This weeks blog post features Toni Beaton, Student Librarian in both Information Literacy and Research Help this summer. We asked Toni a few questions to get to know her better! Read her answers below.
When was the last time you were nervous?
The last time I was nervous, my husband was pretending to toss around my hardcover copy of Stephen King’s “Carrie” – part of a collection I’ve been growing over the past year (I think my eyes almost bulged out of my head).
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
If I could learn to do anything, it would be to master all languages, which I think would amount to a superpower in my mind.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?
I’d be Ariel, as I’ve idolized “The Little Mermaid” since my days as a wee child in the early 90’s (not to date myself too much).
What project are you the most excited to work on this summer?
This summer at the library, I’m most looking forward to working on a project with my fellow interns, in which we completely revamp the virtual tour of the Patrick Power Library – stay tuned!
What is your proudest work-related accomplishment?
My proudest work-related accomplishment would have to be the impact I’ve seen while teaching primary grade level students… when something finally clicks for them, and you can see they are having a “light bulb moment”. I am proud to have been a contributor to that.
What is your proudest non-work-related accomplishment?
My proudest non-work related accomplishment has to be sailing my 39’ sailboat more than 5,000 nautical miles over the geographical span from Bonaire to right here in Halifax.
What is your favourite quote?
My favourite quotes are both by my ride or die author: “Books are a uniquely portable magic” & “Get busy living, or get busy dying” – Stephen King.
This week’s blog post features Madeleine McGregor, student librarian working in Archives and Research Help this summer. We asked Madeleine a few questions to get to know her better! Read her answers below.
When was the last time you were nervous?
I get nervous when I give presentations or lead seminars. I had a presentation last week and I was very nervous.
2. If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
How to be confident when speaking in front of people.
3. If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose?
I think I would want to be Jane Bennett, because I feel like I am already most like her.
4. What project are you the most exited to work on this summer?
This summer I get to build a map for different collections in the Archives! The goal is to showcase all the materials in the University Archives that can be connected to different locations across Nova Scotia.
5. What is your proudest work-related accomplishment?
6. What is your proudest non-work related accomplishment?
During the first year of quarantine (summer 2020) I crocheted a massive blanket for my parent’s wedding anniversary. I got too excited, so it had a lot more details in it than I had originally planned, but I’m proud of how well it turned out!
7. What is your favourite quote?
“It is important to draw wisdom from different places. If you take it only from one place, it becomes rigid and stale” — Uncle Iroh
This week’s blog post features Isabel Brechin, Student Librarian for Outreach & Engagement and Research Help this summer. We asked Isabel a few questions to get to know her better! Read her answers below.
When was the last time you were nervous?
The last time I was nervous was starting this job! Starting fresh can be daunting. But I am so happy to announce there was no need to be nervous. Everyone has been so welcoming!
If you could learn to do anything, what would it be?
If I could learn to do anything it would be to speak a third language fluently. I speak fluent French and value it a lot, but my Spanish is completely terrible. I’ve tried to pick it back up multiple times in my life with little success.
If you could be any fictional character, who would you choose? If I could be any fictional character, I would be Winnie the Pooh!
It seems like a nice life- just eating honey and hanging out with my best friends all the time, getting up to mischief.
What project are you the most exited to work on this summer?
I’m the most exited to work on the “Save Husky” online scavenger hunt! What a joy to get to make up a choose your own adventure for a living. Coming soon to a library near you.
What is your proudest work-related accomplishment?
My proudest work-related accomplishment so far is developing partnerships with various food pantries in Halifax. At my previous position working for a farm and their market, I got to facilitate a mutually beneficial relationship where our unwanted produce got repurposed, organizations got free food for their user-base and people got fed!
What is your proudest non-work-related accomplishment?
My proudest non-work-related accomplishment is learning to live alone for the first time and making my apartment a home! Nothing makes me feel more self-sufficient than cooking in a kitchen that I’ve set up just for me.
What is your favourite quote?
“we are each others harvest: we are each others business: we are each other magnitude and bond.” –Gwendolyn Brooks
Happy last day of Winter Term 2022, SMUdents! As you take on exams, we’re here for you. From free study snacks and massages to assignment help services, we’ve got you covered! Keep reading for information about activities, hours and services during exams.
Holidays like Halloween are great for the economy (and enjoying festivities and treats!). Extra purchases like decorations, costumes, celebrations and of course, candy create a significant short-term boost that would not happen without the formal holiday.
But what’s the true cost of Halloween for Canadians? How significant is the impact?
We went to the Statista and Statistics Canada databases (provided to you by the Patrick Power Library), to find the spookiest and most surprising statistics about Halloween in Canada. Check out the stats, explore the databases and let us know if you find any other interesting facts by commenting below!
Decorations
The Jack-O-Lantern is a classic Halloween decoration, created by carving a pumpkin. In 2018, Canadian growers produced 75,855 metric tons of pumpkins which can be turned into decorations, pumpkin pies, or pumpkin spiced lattes! In addition to pumpkin décor and goodies, Canadians also spend an average of $43 on Halloween decorations each year. With just over 16 million people planning to purchase Halloween related items this year, the economic impact of these festivities is sure to give you ‘pumpkin’ to talk about (see what we did there?).
Celebrations
There are many ways to celebrate Halloween. If one of your favourite festivities is attending a costume party, you’re not alone! It has been noted by Statista that an average of $77 is spent by Canadians attending a party, with an additional average of $55 for drink purchases. If catching a scary movie is more your style, you’re also in good company- approximately 96,032,391 tickets are sold in Canada for all types of movies as of 2018.
Costumes
One of the best things about Halloween is dressing up, right? Must be- there are about 2,270 businesses that provide costume rental services in Canada as of June 2017. Whether you’re renting, purchasing or doing a DIY, the average amount of money spent on a costume in Canada is $52. Halloween makes a significant contribution to the estimated annual total value of vestments and costumes, which is $3.8 million in Canada.
Candy
Trick or treat! About 3.87 million children between the ages of five and fourteen trick or treat on Halloween across Canada. This promotes the sales of approximately $613.2 million worth of candy, cookies and other snack food items sold at large retailers across the nation. The average Canadian spends about $42 on candy each Halloween in Canada.
In Conclusion…
Halloween can have a big impact on the economy and the stores you’re purchasing from, due to the increased spending associated with the holiday. We encourage you to think about ways you could choose to shop local this Halloween. Maybe this could even save you a buck or two! We hope you stay safe and have a Spook-tacular Halloween this year!
If you’re curious and want help digging up some more stats, data, or information about Halloween, or any other subject, please connect with Research Help.
Dear Husky,
I feel like I’ve tried everything. Why is my login not working?
If you’re wondering why your login isn’t working, you’re not alone.
If you’ve felt the frustrations of trying to (unsuccessfully!) login, don’t despair! Ask yourself: what are you trying to do/log into? Depending on what you’re trying to accomplish, you may need a different combination of numbers and passwords.
Let’s start with your Library Account.
To log in to your Library Account (renew books, place holds, order books, etc.) your username will be the barcode number on your SMU ID card, and the default password will be the last four digits of your phone number. If we don’t have a phone number on file for you, your password will be 0000. You can also use you’re A-number and the associated password to login to your library account.
What you will need to login:
Username: Barcode number on your SMU ID card.
Password: Last four digits of your phone number.
If you have any issues logging in to your library account, you can email access@smu.ca for help.
Next up is your Computer Account.
To log in to your computer account (which lets you access library databases off campus*, Brightspace, SMUport, printing, etc.) you will need to use your S number and the password associated with your S number.
Please *note that if you try to log in to the SMU library databases off campus and fail to successfully login 10 times in 5 minutes, you will be locked out for 20 minutes. The lockout is connected to your computer, so attempting to login use your friend’s S number on the same device will not work. You’ll have to wait 30 minutes before trying to log in again.
You may be wondering, okay, what if I’ve forgotten my S number and password? If you’ve forgotten your S number or password, you can re-activate your account using your A-number and PIN at the following link.
If you have any issues, you can also contact the EIT Help Desk at 902-496-8111 during their hours of operation or send them an email at helpdesk@smu.ca
Last (but not least!) is Banner.
To log on to Banner (register for classes, pay tuition, etc.) you will need to use your A number and the associated PIN number. Your A-number starts with the letter “A” and is followed by eight digits (ex. A12345678). It will sometimes be referred to as your Banner ID. Your default PIN number is your date of birth in the format of DDMMYY – for example, the PIN for someone with the birthday January 2nd 2003 would be 020103.
What you will need to login:
Username: A-number / Banner ID
Password: Your PIN number.
If you have any issues logging in, or have forgotten your A-number, you can contact the EIT Help Desk at 902-496-8111 during their hours of operation or send them an email at helpdesk@smu.ca.
Whew! That’s a lot to remember! No wonder it can seem daunting to access what you need. However, logging on to your Saint Mary’s University platforms gets a lot easier when you know the right information to use. Don’t forget- if all else fails, you can always reach out the Research Help Team at the Library. They can help you figure out how to proceed.
Research assistants, teaching assistants, and graduate students, take note: the library’s Research Toolkit workshops are back!
Running next week, from May 10-13, the Research Toolkit workshops are a great opportunity for students to connect with information experts and with other students, as well as a chance to ask questions and expand their research skills and knowledge. This year’s line-up includes presentations on creating a literature review, finding and using data, and even includes two sessions from staff in the Software & Application Support Centre (SAS) on Microsoft Excel.
Here’s the full Research Toolkit – Spring 2021 Schedule:
Monday, May 10, 2021
11:00 – 12:15 Navigating the Library: Strategies for Successful Research – Heather Sanderson
This workshop will help you research more efficiently and get up to speed in new areas more quickly. It will discuss the research process and the ways faculty stay current in their fields. Topics covered include basic and advanced database skills, document delivery, journal and search alerts and more. This session will set you up for the sessions that follow.
2:00 – 3:15 Internet Expertise for Researchers 101 – Cindy Harrigan
This session will focus on how to find useful, quality information for academic or scholarly research, using Google and Google Scholar. Topics covered will include: Grey literature, search strategies, and tips on how to evaluate search results.
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
11:00 – 12:15 Researching the Literature Review – Heather Sanderson
Building on the two previous sessions, this session will focus on the literature review: what they are, where they appear, how they are organized. Then we will cover several key tools and strategies, such as citation searching, that will help you be more comprehensive and systematic in your literature searches.
2:00 – 3:15 File Management and Introduction to Excel – Sarah Cooke and Matthew Salah (SAS)
In this workshop, participants will learn best practices for file naming and folder organization using Microsoft OneDrive. Participants will then be given an introductory tour through Microsoft Excel and learn basic skills like creating tables and using basic functions.
Wednesday, May 12, 2021
11:00 – 12:15 Managing your Research with RefWorks – Cindy Harrigan
RefWorks is a citation management tool that enables you to manage bibliographic references as you research and automatically create bibliographies using a wide variety of citation styles. Topics covered in this session will include creating an account, setting up folders, adding references, generating bibliographies, inserting citations into an essay, and sharing your citations with other researchers.
2:00 – 3:15 Excelling with Excel: Beyond the Basics – Sarah Cooke and Matthew Salah (SAS)
In this workshop, participants will learn strategies for working with both qualitative and quantitative data in Excel. Participants will be introduced to advanced functions, data tools, and features that support statistical analysis.
Thursday, May 13, 2021
11:00 – 12:15 Show Me the Numbers: Stats and Data Discovery Tools to Support your Research – Joyce Thomson
This session will focus on key concepts and challenges in finding data and statistics for your research as well as several useful places and strategies to explore, particularly for survey data from Statistics Canada.
2:00 – 3:15 Scholarly Journal Quality and Open Access – Peter Webster
This session will focus on how to identify scholarly journal quality, a key skill for researchers and authors. Topics covered will include the various impact measures in use and strategies to identify the “best” articles in a subject area, as well as the benefits of open access and how to avoid predatory journals.
Still have questions? Contact Information Literacy Librarian, Heather Sanderson (heather.sanderson@smu.ca) or Instructional Development Librarian, Cindy Harrigan (cindy.harrigan@smu.ca) for more info.
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