Volunteering helps international student settle into her ‘new home’
Education graduate student Xiwen Wang had hardly strayed far from her hometown of Beijing before crossing the Pacific to attend graduate school at the University of Victoria. Now, since making that major leap, the 24-year-old is getting the most from the experience through involvement in her new community, which she happily calls home.
Convocation volunteers: Helping to the highest degree
Convocation. It’s the culmination of years of discipline, dedication and effort for the thousands of UVic students receiving their academic credentials each June and November. And ensuring that the ceremony goes smoothly and memorably for the students, their families and friends depends upon the efforts of hundreds of convocation volunteers.
Reg Roy's legacy for Canadian military history
Dr. Reginald H. Roy’s contribution to the UVic Special Collections is a tremendous legacy for the study of Canadian history, especially military history. Returning as a veteran after WWII, he went to Victoria College and then UBC earning an MA in history (1951). He then served with the Canadian Scottish Regiment as a historian in the Historical Section of DND, and as an archivist at the Public Archives of Canada. This early association with archives bore bountiful fruit in his later career as a historian.
Celebrate UVic authors March 7
Dr. Reeta Tremblay, vice-president academic and provost, the University of Victoria Libraries and the University of Victoria Bookstore invite UVic staff, students, faculty, alumni and members of the community to a reception and reading at the University Bookstore to celebrate and honour UVic authors who published works in 2011 and 2012. Please RSVP to http://library.uvic.ca/events/authors/registration.html. For more information on the Celebrating UVic Authors program visit http://library.uvic.ca/events/authors/.
How can UVic Libraries serve you better?
Celebrate the Marnie Swanson International Commons
Where can international students access help, information, resources, academic programming, services and events to support their success at UVic? At UVic’s new International Commons. Everyone is invited to the formal opening Nov. 19 at 4 p.m. in the McPherson Library Mearns Learning Commons, featuring student artistic performances and refreshments. http://bit.ly/SOX2fi
Alcuin Society’s 35 best-looking books of 2011
Winners of the 30th annual Alcuin Society Awards for Excellence in Book Design in Canada are on display in the Archives and Special Collections Reading Room (lower level, McPherson Library) Monday–Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. til Nov. 30. Thirty-five winning books were selected out 252 submitted, from 9 provinces and 104 publishers.
The Dead live on, online
University of Victoria Libraries present a public talk by Robin Chandler, who served as the project manager of digitization for the Grateful Dead Archive (GDA) and creation of the project website. The GDA documents the Grateful Dead’s 30-year history from 1965-1995. The Grateful Dead Archive Online (www.gdao.org/) was made accessible to the public in June of this year and contains nearly 24,000 items and over 50,000 scans selected from the GDA that showcase the archive’s many thousands of photographs, fanzines, posters and fan recordings of concerts. Considered a socially constructed website, there is lots of community sharing where users can tag items, leave comments, submit their own photographs and memories. The band would approve. Chandler’s free public talk is Oct. 12, 5:30–7:00 p.m. in Cinecenta (wear your favourite tie-dyed garment and win prizes).
Library research help goes stress-free with video
UVic Libraries is now offering research help videos, made right here on campus by Abby Pollen, a graduate student in the French department. They’re all two minutes or shorter, designed to address the most common research questions and to promote the many services offered by UVic Libraries. They’re easily searched on YouTube and can be embedded in Moodle or on department web pages. The goal is to make research totally stress-free and easy, so these videos give tips on simplifying everything from keyword searches to interlibrary loans. You can subscribe to UVic Libraries’ YouTube channel, UVicLibraries (all one word), and receive notifications whenever a new video is uploaded, and send in comments or requests any time. This learning resource is made possible through the Humanities Co-op in conjunction with UVic Libraries.
Baird publishes updated guide to CP stations in BC
Ian Baird (microforms) has published a significantly revised and updated edition of his richly illustrated Historical Guide to Canadian Pacific Railway Stations in British Columbia. In his foreword, Martin Segger (retired director of UVic’s Maltwood Art Museum and Gallery), remarks that “Baird leads us on a fascinating exploration of the architectural and social significance of these monuments [many of which] continue to serve their communities, albeit in a new life, as restaurants, museums, art galleries, tourist centres, even private homes.” It is available at local bookstores, including the UVic Bookstore.
Follow us: 
