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Library Services and Learning Commons Virtual Open House

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Start the year off on the right foot – find out about all the resources and services available to you at the BCIT Library and Learning Commons Virtual Open House – and maybe win a prize!

When: Wednesday, September 22nd, between 5-6pm

Where: Zoom

Don’t know where to get your ID card? … How to access free tutoring? … What an Interlibrary Loan is? … How to find and access books and articles? … All these and many more questions will be answered by attending our informative and FREE virtual Open House!

This one hour session will include a short introduction to our libraries and give you the opportunity to join break-out into rooms to find out more about our online and in-person services and spaces including:

  • Circulation
  • Research Help
  • MediaWorks
  • Learning Commons
  • Satellite Campuses
  • Interlibrary Loans

Registration required.

PRIZES!!! First 25 participants to register will get a goodie bag filled with BCIT Library swag. All registered participants will be entered for a chance to win 1 of 2 $50 gift cards to Amazon.

A reminder with the Zoom link will be emailed 1 day before the event.

See you there!

Register here.

Science Literacy Week, Sept. 20-26, 2021

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C is for Climate

This year’s theme is climate.

Join us for a week long celebration of science at BCIT Library.

Seed Library Photo Contest

If you planted some seeds from the Seed Library last spring or summer and took some photos we’d love to see them and post them to our Seed Library guide!

Email your photos to agriffin11@bcit.ca – don’t be shy, send us the good, the bad and the ugly!

At the end of the week we will make a random draw from everyone who emailed for  a super Sci-Lit prize pack (valued at over $100) provided by BCIT Applied Research Liaison Office.

Wait, There’s More!

Want to know more about bee keeping? Want to join in on a fun film trivia contest? Want a chance to win prizes?

For more info visit SLW 2021.

 

BCIT Library Research Help

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Having some trouble acquiring peer-reviewed articles? Need a little guidance on how to cite your sources? Are you new to campus and would like to know what services are offered? Our library is happy to assist you!

The BCIT Reference and Information Desk is able to support the BCIT community by providing assistance with:

  • Locating materials in the library
  • Information about the library and available services
  • Printing and electronic information instruction
  • Identifying appropriate resources for specific research needs
  • Citation Help
  • Acquiring alternate resources through Interlibrary Loans
  • Online Databases, eResources, and Subject Guides

Contact us:

In Person

  • At the Burnaby Campus Help Desk on the Main Level of SE–14. Hours are as follows:
Monday to Thursday 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
  • At ATC Library during regular hours. Transportation Librarian is onsite Fridays.
  • At BMC Library during regular hours. Transportation Librarian is on site Wednesdays.
  • Book an appointment with the Librarian for your program.

 

AskAway – Live Chat

September 7 – 19, 2021
Monday to Friday 9:00 am  to 5:00 pm
Saturday, Sunday, Statutory Holidays Closed
   
September 20 – December 10, 2021
Monday to Thursday 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
Friday 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am to 5:00 pm
Sunday 10:00 am – 9:00 pm
Statutory Holidays Closed

Email

Phone

  • Call the Help Desk at 604-432-8371 during reference hours. Please leave a voice mail when the desk is not open.
  • ATC Library at 604-419-3708
  • BMC Library at 604-453-4107
  • Call the Liaison librarian for your program.

 

For more information, visit the BCIT Library website.

AskAway Chat with A Librarian Service Closed Aug. 14th-Sept. 6th, 2021. Service resumes Sept. 7th, 2021.

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Closed Saturday, August 14th – Monday, September 6th, 2021.

During the AskAway intersession break, please direct any research assistance requests to :

AskAway Resumes Tuesday, September 7th – Friday, December 10th,  2021

Hours of Service

Tuesday, September 7th  – Sunday, September 19th (AskAway opening 2 weeks early with shorter hours)
Monday-Friday | 9am – 5pm

Monday, September 20th – Friday, December 10th
Monday-Thursday | 9am – 9pm
Friday | 9am – 5pm
Saturday | 11am – 5pm
Sunday | 10am – 9pm

 

BCIT Librarians will be Online:

Monday | 10am- 1pm
Tuesday | 11am – 12 noon, 6pm – 7pm
Thursday | 11am – 1pm, 5pm – 7pm

 

AskAway will be closed on the following Stat Holidays:

Closed: Thursday, September 30, 2021
Closed: Monday, October 11, 2021
Closed: Thursday, November 11, 2021
Fall Service Closes: Friday, December 10, 2021

AskAway Summer Term (July 5 – August 13) Dates and Hours of Service

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AskAway will be closed Thursday July 1st. The Spring service schedule will continue thru Sunday July 4th.

AskAway Hours of Service

Monday-Thursday | 9am – 9pm
Friday | 9am – 5pm
Saturday | 11am – 5pm
Sunday | 10am – 9pm

BCIT Library Staff will be on AskAway

Monday-Friday | 11am – 1pm
Monday | 9am – 10am, 4pm – 7pm
Tuesday | 1pm – 2pm
Wednesday | 5pm – 6pm

AskAway will be closed on the following Stat Holidays

Closed Holiday: Mon. August 2nd

Service Closes: Friday, August 13, 2021

BCIT AskAway Chat with A Librarian Service

Our Students Can Get Help Online with:

  • research
  • citations
  • using the library
  • finding materials
  • journal databases
  • troubleshooting access to Library materials
  • other library topics

Link to BCIT AskAway Chat: https://www.bcit.ca/library/askalibrarian.shtml

AskAway is especially useful to our remote, off-campus students and is available late evenings and on weekends.

About AskAway

AskAway is a chat reference service for BC’s post-secondary institutions.

AskAway sessions are in real-time, and are staffed by Librarians from post-secondary institutions in B.C.

Today’s Special …

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By Glenice Lilje

I have never been a green thumb.  This has always been a sore spot for me as I come from a line of relatives that made their living as farmers, and yet, I cannot even keep a cactus to save my life. When BCIT first offered a seed library, I thought that I couldn’t possibly participate and that my home was a hostile environment when it came to plants.  However, I was still determined and wanted to bask in some of the benefits from gardening and plant tending.

After talking to some plant enthusiasts, I learned that I was actually a little over zealous in my watering and different plants enjoy varying levels of sunlight.  Cut to today where I am now enjoying my suburban oasis filled with many climbing plants and Monsteras, as well as an edible garden on my balcony.

Here are some resources that helped me overcome my trials and tribulations to become the crazy plant lady I am today:

Backyard Bounty – 2nd Edition: The Complete Guide to Year-Round Organic Gardening in the Pacific Northwest by Linda Gilkeson, 2018

Has the pandemic inspired you to start a garden?  Do you aspire to grow your own food but feel that it may be too time consuming or challenging with your busy schedule? Master gardener Linda Gilkeson will curb any hesitancy by breaking down any challenges and provide helpful insights to turn anyone into a green thumb!  Packed with a plethora of information, this guide highlights low-maintenance methods, what to do about common pests and how to make your garden more resilient to the changing climate.  This book comes highly regarded from BC gardeners and perfect for novice and experienced gardeners alike!

The New Seed-Starters Handbook by Nancy Bubel, 2018

Why start from seeds when you can just buy the seedlings? Starting plants from seeds can make for earlier harvests, healthier seedlings, lower costs and can result in a greater variety. Not to mention the feeling of satisfaction one gets when watching their plants develop and blossom after starting off as just a tiny seed. This handbook will guide the reader through the latest in seed starting research, growing materials and media, as well as troubleshooting tips.  It also comes with a plethora of information on over 200 plants-including vegetables, herbs, trees, fruits, garden flowers and much,much more.

 

Rodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening by Deborah L. Martin, 2017

Rodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening has been a gardener’s go-to resource for over 50 years. With over fifty gardening experts and writers contributing to the book, green thumbs of all levels can find information on how to start and/or maintain their community/urban gardens, find out more about edible landscaping, stonescaping and even horticultural therapy (say that 3x fast!). This updated version has added comprehensive coverage on earth-friendly techniques, what to do about invasive plants and insects, how to reduce energy use and recycling and also touches on wise water management.

Ready to take the plunge or would like a little more information?  Check out BCIT’s Seed Library.

Request and material pick-up information here.

Today’s Special …

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by Erica Huntley

Social Chemistry: Decoding the patterns of human connection by Marissa King, 2020

Marissa King, professor of organizational behavior at the Yale School of Management offers insight into the forms of networking common in our era. Social Chemistry: Decoding the elements of human connection classifies three styles of networking; Expansionist, Broker and Convener. Using examples of well-known and successful celebrities, the book offers more than just quick tips on social networking. Offered instead are broader sociological and psychological concepts of social networks and their impact on the job elsewhere.

 

 

Exercised: Why something we never evolved to do is healthy and rewarding by Daniel Lieberman, 2020

Evolutionary biologist, Daniel Lieberman shares some of his life’s work studying running  and exercise while busting common myths about it. Both entertaining and informative, Exercised steers away from the blaming or shaming mentality, offering up helpful tips to get you fit. Read this book and be inspired to keep up your own exercise routine, or start one!

 

Making it personal: algorithmic personalization, identity and everyday life by Tanya Kant, 2020

A critical analysis of the personalization of the internet, Making it personal: algorithmic personalization, identity and everyday life explores the implications of personalized content on selfhood and identity construction. This book is for anyone studying or wondering about the impact of algorithmic personalization on knowledge production, autonomy, cultural capital, and formations of self.

Request and material pick-up information here.

Today’s Special …

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By Jarrett Seto

Alchemy for the Soul

In the midst of a global pandemic, the monotony and horror of our day to day lives can be overwhelming, and understandably so. Sometimes it’s pleasant (ad infinitum) to escape from the endless cycle of Covid, conspiracy theories, and climate change (and let’s not forget the global resurgence of authoritarianism and fascism).  It is exhausting. But what’s not exhausting, is diving into new worlds and realities where we can leave the unwanted mess of our own planet behind. Each of these fantasy novels brings something unique and different to the table, and hopefully you’ll want to read other books by these wonderful authors after you finish The Empire of Gold, The Rage of Dragons, and The Essex Serpent.

 

The Empire of Gold By S.A. Chakraborty (2020)

The dramatic final book of the SA. Chakraborty’s renowned Daevabad Trilogy. You’ll enjoy the intelligent characters who are able to talk things out without the average doses of miscommunication or comedy of errors. The characters have evolved from the first book, and the expansive world building does not take away from the plot. The Empire of Gold is a solid mixture of fantasy, romance, and politics, so readers will enjoy this amalgamation.

 

 

The Rage of Dragons By Evan Winter (2019)

Book One of the Burning series by Canadian author Evan Winter is unlike traditional fantasy narratives. Containing African revenge fantasy influences, this installment thrusts you into a society living in a state of perpetual warfare with a brutal caste system. Join our young protagonist Tau Solarin as he prepares for his warrior trials. The stakes are incredibly steep and his choices aren’t great, and things do not go according to plan. Be prepared to stay up late, reading page after page of this epic revenge fantasy.

 

The Essex Serpent: A Novel By Sarah Perry (2016)

In 1893, after the death of her abusive husband, Cora Seaborne retreats from bustling London for the coast to take up amateur paleontology. When a nearby earthquake occurs, it’s rumoured to have woken up the mythical Essex Serpent. Is it a myth? Is it a long lost dinosaur, somehow surviving undetected? Or is it a gigantic serpent? Perry uses the Gothic novel to frame concerns about morality, medicine, science, and religion. The Essex Serpent is an empowering novel, about a strong female character who plays by the beat of her own drum in an excessively patriarchal society.

Request and material pick-up information here.

Ed Tech Tools & Tips 3: Create Interactive Videos with H5P

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For instructional videos, how long is too long? Research by Techsmith, the makers of Camtasia (which incidentally BCIT has a free staff subscription to) suggests that people prefer short videos, usually in the 3-6 minute range. But that figure really varies. If you reach the audience that is interested in your topic, and you have engaging content that meets their expectations, people will stick with you way longer than that. The same TechSmith blog has helpful tips for making sure you keep your audience until the credits role. They include prompting “viewers to actively follow along with your video, post thought-provoking questions and ask for comments, feedback, and other engagement.” And that’s where H5P comes in.

With H5P, you can add interactive elements into your video to encourage your audience to stay actively engaged in your content. What does that look like?  Check out my first experiment with H5P; it’s a video I did for Annacis Island Campus to promote Library services there.

https://h5p.commons.bcit.ca/wp-admin/admin-ajax.php?action=h5p_embed&id=1104

If you got through the whole thing, you probably noticed my weird narrative enunciation, but also hopefully a number of elements, some interactive, embedded in the video. There are the drop-down quizzes, section headings, live hyperlinks, and a summary activity.  In addition to links, images or text, you can embed the following question types:

  • True/False
  • Fill in the Blank
  • Multiple Choice
  • Drag and drops (matching)
  • Navigation

By the way, if you want to see some more dynamic (=better) uses of H5P, check out the Vital Sign Measurement Across the Lifespan textbook on BC Campus. There’s really impressive integration of H5P videos in the text. I hope one day all textbooks look like this.

But does H5P (and other similar tools) make a difference in student learning? The technology is fairly new but some research is encouraging. For example a study at Utrecht University found that pop-up questions in videos did improve student performance on tests, and this was true whether or not the tested item had been addressed in a pop-up question. The researchers speculate that the mere presence of pop-up questions focuses students’ attention on the video generally. At least, it seems to foster the sort of active learning that is a tenet of BCIT’s e-Learning Strategy while supporting instructors’ “capacity to create and maintain their own e-learning environments.”

Are you sold? Here’s how to get started:

REGISTER: Contact your IDC liaison at the LTC or fill out the “Request Help” form at https://h5p.commons.bcit.ca/  and someone from the LTC will get back to you.

EXPLORE: Once you are in go to “H5P Content” and get some ideas of what you would like to do in your video.  Marvel at some of the impressive work done by your colleagues. Click on “Add new” and “Details” to explore examples of the various content types.

CREATE: Drop your YouTube video into the Interactive Video tool and consider the type of license you want to use for your content. Then, start adding those interactions. When you are done creating, use the ‘embed’ tool at the bottom of the screen to load it into your course Hub.

That’s it! If you run into snags, check out the H5P site for more how-to’s of H5P video creation. https://h5p.org/tutorial-interactive-video  Also Michelle Nakano mnuttall1@bcit.ca  and the other IDC’s at the LTC is are great sources of help.

Have you used H5P already? Leave a comment of your experience and student reactions.