New Redpath book display: Climate change and the Anthropocene – Don’t lose hope!

Climate change is absolutely the issue of our times. Right now, Australia’s burning, the Amazon’s burning, Siberia’s burning. Indonesia’s drowning. There are avalanches and floods in Pakistan. In Canada, we’ve seen extreme fire seasons in the west, flooding in the east, the Arctic sea ice at its lowest in the satellite record. At the same time, we’re experiencing the world’s sixth mass extinction, and this one’s because of us.

This month’s book display offers a look at the extent of the problem, and because that can leave you feeling hopeless, we’ve included plenty of books on making change. Have a look, borrow a book, get active.

If you’d like to consult the book list (which also contains e-books that aren’t on the physical display), you can find it here.

You’ll find the book display in its usual place, but the books on book trucks while we await our fancy new book display shelving.

You Won’t Get Puzzled if You Map it Out

Nestled in the passageway between McLennan and Redpath, a new arrival is finally bringing cartographers to the table (literally). That’s right, a new puzzle is here! What’s special about this puzzle is that it’s no store-bought piece. This one is custom-made, using a scan taken from the McGill map collection. The puzzle is located at the typical spot, the De-Stress Station, along with the original map it’s based on being shown-off right next to it.

This particular puzzle features a soil map of Australia, completed in 1960 by the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Division of Soils. This is the first of what is hoped to be many puzzles made from content in the McGill map collection. If you’re interested, come and take a peek! If the student record is anything to go by, it won’t be long until this puzzle is complete.

While the map collection may not be the most well-known part of the McLennan Library, we still like it. After all, we’d be lost without it.

New Quiet Pods: Thanks PGSS!

Filling a need, once again, thanks to funding from the PGSS Library Improvement Fund, the Humanities and Social Sciences Library has just received two new “Quiet Pods”.

Students in search of a silent room to hold a private telephone call, web conference or job interview have two new spaces to try in HSSL.

The pods are soundproof. They have power in their shelf, and a light and fan for circulation that turns on as soon as the pod is occupied.

 

The pods were designed and built by Framery, an award-winning office design firm in Finland. The Framery O pod is constructed with sustainably sourced materials. The pods are echo-free and provide a comfortable working environment for one, that includes access to McGill’s wireless network.

Located on the main floor (M1) of the McLennan Library building, adjacent the Recently received – newspapers and journals shelves, the pods are currently available without a booking. Be sure to send us your feedback, once you have tried one.