Training Retreat!

April 30, 2009 & May 8, 2009

sponsored by the ISR Training Committee

Come join your colleagues to learn, share experiences and have fun!

Program registration is not required.

After a brief review of the past history of Special Collections, staff will outline  recent exciting acquisitions and projects, and the challenges ahead.

An overview of the department's planned future activities in moving from "acquisition to access" will be highlighted.  Learn about the "Putting the Past into Pixels" project, beginning with the digital preservation of early images, as well as the ups and downs along the way.

Time permitting a tour of the department's environmentally controlled stacks area will be available.

Discover one of the Library's newest open access resources and its searchable bibliographic database relating to German-speaking people and their descendants in Ontario.

Coverage includes origin or ancestry, identity, language, social and political history, and religion from the 1830's to the present day.  Records represent published and unpublished primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. Includes a hands-on session.

Where in the world can I find the [scary chemistry term] of
[scary chemical name]?

with Kathy Szigeti
11:15 - 12:15 pm Davis Centre Conference Room

Come learn about some key chemistry resources and tips on answering chemistry-related questions at the information desk. If there is time, we will do some practical work.

Lunch
12:30 - 1:30 pm Davis Centre Conference Room

Enjoy a selection of Vincenzo's deli sandwiches and an assorted dessert tray.

Registration is required

Email Carol Steele by Thurs. April 23rd, 2009
Please indicate whether you are vegetarian
and/or have any food allergies.

Students and librarians are increasingly confronted with the Culture of Distraction in the academic library environment. The challenge of competing for students’ interest and attention can place a heavy burden on librarians who find themselves in a position of having to keep up with the latest and greatest information and communication technologies. During this session, we will explore the Culture of Distraction, evaluate how it affects our work, and discuss strategies for reaching students and promoting true communication and learning while staying sane.

Please read this short article on Twitter from the Globe and Mail before the session: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20090227.wworkout0228/BNSt
ory/Technology/

Web 2.0 Awards Ceremony
2:50 - 3:15 Davis Centre Conference Room

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What began as a metric for determining journal quality, the impact factor, has moved into a new realm of meaning and application. There are now new algorithms to determine how powerful an article in a given journal can be, and thus to infer something about the quality of scholarship of that journal. Which metrics should librarians employ and why? The ethics of using these measures needs to be addressed, especially when the ramifications of these quantitative metrics can be profound. Through many examples, Debbie will demonstrate how the quantification of scholarly communication can be biased.