Thursday, December 21, 2017

A Gift in Support of Libraries

No comments :
students discussing in comfortable chairs in the library
UAlberta Libraries are dedicated to helping every student excel in scholarship and knowledge. For more than 100 years, we have been a trusted and fully-inclusive unit dedicated to “uplifting the whole people”. During this season of hope and renewal, we hope that you will partner with us as we continue to equip students with the necessary tools for critical thinking and lifelong learning.

When you choose to support Libraries, you are making a choice to uplift knowledge and support learning opportunities that yield positive results for our students, our province and our nation. Please join us in serving as a nexus between people and information, guiding students on a path to greatness that promotes new scholarship, research, ideas and innovation.

From everyone at Libraries, it is a pleasure to extend the season's best to those we so deeply appreciate. We hope you will join us this holiday season in “uplifting the whole people”! 


Make a Gift

Monday, December 18, 2017

Binge on some holiday classics courtesy of UAL

No comments :
Exams are over… Time to sit back, grab a cup of nog and veg out in front of the television for an overdose of festive flicks. UAlberta Libraries has you covered for all your holiday movie needs. Our streaming video databases, Kanopy and Criterion-on-Demand are home to an endless supply of movies to keep you entertained throughout the holiday break.


Christmas Comfort Food
- Bonafide holiday classics; the ones that play ad nauseam through the month of December.
 
A Christmas Carol - Both the 1938 and 1951 versions of Ebenezer Scrooge’s tale of redemption.

It’s a Wonderful Life - George Bailey and Clarence the Angel take a Christmas Eve journey to an alternate universe where George never existed. 

A Christmas Story - All Ralphie Parker wants for Christmas is a Red Ryder B.B. Gun. 
 
Die Hard - John McClane takes on an high rise full of terrorists to save his estranged wife and her co-workers on Christmas Eve. 

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation - Chronic mishaps threaten to derail Clark Griswold’s perfect family Christmas. 

Home Alone - Kevin McCallister vs. The Wet Bandits in an epic tinsel-strewn battle. 

Elf - Buddy, raised at the North Pole as an elf, returns to New York City as a grown man to find his real father.

Alt-Christmas Cinema - For those tired of bells, angels and BB Guns. Films that aren’t thought of primarily as Christmas movies, but share an undeniable yuletide flare.


Meet Me in St. Louis - Vincente Minnelli’s musical that is a summer, Halloween and Christmas movie in one delightful package. Judy Garland’s rendition of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is a showstopper.

Black Christmas - Predating John Carpenter’s Halloween by 3 years, Black Christmas is the original holiday-themed slasher movie.

Gremlins - Sticking with the horror theme... Things go awry in the picturesque town of Kingston Falls when Billy Peltzer’s Christmas gift, a mogwai named Gizmo, gives birth to a horde of destructive gremlins. 

Edward Scissorhands - Tim Burton’s fairy tale about a young man with scissors for hands traversing a suburban minefield in search of love and acceptance.

Eyes Wide Shut - Stanley Kubrick and Tom Cruise take viewers on a strange odyssey of desire, jealousy and betrayal through the streets of New York at Christmas time.

Carol - Todd Haynes’ sumptuous romance between a shop girl and a high society woman.

Christmas Movies? Bah humbug! - Don’t celebrate Christmas or despise anything holiday related? We offer access to hundreds of movies that have nothing to do with the holly jolly season. Here’s a few worth checking out.


Safety Last! - If you’ve never watched a silent film, you could pick worse places to start. This highly entertaining Harold Lloyd film is famous for the sequence where Lloyd scales a building and dangles from its clock.

The Young Girls of Rochefort - Infectiously enjoyable, Jacques Demy’s love letter to MGM musicals features missed romantic connections, an axe-murderer sub plot, and then Gene Kelly shows up…

McCabe and Mrs. Miller - Set in a wintry Pacific Northwest logging settlement that grows into a town, Robert Altman’s revisionist western about a gambler and madame who build a successful business only to fly too close to the sun is breathtakingly beautiful and melancholic. The gorgeous Leonard Cohen soundtrack adds to its mournful allure.

Take Shelter - Michael Shannon plays a father plagued by visions of impending apocalypse. Is it the onset of mental illness; or is there something to his visions of doom?

Hunt for the Wilderpeople - Funny and touching, Taika Waititi’s tale of a city kid, Ricky, on the run from New Zealand’s Child Protective Services with his countrified foster uncle. The unlikely duo must work together to evade the authorities in the New Zealand wild.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

The 2017 Annual Support Staff Recognition Award goes to...

No comments :
Darryl Hopkins! This award recognizes Darryl for being an outstanding support staff member & for his extraordinary contributions to the University. He has worked for the Libraries for over thirty years and is honoured with the award that is "designed to recognize the outstanding members of the University of Alberta Support staff and the extraordinary contributions they make to the University."


Below are a few quotes from Darryl's nomination documentation that I am sure were noted by the Adjudication Committee:

Without him, I believe the Libraries would suffer greatly, he is always ready and willing to help, regardless of the task.

Darryl always has a smile on his face and is happy to help with anything, regardless of how early in the morning it is. Everyone knows that they can rely on him for the many tasks that fall into his lap.

Whether it’s repairing furniture, making sure our locks work, or taking the lead on Cameron fire-drills Darryl always takes the time to do a first rate job and does so while treating those around him with respect.

And, a fitting summation:

Darryl may be a jack of all trades, but he is a master of personable and nice!

We would also like to acknowledge our colleague Ina Kwon, at Bibliographic Services, on her service award. Congratulations Ina on 40 years of service! See the full list of those celebrating milestones at the University of Alberta.

Wednesday, December 6, 2017

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

No comments :
Tuesday, December 6th is the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. On that day, 28 years ago, 14 women at l'École Polytechnique in Montreal were murdered simply because they were women studying at a post-secondary institution.

Participate at a memorial event held in the Students' Union Building (SUB stage) December 6th at Noon. You may wish to attend as an opportunity to reflect on the problem of violence against women in our society and consider concrete actions leading toward the elimination of such violence in the future.

For more information about The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, click here:

http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/commemoration/vaw-vff/remembrance-commemoration-en.htm