Study Breaks: Unwind With These Student Sponsored Events

As the countdown to the final exam period begins, the number of students found studying in the library is quickly increasing. Deadlines are approaching, and the stress of finals may be starting to set in amongst many.

Staying motivated, however, also requires you to take some breaks from studying from time to time. To encourage this, the McGill Library will be hosting Study Breaks. Sponsored by different clubs and associations here at McGill, Study Breaks will provide a snack and/or refreshment break for the community, allowing you to step away from your work and unwind for a bit.

Two upcoming Study Breaks will be taking place this semester, both taking place in the Innovation Commons in the McLennan-Redpath Complex.

The first, sponsored by the Chinese Students and Scholars Association, will take place from 12pm-2pm on Thursday, November 30th.

Sponsored by the Science Undergraduate Society, the second Study Break will take place from 12pm-2pm on Friday, December 1st.

Study Breaks are a great opportunity for everyone to unwind with a snack, so be sure to take full advantage of these events while you’re at the library!

A New Addition to the McGill Library Team!

The McGill Library would like to give a warm welcome to our newest Liaison Librarian for East Asian Studies Studies and Political Science, Hye-jin! In honour of this new addition, we spoke with Hye-jin to get to know her a bit more!

Q: What is your history with libraries? What inspired you to become a librarian?

Hye-jin Juhn (HJ): At the time I first thought about becoming a librarian, I was a Korean language professor at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California. As beautiful as the environment was, the place I felt most comfortable in was the library. I wanted to be part of the system that collects, stores, and disseminates information. I wanted to contribute to education in ways other than teaching, for example, by helping people with their self-education.

Q: Why did you choose to come work at McGill?

HJ: After more than a decade as the East Asian Studies Librarian at Notre Dame, I wanted new opportunities for growth. McGill seemed to be an ideal new environment to seek such opportunities in. Not only that the University is internationally renowned, the McGill Library is also reputable, especially among the East Asian librarians, for its innovative project, Ming Qing Women’s Writings. More than anything, I was impressed with the services and professional activities of the HSSL librarians that I learned from their publications and the library website. I had no doubt that this was a group I wanted to be part of.

Q: Do you have any interesting facts about yourself that you’d like to share?

HJ: I have important educational experience that doesn’t appear on my CV. After dropping out of my Ph.D. program, I considered becoming a carpenter. I consulted an administrator at a community college about whether it would be suitable for someone like me, who couldn’t do much heavy lifting, to pursue such a career. She told me that carpenters work collaboratively and there was room for every size and body weight in the carpentry world. In my beginner carpentry course, I learned to carefully plan and follow a sequence of actions for the best outcome. I also learned, in each action, to leave plenty of room for readjustments and mistakes. Even though my dream to become a carpenter never materialized, the skills from the experience have become important assets that I apply in everything I do at work and, of course, at home.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

HJ: I’m grateful to have the opportunity to serve the McGill Community as a member of the group of talented and dedicated library colleagues. I’m looking forward to contributing to all the library initiatives (such as the Fiat Lux Project). I’m also looking forward to the many celebrative moments ahead of us.

The Library is excited to have Hye-jin join the team of Liaison Librarians, a full list of which can be found here.

2023 Beatty Lecturer: Alanis Obomsawin

One of the most acclaimed Indigenous filmmakers in the world, Alanis Obomsawin, will deliver the 2023 Beatty Lecture at McGill University on Monday, October 16 from 6-7PM at Pollack Hall in McGill’s Strathcona Music Building. Tickets went on sale last week — $5 for students and $10 for general admission. For details visit www.mcgill.ca/beatty/upcoming-lecture or the Facebook event page.

Obomsawin has been creating documentaries for over five decades. Her extraordinary body of work includes the landmark film, Kanehsatake: 270 Years of Resistance, released in 1993, which documents the 1990 Kanien’kéhaka (Mohawk) uprising in Kanehsatake and Oka. The National Film Board of Canada has archived Obomsawin’s films and they can be streamed for free here. You can also access most of her films through McGill Libraries (e-video and DVD), as well as some secondary sources, including Alanis Obomsawin: Lifework and Alanis Obomsawin: the vision of a native filmmaker.

Photo credit: Julie Artacho