It’s a few weeks into the school year, so it’s time to get to know all the awesome services, spaces and resources the Library offers to help you achieve your academic goals.  

Whether you’re coming into the Library for the first time, you haven’t been to a library in a while, or you’ve never used the library as a post-secondary student, find out all the ways you can be an RRC Polytech Library power user.

First, find the Library, and get to know the space. We recently posted a great virtual tour of the NDC Library space, give it a read-through and you may feel more prepared to come in for the first time. Get comfortable using the space to meet your needs; study independently, attend your online classes (using one of the available headsets or webcams), and meet with classmates to work on projects. The Library has two locations, one each at the Notre Dame and the Exchange District campuses, both with great study spots to discover and settle into.

2. Ask Questions!
There are no silly questions, and we offer lots of ways for you to ask them!

Come find us at the front desks in the Library, a Reference Technician is ready to help you figure out anything from printing, finding your way around campus, using the Library website, to getting started with an assignment and better understanding the information resources involved in academic research. Not on campus? You don’t need to come in person, there are lots of ways to connect with the Library! Call us (204) 632-2233. Text us (204) 400-2463, or find us on the Library’s web pages during open hours by clicking the Ask Us bubble to start a chat. After hours? No problem, email library@rrc.ca.

3. Get to know OneSearch
Found on the Library homepage, OneSearch is how to search the Library’s many physical and online resources.

The Library has an ever-expanding digital and physical book and media collection which can be searched using our OneSearch system. If you’ve heard an instructor tell you to search the catalogue or search for articles, this is what they mean.

Getting started is very easy, using searches that resemble how you use google. Once you have started with some search terms and you are viewing the search results, you can take different steps and adjust settings to create more accurate results. Find out more about navigating OneSearch, the basic and advanced search options, as well as the use of Boolean operators and filters to amp up your searches.

4. Find the Guide you need
Starting a research project or program of study and unsure where to get started?

The Library has Guides that can help you, ranging from Guides to your school or programs main subjects, and Guides for specific research topics. There are also Academic guides for writing, and citation styles.

Interested in broader topics and just areas of interest? There are Student Success Guides on topics including intercultural competence, employment Skills, and using Statistics Canada.

Having trouble figuring out how to use a specific database in your research? The Library’s Database Instruction Guides have step-by-step instructions for how to use many of the different databases subscribed to through the Library.

5. Use the right Database
The Library subscribes to different databases that support the colleges many schools and programs.

Available databases range from software tools, searchable collections of codes and standards within an industry, and other reference collections, diagrams, and industry reports.

When looking at the A-Z list of databases, remember that databases marked with the OneSearch icon, are searched collectively when you use OneSearch. Databases missing that icon, need to be searched and used individually.

6. Discover Academic Success Centre supports
Find the Academic Success Centre in the top banner of the Library homepage.

The Academic Success Centre’s services make up a big part of the academic support’s the Library has available to students, and is where students can access a variety of services including:

• Tutoring, both with staff and peer tutors
• Writing Centre
• Academic Coaching
• English Language Tutoring
• Course Review Workshops
• Math and Science Centre help desk drop-in tutoring

At the NDC campus, the Academic Success Centre has a new tutoring space called ATLAS – an acronym for Active Tutoring and Learning Achievement Space

Find the Academic Success Centre when entering the NDC Library by taking a right and following the signs for ATLAS.

At EDC you will also find the Academic Success Centre inside the library, when entering through the northern entrance of the Library, the ASC is located through the opening in the wall to the right.

7. Book Equipment before you need it
The Library has an assortment of equipment available from both the Notre Dame and Exchange District Libraries.

Need an adaptor to connect with the projector in a classroom? A camera for a photo or video project? A portable battery charger for your phone? A temporary laptop while your own is being repaired or replaced? A light therapy lamp for working from home on short winter days? All Library equipment can easily be booked online through the Library website, just look for the book equipment icon, or check out the Equipment Borrowing Guide.

8. Use streaming video services
Videos are a great tool in online learning and instruction, and the right videos from the right sources can be cited and used as resources in your academic writing.

The Library’s licensed streaming databases, CBC Curio, National Film Board: Campus, and LinkedIn Learning offer thousands of educational videos, documentaries, and feature films.  

Find out more by checking out our Streaming Video Guide.

9. Export citations and keep them organized with RefWorks
RefWorks streamlines research, data organization, and academic writing by providing an easy-to-use tool for citation, bibliography, and reference management.

RRC Polytech has integrated RefWorks with Office 365, it can easily be accessed and used by students alongside the exportation tools within OneSearch. If you are new to using Refworks, the Library has you covered with our Refworks Guide, and our recorded Lunch and Learn tutorial.

10. Know about academic integrity and how it affects you
Academic integrity hinges on six fundamental values, as defined by the International Center for Academic Integrity: Honesty, Trust, Fairness, Respect, Responsibility, and Courage.

As a critical piece of the learning environment and a fundamental core value of any academic institution, academic integrity directly links the credibility of an institution’s scholarship, research, certificates and diplomas. Academic integrity is essential to ensure students’ investment in their education is protected. To find out more, check out the Academic Integrity Guide for Students.

11. Explore other eLearning resources
The Library website offers many types of online learning resources that you can access and use as study aids, or in your own supplemental learning.

Check out Hybrid LEARNing Modules, a suite of self-directed tutorials housed in LEARN that provides relevant and helpful resources.

The Lunch and Learn program is a series of uploaded video tutorials covering our most popular Library subjects, including OneSearch, Nursing Reference Centre Plus, and APA 7^th Edition Citation style.

Find videos and solutions on different math and science topics offered by the Academic Success Centre’s Math and Science Centre.

The Academic Success Centre has compiled the review materials for specific business math and accounting courses into one central location to help you easily access these resources at any time: Business Math & Accounting Review Self-Enroll LEARN Courses

…And finally: Follow the Library on social media
Stay up to date on the latest by following the Library on Social Media!

The Library is on Twitter and Instagram with daily tips, study hacks, events and other great need-to-know information.

Have Questions or Comments?

Library staff love to hear from the College community about our collection! Feel free to connect with us in person at the Notre Dame and Exchange District Campus Libraries or through Ask Us Chat at library.rrc.ca.

Written by Artemis Hedrich – Library Technician, Information and Program Delivery

Plagiarism always has concerned instructors and students alike, especially as part of a more extensive discussion involving academic integrity. Much of the concern has to do with what it is, how people do not mean to commit it, and more importantly, informing themselves about the topic. The Getting Started with Academic Writing guide addresses those issues, and others, depending on the given need:

• Overviews of plagiarism types with infographics for quick reference.  Many sections feature some curated YouTube videos explaining the ‘what’ and the ‘why’ of plagiarism and the skills needed to counter it.
• Some new sections on topics such as unauthorized group work and learning about paraphrasing/direct quotation skills needed during the writing process.
• Direct Links to our citation guide and our Writing Centre, saving time searching the guide page.

This guide also serves as a companion to guides such as the  Communication Guide, APA 7th ed Highlights, RefWorks, and a newly redesigned Writing Centre page from the Academic Success Centre.  Library Services continues to support student success with more exciting ventures and as always, reach out to the ‘Ask Us’ chat bubble if you need assistance.

Do you want to know if the RRC Library has access to a certain journal?  Start with the Library’s Full Text Finder!

Just type in the title of a journal and Full Text Finder will tell you if the Library has the journal and where you can find it. The Library is continually adding new journals to our collection and Full Text Finder is the one place you can look to check all our journals.

Searching with Full Text Finder

Want to learn how to search in Full Text Finder?  Let’s search for the June 2014 issue of the journal Early Human Development to see if we can access the full text of an article.

• Start at the Library Home page.
• Click on Find a Journal by Title (Full Text Finder) link. (Log in using your RRC username and password.)

Click on the image to see larger version.

• Type the journal title in the Search Box and click on Search.

Click on the image to see larger version.

• Click on the plus sign under the title Early Human Development. This journal is available in ScienceDirect College Edition – Health & Life Sciences Journal Collection – 01/30/1995 to present.
• Click on the ScienceDirect link and you will be taken directly to the online journal.
• Search the Open Access Articles to locate the June 2014 issue and click on it to find the article you want.

Click on the image to see larger version.

Questions?

Stop by the Library for a demonstration or to ask questions.

• Notre Dame Campus
  Email library@rrc.ca
  Phone: 204-632-2233
• Exchange District Campus
  Email: pscref@rrc.ca
  Phone: 204-949-8371

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):

1. Spend 10 minutes planning and organizing your day.

2. Record specific tasks in a to-do list, ranked in order of priority.

3. Tackle demanding tasks when you are most alert.

• Make the most of your own biological “prime time.” (i.e. are you a night owl, or a morning person?)

4. Conquer procrastination.

• Make a decision now, not later.
• Turn intimidating tasks into bearable ones by separating them into sub-tasks.

5. Learn to say “no.”

• Stay in control by blocking off time for important tasks, and saying no when you know it’s more than you can do.

6. Make use of idle time.

• When you are stuck waiting you can relax with deep breaths, read, get organized, make phone calls, check your to-do list, get focused on the next task, etc.

7. Deal with interruptions.

• Leave part of the day unscheduled to allow time for the unexpected.
• Avoid distractions when you need to focus.

8. Reward yourself.

• Give yourself goals, then reward yourself when you achieve them.

Look further:

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:

• Notre Dame Campus Library: 204-632-2233 or library@rrc.ca
• Exchange District Campus Library: 204-949-8371 or pscref@rrc.ca

Do you want to know if the RRC Library has access to a certain online journal?   Start with the Library’s Full Text Finder!

Just type in the title of a journal and Full Text Finder will tell you if the Library has the journal and where you can find it. In 2015, the Library added new electronic journal databases including ScienceDirect which provides access to many additional full text electronic journals.

If you are searching for articles in Ebscohost it will no longer let you know all the journals the Library subscribes to. If you find an article in Ebscohost you would like and it does not indicate the Library has access to the journal you need to check the Full Text Finder before requesting it through Interlibrary Loan.

Want to learn how to search in Full Text Finder?  Let’s search for the June 2014 issue of the journal Early Human Development to see if we can access the full text of an article.

• Start at the Library Home page.
• Click on Find E-Resources (Full Text Finder) link. (Log in using your RRC username and password.)

Click on the image to see larger version.

• Type the journal title in the Search Box and click on Search.

Click on the image to see larger version.

• Click on the plus sign under the title Early Human Development (or click directly on the title). This journal is available in ScienceDirect College Edition – Health & Life Sciences Journal Collection – 1995 to present.
• Click on the ScienceDirect link and you will be taken directly to the online journal.
• Search the Open Access Articles to locate the June 2014 issue and click on it to find the article you want.

Click on the image to see larger version.

Questions?

Stop by the Library for a demonstration or to ask questions.

• Notre Dame Campus
  Email Library@rrc.ca
  Phone: 204-632-2233.
• Exchange District Campus
  Email: pscref@rrc.ca
  Phone: 204-949-8371

Research is formalized curiosity. It is poking and prying with a purpose.  – Zora Neale Hurston, author

The feasibility study, the information report, the literature review, and the research paper may come from different areas, but the process feels the same. I write ‘feels’ as gathering information tends to overwhelm people trying to management their time at school. EBSCO can look daunting with thousands of results, or redoing search terms to get to the items needed for a project.

EBSCOhost provides a way to personalize the experience called My EBSCOhost Folder.I began using mine two years ago to keep tracks of articles of interest relating to college programs, or professional development:

Before searching in EBSCO, I sign into my account. It’s best to create an account, or sign in, soon after logging into EBSCO from the library homepage.

For details about My EBSCOhost Folders, this YouTube video outlines the process:

https://youtu.be/JmmYIbiUZ34

Still not sure? Want some one-on-one assistance? Come to the library and we can connect you with My Folder, and much more.

Written assignments can seem like a chore. Getting started is the hardest part, though eventually you select a topic and decide on the kinds of sources you will use to conduct your research.

The Internet offers more than a galaxy of information, and you may not have the time or expertise to filter out which information is both relevant and reliable. Plus, there are valuable print and media resources that are available.

RRC Library Research Guides

Here at RRC Library, we have done some of this filtering and gathering for you. You will find of all kinds of sources conveniently organized in the RRC Library Research Guides.

Here’s what the Research Guides can do for you:

• Get the ball rolling and guide your research
• Help you pinpoint your topic
• Lead you to relevant, reliable, and authoritative resources
• Present a balance of print, media and online materials

Visit the guides at http://library.rrc.ca/Search/Subject-Guides.aspx.

Credit: We are indebted to Norman Beattie, coordinator of Public Services at RRC Library, for his enormous contribution to the production and management of the RRC Library Research Guides. Thank you, Norman!