Looking to learn a new skill, and meet new people? Maybe relieve some stress as we get closer to the end of term? The Library is hosting a series of free Crochet Workshops where you will learn basic crochet skills, and create an amigurumi crochet hot cocoa mug that unrolls to become a cozy scarf.

This design can be found in  Make: fabric and fiber inventions, a print title from the Library’s collection. Crochet workshops will take place on Tuesday, April 3^rd and 10th, from 10:30 am – 12 p.m. in the Library’s Digital Media Experience Lab (DME), located on the 3rd floor of the Student Learning Centre.  Materials will be supplied by the DME.  Please register by sending an email to Librarian Trina Grover at tgrover@ryerson.ca

To keep up with our crafty adventures, please follow us on Instagram: @rulaknithappens

This is a very busy time of year for our community, and with exams being right around the corner, we thought it would be a good time to highlight some of our options for de-stressing around campus.

The Ryerson Students’ Union has a new Wellness Centre where you can focus on your mental wellbeing and overall wellness on campus. There are various programs and resources which provide the ability to relax, decompress, and talk. Programs include peer-to-peer counselling, creative workshops, Netflix marathons, and puzzles and board games. A full list of programs can be found here.

Did you know that you can cuddle with RU Therapy Dogs every Wednesday on campus? It’s amazing what a cuddle from a sweet pup can do for your wellbeing. Stay up to date on when and where the therapy dogs can be found by following them on Facebook and Twitter.

Ryerson Recreation offers yoga and meditation classes for beginners and experts alike at the RAC. There are 5 free group fitness classes a week (highlighted in yellow on the schedule) as well as the the option to pay a flat fee for the full range of classes.

You may just want to curl up in your favourite spot in the library or SLC with a good book. We have many books in the library on managing stress. Or you may want to pick up one of the books from our popular reading collection, located on the first floor of the library near the elevators. We curate these books with the intention of allowing you to escape the real world with a good read.

However you choose to take care of yourself at this time of year, RULA wishes you all the best with your final projects and exams!

 

 

Seven days a week, the Library is open to 1:00 a.m. We couldn’t do this without the help of our trusty Student Library Assistants.

They’re here late into the night and on the weekends. Maybe they’ve helped you find a book after class or you’ve seen them take headouts in the Library. Maybe they’ve help you with printing after CCS Tech Help has gone home or you’ve seen them tidy up study spaces after most people have left. Our Student Library Assistants are an integral part of the RULA team and we consider them student experts on using RULA. Today, we feature three of our student staff as they share tips for using the Library and exploring the city.

 

Lia, Psychology

Favourite Spot in Toronto: My favourite spot would have to be Kensington Market. I love the vibrant colours and the wall art as well as the little restaurants. It’s an inspiring neighbourhood for creatives.
Advice for Library Patrons: An advice would be to respect the space, throw away your garbage, and leave your station clean for the next person using it after you.

 

Hana, Industrial Engineering

Favourite Spot in Toronto: My favourite activity in the city is taking the ferry to Centre Island.
Advice for Library Patrons: A tip I have for students is to not give up when a book you need isn’t available at the Ryerson Library. Through RACER you can request a book from other university libraries. So before buying a book outright, try your luck by making a request through the RACER program.

 

Matthew, Psychology

Favourite Spot in Toronto: The Scarborough Bluffs are amazing!
Advice for Library Patrons: In the Library, quiet is key. Most of us here in the evening are trying to finish that paper due at 11:59 p.m. on D2L, and a stress-free work environment can be the difference between a pass and a fail, so I’d say quiet helps you and everyone around you.

For details about any of the policies and resources mentioned, check our website or speak to Library staff!

Valentine’s Day happens during the coldest time of year so why not curl up somewhere warm with a classic love story?

Some classic romantic books we have in our collection include:

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Blue is the Warmest Color by Julie Maroh

Grey by E.L. James

Call Me By Your Name by Andre Aciman (coming soon)

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

We also have a vast number of movies available in our collection including:

Casablanca

Moonlight

Brokeback Mountain

The Notebook

Lady and the Tramp

It Happened One Night

You can also check out the list of romance movies that the Ryerson community has access to through Kanopy streaming, including indie films, documentaries, and classics:

Kanopy 

Happy Valentine’s Day from RULA!

 

 

We are pleased to share a video that Scholars Portal has produced about the Accessible Content ePortal (ACE), a service that students registered with Ryerson’s Student Learning Support services can use: https://youtu.be/QsURuUpnqTc

 This video shows how Accessible Content ePortal (ACE) service support staff convert library print materials into accessible formats, following the progression of a digitization request from the initial meeting with an accessibility coordinator to the moment the library user is able to read the book using their preferred technology.

The Accessible Content E-Portal (ACE) supports users with print disabilities at participating Ontario universities and colleges by making library collections accessible through an online platform. ACE contains a variety of library books which have been digitized and made available in accessible formats. Eligible users can also request books to be digitized and added to the collection on demand through our on-demand digitization service.  A centralized and standardized production centre is provided by our digitization partner Internet Archive Canada, allowing participating schools to access high-quality digitized materials in five accessible formats.

 

For more information about ACE, please visit: http://guides.scholarsportal.info/ace/portal

If you have any questions or comments, please contact ace@scholarsportal.info

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsURuUpnqTc&feature=youtu.be

A key partnership between the Library and the the Office of the Vice-President, Research and Innovation (OVPRI) is helping shape the future of research data management (RDM) services in Canada, with two key events taking place on the Ryerson campus this week.  Research data management  refers to the organization, storage, preservation, and sharing of data collected and used in a research project. RDM helps to increase research impact, and facilitates the sharing of research data – when shared, data can lead to valuable discoveries by others outside of the original research team.

The OVPRI recently hosted a Tri-Agency pre-consultation about RDM policies. This meeting included representation from CIHR, NSERC and SSHRC, and included members from research offices, libraries and ethics boards from a number of universities across Ontario. Attendees provided feedback that will help inform the upcoming Tri-Agency policy on RDM.

The Library has been deeply involved with planning and hosting  Portage and RDM in Canada on Tuesday, January 30th, 2018.  This is a full-day event on the subject of research data management (RDM) best-practices, and the need for coordinated institutional, domain, and national data management services in Canada.

Chief Librarian Carol Shepstone is providing welcoming remarks, with Dr. Steven Liss, Ryerson’s Vice-President, Research and Innovation moderating a panel including researchers and university administrators.  Attendees from across the country will  be participating in workshops on tools important to RDM planning and data deposit. The event will be streamed on Ryecast: https://ryecast.ryerson.ca/1/page/LiveEvents.aspx

For more information on RDM planning at Ryerson, please contact Matt Gertler, Data Librarian at matthew.gertler@ryerson.ca

 

After leading the Ryerson Library and Archives (RULA) through a decade of transformation, Madeleine Lefebvre is stepping down as Chief Librarian. When Madeleine arrived at Toronto Metropolitan University for the first of two five-year terms, the library was on the cusp of evolutionary change. During Madeleine’s tenure, innovative services and technologies put RULA at the forefront of support for digital literacy, e-learning and entrepreneurial skill development at academic university libraries.

Madeleine’s vision took the library beyond existing boundaries – physically, intellectually and creatively. Her role in the conceptualization, design and development of the award-winning Student Learning Centre enhanced technology-enabled learning at Ryerson. Madeleine encouraged digital innovation at RULA and Ryerson by supporting opportunities to move beyond traditional information management to participate in the creation, mobilization and sharing of knowledge. RULA embarked on numerous academic collaborations that have included the augmented-reality app created in conjunction with the Discover St. Clair website (http://apps.library.torontomu.ca/stclair/) and a partnership with the Ryerson Image Centre in unveiling the real-life inspiration of Winnie the Pooh (https://therealwinnie.torontomu.ca/). Other partnerships under Madeleine’s guidance have resulted in initiatives with significant impact for student and faculty academic success, including the highly popular One Stop Course Readings and open access publishing.

With the opening in 2015 of the library’s Isaac Olowolafe Jr. Digital Media Experience Lab, and the brand new Ryerson Library Collaboratory, RULA has come to play an important role in promoting digital literacy and supporting technology in learning and teaching. Madeleine’s vision is now RULA’s continuing legacy.

Madeleine will be on post admin leave until January 10, 2019, when she will return to the Library in another capacity.

Clive Powell, who was instrumental in bringing The McGraw-Hill Ryerson Press Collection to the Ryerson Library and Archives, was recently awarded an inaugural G. Raymond Chang Outstanding Volunteer Award in recognition of his role.

As a retired McGraw-Hill senior executive, Clive has dedicated himself since 2011 to documenting the Ryerson Press Collection, acquired by McGraw-Hill through its purchase of Ryerson Press in 1971. The collection, which includes almost 3000 book titles and more than 2000 related archival documents, has been donated to the Special Collections unit of Ryerson Library and Archives. Clive has conducted extensive research into various aspects of the collection, has produced a video and writes a blog.

Clive presented a paper about his work on the collection at the 2017 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences on May 30 at Toronto Metropolitan University. He was one of four presenters in a joint session of the Bibliographical Society of Canada and the Canadian Association for the Study of Book Culture. His talk, The Ryerson Press: An Enduring Legacy, was part of a panel on Writing, Printing and Publishing for Markets at Home and Abroad.

The first annual G. Raymond Chang Outstanding Volunteer Awards program was launched to recognize the many ways that volunteers contribute to life and learning at Toronto Metropolitan University. The awards are named in honour of the late G. Raymond Chang, former chancellor of Toronto Metropolitan University, for his deep belief in the importance of volunteering.

 

Congratulations to our graduating student employees!  The Library annually recognizes their contributions by giving them the opportunity to suggest items to add to the collection.  The items selected by the students have been purchased and are now available at the Library, with a mention of the contributors in the catalogue records, as well as in each of the chosen items themselves.

In the photo, recent graduates Charles Ko (upper left), Maham Hijazi (upper right), Zobia Qureshi (lower left) and Monique Aaron (lower right) display their requested titles, now part of the Library collection.

Requested titles include Tools of Titans (2016), X-Men: Magneto Testament (2015), Planet Earth II (2017), The Giving Tree (1992).