Fall Festival Prize Winners

Congratulations to our Library Fall Festival prize winners! Ansh Patel’s completed passport was drawn as the winner of the grand prize of a new iPad. The two gift baskets filled with snacks and a Tim Hortons gift card were won by Sara Zahid and Ava Larose. Congratulation to our winners, thank you to everyone who attended the Fall Festival, and a shout out to the UR Ambassadors who helped! @URAmbassadorCentral

Data in Everyday Life – Statistics Canada Surveys

by Kaetlyn Phillips

After a summer hiatus, I’m back for more blogs on data in everyday life. This month we’ll cover Statistics Canada Surveys. If you were a reader of my previous blogs, think of this as part 3 of a series on survey data collection. If you are new to the blog, you don’t need to read the previous entries, but you’re always welcome to do so.

Statistics Canada collects data on a national level which are used to inform the public and the government. Within reason, most of this data become publicly available once they have been analyzed. Usually this is in the form of data news (The Daily), aggregated data tables, analytical reports, Public Use Microdata Files (PUMFs), and other data tools and resources. As their data are intended to be representative of the entire nation, they have much stricter sampling guidelines than national opinion polls (for more information click here!).

With a Statistics Canada survey, the target population the survey wants to measure will be well defined. Defined target populations can include nature of units; geographic locations; time periods; and socio-demographic characteristics such as age groups or industry. For example, we might define our target population as Canadian post-secondary students who were enrolled in a graduate level program from September 2021 to September 2022. Other steps needed to design the study and sample include choosing a survey time frame, defining survey units, determining sample size, and choosing an appropriate sampling method. Ideally, the survey will use probability sampling, meaning the sample is selected using random selection or chance. There are many forms of probability sampling and if you want to do a deeper dive, click here. Random sampling minimizes sampling error, but is more costly and time-consuming.

The release of data to the public depends on the survey. Most surveys run on a cycle which is usually annual, but not always. The detail of the data, or granularity, being released also affects when they are released. For example, brief statistical breakdowns like infographics found in The Daily can be released much quicker than PUMFs. The more granular the data get, the greater the need to protect anonymity of respondents. In some cases survey data that is collected are not available to the public.

While Statistics Canada is considered a trusted source of data, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t thoughtfully evaluate what they release. A quick way to evaluate data is to ask “Who was counted? How were they counted?”; meaning, we should look at the sample size and consider if it represents the target population and we should look at how the survey was conducted, which we’ll tackle next month!

Library Sessions

We have a new schedule for Library Zoom sessions as well as a couple of in-person Library sessions for the Fall 2022 semester. Registration is required for the Zoom sessions, and encouraged for the in-person sessions. ALL students from ANY program or faculty are welcome. Staff, sessionals and faculty are also welcome.

Balancing the Acquisitions Budget

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.

Update on Acquisitions Budget 2022

Virtual Treaty 4 Talk with Nelson Bird and Danielle Kehler

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. 

Treaty 4 Talks 2022Download

“The Things We Think With”, currently showing at the University’s Fifth Parallel Gallery

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!

“Shapes, Lines, and Light,” a picture book by Katie Yamasaki

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