Ask Me Anything on Reddit – A Year In Review

On the faithful day of March 11th, 2021, Amanda took to reddit to see what the r/mcgill community were asking. After a tumultuous year full of change, we are reviewing some answers to showcase some of the things that are back at the McGill Library.

Resources

Q: What are the 3 top library resources/services you would recommend a new student at McGill look into?

A: Number one resource I would recommend for new students are the subject guides! Links are available right off the homepage. Each faculty, department, subject, etc. has been broken down into guides that indicate all the best resources to use for research in that area. 

Number two is citation or reference managers. There are tools like Zotero and EndNote which can help you organize your sources, generate citations, and input them into a Word document with ease. This is one of those things that I wish I knew about when I was a student (yes, they’ve been around that long) since it makes your life so much easier.  

Number three is our Ask Us chat service, or just talking to a librarian in general. This was also something I didn’t know you could do as a student. When I went to go find my research, I just assumed I knew everything and didn’t need help, but honestly my search skills were trash! I had no idea what I was doing. If I had just emailed my librarian and asked the best way to find articles in my subject, I probably would have gotten better grades too.  

UPDATE: These three resources are still some of the best starting points and super useful for new students. Since then, we have also create an orientation booklet full with library informations, games, and well-being tips. You can check it out on the orientation page.

Cool Features

Q: What is the coolest library feature students don’t take advantage of?

A: In a similar question I mentioned more of our services so for this one, I had the help of our Outreach Assistants to pick out some of the coolest places in the Humanities and Social Sciences Library that you can take advantage of when we reopen!

First, the Zen Room! It’s tucked away on the 6th floor of the McLennan next to the washrooms.

The McLennan 4th floor Visual Arts Collection is accessible and beautiful – perfect for a study break!

And if you need to blow of steam, there are stationary bikes on the main floor of Redpath.

UPDATE: Firstly, while majority of the library is open the zen room remains closed! You can find updates by checking out the page. The 4th floor Visual Arts Collection is open and the chains in front of the art are great places to relax. Lastly, the Innovation Commons is back in action with an all new One-Button Studio. To learn more read our latest blog post.

Book Loans

Q: Can I check out a physical book from McLennan?

UPDATE: Our book loaning services are back to normal! Simply find the book you would like to take out by wandering through the stacks or requesting a pick-up and take it to the front desk or one of our self-checkout machines.

Study Pods

Q: If you were a student at McGill, which library would you study at? I have a few favourites, but I’m curious what yours would be!

A: Personally, I’d probably study at the Music Library. I love those comfy chairs that face the window out onto Sherbrooke. That’s exactly the kind of place I would curl up for the day. I checked in with our Outreach Assistants on this though, since my ideal study spot is my couch 😛 They vote for the Humanities and Social Sciences Library (aka McLennan-Redpath Building) since it’s got that community feel and easy access to the café! They both miss those bookable study pods, and I can’t blame them. 

UPDATE: A year later our study pods are back open! You can book a room on the reservation website. The Music library, especially with the sun coming out more often, is an awesome space to get that Vitamin D while studying with it’s wonderful windows.

Fun Things to Access

Q: What cool things are there in the library that students do not generally know about and how might they access them (in an imaginary world where the pandemic is over).

A:

Okay I could probably go on and on about a bunch, so I’ve picked 4 for your viewing pleasure today! 

Our Digital Scholarship Hub launched pre-pandemic, but we never got to have an official opening for the space. In addition to a designated hub, there are experts who can help you on subjects like text analysis, data mining, data visualization, scholarly publishing, research data management, and more! 

The Innovation Commons (formerly Research Commons) is also adding some cool new features for when we return to the library, like a one-button studio so you can record content. 

The Book Arts Laboratory is in our Rare Books and Special Collections department. They have two functional printing presses. I made a card for my mother on one of them and it was gorgeous!  

Oh! And don’t forget about that Seed Library over on the MacDonald Campus, which helps to offer seeds and other gardening resources to our McGill Community.  

UPDATE: The Digital Scholarship Hub is now open! You can check out their spaces, resources and events on their website.


Thanks for going down memory lane with us! If you have any other questions about what has changed in the library email hssl.library@mcgill.ca

Digital Scholarships Hub Winter 2021 Workshop Schedule

by Vanja Lugonjic and Maya Willard-Stepan

Did you know that the Library offers free online workshops to help with your research?

Winter Schedule - Digital Scholarship Hub

The Digital Scholarship Hub at the McGill Library is proud to present its Winter 2021 Workshop Schedule. This semester we are offering 31 interactive workshops, and lively discussions on artificial intelligence, research data management, digital scholarship tools, scholarly communications, and more!

Love Data Week

Workshops are listed on our Digital Scholarship Hub’s calendar and the Library’s workshops page. We have put together a few noteworthy events to check out!

From February 8th – 12th the McGill library is hosting Love Data week. We will be offering workshops on data analysis ethics, and much more throughout the week.  Take a look at some of our offerings.


“What’s the Deal with Data?”

Monday Feb 8th, 10:00 -11:00 AM EST

Kicking off Love data week, this session will give individuals an introduction to the world of data, including the what, why, where, and how of data. For those who are uncertain about data, and want to start learning something new – includes examples in both standard (like the social sciences) and non-standard fields (such as art).

Register here.


“#CovidArt: Bridging the Gap Between Science, Art, and the Public”

Thursday, Feb 11th, 10:00 am to 11am 

In the summer of 2020, Récherche Québec launched an initiative that asked artists and researchers to collaborate on an art project under the hashtag #covidart. Artist Shelley Miller and epidemiologist Joanna Merckx worked together on Graphic/Graphique, a mural that uses data to visualize how the different Montreal boroughs were affected by the first wave of COVID-19. Join them for a conversation about their project, data use for art, alternative ways of disseminating data, and the intersection between STEM and Art.

Register here.


“Know your Rights: What to consider before you submit to a journal and sign a copyright transfer agreement” 

Tuesday, February 16, 12:00- 1:30 PM EST

This workshop will engage in practical, hands-on exercises to review the author agreements of major journal publishers. During the session we will look at actual copyright transfer agreements and publisher policies.

At the end of this session participants will be able to: identify and compare copyright transfer agreements between journal publishers, Evaluate journals based on their author rights agreements, and describe which author rights are retained/transferred in these agreements. If you’ve published (or are planning to publish soon), please bring along any relevant examples from your own experience. 

Register here.


“Keeping up with Artificial Intelligence: AI Ethics & Bias”

Tuesday, March 23rd, 2:30-4:30 PM EST

This presentation aims to cover some of the core issues surrounding the ethical debate with AI, open up discussions about how to overcome these issues, and broaden our understanding of the technology. Participants will delve into case studies for biased AI, promote ethical solutions for AI development, evaluate the privacy concerns of AI in everyday use and navigate the current landscape of AI policies.

*Note that this workshop will not discuss the mechanics of AI, but rather its implications on society.

Register here.


We also offer support for digital research projects of McGill faculty, students, and staff tailored to their research needs. Contact us to schedule an appointment with one of our experts.

Questions? Contact us at dshub.library@mcgill.ca

Fall 2020 Workshops from the Digital Scholarship Hub

Did you know that the Library offers free online workshops to help with your research?

The Digital Scholarship Hub at the McGill Library is proud to present its Fall 2020 Workshop Schedule. This semester we are offering 27 interactive workshops and lively discussions on artificial intelligence, research data management, digital scholarship tools, scholarly communications, and more!

Workshops are listed on our Digital Scholarship Hub’s calendar and the Library’s workshops page. Some of the offerings include:


Introduction to Research Data Management

Tuesday, October 6, 2:00pm (Eastern)

Register

This workshop will provide attendees with an overview of the best practices for efficiently managing data during the research process. Just like project management, implementing effective research data management (RDM) practices is an important way to save time, stay organized, and ensure that your research process and results are reproducible; a cornerstone of robust research. Attendees will participate in hands-on activities to learn about file naming conventions, file formats, and metadata. We will also briefly introduce related topics such as documentation (e.g. README files) and the preservation and storage of data over time. Towards the end of the session, there will also be time to ask questions and discuss RDM in the context of your own discipline. 


First Steps in the Digital Humanities

Friday, October 16, 2:00pm (Eastern)

Register

Are you interested in exploring the exciting field of Digital Humanities but having trouble figuring out where to start? This session is for you. Designed for newcomers to DH, it will help you to orient yourself it this “expanded field” by understanding its history and key related concepts, as well as set you up for understanding how you might approach getting started with a digital project with or without technical expertise.

Introduction to Digital Privacy & Tools

Wednesday, October 28, 2:00pm (Eastern)

Register

This workshop will be of interest to those who want to learn more about online privacy, our personal data, how it is collected, and its potential uses. This will be a venue for reflection and discussion, with an overview at the end of some of the tools at our disposal to help us safeguard our privacy.


We also offer support for digital research projects of McGill faculty, students, and staff tailored to their research needs. Contact us to schedule an appointment with one of our experts.

Questions? Contact us at dshub.library@mcgill.ca.