PowerBlog

The annual Atlantic Book Awards Festival kicks off next week and the Library is pleased to be a part of it PEI author John Cousins will be dropping by to talk about his latest work, New London: The Lost Dream, the Quaker Settlement on PEI’s North Shore 1773-1795 .  This outstanding book has been shortlisted for the 2017 Democracy 250 Atlantic Book Award for Historical Writing. Here’s a description: “Island historian and folklorist John Cousins draws upon fresh sources and squeezes insight from existing diaries, to deliver this remarkable piece of Island history, little known until now. He recreates the life—and death—of New London and its Quaker settlers, complete with heroes and villains, hope and disenchantment, miscalculations and ill fortune, and provides this fascinating portrait of early British settlement on Prince Edward Island”. The event will be held this Wednesday, May 17 at 7:00 pm in Room LI135 (main floor of the library). Everyone is welcome. ...

The Library is very pleased to announce that Saint Mary’s researchers now have access to the FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals . The International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) “brings together institutions dedicated to rescuing and preserving films… This database contains FIAF's Treasures from Film Archives, a detailed index of the silent-era film holdings of archives from around the world, a selection of Reference volumes and the linked full-text of over 60 journals .” Now you can explore some of the most influential international publications on the cinematic arts, including current and back issues of Sight & Sound, Film Comment, Journal of Film and Video, Cineaction, Positif and many others. A link to FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals can be found on the Library’s Databases A-Z page.  And if you need any more information, just contact the Research Help desk at research@smu.ca or 902.420.5544.

Our Systems Librarian, Peter Webster, will be giving a presentation on an important, emerging topic in the field of academic research. Here's what he'll be talking about: "There are growing concerns about "predatory journals" which  on the surface appear to be reputable,  but operate primarily to make money.  These journals  have poor or dishonest peer review, editorial and promotional practices,  and product poor quality articles.  This session looks at the issues around “predatory” journals and other publications.  It will address the skills and knowledge students must develop to judge the quality of the articles they use,  as well as tools and approaches researchers can use to identify questionable journals, and publishers.   It will also look at the work that is still needed to ensure the quality and integrity of scholarly publications. We will discuss issues with open access, as well as paid subscription j...