Sexual Violence Awareness – Education, Prevention and Supports

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM), a month dedicated to raising awareness about the prevalence and impacts of sexual violence and sharing information about available resources to support survivors of sexual violence. Red River College is committed to creating and maintaining a safe and respectful environment for all members of our College community. This includes a working and learning environment free from all forms of sexual violence.

As part of a sexual assault awareness campaign at the College, a new guide called Sexual Violence Awareness — Education, Prevention and Supports is now available through RRC Library. This guide serves as a jumping-off point for research and resources related to sexual assault and other forms of sexual violence. Within the guide, you will find books, ebooks, videos, websites, and more on topics related to the larger theme of sexual violence.

The Versatility of the Library Guide Format

RRC Library has a broad range of guides, most of which gather together resources on a specific subject area. The guide format is particularly versatile, allowing information to be organized and arranged in multiple ways. Jess Spindler, Resource and Resolution Officer at RRC, was involved in the production of this guide. She describes the value of the library guide format eloquently.

Developing a library guide allowed us to pull together a large number of sources, and present them in a readable, accessible format. One thing I especially like about library guide format is that it allows you to organize readings and resources by subtopic, so the user can find materials specific to what most interests them. — Jess Spindler

An additional feature of guides is that they “are not static, meaning we can continue to add new resources as the literature and body of research grows.”

Fruit of a Collaborative Effort

RRC Library staff are aware that the most valuable guides come from input and collaboration with other College departments, so when Jess reached out to the Library about building this guide, she received a favourable response.

I approached Rosemary Woodby, a staff member at the Library, about an idea to bring together resources on the topic of sexual violence and supports for survivors as part of an awareness campaign for Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. Rosemary was a pleasure to work with and helped identify a number of current texts within the library’s existing collection to highlight.

This is not the first time a guide collaboration has reaped fruitful results. Other successful joint efforts with Rosemary Woodby involved guides for students in Engineering Technology and Oncology Nursing.

Do you have an idea for a Library Guide?

If you have an idea for a guide that you would like to see developed, please contact us. We would love to hear from you, and we are always open to suggestions!

You will now find yearbooks from 1966 to 1990 in our archives.

For many years, the Red River College Library has been interested in the digitization of historical RRC documents and photos. However, we could not make much headway in this area as our staff lacked proper archiving knowledge, experience and time. Norman Beattie, our recently retired Public Services Librarian, managed to make some progress in developing our archives on his own time, and by using work placement students to help out with document scanning.

• • View the Red River College Historical Digital Archive

In 2019, after being approved for a Manitoba Heritage grant, we began to digitize more materials. Using this funding, we were able to hire an archivist to assess our situation and provide a guiding document, and a term employee to sort through materials, digitize and meta-tag as much as funding would allow. What was discovered is a mountain of historical documents and photos! Still, progress was made, and with additional help from the Red River College Print Shoppe we managed to digitize a full set of yearbooks from 1966-1990 in high resolution, and scan and meta-tag about 6,000 high-res photos.

Our archive is now online, and can be found here.

More recently, we have made the yearbooks from 1966 to 1990 available to the public. We feel these documents will garner the greatest interest from the college community, alumni and public in general. In the past, we had already placed historical Staff Newsletters and a selection of photos on the archive site. Again, there is sure to be good interest in these fantastic photos and documents.

There is more work to be done, as there are still thousands of photos that are yet to be uploaded to the site. Also, we are working toward ensuring that visitors to our OMEKA site can search within the documents in the archive. Finally, we soon hope to have our archive records appear in searches via our Library OneSearch feature.

To view the work completed so far, or for a nostalgic voyage back in time, visit our archive site.

Submitted by Mark Nelson

Photo by Dani Hart from Pexels

Guest post, written by Shaylee Tardiff, Library & Information Technology student

Calling for a future where gender equality is a reality

Beginning in 1911, International Women’s Day has been recognized as a celebration of the many accomplishments that women have made globally, whether political, economic, or cultural. However, in 2021, this day still serves as a reminder of the need for gender equality across all fields. While there have been advancements since the beginning of the movement that created Women’s Day, there is still a great need for improvement, and the time for equality is long overdue. This day serves as a reminder of how far we’ve come, and a call for a future where gender equality is a reality.

2021 Theme: Choose to Challenge

The theme of this year’s Women’s Day is #ChooseToChallenge. Everyone can choose to challenge by actively seeking out ways to progress the movement to gender equality, or by challenging and discussing gender inequality where we see it. Challenging inequality in day-to-day conversations is something we can all do, regardless of gender identity.

Individuals of all gender identities are invited to send in their pictures to be featured in the International Women’s Day Gallery at this link: IWD 2021 campaign theme: #ChooseToChallenge (internationalwomensday.com)

RRC is committed to diversity and inclusion on all levels. Learn about the impact of change makers at the College in Diversity’s special post for International Women’s Day here: College change makers: Celebrating employees on International Women’s Day.

Explore gender equality with RRC Library

Due to the pandemic, this year it will be harder to celebrate International Women’s Day, but you can still participate by educating yourself on gender equality. A great start can be checking out some materials from the Red River College Library! By searching “Gender Equality” or “Women’s Day” you will find many resources that can help you to understand the importance of recognizing this day. Some samples from these searches are below.

Reaching for the Sky: Empowering Girls Through Education by Urvashi Sahni (Book)

“Since 2003 a privately funded high school in India has provided desperately needed education for girls from impoverished families in Lucknow, the capital and largest city in Uttar Pradesh. Urvashi Sahni, the founder of Prerna Girls School, has written a compelling narrative of how this modest school in northeast India has changed the lives of more than 5,000 girls and their families. Most important, it is through the perspectives of the girls themselves, rather than through a remote academic viewpoint, that Prerna’s success unfolds. The book focuses on the importance of education in bringing about gender equality in a patriarchal society. It shows how girls learn to be equal and autonomous persons in school as part of their official curriculum and how they use this learning to transform their lives and those of their families.”

Why I March: Images from the Women’s March Around the World by Abrams Books (Book)

On January 21, 2017, five million people in 82 countries and on all seven continents stood up with one voice. The Women’s March began with one cause, women’s rights,but quickly became a movement around the many issues that were hotly debated during the 2016 U.S. presidential race- immigration, health care, environmental protections, LGBTQ rights, racial justice, freedom of religion, and workers’ rights, among others.

Indigenous Women and Feminism: Politics, Activism, Culture by Cheryl Suzack (Book)

Can the specific concerns of Indigenous women be addressed within current mainstream feminist and post-colonial discussions? Indigenous Women and Feminism proposes that a dynamic new line of inquiry – Indigenous feminism – is necessary to truly engage with the crucial issues of cultural identity, nationalism, and decolonization particular to Indigenous contexts.

Gender and Student Participation by Bethany C. Leraas, Nicole R. Kippen and Susan J. Larson (Article)

Active class participation has been associated with student engagement and can be an important aspect of a successful learning experience in college classrooms. Several factors influence student participation including classroom dynamics (such as classroom connectedness, instructor-student rapport) and individual characteristics (such as biological sex and psychological gender).  With respect to individual characteristics, previous research has evaluated sex differences in participation and has yielded inconsistent findings. The present study investigated the relationship between psychological gender and student participation both in- and out-of-class.

Gender in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics: Issues, Causes, Solutions by Tessa E S Charlesworth and Mahzarin R. Banaji (Article)

The landscape of gender in education and the workforce has shifted over the past decades: women have made gains in representation, equitable pay, and recognition through awards, grants, and publications. Despite overall change, differences persist in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). This Viewpoints article on gender disparities in STEM offers an overarching perspective by addressing what the issues are, why the issues may emerge, and how the issues may be solved.

Suggest a topic

What topic are you interested in?

Not only do we love feedback, but we love to dig up resources you’re interested in! If you have a topic you would like to see featured here, please contact Linda Fox (Library Services).

Let’s get connected. Follow us on social media!

For everything from fun series to service and programming updates, follow us on social media. We’re active on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!

Open education is a philosophy about the way people should produce, share, and build on knowledge. “Open educational resources (OERs) provide a model for convenient, cost-effective access [to resources] with no copyright barriers to worry about, expensive texts to purchase, or restrictions on adaptation, customization or re-use.”[i]

Open Education Week seeks to raise awareness and highlight open education efforts worldwide. OE Week provides practitioners, educators and students an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of open educational practices and be inspired by the wonderful work being developed by the community around the world. [ii]

The 2020-2021 year presented unprecedented challenges in the world. One of these challenges met by educators was the sudden shift to online learning. Red River College kicked off discussion and supports for Faulty using OER (Open Educational Resources) in May 2020 spearheaded by the new Copyright officer in partnership with Campus MB. Over one hundred faculty and staff attended this session, and two additional sessions on OER were hosted during the 2020 year.

One simple adoption of an open textbook at RRC during the 2020-2021 year served 840 students, saving each student $159.95 in textbook costs for a total saving to students of $134,358. This the impact of just one title, over the years RRC has seen over 8 open textbook adoptions.

OER’s have also provided instructors at RRC with additional resources to work with and adapt in a time when access to physical resources has been limited. The Open Education philosophy proves to be a great asset in the push for online learning environments prompted by the pandemic,  but OER’s themselves have been around since the early 2000’s.

If you would like to view our past 2020 OER session it was recorded and is available to be viewed at your convenience:

OER’s are resources published under an open license, such as Creative Commons, these resources can be freely adapted to help your students meet the learning outcomes for your course. At RRC our main focus in the 2020 year has been around the use of Open Textbooks but many different OER’s exist as vast as the types of educational content. If you feel like you missed the boat and are just hearing about OER, let me assure you that isn’t the case. The RRC library offers an OER Landing Page to start you out on your Open Education journey.

If you are already familiar with OER and would like to take this week to get up to speed conversations educators are having regarding Open Education during the pandemic Law Bytes has a prerecorded podcast discussing the significant new challenges for teachers and students in adapting course materials to the online learning environment. Be sure to check it out!

Episode 45: David Porter on the Benefits of Open Educational Resources as Millions Shift to Online Learning

As we celebrate Open Education Week for the 2021 year, I challenge instructors to ask themselves:

What can Open Education do to support your online instruction?

How can Open Education serve your students?

If you are seeking OER assistance or support get in touch with the RRC Copyright Officer.

Happy Open Education Week!

[i] Michael Geist, “David Porter on the Benefits of Open Educational Resources as Millions Shift to Online Learning,” Law Bytes Podcast, March 30, 2020, https://www.michaelgeist.ca/podcast/episode-45-david-porter-on-the-benefits-of-open-educational-resources-as-millions-of-canadians-shift-to-online-learning/.

[ii] Open Education Week. Open Education Global, n.d. https://www.openeducationweek.org/page/what-is-open-education-week.

What is Hygge?

Hygge. Pronounced “Hue-gah.” (n.) Danish. A mood of coziness and comfort with feelings of wellness and contentment.

Hygge is also the topic of a new series coming to RRC Library’s social media channels. Each week, we will feature online resources to help you rest, relax, and refocus this winter season. This collection is entirely online, available 24/7, and the link to each resource is provided below.

Follow us!

To learn about other fun series as well as service and programming updates, follow us! Click on the icons below to visit our pages.

Hygge with RRC Library Collection

50 ways to soothe yourself without food

A collection of mindfulness skills and practices for relaxing the body in times of stress and ending your dependence on eating as a means of coping with difficult emotions.

In this book we will explain why downtime is inadequate for helping us recharge our batteries, and present you with an effective alternative.

Dream design live

With stunning photography and accessible-yet-elegant tips, Dream Design Live fuses interior decorating advice with lifestyle recommendations and demonstrates how living a happy and satisfying life starts at home.

Gifts of imperfection: let go of who you think you’re supposed to be and embrace who you are

An engaging exploration of how we can cultivate the courage, compassion, and connection to wake up in the morning and think, No matter what gets done and how much is left undone, I am enough, and to go to bed at night thinking, Yes, I am sometimes afraid, but I am also brave. And, yes, I am imperfect and vulnerable, but that doesn’t change the truth that I am worthy of love and belonging.

Happiness: the science behind your smile

This is the first book to comprehensively address the most basic of human desires. Everybody wants it. But what exactly is happiness?

Little ways to keep calm and carry on: twenty lessons for managing worry, anxiety, and fear

A psychologist, psychiatry professor, and anxiety researcher present twenty simple lessons that readers can use to relieve everyday anxiety on the spot and to develop resilience.

Make yourself cozy

Freshly baked bread. Cloud-like pillows. Lavender tea. Katie Vaz’s book on self-care shows readers how slow, cozy warmth can help them deal with the anxieties and challenges of everyday life.

Mindful learning: reduce stress and improve brain performance for effective learning

Practical insights and exercises on how to apply mindfulness in the educational setting, this book clearly sets out how we can manage stress, improve performance and create better communication and relationships.

Mindfulness for students

Through insightful ideas and personal anecdotes, this book will introduce you to the many benefits and applications of mindfulness – from mindful breathing, eating, exercising, sleeping, studying and communicating.

One pot comfort: make everyday meals in one pot, pan or appliance

An inspiring collection of everyday recipes for favorite comfort foods made in one pot, pan, or appliance.

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Open house : reinventing space for simple living

A sweeping behind-the-scenes perspective on home transformations, written in a personal, intimate style, with humor and honesty.

Recover from burnout: life lessons to regain your passion and purpose

Discover how to understand your burnout, recognize and engage with the underlying fears and beliefs that underpin your drive to push your body, mind and spirit to breaking point, change the beliefs and habits that have exhausted you, regain your energy and enthusiasm, and avoid falling back into the burnout traps.

Relax and enjoy life: 149 ultimate stress busters

149 stress-proofing ideas which are short and practical but can help you live the life you want to live …now.

Yes lives in the land of no: a tale of triumph over negativity

A how-to manual that’s both practical and entertaining. It will help you find the YESes you seek–faster, more effectively, and with a lot less discouragement and despair in the process.

We’d love to hear from you!

If you would like to suggest an idea for a future series, or have comments or questions for the Library, send us a message by clicking on Ask Us at library.rrc.ca.

Written by Linda Fox, Library Services

Guest post: Written by James Spencer, RRC Library and Information Technology student

2020: A year of transition for students and faculty alike

This year has been truly the likes of which none of us have ever seen before. It has been quite an adjustment for both RRC students and staff alike transitioning to this world of social distancing and online learning. As a faculty that serves both RRC staff and students, the RRC Library had to adapt on the fly as well.

As a Library and Information Technology program student at the Exchange District Campus, I was fortunate enough to spend two weeks with the RRC Library staff at the Notre Dame Campus for my work experience practicum. The experience was truly eye-opening, it has given me a unique perspective on how the RRC Library has adapted during this time of the global pandemic. Although we may not be able to see it in person like in the past, there is a lot of hard work going on behind the scenes at the RRC Library to make this transition as smooth as possible for the entire RRC family.

Cloud-based Library system made for an easy pivot to online

The cloud-based system ALMA, used by the RRC Library staff, has allowed for a quick pivot back to a relatively normal online library experience for RRC students. If library records and accounts were housed internally on the RRC computer system as they were prior to ALMA, there would be a noticeable backlog resulting in poor service for RRC patrons. It is this interconnectivity provided by ALMA amongst the numerous RRC Library services that has helped to maintain regularity for RRC students and staff during these uncertain times.

Although most RRC students might be unfamiliar ALMA, whenever we use the OneSearch database on the RRC Library website, we are using Primo, the sister system to ALMA. It is ALMA that connects RRC OneSearch users to several databases such as EBSCOhost, Academic Search Complete, and CINAHL to name a few. These databases provide RRC students the essential journal articles that are needed for their studies.

Chat service allows staff to provide assistance to users while they’re at home

Another essential for RRC Library users is a live chat service. You may have noticed this little chatbot as you first enter the RRC Library website. I know what you’re thinking, is this a robot? Sorry to burst your bubble but it is a dedicated RRC Library staff member ready to help RRC students with their reference needs. Due to the restrictions of the pandemic, this service is more valuable than ever before. Thanks to this service, RRC students can stay safe at home and have their reference needs satisfied all the while.

Although we may remain socially distant for the time being, if we remain open to adapting and interacting with each other just like ALMA and the numerous RRC Library services it provides, we can all get through these times and be better as an RRC family when we do return to normalcy.

Visit the Library – Online!

• ASK A QUESTION by clicking on the Ask Us bubble.
• SEARCH OUR COLLECTION with the Library’s OneSearch tool.
• EXPLORE A TOPIC through our range of Library Guides.
• ATTEND A WORKSHOP listed in our Events Calendar.
• GET ACADEMIC HELP from the Academic Success Centre.

To view the complete range of supports available from the Library and Academic Success Centre, visit our websites!

LIBRARY

ACADEMIC SUCCESS CENTRE

This academic year finds us in quite a different world; however, our commitment to providing you with the supports and services you need to succeed at RRC remains unchanged. As we continue this year together, the Academic Success Centre & Library are here for you.

Collaboration resulted in a tailor-made guide

In this special edition of Guide Spotlight, we celebrate the collaboration between a Library staff member and an instructor from RRC’s Nursing Department. The Oncology Nursing guide began as a conversation and resulted in a tailor-made guide which “contains up-to-date and comprehensive Oncology resources and allows students enrolled in [the] 3rd-year Oncology Nursing elective to engage in meaningful research that will be individually tailored to their learning needs. Access to these up-to-date resources will also benefit our students as they prepare to enter practice in our health care settings across the province.” (Joanne Loughery, Nursing Instructor)

Special thanks to Rosemary for the support and valuable research expertise she provides to our nursing students as we prepare them for excellence in nursing practice in complex health care settings.

What is a guide?

Library Guides pull together a range of resources on a given topic. These include materials from the Library’s collection such as books, videos, and articles as well as online sources such as webpages, YouTube videos, and online reports. Guides house all of this information in one place, simplifying access and providing a single link you can place on your LEARN site. One of the great aspects of guides is their flexibility – they can be updated, adapted, and transformed at any time.

What is the process?

Rosemary Woodby describes the process of collaborating on a guide as “flexible, but typically starts with a discussion about what is needed for the class – what type of resources and topics will this guide focus on? I then ask for recommendations – are there webpages, videos, books, or articles that an instructor recommends to their students? I combine those recommendations with items from the Library into a guide format using our LibGuide software platform and when we are all happy with the result the guide is published and made available to students and the college community.”

I can build these myself but when developed in collaboration with faculty they are so much richer; and create a strong resource that is tailored to the needs of the students. (Rosemary Woodby, Library Services)

Interested in collaborating on a subject guide?

If you are interested in working with a Library staff member on the creation of a guide, please contact the Library by emailing library@rrc.ca or click on the Ask Us bubble at library.rrc.ca.

Visit the Guides

• RRC Library Guides (home page)
• Oncology Nursing (with Joanne Loughery, Nursing)
• Palliative and End-of-Life Care (with Jackie Santiago, Nursing)

This academic year finds us in quite a different world; however, our commitment to providing you with the supports and services you need to succeed at RRC remains unchanged. As we continue this year together, the Academic Success Centre & Library are here for you.

In honour of Truth and Reconciliation Week (Sep 28 – Oct 2, 2020), RRC Library has compiled three “cinematic journeys” that address topics central to this annual event. The first two collections (“cinemas”) portray residential school experiences and stories of violence against Indigenous women — serious and sensitive topics that may disturb some viewers. The third cinema is a tribute to Indigenous women, revealing the strength, honour, and respect they bring to families and society as a whole. Through real-life stories and perspectives, these films are intended to encourage understanding and participation in the healing process of Truth and Reconciliation.

Explore Further

We encourage you to explore beyond these films by visiting the Truth and Reconciliation webpage developed by RRC’s School of Indigenous Education. Also of interest are the Library’s Indigenous Education Guides and the National Film Board’s listing of Indigenous Cinema.

Cinema 1: Residential Schools

We Were Children (2012, 1 h 23 min) The profound impact of the Canadian government’s residential school system is conveyed through the eyes of two children who were forced to face hardships beyond their years. We Were Children gives voice to a national tragedy and demonstrates the incredible resilience of the human spirit.

Holy Angels (2017, 13 min) A powerful portrayal of Canada’s colonialist history using impressionistic images and the fragmented language of a child. Filmed with a fierce determination to not only uncover history but move past it, Holy Angels speaks of the resilience of a people who have found ways of healing—and of coming home again.

Stories are in Our Bones (2019, 11 min) Filmmaker Janine Windolph takes her young sons fishing with their kokum (grandmother), a residential school survivor who retains a deep knowledge and memory of the land. Reconnecting with their homeland is a cultural and familial healing journey for the boys, who are growing up in the city. It’s also a powerful form of resistance for the women.

Second Stories – It Had to Be Done (2008, 22 min) Explores the legacy of residential schools through the eyes of two extraordinary women who not only lived it, but who, as adults, made the surprising decision to return to the school that had affected their lives so profoundly. This intimate and moving film affirms their strength and dignity in standing up and making a difference on their own terms.

The secret path (2016, 1 h) This powerful animated film tells the story of Chanie Wenjack, a 12-year-old Ojibwa boy who died of exposure in 1966 while running away from Cecilia Jeffrey Indian Residential School near Kenora, Ontario.

Cinema 2: Violence Against Indigenous Women (MMIWG)

Finding Dawn (2006, 1 h 13 min) Acclaimed Métis filmmaker Christine Welsh brings us a compelling documentary that puts a human face on a national tragedy – the epidemic of missing or murdered Indigenous women in Canada.

Stolen Sisters (2007, 43 min) Stolen Sisters takes viewers inside this contentious issue, from the rolling farmland of Saskatchewan to the haunting depths of the dark alleys in Vancouver’s dangerous Hastings district. You will hear the stories of the missing and witness one family’s desperate search for their loved one.

Cinema 3: Honouring Indigenous Women

Mother of Many Children (1977, 57 min) Alanis Obomsawin honours the central place of women and mothers within Indigenous cultures. An album of Indigenous womanhood, the film portrays proud matriarchal cultures that for centuries have been pressured to adopt the standards and customs of the dominant society.

Our Dear Sisters (1975, 14 min) Alanis Obomsawin, a North American Indian who earns her living by singing and making films, is the mother of an adopted child. She talks about her life, her people, and her responsibilities as a single parent. Her observations shake some of our cultural assumptions.

Martha of the North (2008, 1 h 23 min) In the mid-1950s, lured by false promises of a better life, Inuit families were displaced by the Canadian government and left to their own devices in the Far North. In this icy desert realm, Martha Flaherty and her family lived through one of Canadian history’s most sombre and little-known episodes.

This Is Who I Am (2018, 11 min) A young First Nations woman struggles with her identity in the big city. After a series of events, she realizes she can still be Anishinaabe, and in fact, it is her responsibility.

Written by Linda Fox–Library Technician, Program Support and Promotion

Importance of Indigenous History

Learning about Indigenous history is important for all Canadians. It is one way of honouring Indigenous Peoples’ role in shaping Canadian history and their contributions to protecting democracy. It is also key to recognizing their identity and spirit, which is inherently connected to the land.

National Celebrations

National Indigenous History Month

The month of June is National Indigenous History Month — a time for all Canadians to celebrate and appreciate the unique histories, cultures, and contributions of First Nations, Inuit, and Metis people.

National Indigenous Peoples Day

In cooperation with Indigenous organizations, the Government of Canada designated June 21, the summer solstice, National Indigenous Peoples Day. For generations, many Indigenous peoples and communities have celebrated their culture and heritage on or near this day.

Learn About Indigenous History and Culture Through Films and Books

Catch a glimpse of the richness and breadth of Indigenous culture, diversity, and history through these hand-selected resources. We encourage you to explore the Library’s collection further with our OneSearch tool.

Indigenous Storytelling

kisiskaciwan: Indigenous Voices from Where the River Flows Swiftly 

A ground-breaking anthology from the territory now known as Saskatchewan, this book explores some of the richest and oldest stories from these lands, including voices from Cree, Saulteaux, Dakota, Lakota, Nakota, Dene, and Metis nations.

Centering Anishinaabeg Studies : Understanding the World Through Stories

Written by Anishinaabeg and non-Anishinaabeg scholars, storytellers, and activists, these essays draw upon the power of cultural expression to illustrate active and ongoing senses of Anishinaabeg life.

Coyote and Raven Go Canoeing : Coming Home to the Village

In a gesture toward traditional First Nations orality, Peter Cole blends poetic and dramatic voices with storytelling. A conversation between two tricksters, Coyote and Raven, and the colonized and the colonizers, his narrative takes the form of a canoe journey. It is a celebration of Aboriginal thought, spirituality, and practice, a sharing of lived experience as First Peoples.

Testimonial Uncanny, The : Indigenous Storytelling, Knowledge, and Reparative Practices

Through the study of Indigenous literary and artistic practices from Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, Julia V. Emberley examines the ways Indigenous storytelling discloses and repairs the traumatic impact of social violence in settler colonial nations.

Indigenous Fiction

Song of Batoche

This historical novel reimagines the North-West resistance of 1885 through the Métis women of Batoche, and in particular the rebellious outsider, Josette Lavoie.

Dancing Home

Blackie is out for revenge against the cop who put him in prison on false grounds. He is also craving to reconnect with his grandmother’s country. Driven by his hunger for drugs and payback, Blackie reaches dark places of both mystery and beauty as he searches for peace.

Yellow Line

Vince lives in a small town—a town that is divided right down the middle by race. The unspoken rule has been there as long as Vince remembers and no one challenges it. But when Vince’s friend Sherry starts seeing an Indigenous boy, Vince is outraged—until he notices Raedawn, a girl from the reserve. Trying to balance his community’s prejudices with his shifting alliances, Vince is forced to take a stand, and see where his heart will lead him.

Indigenous Culinary Arts

Where People Feast : An Indigenous People’s Cookbook

Where People Feast, one of very few indigenous cookbooks available, is the culmination of a lifetime dedicated to introducing people to extraordinary foods that are truly North American.

Good Seeds : A Menominee Indian Food Memoir

In this food memoir, named for the manoomin or wild rice that also gives the Menominee tribe its name, tribal member Thomas Pecore Weso takes readers on a cook’s journey through Wisconsin’s northern woods. He connects each food—beaver, trout, blackberry, wild rice, maple sugar, partridge—with colorful individuals who taught him Indigenous values.

A Feast for All Seasons : Traditional Native Peoples’ Cuisine

Traditional Native recipes featuring products from the land, sea and sky, symbols of an enduring cuisine that illustrate respect for the nurturing land, and acknowledgment of the spiritual power food can have in our lives.

Streaming Videos

Four Faces of the Moon on Curio.ca | 2016 | 13 min

Four Faces of the Moon

Follows the animated journey of an Indigenous photographer as she travels through time. She witnesses moments in her family’s history and strengthens her connection to her Métis, Cree and Anishnaabe ancestors. This is a personal story, told in four chapters through the eyes of director and writer Amanda Strong.

Karihwanoron: Precious Things on Curio.ca | 2017 | 14 min

Karihwanoron : Precious Things

A small community bands together around a Mohawk immersion school they founded to keep their language alive. Karihwanoron is a Mohawk immersion program that teaches Mohawk language, culture and philosophy. Unfortunately, this year, the school is at risk of having to close its doors. Permanently.

nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up on NFB Campus | 2019 | 1 h 38 min

nîpawistamâsowin: We Will Stand Up

Weaves a profound narrative encompassing the filmmaker’s own adoption, the stark history of colonialism on the Prairies, and a vision of a future where Indigenous children can live safely on their homelands.

Now Is the Time on NFB Campus | 2019 | 16 min

Now Is the Time

When internationally renowned Haida carver Robert Davidson was only 22 years old, he carved the first new totem pole on British Columbia’s Haida Gwaii in almost a century. On the 50th anniversary of the pole’s raising, Haida filmmaker Christopher Auchter steps easily through history to revisit that day in August 1969, when the entire village of Old Massett gathered to celebrate the event that would signal the rebirth of the Haida spirit.

Explore Further with the Library’s Indigenous Guides

Delve further into Indigenous subjects with the Indigenous Education guides. Subject-specific collections on the following topics:

• Community Economic Development 
• Indigenous Culinary Arts 
• Indigenous Health and Well-Being 
• Indigenous Languages 
• Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls 
• Residential Schools 

Are you looking for ways to put the “Pro” in productivity? 

Whether you are looking for ways to break the habit of procrastination or trying to figure out how to navigate working or studying from home during these uncertain times, the RRC Library offers excellent resources that can help you develop skills to better manage your time. 

If you are looking for a summer read, check out the two eBooks in the RRC collection listed below, they both offer tips and tricks on how to effectively manage your time.

eBooks

Successful Time Management in a Week
by Robert Ashton

Successful Time Management in a Week teaches you key points that will help you increase your efficiency and productivity successfully. With an ‘in a week’ structure, the book has seven straightforward chapters.

Time Management
by Brian Tracy

In Time Management, author Brian Tracy reveals 21 proven time management techniques that can help you gain more productive hours in your everyday. 

These are just a couple examples of the books available online from the Library. Want to find more? Try entering keywords such as time management or productivity in OneSearch (Tip: To limit to e-resources, click the Available online filter on the left side).

Additional Resources:

Take a look at the fantastic guide and blog created by the RRC Library and the Academic Support Centre for tips and tricks on how to manage your time better, effective ways to study from home, and how to avoid procrastinating!

• Working From Home – Students Guide 
• ASC: Student Blog Post #1: How Can I Manage My Time Better?

Have a question? Ask Us!

While the Library’s physical doors are still closed, our online service desk is up and running! Whether you are staff or student, we welcome whatever questions you may have for us.

To connect with us, visit library.rrc.ca and click on the Ask Us chat button or email us at library@rrc.ca. We also offer virtual meetings upon request.

In these uncertain times when many of us are unexpectedly isolated in work and study, RRC Library wants you to know that we care and are still here to assist you.