library matters @ mcgill v olume 5 | issue 1 Nathalie Cooke, Janine Schmidt, Guylaine Beaudry, Tanja Niemann, Emilie Paquin and Library Matters @ McGill Louise O’Neill at the Montreal launch of CuiZine Volume 5 | Issue 1 | JANUARY 2009 at the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada. (photo by Claudio Calligaris) FROM THE TRENHOLME DIRECTOR OF LIBRARIES very successful Open House was all the library staff who ensured that the held on Sunday January 25th. Library’s contribution was an excellent We extend a big thank you to one. JANINE SCHMIDT, Tatiana Bedjanian who did a wonderful Wikipedia is in the news again follow- RENHOLME DIRECTOR A T job coordinating the Library’s involve- ing a false entry in relation to an incident OF LIBRARIES ment. A team of volunteers included concerning Senators Ted Kennedy and Abishek Agarwal, Amber Lannon, Ann Robert Byrd (http://news.cnet.com/8301- Marie Holland, Brian McMillan, Brittni 1023_3-10149648-93.html). As a con- Martin, Carole Urbain, Chris Lyons, sequence, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Cynthia Leive, Eamon Duffy, Esther Wales is considering putting safeguarding INSIDE THIS ISSUE Horrowitz, Greg Colley, Halyna editorial processes in place with a trusted Carpenter, Jodie Hebert, John Hob- editorial team overseeing additions – TECHNOLOGY TIDBIT: on page 2 bins, Lonnie Weatherby, Louisa Piatti, Flagged Revisions. This approach is be- Maryvon Côté, Maya Kucij, Megan ing used in the German version of the HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. LINCOLN!: on page 3 Fitzgibbons, Natalie Waters, Richard Wikipedia. User input is being sought on WHAT’S NEW: on page 4 Virr, Sharon Rankin and Zoe Jingling alternative approaches to the verification Zeng who ensured that visitors were wel- of content. Content used to be king – but WHERE CLIENTS WENT IN FALL: on page 6 comed and our services explained. The it is now conversation or context. Digg GETTING TO KNOW SOME OF THE STAFF AT THE Rare Books and Special Collections again and Delicious continue to be popular ways MACDONALD CAMPUS LIBRARY: on page 7 were a draw card as some of our treasures were revealed for all to see. Thank you to CONTINUED ON PAGE 2 1 library matters @ mcgill v olume 5 | issue 1 CuiZine Launch Library Matters @ McGill FROM THE DIRECTOR - CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 ow would one describe Canadian The Library Matters @ McGill newsletter, of sharing information about notable Hcuisine? While tourtière, P.E.I mus- brought to you by the you-never-heard-it- content on the web – joined by others sels, fèves au lard and Saskatoon berry jam from-us editors, seeks to exchange and en- like Reddit. Ordinary users are add- represent typical regional foods, new cul- courage ideas, innovations and information ing tags and descriptors to build a vast tural hybrids such as sushi pizza, Lahma- from McGill Library staff at all levels. means of discovery and access. joun “sandwiches” and Churrasco chicken On another note, a recent study is- now characterize Canadian cuisine as well. The newsletter is published monthly. The sued by the National Endowment for In our nation of immigrants, multiple latest issue, as well as an archive of past is- the Humanities noted by OCLC in foodways form a distinctive and evolving sues, can be found at www.mcgill.ca/library- their newsletter has indicated that for repertoire that is neither hodgepodge nor about/pubs/newsletter/. the first time in 25 years Americans smorgasbord. How we as Canadians pro- are reading more literature than they cure, produce, cook, consume, and think We welcome your contributions. The dead- used to. Change is everywhere (http:// about food creates and defines our cuisine. line for submissions is the first day of the arts.endow.gov/news/news09/Read- CuiZine (http://cuizine.mcgill.ca), the issue month. Send your input to the you- ingonRise.html). The overall rate rose new McGill e-journal published by McGill never-heard-it-from-us editorial team: by 7%. The number of readers rose by Library, will foster cross-cultural exchange 16.6 million. Young adults showed the and demonstrate the centrality of food- Louisa Piatti, [email protected] most significant increases. Not surpris- ways to Canada’s evolving identity. In its Jessica Hunt, [email protected]­­ ingly, online reading figured in the inaugural issue, one of the things you will Cathy Martin, [email protected] survey. Almost 15% of all U.S, adults find is a video recipe for Canadian Shield Joel Natanblut, [email protected] read literature online in 2008 which Shortbread Cookies, a regional variation of lines up with other surveys we have a traditional Christmas culinary classic. seen. Some readers are purchasing the A Montreal launch party for CuiZine was “According to a Preliminary new online e-book readers like the held on Jan. 14 at McGill’s Institute for Sony or the Iliad. iPhones are making the Study of Canada, 3463 Peel St., and a Visitor Count there was a 12% books available. Libraries continue Toronto launch party was held on Jan. 9 at increase in visitors at Open with their digital projects to make The Healthy Butcher, 565 Queen St. W. House this year. We noticed more online material available directly there were more visitors at HSSL, or via Google or other similar sources. with a constant flow of people Readers read – really and virtually. throughout the day wanting to find out more about the Library. There was a high demand for Technology Tidbit tours, not just of Rare Books by Joel Natanblut, and Special Collections, but of Library Technology Services the Library, its services and CuiZine launch party at The Healthy Butcher facilities, and outstanding print Microsoft Math Add-in in Toronto on Jan. 6 and electronic collection. It Yearning for an easy way to create was an excellent opportunity graphs, equations and perform to showcase the Library and calculations? demonstrate its place in Just download the today’s teaching and learning Microsoft Math Add-in for Microsoft landscape.” Office Word 2007: http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details. - Tatiana BEDJAniAN aspx?FamilyId=030FAE9C-704F-48CA-971D- Liaison Librarian 56241AEFC764&displaylang=en CuiZine launch party at the McGill Institute for the Humanities & Social Sciences Library Study of Canada in Montreal on Jan. 14 (photo by Claudio Calligaris) 2 library matters @ mcgill v olume 5 | issue 1 HAPPY BIRTHDAY MR. LINCOLN! Happy Birthday Mr. Lincoln! Abraham Lincoln 1809-1865 To mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, February 12th 1809, images of Lincoln, of Lincoln and his family and of Lincoln and his Cabinet are on display along with various items of realia, including Lincoln busts, bookends, plaques and china. All items are from the Joseph N. Nathanson Collection of Lincolniana in Rare Books and Special Collections. The Nathanson Lincoln Collection is one of the most unusual research collections housed in Rare Books and Special Collections, McGill University Library. In 1986, Dr. Joseph N. Nathanson (1895-1989) donated to his alma mater, the contents of his eclectic Abraham Lincoln collection. For almost fifty years, Dr. Nathanson avidly collected Lincolniana from his base in Ithaca, New York where he taught Obstetrics and Gynecology at Cornell University for five decades. The collection is comprised of approximately four thousand items including books, pamphlets, prints, manuscripts, ephemera and realia. Rare Books and Special Collections Lobby 4th floor, McLennan Library Building January 20th – March 31st 2009 The Library has also extended the exhibition into new media, with Lincoln celebrated by a presence in Second Life, a virtual environment available via the Internet. Selected items from the Nathanson Collection are on display for Second Life users as part of a larger exhibit called “Land of Lincoln”. If you have Second Life installed on your computer, you can go directly to the collection in Second Life by clicking here: http://slurl.com/secondlife/Land of Lincoln/31/217/41/. To get more information about accessing Second Life, please visit http://www. secondlife.com. 3 library matters @ mcgill v olume 5 | issue 1 WHAT’S NEW Redpath Basement lar Humanities and Social Sciences Library bies for cell phone conversations, a restful Progress Report stacks for anything from the Cutter collec- spot to read and even impromptu study tion. group sessions. Now that the lobbies are he former Blacker-Wood monograph warm and welcoming our next task is to Facilities Changes collection has been interfiled with upgrade the lighting in the stairwells in twoT former Life Sciences collections which the winter term. had been housed in the Currie Gym. They he new staff area for Interlibrary Further facilities work continues. The now comprise sequences from A to Z. This Loans has been prepared in Collec- installation of compact shelving on level collection has the location Redpath Base- tionT Services and the team has moved into 5 of the Humanities and Social Sciences ment Storage (Self Service). The work to their new accommodation. The new area Library is under way, with the first week of put these in order is now complete thanks has been designed to meet the team’s ser- work drawing to a close. A huge thank you to Carl Eugene’s team who have been vice needs and the staff input to the layout to everyone involved, especially Carl Eu- working hard on this over the past couple and design was most useful and greatly ap- gene and his team, for all the work on the of months. The locations in the catalogue preciated. project. The project is on schedule and it have been updated for the former Blacker- The ICS team, headed up by Ante Ro- appears that students and faculty are cop- Wood monographs, and the Life Sciences kov, has relocated to a new area on the ing well.