Please Remove Items from the Bagging Area

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Self-checkout machines – how much do they really get used? At the Murray Library, we decided to promote ours a little bit to encourage students to try them out. Since our machines are located in a darker space, surrounded by Learning Commons computers, we worried that students didn’t even know they were there. So we’ve brightened up the space, and made it a bit more fun. The self-checkout machines are now dressed up to look like they come from a grocery store, cookies, carrots and eggplant included.

Stop by the Murray ground floor to take a look, and let us know what you think! Ugliest promotion ever, or kinda fun?

  

Winter Orientation Expo 2017

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As cold as it was on Tuesday, there seemed to be a great turn out for the first student orientation of 2017.

Eva Wong, Gina Koehn, and I (Kelly Juliusson) were happy to run the booth for the University Library and Student Learning Services during the final portion of the orientation. We were stationed on the second floor of the new and absolutely gorgeous Gordon Oakes Red Bear Student Centre along with many other important groups on campus.

The students were tasked with learning something new from 8 different booths to enter a draw for some winter gear, but we had also had a little game at our table. Students were asked 1 of 3 questions and told to use the library’s website to find the answer. One question even had students interacting with our Ask Us IM service (a special thanks to Chalyse LaLonde for this). For participating in this game, students were given a water bottle for their efforts. There was also candy and toothbrushes (you read that right) for everyone!

booth-at-orientation-jpeg

*This was posted by Amy St-Jacques on behalf of Kelly Juliusson

Congrats to the ASL Class 2016!

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Congratulations to the Collection Services staff who completed the American Sign Language classes in June and July. There were ten students: Danielle Mikituk, Michael VanderKooi, Sarah Rutley, Aaron Bird, Steven Kabernack, Anna Thompson, Anna Houle, Christine Cuggy, Crystal Hampson, and Jaclyn McLean. Classes were held in the Collaborative Learning Lab in the Murray Library, and led by instructor Janet Dittrick. Library staff who passed by the lab when class was in session commented on how lively we looked, and how we seemed to be having a lot of fun. (We were!)

Thank you to the Learning Development Committee for sponsoring the ASL classes. Picture below of 8 of the participants signing “ASL 1 2016”

asl-folks

Posted on behalf of Anna Thompson

 

What’s up, UASC?

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20161125_163551

 

UASC is excited to welcome Lisa Carpenter to our ranks. Illustrated left is a companion on her monitor. Also roughly her expression upon viewing our rows and rows and rows of boxes ;). We look forward to tackling many projects with you, Lisa. 

Amy Putnam has stepped forward as our office’s Work Green representative, and we were thrilled to receive the below certificate.

archives-special-collections-silver-2016

Also new at UASC:

  • For those who haven’t already, definitely take the time to check out the display of Inuit art from the Norman Zepp and Judith Varga collection, now on in the Link Gallery of the Murray library
  • Also, for anyone interested, a mini exhibit of random items from the Neil Richards Collection of Sexual and Gender Diversity is still on display in the UASC reading room.

An Artful Autumn at Science Library

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September saw the Science Library walls refreshed with a new art collection. Science-themed paintings, prints and photos have been installed on all four levels. The highlight of the collection is the painting Studio Garden in Future Time by U of S alumna Alicia Popoff, a prominent member of the province’s art community. Her work has been featured in many exhibitions across Canada. Following her death in March 2015, friends of Popoff raised money to have Studio Garden in Future Time donated to the University of Saskatchewan’s permanent collection. The exhibit was commemorated by a dedication ceremony in the Geology Building on October 1, 2016. Over 80 people attended the event. Visitors are welcome to view the painting displayed just inside the entrance of the Science Library.

Did you know chickpeas, lentils, dry peas, and dry beans are an affordable source of protein, iron and potassium? They are also gluten-free and high in anti-oxidants. You will learn this and much more from our International Year of the Pulses display. While admiring the pulses, help yourself to a free pulse recipe book.

International Year of the Pulses

Our second display case illustrates Open Access literature. These materials are online, free of charge, and free of most copyright and licensing restrictions. For more information, check out the display or visit the online Open Access Guide created by DeDe Dawson, Science Liaison Librarian.

Open Access

If you’re too busy to visit the Science Library, you can still take a tour via our new video. The Science Library Welcome Tour is posted on our Science Library 101 page and on the University of Saskatchewan Library YouTube Channel. The new art installation had not been completed at the time of production, so you will have to visit the library in person to view the works. We’re in the Geology Building; find the T-Rex and you’re there!

Photos courtesy of Glenda Goertzen

The Engineering Library’s new student-focused space!

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The Engineering Library’s ‘interim phase’ is here! There is now much more space for students to research, study, and collaborate — sharing in learning and the creation of new knowledge and ideas. And the students are happy! The library has already seen a significant increase in use these first two weeks — and the buzz will simply grow as the term progresses.

Over this weekend and during the next couple of weeks, wiring will be pulled for the new carrels and the final pieces of furniture will arrive.

A HUGE thank you to Jill, Brenda, Lexi, and Heather. An enormous amount of work went into this project (with things not always going quite as planned) involving collection moves, design changes, furniture ordering, and tight timelines — and they are still smiling!

Red couch Engineering LibraryEngineering Library

Happy Retirement Mary Lou!

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When Mary Lou Bendig walked through the doors of the Murray Library on March 3, 1976 she had no idea that when she left the library it would be when she retired more than 40 years later.

Mary Lou blog pic 2016-08-15

Mary Lou’s first position in the library was in the Serials Department as a keypunch operator [a few of those key punch cards can still be found in some of the books]. Mr. Serge Lakhanpal was her first department head and Anita Langford was her first supervisor.

Shortly after she began working in the Serials Department, Mary Lou experienced the first of many organizational changes in the Library. This change saw the creation of the Production Unit with RoseAnne McCrory as the Department Head and Peggy Koenig and Eldeen McFaull becoming her co-workers. Apart from a 2 year position in Education (1978) and a brief sojourn as an acquisitions operator, Mary Lou has devoted her entire career at the Library to working with Serials. In her words: “Serials were so complex, interesting, ever changing, there was never a dull moment with them! I loved all the detail. There were so many titles, so much work to do, that you rarely caught up with it. Policies were regularly set to handle each new problem that arose…”

In 1998, Mary Lou took on the responsibilities of a new position, that of Bindery supervisor. While serials were still a big part of her work the intricacies of preservation for the entire Library collection became a major focus and once again her attention to detail has been an asset. As she prepares to retire she continues to document the processes required for this focus. Continue reading →

What’s new, UASC?

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We have had a busy few months at the University Archives and Special Collections. While a dearth of file folders brought processing work to a brief but grinding halt, we focused on putting up some targeted displays, and catching up on odd projects.

The first new display to go up, making use of the new display cabinets was an exhibition showcasing a portion of the treasures our donors have shared with us over the past few years. These donations serve to enhance research at the university, as well as preserve local histories. Also, many are just plain interesting to look at! (Musk Ox horns or Victorian Trade Cards, anyone?).

20160726_115146That display has since been replaced with the Ground and Third floor exhibition on Women in Physics at the University of Saskatchewan, which is currently ongoing. This was an interesting exhibit to put together. Aside from dominant names such as Sylvia Fedoruk, finding materials relating to the early study of physics by women at the U of S required a lot of detective work and digging.

Female Physicist Facts:

  • Luise Herzberg, the first woman to be given any sort of a staff position in physics at the U of S is also thought to have been one of the last Jewish people to receive a PhD in 1933 Germany.
  • The first female graduate with a B. Sc in Physics at the U of S was Margaret Marshall, in 1938.
  • The first female M.Sc in Physics at the U of S was Norma Morgenroth, 1946. She acted as head of the Physics club from 1942-1943.

The Link Gallery has also seen a display rotation, with Amy Chillog’s exhibition on Robert hurleyexhibitNewton Hurley going up this month. Hurley is known for his colourful landscapes depicting the beauty of the prairies, and while the collection does feature a few wonderful examples of these, this exhibit focuses on the lesser known works. Here you will find his pen and pencil sketches of landscapes, people, flora and fauna; colourful abstract pieces, which he called “Hurleyniks”; as well as photos and other biographical memorabilia. As a fun addition, Amy has set up the ipad with an interactive art program — an opportunity to share your own landscapes and art! Highly suggest you check it out.

In sadder news, this month we will be seeing Beth Richert leave our ranks to pursue new opportunities and adventures across the water — in Scotland! She has been a valuable member of our team, endlessly patient with our quirks and foibles, and tirelessly working on projects that would have been impossible to even begin without her help. She will be greatly missed.

Keep an eye on our facebook and twitter pages for ongoing updates from Olympics past!

 

 

They are all here for the library, I swear!

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As summer speeds along with hot days, warm evenings and the ever present threat of thunderstorms, a new game has people wandering around our beautiful campus.

Pokémon Go

This interactive game that everyone has probably heard of (but might not know a lot about) has been downloaded  millions of times, and has the world out and about finding Pokestops, Gyms, and of course, Pokémon.  There are several Pokestops scattered around campus, including one at the T-Rex just outside of our library doors.  What, you may ask, is a Pokestop?  A Pokestop is a designated place, usually around buildings, artifacts, art pieces and areas of interest that attracts Pokémon, and allows you to spin the photo attributed to the stop to get items to help you in the game.  You can also put a “lure” at a Pokestop to attract even more Pokémon, and that is generally when you see large groups of people converging at one stop, much like our T-Rex.  There are many notable stops on campus, including the Lesya Ukrainka Statue just outside of Murray Library’s doors.

pokestopPokemon Players Playing Pokemon

As for the Science Library, we are all hard at work with summer projects and preparing for the new term, which is quickly coming upon us.  In the works are a couple of handouts for the students new to our branch, and cleaned up signage throughout the library.  We have also recently completed the duplicates project and those items involved will be out for people to take home with them for a few more weeks.

 

Enjoy the rest of your summer!