PowerBlog

Yes, it's that time of year. Students' final stubborn papers and/or projects will be coming due very soon.  And exams will follow shortly thereafter. Which is why, like we do every year, the Library is increasing its hours of operation to accommodate all those hard-working, late-night-loving souls preparing for the home stretch. Beginning tomorrow, Saturday, March 19, and continuing until April 19, we will remain open until 1 o'clock in the morning. Some days we will open earlier in the morning too.  The best place to get the up to date schedule is on our homepage.  And all the best to all of them.

The Library is partnering with the university’s ITSS department to try and find out more about the many different ways our undergrads use information technology.   It’s part of a larger survey being conducted at schools across Canada and the U.S. by the Educause Centre for Academic Research (ECAR). All Saint Mary’s undergraduate students should have received an e-mail recently which explained the purpose of the survey and invited them to share their thoughts on how they interact with information technology and their present, even future, needs. The University has committed itself to the ongoing evaluation and responsiveness of the hardware, software and research infrastructure it provides.    So the information and opinions which are gathered as a result of the survey will go a long way to informing the decisions made in this critical area. More information on the survey and ECAR’s work can be found on their web site . If you would like to know more ...

It's an annual tradition that helps a lot of people. Food for Fines (the name says it all) is an initiative of all of the Novanet libraries.  Anyone who has outstanding overdue fines can have them reduced, or even eliminated, by donating to a very worthy cause. Here's how it works: Drop off non-perishable food at our circulation desk For each item of food, the fine will be reduced by $3 So, for example, if you owe $20 in overdue fines, donate 7 items and your fines are considered paid There's no limit - owe $50? 17 items will take care of it All donations will go to the Saint Mary's Community Food Room which helps our students in need The event starts today, February 8, and runs until the 28th. Take advantage of it.

A member of the English Department, as well as Women & Gender Studies, Dr. Takseva will be here to discuss her contributions to the new book, Mothers Under Fire: mothering in conflict areas . The various essays in the collection ,"raise awareness of the needs of women and children in areas affected by military and/or political violence worldwide". This will be the final event in this year's Faculty Author Series and everyone is welcome to attend (refreshments will be served). It will be held: Wednesday, February 10 at 3 o'clock in Room LI135 on the library's main floor. See you there!

  Please join us this Tuesday, January 26 at 3 o’clock in Room LI135 for a discussion of Dr. Reid’s latest publication on this province’s early history. The book is entitled, Hector Maclean: The Writings of a Loyalist-Era Military Settler in Nova Scotia and it should appeal to anyone interested in “ the military history of the Revolutionary War and the environmental, cultural, and social histories of postwar settlement in Nova Scotia”. Faculty, students and staff of Saint Mary’s as well as members of the public are all welcome to attend.   Refreshments will be served.

A group of Saint Mary's professors have just released a timely new book entitled, The Warmth of the Welcome: is Atlantic Canada a home away from home for immigrants? .  As the title suggests, this is an exploration of the many different factors which combine to determine newcomers' experience in the region as they strive to adapt and integrate with local realities. Evie Tastsoglou and Barbara Cottrell from Sociology & Criminology and Alexandra Dobrowolsky from the Political Science Department have gathered contributions from a variety of perspectives to provide a fresh look at a complex and important topic of interest to us all. And they will be here in the Library to discuss the book and their research, as part of our Faculty Author Series: Wednesday, January 20 at 3 o'clock in Room LI135 (first floor) Students, faculty and staff as well as members of the public are all welcome to attend.

Dr. Claudia De Fuentes of the Saint Mary's Management Department is co-author of the recently published book, National Innovation Systems, Social Inclusion and Development: the Latin American experience . And she will be here in the library to talk about her research and the book's findings as part of our ongoing Faculty Author Series: Wednesday, January 13 at 3 o'clock in Room L135 Everyone (faculty, students, staff and the members of the public) is welcome to join us. Hope to see you there!

Usually, the library is alive with people – sitting and reading, meeting friends, borrowing books, getting help.   But now it’s just a few days until the university closes up shop for the Christmas break.   And the signs of it are everywhere.   Fewer staff at work, far fewer students in the halls, pretty quiet everywhere, not just here in the library. So it’s the perfect time to pause and remind ourselves of the great things which happen on our campus and what a pleasure it is to be part of it.   Things will return to their “normal” state once the new term arrives (we re-open January 5 by the way).   But until then, there’s plenty of time to relax, recharge and enjoy a well-deserved break. And everyone here in the Patrick Power Library hopes you do just that.