In the context of March 21 – International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and City of Winnipeg’s Anti-Racism Week from March 21-27, Academic Success Centre is proud to share that is finalizing the development of a new Anti-Racism Training for Students. Once finalized, this training will join our Diversity Training suite of workshops that already includes Intercultural Competence Training and Gender and Sexual Diversity Awareness Training. (More information about our Diversity Training is available here.)

When we think and talk about racism, most people reference examples of interactions between people. However, racism is also maintained by institutions and society through the implementation of policies, practices, and programs. This training is an introduction on how racism functions as an interconnected system. The training will go over historical instances of racism and it will also focus on current examples of racism.

It is our goal that the Anti-Racism Training will support our students and contribute to the College’s educational efforts in enhancing our knowledge and understanding about racism, acknowledging how racism has shaped our thinking and actions, and speaking out against racism and systemic barriers.

The Anti-Racism Training for Students includes key concepts and frameworks, as well as activities for reflection and discussion. The training also presents a curated suite of relevant videos to amplify the voices and lived experiences of racialized people and Indigenous people. At the end of each training module, students will receive a set of key strategies and resources to map out a personal Action Plan and foster an ongoing student learning and action experience.

After piloting this training in the Spring/Summer time, we expect to offer this training for students from the Fall academic term on. The training modules will be delivered as live workshops via Webex, and will also be recorded for later screening as needed. Workshops are facilitated by Academic Success Centre’s diversity facilitators, and faculty is encouraged to take advantage of this new resource to support their students and book workshops to be delivered during class time, as time allows.

As an additional resource, students and faculty can also access a new Anti-Racism Learning Toolkit developed together with Library staff. This guide is available here and features curated videos, readings and other resources from the College and the community at large.

For more information about the Anti-Racism Training for Students, please connect with Nora Sobel, Diversity Initiatives Coordinator (Academic Success Centre) at nsobel@rrc.ca.

Join us for LUNCH and LEARN a new skill!

RRC Library is offering its spring line-up of Library Lunch and Learn sessions, which highlight research-based topics and databases presented by our knowledgeable reference staff. These short webinars run from 12:15 to 12:45 pm, and allow time to interact and ask questions. For accompanying materials and pre-recorded versions, visit Library Lunch & Learn.

Spring Schedule (March/April)

The following live presentations require registration to attend. Once you have registered, you will receive a link to access the online session. To view the schedule at a glance, click here: Library Lunch and Learn Calendar.

Monday, March 22:
OneSearch (Database Instruction)

The new and improved OneSearch will search print books, ebooks, as well as 30+ full-text databases simultaneously. Join us for a live demonstration and instruction on how to use OneSearch – the Library’s Search engine. Click to register

Wednesday, March 24:
Research Skills – Part 1 of 2

The number one problem students have when searching is creating keywords and building them into useful search strategies. Join us and learn some more advanced techniques to break down your search question, make finding keywords easier, and using operators to create useful search strategies. Click to register

Thursday, March 25:
Research Skills – Part 2 of 2

The number one problem students have when searching is creating keywords and building them into useful search strategies. Join us and learn some more advanced techniques to breakdown your search question, make finding keywords easier, and using operators to create useful search strategies. Click to register

Monday, March 29:
RefWorks – Reference Management

RefWorks simplifies the process of research, collaboration, data organization, and writing by providing an easy-to-use tool for citation, bibliography, and reference management. Learn the basics of using this web-based tool and make writing your papers that much easier. For any person who needs to write and cite! Click to register

Wednesday, March 31:
UpToDate (Database Instruction)

UpToDate is a point-of-care medical and drug database that contains clinical information intended to assist medical professionals in treating their patients.  It is available to students and staff at Red River College from the Library’s website and can be accessed via an app from anywhere and at any time on your own mobile device. The database is intended for use in clinical settings specifically to improve patient treatment by delivering current information at the point of need, supporting timely decision making, and ensuring consistent care. Learn more about what this database has to offer and how to access and use it. Click to register

Wednesday, April 7:
Advanced CINAHL (Database Instruction)

CINAHL Plus with Full Text is the core research tool for all areas of nursing and allied health literature with full-text coverage of 770 health journals.  Attend this session if you would like to build better searches, know more about MeSH Subject headings, or just be more successful in your searches. Join us and get a look at this powerful database. This 30-minute webinar will allow time to ask questions. Click to register

Monday, April 12:
Peer-Review

Join us for a live discussion on Peer Review. For many disciplines, peer-reviewed research is required. Not sure if your perfect article is Peer-Reviewed? Check out this session to learn: what is a peer-reviewed (or scholarly) article or journal, how to identify a peer-reviewed article, and where to find peer-reviewed articles. This 30-minute webinar will allow time to ask questions. Click to register

Wednesday, April 14:
Business Source Complete (Database Instruction)

This essential database for business students contains tens of thousands of full-text journal and magazine articles as well as newspaper items and e-books. Find current news stories, case studies, industry reports, market research reports, company profiles, SWOT analyses, and more greatly enhance your understanding of the world of business. Click to register

Monday, April 19:
Crediting Ideas – Resources to Help Avoid Plagiarism

Join us for a live discussion on how to credit your ideas and avoid plagiarism. This short overview offers students a chance to learn about citation tools and references to better credit ideas. Click to register

Wednesday, April 21:
Nursing Reference Center (Database Instruction)

Designed specifically for nurses, this resource provides evidence-based information for point of care, continuing education, drug databases, nursing research, and more. Come learn what the Nursing Reference Center (NRC) can do for you. Click to register

Monday, April 26:
IBISWorld (Business Database Instruction)

For Business students and anyone researching industry information, IBISWorld is a go-to database. It provides access to Canadian and US industry reports containing trends, market information, industry statistics, competitive landscape, and other industry-related information. Click to register

Wednesday, April 28:
PubMed (Biomedical Database Instruction)

PubMed is an open-access database, created by the National Library of Medicine, that contains more than 30 million citations and abstracts of peer-reviewed biomedical literature. PubMed is used by researchers the world over. In this session, we will explore the multiple facets of the popular PubMed database. Click to register

Contact Us

If you have a question or comment regarding Library Lunch and Learn, please contact event organizer, Rosemary Woodby.

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).

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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.

Red River College takes the protection of Intellectual Property rights seriously. The College and its staff and students are expected to take reasonable steps to ensure that materials protected by copyright are used in accordance with the law by following our Fair Dealing Policy. Copyright is complicated but interacting with Copyright materials is often a daily part of our lives. At work, during our education and in our leisure time, we are often engaging with copyright materials. Fair Dealing is an important part of how we as educators and students ensure we are using Copyrighted content with respect to the rights of the individuals that create the content, and in in accordance with the law.

Could you imagine if there was no legal way to use Copyright material without permission from the owner of that content? How would this affect your work, education and hobbies?

Our ability to use Copyright content when we don’t secure permission is limited, Fair Dealing is a provision in the Copyright Act that permits use of a copyright-protected work without permission from the copyright owner or the payment of copyright royalties in limited circumstances. Fair dealing exists as a user right within the Copyright Act for the public good to foster education, creativity, and innovation.

The doctrine of Fair Dealing guides our use of Copyright material under the Copyright Act of Canada, but how do we use materials in accordance with Fair Dealing? Here at the RRC library we have some helpful tools to point you in the right direction. If you are trying to make a decision around using copyright material we have a Fair Dealing tool to support you. This tool will walk you through a series of questions around your use of copyright content to ensure your use is in line with our policy, and the tool will direct you to the Copyright Officer when you are in need of assistance.

Want information about how to use our Fair Dealing tool, and how you can use Copyright material under Fair Dealing?

Register For our Fair Dealing Week Session

Date: Thursday, February 25, 2021
Time: 11am-12 noon

Register for Fair Dealing week Events Across Canada Here

Date:  February 22 – 26, 2021

Fair Dealing Week is a time to highlight and promote the opportunities presented by the Fair Dealing provision of the Copyright act, celebrate successful stories, and explain this user right under the Copyright Act. How do students engage with, and rely on fair dealing? Check out this Fair Dealing Testimonial from Shifrah Gadamsetti Sociology Student and President of the Students’ Association Mount Royal University.

Educators also interact with copyright on a daily basis. “Fair dealing is critical for innovative teaching and learning on campuses across Canada. It helps our instructors bring dynamic and relevant content to their courses…” read more about how fair dealing impacts educators in the following testimonial from Leslie Reid Vice-Provost (Teaching and Learning) and Teaching Professor, Faculty of Science University of Calgary.

RRC policy is available to guide our actions when using Copyright material, our Library Team and Copyright Officer are here to assist Instructors and Students in interpreting this policy. If you have questions about Copyright or Fair Dealing be sure to visit the Copyright Page on the RRC library site and reach out the Copyright Officer for assistance.

Happy Fair Dealing Week!

Coming April 7, 2021: Long Night Against Procrastination

The event is free to all RRC students.

Details

What?

Long Night Against Procrastination

Where?

Online (web location TBA)

When?

April 7, 2021, 5-8 pm

Why?

For support and assignment help when you need it most

Who?

All RRC students

Highlights from Last Year’s Event

The first Long Night Against Procrastination was held at the NDC Library on Feb 6, 2020. Moving online will make it look and feel different this year, but our commitment to helping you succeed at RRC will always remain the same.

View highlights of last year’s event >> Long Night Against Procrastination – Feb 2020

Have questions? Please contact Bettina Allen, Library Services.

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

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.

Spotlight on the Geotechnical Engineering Technology Guide

RRC Library staff member, Rosemary Woodby, recently collaborated with instructors in the creation of a Geotechnical Engineering Technology Guide especially for students in RRC’s Engineering Technology program. Instructors Nathalie Emond, Alena James, and John Kuchak describe the process:

We are very pleased with the creation of the Geotechnical Engineering Technology Guide! The process was simple. Rosemary Woodby created a framework and with a few brief discussions, we collaborated to develop a robust resource. Students in the Civil Engineering Technology (Environmental, Municipal and Structural), as well as other related programs, will have a point of access which will provide them with a broad range of resources to explore and support their learning.

What are Guides and why are they useful?

Guides pull together Library resources such as books, videos, and database articles along with many online sources such as webpages, YouTube videos, online reports, and more. Guides put everything in one place, where any student can then access them. This can be especially beneficial when topics are shared across multiple classes. You can link to Guides in your LEARN site, you can even link to individual pages within the guides. Even better, guides aren’t static, we can add more/update/change content as we go.

What does the collaborative process look like?

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, RRC Library)

The process of collaborating on a guide is flexible but typically starts with a discussion. What is needed for that class? What type of resources and topics will this guide focus on? After the background information is worked out, we start to incorporate the instructor’s recommendations. Are there webpages, videos, books, or articles that an instructor recommends to their students? Those recommendations will be combined with items from the Library into a guide format using our LibGuide software platform. When we are all happy with the result, the guide is published and made available to students and the College community.

How do I request a Guide for my class?

Guides are created by the Library staff member assigned to your program area, as listed in our Collection Development Contacts. You may send a request to your subject specialist directly, or email the Library’s general account at library@rrc.ca.

Explore further: Additional Engineering Technology Guides created through collaboration

• Environmental Science – with Jonathan Mitchell, Civil Engineering Technology instructor
• Structural Engineering Technology – with Crystal Ungarian, Structural Engineering Technology instructor

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!

Tip 1: Our Website

Your key to accessing the online Library is the Library’s website. From academic supports and services to resources and news, this is the gateway to everything related to the Library. Click the button below to check it out.

Tip 2: Our Online Service Desk

Access our online service desk by clicking on the Ask Us bubble on the Library’s website. This begins a chat with a real person in real-time during regular Library hours. If you submit a question after hours, you will receive a response when the Library opens again. You may also browse common answers to our most popular questions here: Popular questions.

Tip 3: Our Digital Collection

Explore our digital resources with OneSearch, which is the tool that searches the entire Library collection. We have thousands and thousands of online resources that you may access 24/7.

Learn more about OneSearch >>

• OneSearch video
• OneSearch guide

Tip 4: Our Events Calendar

Check our Events Calendar for the latest workshops you may attend, including Library Lunch and Learn sessions.

Tip 5: Our Library Guides

Library Guides are a great starting point for exploring the Library’s collection. Guides are a collection of resources and links on a specific topic, gathered together by a Library professional. A good place to begin is with our Library 101 section, which will help you get the most out of your Library experience. Otherwise, you may search the guides or browse by subject. Guides can draw you to new and unexpected resources, leading you to explore information in greater detail.

Tip 6: Our COVID-19 FAQ

Have questions about service changes during the pandemic? For example, wondering if physical books may still be borrowed? Indeed, they can! This is the kind of information you’ll find on the COVID-19 FAQ page.

We’re Here for You!

The Library and Academic Success Centre’s number one goal is to help you succeed at Red River College. Through chat and virtual meetings, we will meet you WHEREVER you are during these difficult times!

Image by John Hain from Pixabay

Written by Joan Boersma, Library Services

One of Joan Boersma’s many roles in the Library includes the handling of ILLs (InterLibrary Loans). Here, she provides an overview of this important service.

One service that the Library offers is that of Interlibrary Loan. While our subscriptions to databases have increased considerably during the last 5 years, we obviously don’t have access to every article written. RRC library belongs to 2 consortiums in order to fill this gap. The first group is that of the libraries in Manitoba where physical and digital items are shared at no cost. We receive most of our requests from the University of Manitoba and the University of Winnipeg for which we are very grateful.

The 2^nd consortium is DOCLINE and that is the National Library of Medicine’s Interlibrary Loan request routing system. The purpose of the system is to improve access to biomedical literature for medical libraries in the US and Canada. It has been interesting to see this willing group of medical libraries share resources during a pandemic while many libraries were actually closed and staff were working remotely without access to their physical collections. Often times the information requested was crucial to the treatment of patients in the hospital and it has been an eye-opening experience to see librarians hard at work to fill this need in a time-sensitive manner. Co-operation and resource sharing between libraries took on a new role, operated sometimes in non-traditional means, and occasionally RRC was able to contribute as well. It has been a great experience to be part of this larger community while working from my dining room table. During the pandemic, there have been requests for 215 articles from our faculty and students, and 75 of those were filled by our partner libraries. Other requests were located by deep-diving, sleuthing, and sometimes by contacting the authors to simply ask if they were willing to share their work. The sharing community of libraries (and sometimes authors) is alive and well during the pandemic.

If you have something you are looking for you can make a request by using our ILL Request Form or contact me at jboersma@rrc.ca.

Have questions?

Connect with us at library.rrc.ca and click on the Ask Us bubble during regular Library hours. We’d love to hear from you!

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