CPSC 430 students will see me on Thu, 4 November, 2:30pm – 3:30pm talking about various computer science research sources for their assignment…in DMP 301… Library course page for this class is here – http://toby.library.ubc.ca/ereserve/er-coursepage.cfm?id=2388

SSRN.com President Gregg Gordon sees building learning communities as a core mission of libraries today. In his blog, Gregg says, “Librarians have a wealth of knowledge and specifically know:
• How to research & evaluate content
• How to use different resources for different purposes
• How to determine validity and appropriation
• How to think critically.”

Rather than making libraries irrelevant, the overabundance of information today makes it more important than ever for students to access the skills and knowledge of librarians to learn to manage information – both to save time and to acquire the best information available.

Together with library collections and services, library space is a key core mission. Libraries today are hubs for a variety of uses, from teamwork and collaboration to building a sense of shared mission among users. The Canaccord Learning Commons, currently under construction at Sauder School, is a good example of how we are expanding the notion of the library beyond its traditional borders – incorporating new technologies and innovative physical spaces.

Thanks to Lindsay Ure for pointing out Gregg’s blog.

In a new series of blog posts, Rare Books and Special Collections will be featuring a historic document, photograph or map related to one of the B.C. towns represented in the room names of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre.

Receipt from A.C. Christensen & Son, Bella Coola

To kick things off, we’ll start with Bella Coola which is a small town on the Central Coast of B.C.  The Bella Coola area is famous for the MacKenzie Rock, where in 1793 Alexander MacKenzie wrote his name on a rock to commemorate completing the first recorded journey across North America.  In the early to mid 20^th century, the Bella Coola area was home to the Tallheo Cannery, which is where our featured document comes from.  The Tallheo Cannery was built in 1912 by the Canadian Fishing Company.  The archives of the Tallheo Cannery include administrative records such as correspondence, financial documents, and fishermen’s statements.  The document shown is a receipt for purchases made by the Cannery from a Bella Coola store, A.C. Christensen & Son, who were dealers in “dry goods, boots and shoes, hardware and groceries.”

In the Barber Centre, the Bella Coola room is number 193, a meeting room on the first floor of the building.

Check back every two weeks for another B.C. town and another historic document!

Bella Coola room, Barber Centre