Archer employees are out roving the campus with free candy today to promote this week’s Library and Archives’ Fall Festival. Hope you can join us Wednesday (11:00 – 2:00) or Thursday (2:00 – 4:00) to learn more about our programs, services and partners.
https://uregina.libcal.com/event/3692374
https://uregina.libcal.com/event/3692375
For the past several years, the Archer Library’s acquisitions budget has been operating at a deficit. Our acquisitions budget today is below the level it was in 2009 ($2.97M compared to $3.13M), while annual vendor increases, inflation, and the fluctuating value of the Canadian dollar have decreased our relative buying power by over $1M in the same time period.
The Library is committed to strategically balancing its acquisitions budget while minimizing impact on teaching, research and curriculum development at the University of Regina.
The Library’s Collection Assessment Team (CAT) has identified subscriptions to Wiley and Taylor & Francis packages for non-renewal. Journals from all disciplines will be impacted by the non-renewal. Rather than subscribing to the entire packages, we will be individually subscribing to journals from these publishers: 21 from Wiley, and 13 from Taylor & Francis. More information about those titles is available at the link below.
The decision is data-driven and is based on the principles of stewardship, transparency, fairness, and equity across all disciplines. We have set up a webpage to provide more information to the campus community about our decision-making process. Please check back regularly for updates.
In recognition of the annual Treaty 4 Gathering near Fort Qu’Appelle, The Dr. John Archer Library and Archives invites the general public, grades 6-12 teachers and their students, to participate in a virtual session on Wednesday 21st at 11am. Host Nelson Bird, CTV News Regina Assignment Editor, will have an inspiring conversation with Danielle Kehler, a Plains Cree artist from Kawacatoose First Nation. Sign up, here: https://bit.ly/3QH4fxV. This program was created in partnership with Regina Public Library, Chinook Regional Library, Palliser Regional Library, and Southeast Regional Library.
U of R Archivist Crista Bradley is a contributor to the multidisciplinary exhibit “The Things We Think With,” currently showing at the University’s Fifth Parallel Gallery until September 16th. “The Things We Think With” reflects on our collective fascination with objects as important catalysts, tools, containers and provocations in our daily lives, and provides a collaborative space for their celebration. Congratulations to Crista and all of the contributing artists!
Released this month is “Shapes, Lines, and Light,” a picture book by Katie Yamasaki about her grandfather Minoru Yamasaki, the architect of the Archer Library (as well as dozens of other significant 20th century modernist buildings across the globe.)
“Minoru Yamasaki described the feeling he sought to create in his buildings as “serenity, surprise, and delight.” Here, Katie Yamasaki charts his life and work: his childhood in Seattle’s Japanese immigrant community, paying his way through college working in Alaska’s notorious salmon canneries, his success in architectural school, and the transformative structures he imagined and built. A Japanese American man who faced brutal anti-Asian racism in post–World War II America and an outsider to the architectural establishment, he nonetheless left his mark on the world, from the American Midwest to New York City, Asia, and the Middle East.” (from Penguin Random House https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/719208/shapes-lines-and-light-by-katie-yamasaki/9781324017011 )
Learn more about the book at Katie Yamasaki’s website here:
https://www.katieyamasaki.com/books/shapeslineslight
Hi all!
I’m Caitlin Bakker, the new Discovery Technologies Librarian at the University of Regina. Essentially, that means that I implement and manage systems that connect people with the information that they need, whether that need is teaching, learning, research, or anything else.
My favourite part of my job is being able to solve problems, and I love being able to make discovering, accessing and sharing information easier for everyone.
Prior to coming to the U of R, I spent 8 years at the University of Minnesota, where I worked on data science and management, systematic reviews, research impact assessment, research reproducibility, and open science and scholarship.
The Archer Library is looking for innovative, proactive, flexible, collaborative and service-oriented candidates for the tenure-track position of Science, Engineering and Social Work Liaison Librarian.
View the full position description or visit the U of R Careers website for more information!
by Kaetlyn Phillips, Data Services Librarian
I’m interrupting the series on surveys this month for something different.
Image from Monty Python’s Flying Circus (1969-1974)
Well not completely different. I’ll still be talking about data, but instead of diving into Statistic Canada surveys, were going to take a little break and talk about books. I’m often asked about what resources to recommend to people who want to learn more about data. Here are some of my recommendations! The titles below are available by searching QuickFind (except The Data Detective) or through Regina Public Library.
How to Lie With Statistics – Darrell Huff
The classic, the oldie, and the goodie. The book that started the exploration of critical thinking and skepticism in viewing data and statistics. Published in 1954, the practices Huff describes are still being used today. For the people in the back: THE PRACTICES HUFF DESCRIBES ARE STILL BEING USED TODAY!! How to Lie With Statistics is a great work for learning about data visualizations and how they can be deceptive. However, don’t let this be the only book you read on data as it’s overwhelming message is “everyone lies with stats” and that’s simply not the case. While critical thinking about data is important, the book can be cynical and dismissive of all data and statistics. So take the lessons about how visualizations are manipulated, but leave the cynicism behind.
The Data Detective – Tim Hartford
Hartford addresses the cynicism of Huff in the introduction of The Data Detective. This book provides a less cynical and dismissive look at data and instead recommends that when looking at data and statistics, the best thing we can do is be curious. Hartford breaks down his message into 10 rules when approaching data and provides examples of why instant dismissal and skepticism towards data can be just as dangerous as accepting all data as truth. One of my favourite recent reads about data, Hartford encourages a balanced approach to viewing and interpreting statistics that isn’t overly daunting or intimidating.
Calling Bullshit – Carl Bergstrom and Jevin West
Another book about being skeptical about data! This work is a hilarious and frank look at data in the time of social media and misinformation. In particular, it looks at how Big Data and how the all mighty algorithm complicates data comprehension. Overall, this work focuses on using critical thinking and skepticism when looking at all forms of information, not just data, but the lessons discussed in the book also apply to data and statistics.
Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are – Seth Stephens-Davidowitz
This book is a fascinating dive into what big data tells us about human nature. Using big data collected from anonymous search histories, the book provides a never before seen look at human behaviours, prejudices, and patterns. The book explores how big data identifies and tells truths that most humans lie about, while also exploring how big data can be wrong and misused.
So that’s some potential beach reads for everyone as we approach summer! Enjoy!
Archer Book Club’s next meeting is June 22, 2022: 12-1pm, discussing The Song Of Achilles by Madeline Miller.
This novel is essentially Homer’s Iliad retold from Patroclus’ perspective, and focusing largely on his romantic relationship with Achilles and the events that lead to the Trojan War. More information about the novel can be found at our libguide here.
Check out our full book club page including sign up information here: https://uregina.libguides.com/archerbookclub
2022 book club meetings will continue via Zoom until further notice, and all faculty, students and staff are welcome.
