Library News

Did you know we create themed book displays in the library? We’re starting them up again and going digital! Our first display is here just in time for the spookiest season of them all...Halloween! 

Like titles with a historical perspective? Try some of these: 

• Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne

• Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Looking for a story to keep you up at night? Why not try one of these: 

• Complete Tales and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe

• Monsters by David Robertson

Prefer watching over reading? Here’s some films we recommend: 

•  Halloween (1978)

•  The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (1974) 

•  Misery (1990)

For more Halloween themed book and films, check out our digital reading list. A green checkmark next to an item in our reading list means it’s available to borrow. A blue checkmark means you can read/watch online. 

Happy reading! 

Access ended: October 1, 2020

Estimated savings: $7,000

Reason for cancellation:

• The library has other encyclopedia resources including many that are discipline-specific

Alternative resources:

• Credo Reference
• Oxford Reference Online Premium
• Britannica.com - a free version including selected content
• Britannica School edition - available to students and faculty in select programs* via the LearnAlberta Online Reference Centre

*Students and faculty in the Special Needs Educational Assistant, Bachelor of Early Childhood Curriculum Studies, Library and Information Technology and University Preparation programs can contact the library for login and password

This cancellation decision has been made based on usage data, cost, uniqueness of content, overlap of content with other databases and impact on disciplines.

Please contact Sandy Stift, Associate Dean, Library, stifts@macewan.ca if you have questions or concerns about this resource.

Have you ever received messages offering tutoring services, exam, or assignment help? While some of these services are legitimate, others may offer to write your essays or exam questions for you – and for a hefty price. Outsourcing any work -- whether it’s an essay, an exam question, or assignments – is a form of academic dishonesty, since you are attempting to pass off someone else’s work as your own.  

On Wednesday, October 21st MacEwan University is taking part in the International Day of Action Against Contract Cheating. Some events happening throughout the day include: 

• Academic Integrity Student Webinar presented by Dr. Paul Sopcak (Academic Integrity Office) and Alycia Stewart (VP Academic of SAMU). Registration required. 

• Faculty Workshops hosted by MacEwan’s Academic Integrity Office, Teaching and Learning Services, and eLearning: Registration Required. 

MacEwan Library and the Writing Centre are here to help you through every stage of the research and writing process…for FREE!  

Here’s a few things you can do to get free help with your assignments: 

• Use the library’s live chat to get help finding sources for assignments 

• Make an appointment with your subject librarian for those tougher research questions 

• Make an appointment or attend a drop-in session with a Writing Centre Tutor to help with your essay outline, thesis statement, or citation formatting. You can also submit your essay online to get feedback before you hand it in. 

With all these free supports in place to help you through the research and writing process, there’s no need to pay a for-profit tutoring or essay-writing service. 

The Library and Writing Centre provide FREE services that comply with academic integrity! 

Questions? 

library@macewan.ca 

Open access journals and repositories make research conducted at MacEwan more available to those who need it, and expand the real world impact that it can have. This Open Access Week (Oct. 19-25), please join us in recognizing all the ways that members of MacEwan University make research and scholarship freely available to others online:

• Several faculty members have chosen to publish research articles in open access journals. Copies of many of these works are available in MacEwan’s research repository, RO@M. 
• RO@M also contains over 500 exceptional student works, including undergraduate theses, conference presentations, and creative works.   
• Dozens of articles by MacEwan students appear in open access journals hosted by the Library including the MacEwan University Student eJournal (MUSe) and Earth Common Journal. 
• The Library provides financial support to open access initiatives including:
  • Directory of Open Access Books
  • Directory of Open Access Journals
  • Érudit
  • Open Citations
  • Open Library of Humanities
  • Public Knowledge Project
  • Sherpa Romeo
  • SCOAP3 (Sponsoring Consortium for Open Access Publishing in Particle Physics)

To learn more about open access, visit our page on open access publishing or talk to your subject librarian.

Written by Adiki Puplampu, Writing Centre Peer Tutor, Bachelor of Communication Studies Class of 2021 

Numerous women have defined the course of literary history. From Sappho to Margaret Atwood, ancient and modern literature has been affected by the contributions of female writers. This women’s history month the Writing Centre and the Library would like to profile just three of the many writers who have paved the way for women in literature.  

Murasaki Shikibu

Murasaki Shikibu is credited as the author of the first modern full-length novel, The Tale of Genji (Encyclopedia Britannica; Ahlin, 2017). Shikibu (likely not her real name) was born around 978 and was a lady-in-waiting in the Japanese Imperial Court. Her novel chronicles the romantic exploits of her title character, Prince Genji, and offers a unique insight into the aristocratic culture of the time. Originally written around 1005, the book was first translated into English in 1935 by Arthur Waley. If you’re interested in reading her novel, the library has a copies of The Tale of Genji available to borrow.   

Sappho  

An acclaimed 6th century BCE poet, Sappho is often referred to as the first female writer (Trobetta, 2017). While little is known about the details of her life, she is considered both a feminist and LGBTQ+ icon (Trobetta, 2017; Mendelsohn, 2017). The Library has ebook collections of her poetry available to read! 

Octavia Butler  

A science-fiction legend, Butler is lauded for her exploration of the Black female experience in America (Trobetta, 2017). She is considered the “godmother of Afro-futurism” an aesthetic that has influenced shows like Black Mirror and the art of celebrities like Beyoncé (“The Relevant Genius”, 2018, para. 2). She was the first science fiction writer to receive the MacArthur Fellowship, better known as the “Genius Grant,” which was just one of many literary awards she would receive throughout her career (Trobetta, 2017). Electronic copies of her novels Parable of the Sower and Kindred are available through the library.  

This article is just a glimpse into the history of women in literature. For information on more female literary icons, check out the sources cited below.  

 
 
 
References  

Ahlin, C. (2017, March 7). 14 female authors who were ahead of their time. Bustle. https://www.bustle.com/p/14-female-authors-who-were-ahead-of-their-time-42522  

Trombetta, S. (2017, March 14). 13 female authors who have made history. Bustle. https://www.bustle.com/p/13-female-authors-who-have-broken-barriers-in-honor-of-womens-history-month-43724 

Encyclopedia Britannica. (n.d). Murasaki Shikibu. In Britannica. com. Retrieved October 8, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Shikibu-Murasaki  

The relevant genius of Octavia Butler. (2018, January 27). https://library.sva.edu/kaleidoscope/shelf-life/the-relevant-genius-of-octavia-butler-1  

Writing a research paper this term? Online workshops and other supports are available to help you meet your deadlines. 

Access time management and writing help: You’ve probably heard a few times by now that time management is important for online learning. The Writing Centre has some great resources to help you get started, you can submit your assignment at any stage for tutor feedback or you can book an online appointment with a tutor! Your appointment does not need to be assignment specific; the Writing Centre will work on time management strategies or give advice on overcoming writers' block. 

Set aside time to search for sources: When you’re planning to write your research papers, make sure you set aside enough time to research your topic too. It takes time to find and read high quality books and articles but we’re here to help! Librarians can help you streamline your searching and recommend places to find required sources. When you start your research early, you have lots of time to read the content, process the information, pick your quotes and paraphrase and begin your first draft. 

Get hands-on help finding sources: Come to one of our Research Essentials drop-in workshops! We have a variety of dates and times available so, pick one that works for you. We recommend attending a couple weeks before the due date of your assignment. Joan, the English Librarian, will be working through strategies and tips to take your research topic and turn it into a search strategy you can use to get high quality articles. 

Questions? 

library@macewan.ca 

To help you be as prepared as possible for the new term, here are 5 things you should know about the library: 

Your MacEwan ID card is your library card: 

• You can now skip the line and order your ID card online! 

• Use your MacEwan ID to borrow items from MacEwan Library and request items from our partner libraries like the University of Alberta and Concordia or from libraries all over the world. 

The Library has textbooks to borrow: 

• You can now borrow textbooks for 24hrs. Search for the title on our website, place a hold to join the queue, and get notified when its ready for pickup. 

• More details about our textbooks and other ways to access your textbooks this year are on our Textbooks and Course Materials page. 

We’ve got study space: 

• With renovations complete we now have a huge reading room on the third floor. We’ve also got tons of extra power outlets and task lights! 

• Quiet and silent study spaces are located on the third floor. 

• Bookable study rooms are currently unavailable. 

You can borrow laptops and other equipment: 

• Laptops are available to borrow for 3 days or a full term. Students must be currently enrolled in a course to borrow for 1 term and are available on a first come, first served basis. 

• We’ve also got phone charges, GoPro cameras, and more available on a first come, first served basis. A full list of our equipment is located on our Equipment and Laptop Lending page. 

We’re here to help: 

• Ask Librarians about: 

  • Finding your textbooks 

  • Borrowing items from the library 

  • Finding sources for your assignments 

  • Accessing our online databases 

  • Citations 

  • And more! 

• Ask Tutors and Writing Specialists about: 

  • Writing skills 

  • Citations 

  • Time management 

  • Avoiding plagiarism 

  • Study strategies  

  • And more! 

We wish you all the best of luck this term and look forward to seeing all the amazing things you do! 

Questions? library@macewan.ca 

To provide textbook access to as many students as possible, loan lengths are restricted to 24hrs. This means library textbooks cannot replace the level of access you would have when purchasing/renting your own copy. 

To borrow a textbook from the library (This service will begin on August 31): 

• Get your textbook information:

  • Enter your student ID# in bookstore textbook list generator 

  • OR log into Blackboard and get your textbook title from your course syllabus 

• Search the library website for your textbook title

  • Type the full title of your textbook into the search bar and put it in quotation marks: “World Religions: Western Traditions” 

• Place a hold  

  • You will get an email notification when your textbook is ready to pick up. You have 24hrs to pick up after being notified 

  • If multiple people have requested the textbook, you will be added to the queue. Find out your spot in the queue by logging into My Account 

• Pick up your textbook at the Library Services Desk (bring your Student ID Card) 

• Return your textbook

  • You can keep the textbook for 24hrs before returning it 

  • Overdue fines for textbooks are $2/day 

Additional textbook access options: 

See our Textbook and Course Materials for Students page for more ways to get access to your textbooks including renting, requesting scanned portions of your textbook, and more. 

As we approach the fall 2020 semester, MacEwan Library is working hard to provide alternative access to our Textbook Collection. The majority of textbooks we currently have on reserve are print copies and students cannot access them without coming into the Library. We recognize library copies do not replace the access students have when using a purchased or rented copy of their required textbook. For example, Library copies of textbooks do not include a code for online quizzes and supplementary materials which some courses require students to access.

To support faculty and students over the next few months, we are modifying our approach to acquiring course textbooks to ensure that students have access even in a primarily online, alternative delivery environment. However, this work is hampered as most major publishers will not sell electronic copies to libraries.

Enhanced textbook access options include: 

1. Scan on Demand – a new MacEwan Library service that makes it possible for students to request a scanned portion from any book in our print collections (including textbooks).  

   • This service is subject to MacEwan Fair Dealing Guidelines and multiple requests for the same title from the same person will not be filled. 

2. More copies of certain high-demand textbooks are being purchased to accommodate a 72hr quarantine period between uses. 

   • New for this Fall, students will be able to place holds on textbooks. 

To review all options available to students, visit our Find Textbooks page. 

Questions? 

Email us at collections@macewan.ca 

This article was inspired by “Commercial Textbooks Present Challenges in a Virtual Environment” by The University of Guelph Library. 

MacEwan students, faculty, and staff are now able to borrow items from MacEwan University Library's collections! As part of our relaunch strategy, we have been working hard to extend access to our collections.

Here’s how the service works: 

1. Find your item(s) in our catalogue, confirm the item is listed as “On Shelf,” and place a hold; placing a hold on an item that is “Checked Out” will result in long waits as recalls are not being processed at this time. 

2. Select MacEwan University Library as your pickup location. 

3. When your items are ready, you will get an email with pickup instructions. 

Following health and safety guidelines from the university and the government, all returned items will be quarantined for 72 hours before they can be borrowed again. All staff have been trained in proper processing of pick up items including using masks, gloves, and frequent handwashing. 

FAQs 

What is available to borrow? 

• Books 

• Print journals 

• CDs 

• DVDs 

What is not available to borrow? 

• Textbooks 

• Items in our Reserve Collection 

• Specialized technology like cameras, microphones, and raspberry pi kits (laptops can be borrowed through Tech Support) 

• Items from partner libraries such as the University of Alberta 

Who can borrow?

This service is only available to MacEwan students, faculty, and staff. External borrowers are encouraged to contact their home library to determine what services are available to them.

If I can’t borrow textbooks, what can I do? 

• Search the library website to see if we have an eBook version of your textbook. 

• You can request a scan of a single chapter or section of a textbook using our Scan on Demand service 

• Submit a request to purchase a copy. If the library is permitted by the publisher to purchase an eBook version, we will do our best to add it to our collection. 

What if I’m a distance student? 

Our Distance Delivery service has been restored for students currently registered in a distance program. If you are not registered in a distance program but live outside of Edmonton please contact library@macewan.ca.  

How do I return my items? 

All items will have a September 30th due date but you can return items to the book drop box outside the North entrance at 105th Ave and 107th St.  

Laptops and equipment can be returned to Tech Support in 7-292.