Your chance to colour your campus & win a cash prize! Two of the six locations involve the Library.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year…Best Reads 2014
We’ve made our list and we’ve checked it twice…and now we’d like you to check it too…
Have a look at our list and then check out some titles to peruse over the holidays, because when you need a break from the hustle and bustle, it’s always nice to settle down with a good book.
http://libguides.bcit.ca/bestreads2014
20th anniversary Time Capsule – a glimpse of BCIT in 1984!
In 1984, during BCIT’s 20th Anniversary year, a concrete cairn was created in Campus Square to hold a Plexiglas box made by the 2nd year Civil & Structural students and their instructions. And in this box BCIT students and staff placed items that they felt represented BCIT in 1984.
The plaque being removed to reveal the cavity beneath. The plaque reads: 1964-1984-2014 This capsule was placed here on the first day of March nineteen hundred and eighty five to commemorate the twentieth anniversary year of the British Columbia Institute of Technology by the Honorable Robert G. Rogers Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia. To be opened on BCIT’s fiftieth anniversary in the year two thousand and fourteen. Quisque Dominus Summi. Photographer, Scott McAlpine.
The Plexiglas time capsule container being removed from its’ resting place. Photographer, Scott McAlpine.
Transcribed from the plaque: The 20th Anniversary Time Capsule was designed and constructed by 1985 2nd year Civil & Structural students: Bernie Serne, Greg Pierzchalski, Louis Nasr, Gary Neilson, Keith Pribyl, Ken Thompson, Loris Tommasel, Bruce Cranna. Supervising instructors: Marsh Heinekey Cet., Tom Abbuhl Cet., Jim McLean Cet., and Bob Butler P.Eng. Landscaping by the 1985 Horticulture students. BCIT Archives item number: F1-S2-SS25-2014-12.001.
On October 5, 2014 BCIT turned 50 years old. There are many ways that BCIT’s anniversary is being celebrated this semester and the next. Check out the BCIT 50 website for all of the fun events! Following the intentions of the creators the time capsule was opened as part of BCIT’s 50th Anniversary Celebrations.
Kathy Kinloch and special guests unveil contents of time capsule at the Fab50 Event, October 4, 2014.
The contents of the box have been passed to the custody of the BCIT Archives where they will be preserved and made available for future generations. The Archivist would like to share a few of her favourite items with you.
This brochure shows off some fabulous 1980s fashion. On the back is listed the specialties of graduates from BCIT’s Engineering Technology, Health Sciences and Management degrees. BCIT Archives item number: F1-S2-SS25-2014-12.016.
Here is an aerial view of the BCIT Burnaby campus in 1984. Can you find where in this photograph you spend the most time on campus now? BCIT Archives item number: F1-S2-SS25-2014-12.011.
This is the front of the invitation to the rededication of BCIT held Friday September 14, 1984. This is a good example of the logo used in 1984 to promote the 20th Anniversary. BCIT Archives item number: F1-S2-SS25-2014-12.018.
Examples of merchandise available in 1984 to celebrate BCIT’s 20th anniversary! Photographer, Scott McAlpine.
BCIT Archives item numbers: BCIT 20 1964-1984, pen F1-S2-SS25-2014-12.028, BCIT 20 ’64-’84 men’s tie F1-S2-SS25-2014-12-.030, BCIT leather coasters F1-S2-SS25-2014-12-.029, BCIT pin F1-S2-SS25-2014-12.032, and BCIT 20 keychain F1-S2-SS25-2014-12.033.
This is the map included with the invitation to the rededication of BCIT in 1984. This map would be of little use for getting around campus today! BCIT Archives item number: F1-S2-SS25-2014-12.019.
Over the thirty years that the items were outside on campus in their specially designed box they suffered very little considering the changes in temperature they experienced and the unavoidable moisture courtesy of the west coast rain. Paper items showed some warping and all metal items removed from the time capsule were damaged by rust. The one item that was placed in the concrete cairn beside the Plexiglas box, rather than in it, was quite badly damaged by mold. Once I have cleaned it stay tuned for a conservation blog post and the big reveal of this unofficial addition to the time capsule.
Photo of typical rust damage found on all time capsule items with staples or paperclips. This is the cover of the collective agreement between BCIT and the BCIT Staff Society from 1983. Photographer, Cindy McLellan.
A classic time capsule item is a local newspaper. The creators of the 1984 time capsule included the Year in Review Section of the Vancouver Sun from December 31st 1984. Some quick facts from that section:
- In 1984 Canada had three Prime Ministers – Trudeau, Turner and Mulroney
- Michael Jackson released Thriller and came to Vancouver as part of his Victory Tour. Three sold out nights at BC Place Stadium
- Prince Harry was born
- Canada’s first test tube twins were born in Toronto
- Marc Garneau became the first Canadian in space
- There is severe famine Ethiopia
- Pope John Paul visited Canada
Anniversaries are a time to look back as well as into the future. BCIT is planning to bury a time capsule in the spring of 2015 as part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations. What sort of content or specific items would you like to see included? It is the items with a personal touch that I enjoy in a time capsule. The personal touch that stuck out for me among the contents of the capsule was a quick handwritten note from a BCIT staff member.
Greetings back to you Susan Walters! I hear you retired recently. Congratulations! BCIT Archives item number: F1-S2-SS25-2014-12.024.
Being as how I am also a Librarian I could not resist highlighting one final item. Looking through the publications in the time capsule I found this little gem! In 1984 BCIT was ahead of other academic institutions, a quote from the below article: “BCIT will be the first library in British Columbia, if not Canada, to have an entire catalogue on-line available to students and faculty.”
Short article, ‘New database system adopted by Library,’ from BCIT Messenger: Special ‘BCIT Week’ edition Vol. 14, No. 1, September 6, 1984. p.7 & 8.
This system was very advanced for 1984 and granted students and faculty freedom from the microfiche catalogue! Do you know how to use a microfiche reader? The Archivist wants to know!
Milestone reached!
For the first time ever BCIT’s Burnaby Campus Library has surpassed the 100,000 milestone for number of visits to the Library in a single month!
During October 2014 we had a combined gate count 104,588 for the Library and ehPod! That an average of 3,400 visits per day.
This breaks the previous monthly record of 95,411 set in October 2012
The top ten things we learned during Open Access Week
From October 22nd – 29th a number of free sessions were provided by SFU, UBC and Douglas College libraries to provide information on projects and resources involving Open Access. A number of us from the library attended different sessions and we’ve put together this list to share what we found out.
- There is a lot of data to support open textbooks – here are statistics in favour of Open Textbooks shared by Rajiv Jhangiani:
a. Since the 1970s the cost of textbooks has increased by an astounding 812%
b. There is a direct relationship between textbook cost and students success (eg. 35% choose not to register for a course due to textbook cost and 23% regularly go without textbooks due to cost) - The BC Campus Open Textbook project’s free high quality textbooks are just a start. Other, more interactive, Open Online Resources are the future.
- Phylo the trading card game is an open source and open access project that started at UBC because some scientists discovered that “Kids know more about Pokemon creatures than they do about real creatures*” and they wanted to do something about it.
- In order to flip the classroom, UBC Anatomy has produced videos and other learning objects which are freely available on the web with Creative Commons licensing: http://www.neuroanatomy.ca/
- What a Book Sprint is – a group of people getting together to create and publish a book within 3-5 days: BCCampus hosted one and created this book: British Columbia in a Global Context
- In order to address quality concerns, many open textbooks, including some at BC Campus are accompanied by faculty reviews.
- The Open Access Button site – provides a button that can be added to your favourites bar that allows you to search for a free version of an article when you encounter a paywall
- Student peer reviewed journals are being published at SFU and UBC with Open Journal Systems, and the articles are indexed in Google Scholar
- The Public Knowledge Project School at SFU offers free, online courses in Open Journal Systems for journal managers, editors and reviewers
- Instructors are engaging their students as producers of content in all kinds of ways and, for the most part, students are posting their work on open access sites with Creative Commons licensing. Students are enthused about working on assignments that have value and are shared with an audience of more than one or two people.
Open Access Week is here!
Open Access literature is digital, online, free of charge and free from most copyright and 
licensing restrictions. (Suber, P. (2012). Open Access Overview. Retrieved from http://legacy.earlham.edu/~peters/fos/overview.htm). This is something to celebrate!
UBC is offering free sessions on open access publishing and open education and SFU is offering free sessions on student publishing and open textbooks
If you want to know more about Open Access (OA) and what is available, check out BCIT’s Open Access Research Guide. It has links to sources of OA ebooks, OA data and OA ejournals, as well as links to OA research and OA publishing information.
Double double?
What would your response be to the possibility of doubling the space currently available in the ehPod? Your feedback is important to us.
Surveys are available at 
the Service Desk at the Burnaby Campus Library and in the ehPod. Those who complete the survey will be eligible to be included in a random draw for a Tim Horton’s gift card. Survey closes September 26, 2014.
Our sandbox has eReaders and tablets
some of the items in our technology sandbox
The BCIT Library has a Technology Sandbox with tablets and eReaders available for 14 day loan to students, staff and faculty. What have we got?
- a Kindle Paperwhite
- a Kobo Arc
- a Sony eReader
- a Samsung Galaxy Tab 2, Galaxy Tab 7, Galaxy Tab 8 and
- a Surface Windows RT
So drop by the Burnaby Campus Library Service Desk and check one out. You might also want to have a look at our guide to eBooks and eReaders to find out a bit more about using the different devices.
Make it raw, make it vegan…
TAKE 5 - five featured titles available from BCIT Library:
Thinking about going raw, vegetarian or vegan? You can read up on it first with these selections. Or if you’ve already made the switch, these books might provide some new recipes to spice things up.
Eat raw, eat well : 400 raw, vegan and gluten-free recipes
Call #: TX 837 M29 2012
- for novices and experienced raw food eaters this book starts with chapters on “Raw foods know-how” and “Equipping your kitchen” and includes recipes for pancakes, sloppy joes and mac ‘n cheese
Raw food for dummies
Call #: TX 837 S67 2013
- a starter guide, including recipes for those new to the raw food movement. Chapter 22 – Ten reasons to go raw and Chapter 23 – Ten foods best eaten raw – are particularly intriguing.
Raw food cookbook and diet: 75 easy, delicious and flexible recipes for a raw food diet
Call #: TX 830 R39 2013
- not only recipes but also information about making the transition to a raw diet, the benefits of eating raw, and tips on stocking your kitchen for a raw diet.
Appetite for reduction: 125 fast and filling low-fat vegan recipes
Call #: TX 837 M744 2011
- “not your mother’s low-fat cookbook” – plant based recipes for barbeque, lasagna, curries, stews and more!
Quick-fix vegan: healthy, homestyle meals in 30 minutes or less
Call #: TX 837 R62497 2011
- starters, snacks, salads, sauces, sandwiches, pastas, soups, and desserts that can all be prepared in 30 minutes or less
Bike to Work Week 2014 is here
TAKE 5 - five featured titles available from BCIT Library:
May 26 to June 1 is Bike to Work Week . Whether you are a keen two-wheeled commuter or interested in bicycling more, we have some titles you may find useful.
Bike repair and maintenance for dummies
Call #: TL 430 B35 2009
- outlines the anatomy of a bike and how to repair and maintain specific sections
- provides advice on when to seek professional help
- the part of tens includes steps to take before you ride, how to improve the comfort and performance of your bike and considerations in fitting your bike
The enlightened cyclist: commuter angst, dangerous drivers and other obstacles on the path to two-wheeled transcendence
Call #: GV 1041 E65 2012
- a humourous look at the trials and tribulations of commuting by bike
- the author also writes a monthly column for Bicycling magazine (note: articles from Bicycling magazine are available through the Library website) and blogs at bikesnobnyc.blogspot.com
The big book of bicycling: everything you need to know, from buying your first bike to riding your best
Call #: GV 1041 B536 2011
- from the editors of Bicycling magazine
- covers training, buying gear, maintaining your bike and rules of the road
Essential bicycle maintenance and repair
e-Book
- step-by-step instructions for do-it-yourself road bike repairs
- includes photographs, glossary, and advice on choosing a bike shop
Build your own electric bicycle
Call #: TL 437.5 E44 S595 2010
- assemble your own electric bike from scratch or customize one you’ve purchased
- complete with diagrams and charts to illustrate the instructions