When deciding which textbooks to purchase, these are the criteria we consider:
high cost (over $100)
first-year or introductory course
course with a large enrollment
Reserve textbooks are available for 2-hour loans from the Library Desk or the Information Desk on the 3rd Floor of DSB (for those classes offered at the DSB). Just bring your iCard to borrow a textbook.
Select textbooks are available for the following courses:
An Urgency of Teachers: The Work of Critical Digital Pedagogy is a collection of essays by Sean Michael Morris (@slamteacher) and Jesse Stommel (@jessifer).
In this collection, the authors explore a multitude of themes, including online learning, educational technology, social justice, open education, plagiarism, instructional design, and teaching online. These bite-sized thought-provoking essays provide food for thought and serve as a springboard for dialogue with both instructors and students.
The authors discuss An Urgency of Teachers on the Teaching in Higher Ed podcast. Listen Now!
“For education to work, there can be no divide between teachers and students.”
An Urgency of Teachers is the current selection for the Quiet Book Club, an initiative of the Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). This title has been co-selected with the Centre for Learning & Innovation at Assiniboine Community College in Brandon, Manitoba. We are excited to have them join us virtually for our book discussion in November.
We invite all RDC students, staff, and faculty to read the book and join us in November to share how the book has impacted you personally or professionally:
Quiet Book Club Meeting – Everyone welcome! Date: November 20, 2019 from 12-1 pm Location: 913E
Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs, Carolyn Bennett, who launched this initiative in 2016, encourages the reading of books by Indigenous authors “to provide an opportunity to learn and begin those difficult conversations about the stories, history and cultures which we never learned about in school.” (via CICON)
To honour the occasion, the Library partnered with the Centre for Teaching and Learning’s Quiet Book Club and held our first Book Talk event to highlight Indigenous authors.
Panelists presented a variety of must-read Indigenous titles:
The Associated Press has launched a new tool in their fight against fake news. In the AP Fact Check section of their website, they provide fact checking for individual stories, as well as a weekly round-up called “Not Real News: A Look at What Didn’t Happen this Week.” If you have questions about a story you read recently, this is a useful resource to find out if it’s true. Check it out!
To meet the needs of students and faculty, RDC Library provides a collection of physical and electronic resources. Resources are chosen by librarians, in consultation with faculty where appropriate. The Library obtains information in the most suitable format based on availability and user needs; electronic format is preferred where it provides obvious advantages, such as remote access (from off-campus) or access by multiple users.
The entire collection is actually made up of several distinct parts:
Main Collection This is the major part of our collection. It includes resources such as print books, eBooks, DVDs, CDs, print and online journals (both scholarly and popular), and streaming videos.
Leisure Reading Collection Fiction and non-fiction intended to encourage and facilitate a culture of leisure reading at RDC.
Curriculum Collection The Curriculum Collection primarily supports teacher education programs and courses in the RDC School of Education. This collection has materials authorized by the Government of Alberta for use in Alberta schools, plus supporting materials, children’s and young adult literature, and non-book items such as sound and video recordings, games, manipulatives, models, and kits.
Reserve Collection Reserves are high-demand items available for short-term loans, such as select textbooks and course-specific readings, laptops, and other equipment.
RDC Authors Collection Materials written or produced by RDC faculty, staff, and students are actively acquired by the Library. You can find these items on our shelves by looking for the red “Red Deer College Authors” sticker.
The RDC Library collection is also available to members of the Central Alberta community through memberships and partnerships, and to the larger library community through resource sharing agreements.
Get together and get it done! The RDC Library is pleased to host Long Night Against Procrastination (LNAP), a “study blitz” event that provides supported after-hours study space, services, and stress relief. Meet and beat your deadlines!
Healthy snacks, juice, and hot beverages will be available thanks to the generous support of the Students’ Association.
“Open Educational Resources (OER)
are teaching and learning materials that you may freely use and reuse at no
cost. Unlike fixed, copyrighted resources, OER have been authored or created by
an individual or organization that chooses to retain few, if any, ownership
rights.”
Started by the Open Education Consortium in 2013, the
goal of Open Education Week is to increase awareness and showcase the impact of
open education on teaching and learning.
With funding
from the Government of Saskatchewan, University of Regina Press offers a number
of open source books for free online. Cree: Language of the Plains is
an educational resource, providing a broad range of learning materials that are
easily accessible to Cree language learners.
This
collection includes an updated and restructured Cree language textbook, audio
labs, and a workbook. The language labs are also available as podcasts, search
“Cree Language of the Plains” on your podcast app.
Blacklight is a new user interfacefor the NEOS Catalogue which aims to improve the user experience.
It is currently being beta tested and we would appreciate any feedback you can provide.
What’s Different?
The layout for each item record has now changed. The location of an item is now displayed on the right side and the place hold button is now located on the upper left side. A comparison of the new and old layout can be seen below.
Tips and Tricks
Citing an item Blacklight includes a citation generator, but always double check the generated citations against the appropriate standard.
Institution vs. Library Some institutions, such as the University of Alberta, have more than one library on campus. This limiter works to restrict searches to only libraries associated with a particular institution. At Red Deer College searching by library will be the most appropriate.
Holds Clicking on “Place Hold” will open a new tab. Return to your Blacklight search by selecting the NEOS tab in the browser.
Access Limiters
At Library: is the equivalent of on a shelf (not necessarily available) and indicates any physical format such as: book, video (DVD), sound recording (CD) etc.
Format > Book: = (eBook/Internet AND monograph)if you want to limit your search to books only (electronic and physical) use the Format > Book. If you only want physical books use Format> Book combined with At Library
Electronic Format (eBook/Internet): if you want eBooks select Format>Book combined with Online. This search will eliminate streaming videos.
Expert Search Advice
Create short, simple searches with just a few terms. Use the filters (on the More Options or search results page) to limit the results.
You can still use Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT), but only on the More Options page. (Note that Boolean operators must be in all capitals.)
As you use the new search, please send feedback to NEOS!
RDC will have an extended Reading Break due to the Canada Winter Games, Feb. 15 to Mar. 3, 2019.
The Library Information Common will be open regular hours during Reading Break (except closed for Family Day: Mon., Feb. 18), and most services will be offered as usual. Connect with the Library Information Common in person, by live chat, by phone, by text message, and by email.
Library Open; all services available (research help; citation help; technology help; faculty and copyright support; library collection)
Makerspace Closed Feb. 15 to Mar. 1 Open Mar. 2 & 3
NEOS is a consortium of 17 libraries in northern and central Alberta. You can use the NEOS Catalogue to search for books, specific RDC collections (e.g., Curriculum), or limit your search to a specific NEOS Library (e.g., Olds College). Staff, students and faculty of Red Deer College can borrow most library materials from other NEOS libraries.
Books, CDs and select videos
belonging to NEOS libraries, including those of the University of Alberta, are
listed in the NEOS Library Consortium Catalogue.
To access NEOS content you need the 13-digit barcode number from your iCard and your 4-digit NEOS PIN. If you don’t know your PIN, you can request it be sent to your RDC email.
What
is the NEOS Library Consortium Catalogue?
Students, staff and faculty of Red Deer College can borrow books, CDs, and select videos from other NEOS libraries. All items can be located through the NEOS Library Consortium Catalogue. The NEOS Catalogue can be accessed from the RDC Library website.
How do I request an item from another NEOS library?
When you find an item you would like to borrow from
another NEOS library, request the item by clicking the “Place Hold” button.
You’ll need your 13-digit barcode (form your iCard) and your NEOS PIN to
complete the request. Choose Red Deer College as the pickup location, and
you’ll receive an email when the item is available for you to pick up from RDC
Library.
Can I visit other NEOS libraries and
borrow items?
Yes! Simply show your iCard and you will be able to borrow items (some exceptions may apply). You can also return items to other NEOS Libraries.
Member
Libraries:
How long can I borrow items?
The standard loan period for borrowing from other NEOS Libraries is two weeks with the possibility of up to two 2-week renewals. If another user has placed a hold on the item you will not be able to renew it.
How long does it take for an item to
arrive once it has been requested?
Items will become available for pickup from the RDC Library Desk in approximately 2-5 working days (i.e. Monday – Friday). You will receive an email (to your RDC email account) when the item is available for pickup. If you don’t pick it up within 5 days, the item will be returned to the original library.
Why can’t I access certain e-books?
Most publishers’ license agreements restrict access to electronic content to a particular library’s members, or primary users. For example, if you are a Red Deer College student, you can freely access Red Deer College e-books but will not be able to access University of Alberta e-books. Ownership of the electronic resource is displayed in the NEOS catalogue. Look for items marked “Red Deer College Access” or “Free Access.”
What other types of items can I
access beyond academic resources?
Through NEOS you have access to a range of material including DVDs, fiction books, children’s books and graphic novels. Start searching and explore what is available!
