Commons Knowledge

Congratulations go out to Christina Lowe for correctly answering our last trivia question. . . Where are the current periodicals found in the Ward Chipman Library? Christina will be enjoying coffee (or tea) on us, with her prize of a gift certificate from Tim Horton's. If you'd like a chance to have coffee on us, keep watching for our next trivia question (coming soon).

Due to a scheduled power outage this Thursday evening from 6 pm to 10 pm, the library webpage and online resources will be unavailable. Quest can still be accessed at https://quest.unb.ca/uhtbin/cgisirsi/x/0/0/57/49?user_id=QUEST&password=

We apologize for any inconvenience.

In the coming weeks, you´ll notice an increase in activity around the Ward Chipman Library as renovations begin. We are going to optimize the space that we have through some strategic reconfiguration of elements throughout the library. While we anticipate some disruption for the time being, we expect the end result to be well worth the effort. The changes will produce a compact version of the proposed University Commons with enhanced support, additional workstations and the inclusion of the Writing Support Centre. To view the details of this project, including the floor plans, go to http://www.lib.unb.ca/wcl/docs/UCommons.pdf

Currently, the library has 12 student workstations on the main floor. At the end of this summers renovations, how many student workstations will be available?

Please submit your answer to wcl@unbsj.ca for your chance to have coffee on us. A random draw will be made to select the winner of a $10 gift certificate from Tim Hortons. Good Luck!

Speaking of winners, Stephanie Doucette was last weeks winner of a gift certificate. Stephanie was randomly chosen from all of the respondents of our survey question . . . Do you read the Wall Street Journal? We found out that 94% of the respondents do not. Thanks to all those who answered and keep looking for our next survey question, coming soon!

If you’re traveling this summer, make sure you stop first at the WCL circulation desk to obtain an ASIN (Atlantic Scholarly Information Network) card. Students, faculty and staff are all eligible for this ID card, that confirms your standing as a member of the Ward Chipman Library. With your ASIN card in hand, you can borrow circulating materials from any one of the many participating university libraries across Canada. The host library determines the policies, including loan periods and privileges of the visiting student, staff or faculty member. For additional details, see: http://www.lib.unb.ca/wcl/policies/asin_policy.html or ask at the circulation desk.

Opps, did I say gardening? Of course, I meant botany studies! The AGRICOLA database is based on the U.S. National Agriculture Library collection and includes over 3.5 million references to books, journal articles, and dissertations. Among other things, you can search pansies (er. . . Viola wittrockiana), deer-resistance (no. . . wildlife), mulch (I mean soil science) or growing zucchini (human nutrition). The materials cover U.S. and international sources dating back almost 40 years. So check out the AGRICOLA database and if you need assistance in your “studies” don’t forget to talk to the reference desk at 648-5888 or reference@unb.ca.

For any of you who may not have noticed (i.e. you haven’t been into the library today), the transformation has begun. The Ward Chipman Library is now under (attack) construction! We expect that you’ll be very pleased with the outcome, as the highlight of this move will be a learning commons area, complete with “high-end computers, scanners, and color printing, along with expert information and technology support, all in one place.” Come in and check out the layout that we have posted at the information desk for further details.
We apologize for the chaos this will create in the coming weeks. If you’re in an area and you find the noise or activity disruptive, please let the circulation desk staff know and we will attempt to accommodate you. In the meantime. . . watch out for wet paint and bear with us! Renovating to serve you better!

Eric Daley is having coffee on us this week, after correctly determining that there will be 24 student workstations (twice the current number) in the new learning commons area of the library. Congratulations Eric, and we like timbits (hint)!

Here's your next opportunity to win a $10 gift certificate from Tim Horton's . . . and have coffee on us. Simply follow this link to answer the survey question and enter your e-mail address. We'll be randomly drawing one e-mail address from all of the responents. Good Luck and thanks for your thoughts.