Spring 2023 Newsletter
KPU Library is now on InstagramClick on the 'Library Services' tab above to learn more.
For more information and a detailed list of what is available, click here.
Click on the 'Equipment' tab at the top of the page for more information.
χʷəχʷéy̓əm Indigenous Collection is now open at Richmond and Langley librariesClick on the 'Library Spaces' tab above to learn more.
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 learn more.
KPU Library is officially on Instagram! You can visit our page here. Follow us to stay up to date with service announcements, upcoming events, library service highlights, and more. Stay tuned as we plan on posting quick guides to library services, citation questions, and highlight some frequently asked questions.
KORA (Kwantlen Open Resource Access) is KPU’s institutional repository for collecting, preserving, and providing free online access to scholarly and creative materials created by the Kwantlen community.
Let the Library help you provide long-lasting access to your work!
For more information or to get the process started, please email kora@kpu.ca.
Get one-on-one help from a KPU Librarian, virtually. 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.
We encourage you to let your students know that this service is available to them. Access to Zoom a Librarian is available from the red button on our front page at kpu.ca/library (shown in picture), or on our Ask Us page.
Service for Spring semester begins on February 21, and will be available Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays, 2-6pm (PST).
Visit Zoom a 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.
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.
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.
You can now request library instruction through our new Library Instruction Request form.
To use the form, we require at least 2 weeks notice for bookings. When your session is confirmed, you will be informed who your library instructor will be and any further correspondence can proceed directly between you and the librarian.
For more information on library instruction, please visit our KPU Instructional Services and Information Literacy guide.
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.
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.
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.
Last year we opened our first χʷəχʷéy̓əm Indigenous Collection space at KPU Surrey. Now, in Spring 2023, we have opened χʷəχʷéy̓əm Indigenous Collection spaces at our Richmond and Langley campuses!
The collection, curated by Indigenous Engagement and Subject Liaison Librarian, Rachel Chong, aims to make Indigenous authors, history and culture more accessible, and the space itself features details that honour Indigenous knowledge, ways of thinking, and art. The collection features books, artwork, jewelry, clothing, and furniture. In the future, the collection will also feature QR code links to oral storytelling recordings by KPU Elder in Residence Lekeyten. The space includes 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 the opening of χʷəχʷéy̓əm at KPU Richmond, click here.
Updated Learning Zone Signs coming soon to all campuses
Implemented in Surrey last year, our Learning Zone signage will soon be at all of our locations. The Learning Zones help users self select the learning environment they wish to study in.
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. This means students can choose to work in "Quiet", "Silent", or "Collaborative" spaces.
The signs for our Learning Zones features an eagle design by KPU graduate Roxanne Charles of Semiahmoo First Nation.
Visit the χʷəχʷéy̓əm Collection
The χʷəχʷéy̓əm Collection is part of KPU Library’s new Indigenous resource space, now available at all of our locations.
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.
To learn more about the collection, visit here.
KPU Library is now a member of the Center for Research Libraries! This consortium specializes in collecting rare, international primary-source materials and has built a substantial collection since its founding in 1949.
KPU Library now has online access to CRL’s digitized materials as well as the ability to borrow physical materials. Although all disciplines are represented, the CRL collection’s strengths are eclectic, representing the research being supported at the time the materials were purchased.
There are several ways to search CRL’s collection. Records for digital items have been loaded into KPU Library’s Summon search and the catalogue. Or, to search the full CRL collection, including physical materials, please use the link to the CRL Catalog in the Library’s Research Databases list. CRL’s Topic Guides provide descriptions of key source materials by discipline.
If time and funding permit, CRL staff may also be able to provide consultations to help KPU faculty to find and use CRL materials for their research and may even be able to locate and purchase additional materials that align with CRL’s collection mandate to support KPU research. For more information, please see the Library’s webpage about CRL Resources and Services. If you have questions or would like to contact CRL, please contact your KPU Liaison Librarian. .
Reinforce class learning and supplement print textbooks with a new collection of online videos. JoVE Videos are short, accessible videos that are closed captioned and have accompanying text and references. They are available for Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics, Clinical Skills, Psychology, Engineering, and Statistics!
To find out how to embed videos into Moodle and to find out how to match content to your outlines, see the Faculty Resource Center. Search for JoVE on the library’s research databases page for the complete list of subjects. Individual videos and their accompanying text are also searchable through Summon and the library catalogue.
Check out our new books! 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.
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.
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.
For more information and a detailed list of what is available, click here. See below for some equipment highlights.
The library has a variety of data projectors. Contact the Equipment Desk to find out which type is best suited to your needs.
The Library has a variety of sizes and models:
Contact us to find one that meets your needs.
Use document cameras to project images or three dimensional still or moving objects. Some cameras can capture and save images with software installation.
