PowerBlog

For most students the next month is not their favourite time of the year. Papers and then exams to write. Lots of research and studying. Lots to do before they can take that well-deserved Christmas break. There's not a whole lot that the Library can do to ease that burden. But there are a few things: Staff at the Reference Desk can help with your research. And we can stay open longer hours so you have a place to go to study. Which is what we'll be doing starting this weekend. As of this Saturday and continuing every day until December 19, the Library will remain open until 1:00 in the morning. Even though the Circulation Desk will close at 11:00, the rest of the library will be open so that students will have a quiet place to cram (or use the computers). For a full schedule, right into the new year, go HERE . And good luck with your exams (and papers).

Tomorrow is November 11, the day when Canadians honour those past and present members of the armed forces who served and protected their country. Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday so that people can attend the various ceremonies held in communities across Canada, including Halifax, to mark the occassion. Most of these ceremonies are held in the morning. In recognition of this, the Patrick Power Library will be closed that morning. We will open at noon and stay open until our usual 11:00pm.

Sometimes Wikipedia works just fine - if you need a quick, simple introduction to a topic. And you don't care how well it's written or who wrote it... But sometimes Wikipedia just doesn't cut it. Like when you need an authoritative description and analysis of a subject, written by a recognized expert in the field. Like you'll find in reference books (encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, etc.). Of course, one of the reasons for Wikipedia's great popularity is its ease of access as a web-based, 24/7 resource, always just a few mouse clicks away. Well now you can have "the best of both worlds": e-reference books. These are electronic versions of standard, high quality reference works, available remotely from the library web site. To access them, you just have to go to our e-books page, available HERE . Some of them are available as part of a collection. For example, Access Engineering contains hundreds of handbooks and encyclopedias on civil, indus...