Welcome to Fall Semester! This newsletter highlights library services, resources, and spaces that can help you enhance your teaching, learning, and research. Navigate the newsletter by clicking on the tabs at the top of the page.
Or contact your Liaison Librarian for discipline specific questions.
Are you a new faculty member or instructor? Want a quick guide to the top services and resources at KPU Library? Check out our Welcome to KPU Library: Faculty and Instructors Guide. Here you will find information about library services and resources for research and instruction. This page is a great starting point for exploring what the library has to offer.
Get text message notifications from KPU LibraryClick on the 'Library Services' tab above to learn how.
KPU Faculty Picks for Diving into the DisciplinesClick on the 'Teaching Resources' tab above to read more.
Visit χʷəχʷéy̓əm at Surrey Campus Library
Click on the 'Library Space' tab above to read more.
KPU Faculty Picks for Diving into the Disciplines is a book list designed to introduce students to new fields of interest. Books on the list are chosen based on recommendations from ARTS faculty members and instructors. Faculty and instructors have selected these books because they believe them to be engaging, well-written, and accessible to people outside of the discipline.
This list might help a student decide a major or be a source of inspiration. Materials on this list can also be suggested as further reading for students eager to learn more about a certain discipline.
We are still taking suggestions for Faculty Picks for Diving into the Disciplines. If you have recommendations to add to the list in your discipline, you are encouraged to contact Jennifer Williams at Jennifer.Williams@kpu.ca or Celia Brinkerhoff at Celia.Brinkerhoff@kpu.ca.
Our librarians have created a series of video tutorials which cover a wide range of topics surrounding the research process and using the library. These topics include: understanding the peer review process, basic overviews on how to search the library catalogue, how to conduct background research searches, and tips on evaluating the quality of information sources.
These video tutorials can provide a foundation for students to improve their research, evaluation, and information literacy skills. These videos might be of particular use in courses involving the research process. To see what videos are available and to learn how to embed one into your Moodle site, visit this guide. You can also find these videos on Kaltura and our YouTube channel.
Check out our Climate Emergency guide
KPU Library has a new guide that addresses the Climate Emergency and issues such as climate anxiety and taking action.
This information guide is a great place to start to educate your students about the Climate Emergency; we've tried to make it interactive with a variety of resources, utilize openly accessible content where possible, and selected resources that are available to all. We've linked to resources about climate policy on the local level, climate science podcasts, and decolonization and climate justice.
This guide is appropriate for all levels of interest: whether or not you are new to the conversation or if you're a seasoned veteran, you'll find resources here to help further your knowledge on this important and timely topic.
We encourage instructors to share this with your students or even incorporate it into your lessons, and for students or individuals interested in the Climate Emergency to use this guide to help support your self-education.
Take a look at the Climate Emergency Guide, by KPU Librarians Celia Brinkerhoff and Allison Richardson.
Citations can be tricky. KPU Library has a variety of resources to help you with all your citation needs, whether they be MLA, APA, Chicago, or another style. First, for a general guide, visit our Citation Styles guide.
Here are our two newest citation resources:
Chicago Style Citations guide, authored by KPU Librarians Ulrike Kestler and Sigrid Kargut, is a tutorial that covers the importance of citations, elements of common source types, and how to create footnotes or endnotes and bibliographic citations based on the Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition).
Chicago Style Citations is an open resource published using Pressbooks. This means instructors can easily share and incorporate content from this resource in their lessons. "Why do we cite?" and "What is a footnote or endnote?" are just two examples of topics that can be integrated in your class work or assignments. In addition to information and instruction on how to cite using the Chicago Manual of Style, there are also activities and exercises to help build citation skills. Chicago Style Citations can also be used as a reference resource.
The publication of this tutorial is the latest in this series of open resources on citation from KPU Library. APA Citations and MLA Citations are also available.
MLA Style 101 is a new video-based course from the MLA. Direct from the Modern Language Association, KPU Library is pleased to announce that our subscription to the MLA Handbook now allows our users access to a new, 12 part, introductory course called MLA Style 101. The course features 9 videos to help you and your students learn about the core elements of citation using MLA style. Check it out! Visit MLA Handbook, 9th edition, and click on 'Courses' on the grey menu ribbon.
Check out our page, Library Instruction, for all of the available options. Librarians can help you and your students learn library research skills. We can show your students how to search for material, use the library, specific databases and resources, citation--and more! We have both synchronous and asynchronous options available.
Want to talk it out? Contact your Liaison Librarian and they can help you figure out the best way to meet you and your students' needs. Liaison librarians can help you request materials and readings for your classes, help you access teaching resources specific to your discipline, and more!
Academic Integrity is an open resource from the library that can be easily integrated into your instruction and accessed online anytime. You can also have your students enroll in a corresponding Moodle course to earn a badge. Many instructors assign the course as an assignment alongside or prior to students' first paper of the term. The content is designed to help students understand the importance of adhering to academic integrity principles and raise their awareness around plagiarism, citation, quoting and paraphrasing, and KPU assistance in these areas.
Visit our Academic Integrity Moodle Course page to access this open resource and for the link for students to enroll to earn their badge.
Please note: With the recent shift of courses to a new Moodle site (courses.moodle.kpu.ca), the Academic Integrity Recognition badge is not visible on student profiles on this new site. As the AI Tutorial will stay on the old Moodle site (courses.kpu.ca), and as AI badges are tied to students’ profiles on the old site, they are not visible in their student profiles from the new Moodle site. This applies to badges earned previously as well as to new badges earned. To learn about the recommendations on how to ask for proof of completion from your students, visit the Academic Integrity Moodle Course page
Questions? Ask Us or email Ulrike Kestler, EDST, LANC & Academic Integrity Liaison Librarian.
The Library's Doing Research: A Student's Guide to Finding and Using the Best Sources has four modules:
Every module should take approximately 20 minutes to complete and consists of written text, video, interactive H5P, activities and a short quiz (linked through your Moodle site) that will be graded.
These modules roughly follow the research process, so you can assign one or more of them to your students depending on the class/assignment requirements at any particular point in the course. We have instructions for embedding the modules, or component parts, into Moodle.
If you have questions about this tutorial or have trouble integrating it into your courses, please contact Celia at celia.brinkerhoff@kpu.ca.
This tutorial is a great alternative to our in-person library research sessions, if you need a remote option. Want to know your options? Contact Your Librarian.
You can now receive KPU Library notifications by text message. This optional service includes overdue, hold, and bill notifications and will be in addition to your traditional email notifications.
To sign up for text notifications, visit My Library Account, log in, and enable SMS notification under the 'Personal Information'. Step-by-step instructions can be found on My Library Account.
Please note if a cardholder opts in to receiving SMS (text) messages regarding their Library account, the cardholder is aware that messages and data rates may apply and their phone number and KPU Library SMS message content will be disclosed and stored temporarily outside Canada. For more information on how the Library collects and manages personal information, please see https://www.kpu.ca/library/personal-information.
In-person reference services are back. Visit any of our KPU Library locations to stop by the reference desk and talk to a librarian face-to-face. Librarians will be happy to assist you with research and citations, help you find resources for your classes, and get you in contact with your Liaison Librarian.
Click here to see our Library hours. Alternatively, you can ask us a question virtually.
On October 18, our one-on-one online help returns. Zoom A Librarian is like our virtual office hours--students (or you!) can drop into our Zoom waiting room and you can speak with a KPU Librarian, one-on-one.
Visit Zoom a Librarian.
While you wait for Zoom a Librarian to return, you can visit our Ask Us page for help. Alternatively, you can drop by in-person to meet with a librarian face-to-face at any of our campus libraries.
We encourage you to let your students know that they have a Liaison Librarian! Liaison Librarians are experts in their subject areas and can help students learn how to research in their area of study and navigate the resources available to them. Students can locate their Liaison Librarian and contact options at Contact Your Librarian.
Your Liaison Librarian also welcomes being contacted by YOU! You can discuss your library instruction needs or even just drop a line to say hello. We want to hear from you!
Have a general question about the library, research, or citations? You or your students can use our virtual chat reference service, AskAway, and get an answer right away! AskAway reopens for fall semester on September 19.
The process to create your KPU Card begins when you submit your photo to us online. Continuing our streamlined process from our pandemic procedures, we no longer take your picture and process your KPU card 'on the spot'.
Here's how to get your KPU Card from the library:
We also ask that if you require students to have their KPU card for exams, to let your students know ahead of time, to give them time to apply and pick up their card. The process for students to create their KPU card is the same as outlined above.
Designating library material as a Course Reserve means that we limit the loan period of an item in our collection so it is available to a greater amount of students during the semester. This is often done for items that are part of your course readings or needed for class assignments or for reference. However, Link.Scan.Open provides online, accessible readings to all your students rather than limiting access to one copy of a book. Your students will thank you!
Visit Course Reserves for Faculty to request to place an item on course reserve.
Visit Link.Scan.Open to request a link, PDF (within Fair Dealing), or open resource for class readings.
Get help from librarians when you need it!
Many students prefer chatting with a librarian through AskAway as they can access help at point-of-need: during their researching or while writing/citing assignments online.
If your students need research or citation help, you can refer them to the Library's Ask Us page (where they can choose to chat, email or text us).
Or you can embed our AskAway chat widget right into your Moodle site.
The Library's Open Publishing Suite of services can help you:
Learn more at Library Support for Open Education.
Visit the χʷəχʷéy̓əm Collection
The χʷəχʷéy̓əm Collection is part of KPU Library’s new Indigenous resource space. To read more about the opening of the space, click here.
The χʷəχʷéy̓əm Collection contains materials written by Indigenous authors. These materials are classified in a localized version of the Brian Deer Indigenous Classification system. This classification system was developed by Brian Deer, a Kahnawake Mohawk Librarian, and focuses on classification based on Indigenous ways of knowing and relating to the world. The version used in the The χʷəχʷéy̓əm Collection has been updated by Metis Librarian Ashley Edwards.
Visit the The χʷəχʷéy̓əm Collection and space at KPU Surrey Library.
SAGE Skills: Business is an interactive resource that helps users develop business skills. Its aim is to help students transition from university to the workplace.
This resource currently covers five modules: Data analytics, entrepreneurship, leadership, organizational communication, and professionalism. There are different types of interactive content, ranging from self-assessments, scenarios, downloadable data, written overviews, and videos.
This resource is for all students, not just Business students and is a great way to help prepare students for the modern workplace.
KPU Library's collection is always being updated. Visit any of our Libraries to see our New Books displays, including new books by KPU authors!
Check these books out and enjoy your reading.
Explore 125+ years of digital news archives from 3 of B.C,'s oldest newspapers: The Province, The Times-Colonist, and The Vancouver Sun.With the B.C. Historical Newspaper Collection, users can now access three historical newspaper archives from the ProQuest Historical Newspapers collection. This collection includes news, editorials, ads and images from the Vancouver Sun (1912-2010), the Times-Colonist (1884-2010) and The Province (1894-2010). Newspapers provide important content and perspectives for unique insights including Indigenous history, local industry news, and regional stories.
Access to this collection is in addition to our existing historical newspaper subscriptions , which includes access to the Vancouver Sun historical archives, which covers the years 1912 to 3 months ago, and the Globe and Mail: ProQuest Historical Newspapers, which covers the years 1844 to three years ago.
To access historical newspaper collections at KPU Library, visit A-Z Databases: Newspaper Articles : Historical
Access to the B.C. Historical Newspaper Collection has been made possible thanks to the British Columbia Electronic Library Network (BC ELN), the BC Libraries Cooperative, and Focused Education Resources.
Contact your liaison librarian to identify resources in our collections that can be accessed by your students for course readings. In addition, some of the licenses can be a bit complicated and we want to ensure you and your students will have access for the semester (see below).
Check out our libguide for more info, ZTC Ready.
Looking for an ebook to use as a textbook? While we try our hardest to provide online access to e-textbooks, there are some barriers that academic libraries face, often from publishers, when trying to provide access to certain texts online. Even if we already have it in our collection, there may be restrictions regarding the number of simultaneous users or the amount of downloads, for example. Please contact Jen Adams, Acquisitions & Collections Assessment Librarian, if you have a question about an ebook you’d like to assign to your course.
Visit χʷəχʷéy̓əm at Surrey Campus Library
χʷəχʷéy̓əm is a new Indigenous space and collection that opened at our Surrey campus library this spring. It is on the ground floor of the library, across from our Research Help Desk.
The collection and space is called χʷəχʷéy̓əm – oral storytelling in the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ language -- and was developed by Rachel Chong, our Indigenous Engagement and Subject Liaison Librarian. The collection features works by Indigenous authors, and χʷəχʷéy̓əm was designed to make Indigenous culture and history accessible. Featured elements include circular shelves, display cabinets for Indigenous art, and seating upholstered in a custom design by Metis artist and Wilson School of Design graduate, Jennifer Lamont.
To read more about this space, please visit the Today@ post, χʷəχʷéy̓əm opens at KPU Surrey. You can also visit χʷəχʷéy̓əm Indigenous Collection to learn more bout the space and collection.
Questions? Ask us or contact Rachel Chong, Indigenous Engagement and Subject Liaison Librarian.
Updated Learning Zone Signs at Surrey Campus Library
After four years of temporary signage, KPU Library was pleased to install updated, permanent Learning Zone signage with the help of KPU Marketing and Facilities and funding from the Post-Pandemic Initiatives Fund. The Learning Zones at Surrey Campus Library help users self select the learning environment they wish to study in.
Surrey campus library is a primary hub for students to study, gather and collaborate. Student space at the library spans three floors, and there are a diverse set of needs and expectations from our students. Some need to collaborate with their peers, some need a quiet place to study. With more students returning to campus, we recognized the need to prioritize our students' needs and use of space. The goal of this project was to improve student experience and use of library space by visually establishing zones and optimizing the space. We've simplified the zones, extending them to encompass each of our three floors. Providing official and clear structure for appropriate levels of noise and interaction allows our users to self-select and self-regulate their behavior. The result is a shared, harmonious space that reflects the diverse needs and expectations of students.
The signs for our Learning Zones features an eagle design by KPU graduate Roxanne Charles of Semiahmoo First Nation.
Stay tuned for information about signage updates in our Langley and Richmond Libraries.