.

Check out some of the items that are currently on display in the Notre Dame Campus window display.

Online Resources

• National Non-Smoking Week
• Let National Non-Smoking Week Help You Quit Smoking
• Quit Smoking—and Improve Your Overall Quality of Life

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, the LGBTT* Initiative and Library Services set up a LGBTT* library window display at Notre Dame Campus where you can find information about Transgender Day of Remembrance, terminology about gender identity, locations of the gender neutral washrooms at the College.

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.