Congratulations to the 2024 “Blind Date with a Book” Contest winners: Maitri Shah, Irene Zadnik and (pictured here) Jessica Singh.
A total of 83 individuals borrowed 123 “Blind Dates.” Contest participants rated their date for a chance to win the prize pack donated by the University of Regina Press and the poetry book “Earth Skin” by Peace Akintade.
Thank you Peace Akintade for sharing the power of your poetry!
Last Thursday, February 22nd, the African-Canadian poet, public speaker and playwright Peace Akintade-Oluwagbeye presented an author talk at the Archer Library. She read from her book Earth Skin, a poetry collection about the joys and woes of human connection, as well as spoke with Archer Library Librarian Mary Chipanshi.
Akintade’s talk was presented as part of Black History Month 2024.
Students in Risa Horowitz’s cyanotype photography course are displaying their artworks in two cabinets at the Dr. John Archer Library and Archives main floor computer commons. It is a living installation and will be added to and changed throughout the semester.
For the first installation, students used specimens from the George F. Ledingham Herbarium. With the facilitation of Associate Dean Dr. Mel Hart, of the Faculty of Science, students were able to peruse through and borrow specimens not yet formally accessioned. The Herbarium was established in 1945 and has tens of thousands of specimens from Saskatchewan and beyond. Dr. Hart also loaned students some marine invertebrate specimens, which are featured in some of the works on display.
The cyanotypes in this installation are almost all cameraless photographs. The chemistry is applied to paper with a brush, and once dried, specimens are placed in direct contact with the paper and exposed under ultraviolet light. Flat specimens can be held in close contact using glass, giving sharp edges to the images. Dimensional specimens can not be flattened with glass, and the light bounces around the objects giving less sharp edges that appear like shadows or movement.
Check out students’ individual blog posts to read more details about their specific works: https://throughblue2024.blogspot.com/
Featuring the works of: Elizabeth Dow, Florence Duesterbeck, James Hall, Nico Inocalla, Johnathan Jones, Rose Molina, Jayden Thompson, Rhylynn Wahl, Dr. Mel Hart and Professor Risa Horowitz. With special thanks to Dr. Hart, Michael Shires and Jason Cawood for their partnership and facilitation.
The next Archer Book Club selection is E. M. Forster’s classic love story Maurice. Join us for an engaging discussion of this book on February 28th at 12 noon, hosted by the Archer Library’s Jennifer Hall.
Zoom details and more info on this month’s selection can be found here:
https://library.uregina.ca/c.php?g=716288&p=5316927
For those who are interested, the Archer Library also has the 1987 Merchant/Ivory film adaptation of the novel via the Criterion-On-Demand database. Just do a search for “Maurice” using our Quick Find search engine.
For Indigenous people, storytelling is both a gift, and a very old custom, used to teach, entertain, and remember. Since 2004, the Library Services for Saskatchewan Aboriginal Peoples (LSSAP) Committee has coordinated Saskatchewan Aboriginal Storytelling Month. Through the month of February, storytelling events are held by libraries and their partners in communities throughout Saskatchewan. Find more information about LSSAP’s Aboriginal Storytelling Program here.
Join Sundance Robson at the Shumiatcher Open Stage on February 15 at 6:30 pm for a captivating narrative and sound immersion experience. The event is titled White Feather: Intergenerational Stories Past, Present & Future and is free and open to the public. Sundance is a band member of Peguis First Nation and is a co-founder of Sacred Compass Journey in Regina SK and is a sacred sound facilitator. More information about the White Feather event is at https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/white-feather-intergenerational-stories-past-present-future-tickets-795626198377.
You won’t want to miss Tales From The End of the Earth, a symposium on March 6th, 2024, at the Archer Library. This even will include a presentation of the 2002 book Antarctica by the photographers and publishers, Pat and Rosemarie Keough. They will share their experiences while visiting the continent over a two-year period which resulted in the stunning photographs found in their celebrated book.
There will also be presentations about the polar regions from University of Regina faculty members Lindsey French, Dr. Risa Horowitz, Dr. Samantha Lawler & Dr. Karla McManus.
https://library.uregina.ca/c.php?g=735832&p=5298014
February is Aboriginal Storytelling Month, and the Archer Library and Archives is pleased to be a co-presenter of White Feather: Intergenerational Stories Past, Present & Future, on Feb. 15th, 2024, featuring Sundance Robson. This year the event will be in the Shumiatcher Open Stage, Riddell Centre, University of Regina. Admission is free.
The Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN) and the Dr. John Archer Library and Archives are pleased to announce that approximately 200 issues of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Quarterly (RCMP Quarterly) dating from 1933 to 2000 have been added to the Canadiana collection. The collection was digitized and made available by CRKN from issues held at the Dr. John Archer Library and Archives, with permission from the RCMP Veterans Association.
The journal, published by the RCMP since 1933, includes RCMP news, articles on the history and practices of the RCMP, accounts of social events and ceremonies, personal essays by RCMP members, and much more. The collection is a valuable resource for researchers interested in the history of the RCMP and policing in Canada, as well as those researching family members who served in the RCMP.
This collection is the second digitization project CRKN has undertaken with the University of Regina, following the addition of a series of student publications added to Canadiana in 2023. It is also another significant addition of content from member libraries to Canadiana.
Explore the digitized journal here: https://www.canadiana.ca/search?q0.0=su%3A%22Police+–+Canada+–+Periodicals%22
For questions or comments about this collection, please contact Francesca Brzezicki, Heritage Engagement Officer: fbrzezicki@crkn.ca.
– by Kaetlyn Phillips
Did you make a New Year’s resolution for 2024? How is that going?
In 2023, Statistics Canada found that common resolutions included exercising, eating healthier, cutting down spending, disconnecting from social media, and reducing alcohol intake. Out of these resolutions, cutting back on alcohol definitely gets the most media coverage as many Canadians partake in “Dry January” at the start of the year and “Sober October” near the end of the year.
According to an Ipsos survey of Canadians in 2023, Dry January is most popular among Gen Z with 46% of Gen Z respondents saying they participated in the event and slightly popular with Milennial (20%) and Gen X (19%) participants. There’s currently no openly available Canadian data, but in 2021 the US company Knit conducted consumer research asking Gen Z about why they participated in Dry January. The top reason for both male and female participants was health and wellness (71.4% for males and 50% for females). The next reason was to save money (71.4% males, 42% females). Number 3 was to cut back on consumptions (57.1% for males, 33% for females). An interesting statistic was 33% of female participants listed participating in Dry January “for the challenge.” Based on these reasons, Dry January as a resolution does align with the top concerns when people enter a New Year – get healthier and save money.
If your resolution has become a case of “best laid plans” then don’t worry! You aren’t alone. A 2020 study by Oscarsson, Calbring, Andersson, and Rozental found that one year after setting a resolution goal, only 55% of participants considered themselves to be successful. The study found that approach-oriented goals (e.g. “I will increase the amount of time I exercise”) were more successful than avoidance-oriented goals (e.g. “I will stop eating Takis”). Social support also plays a key role in goal success as being held accountable and receiving positive reinforcement and praise increase enthusiasm and motivation. So, if you are struggling with your resolution, try reworking your goal and considering telling others about it.
Happy New Year everyone!
It’s #ACAHashtagParty time again at the Association of Canadian Archivists. We had fun finding these Science Show promo posters in our holdings to line up with today’s theme, #ArchivesScience. A fixture in the U of R’s events calendar for many years, the Science Shows invited the public to engage with the institution’s science-related departments through a variety of exhibits and experiments.
Image Credits: University of Regina Archives. Oversize Ephemerae (Faculty of Science). Science Show Posters, 1977-1991.
