Angry queer Somali boy : a complicated memoir

You are invited to a unique book club experience this fall semester—the first-ever Anti-Oppression Reverse Book Club discussion. No need to read the book in advance! Instead, participants will engage in meaningful dialogue using selected paragraphs and quotes from Angry Queer Somali Boy, a powerful and complex memoir by Mohamed Abdulkarim Ali.

So, whether you’ve read the book or not, join us for lively conversations with fellow participants and the author. You’ll have the chance to exchange ideas, share experiences, and explore diverse perspectives.

We have the e-book available: https://casls-regina.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01CASLS_REGINA/1g3evkr/alma9923217818303476

Meeting Dates:

• First Meeting: October 24, 2024, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

• Second Meeting: November 7, 2024, from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM

For more information and to register go to:

https://library.uregina.ca/c.php?g=729474&p=5358113

We hope to see you there!

Archer Book Club October 2024 – Bram Stoker’s Dracula

It is the season of vampires, witches and ghosts, and the Archer Book Club is celebrating this autumn weather with the horror classic Dracula by Bram Stoker.  This book club session will be on October 30th at 12pm via Zoom, hosted by the Archer Library’s Arlysse Quiring.  Whether reading it for the first time or 10th, it’s a delightful opportunity to chat with fellow undead enthusiasts about all things literary and spine-chilling.

While the book is available at both the University Library and the Regina Public Library, it is also public domain and can be read for free online (free audiobooks are also available on YouTube).

More info on this month’s selection, and how to register, here:https://library.uregina.ca/c.php?g=716288&p=5347723

RPL Pickup Station on Campus!

Did you know you can check out and return Regina Public Library holds materials at Dr. John Archer Library?

Here’s how!

  1. Place a hold in your RPL account
  2. Select University of Regina as your ‘pickup branch’.
  3. Wait for a notification that your holds materials have been delivered.
  4. Pick up at the RPL self-check station in Archer Library!

Archer Library’s homepage has a link to Regina Public Library catalog that is just above our QuickFind search box.

Joe Fafard’s “Mind’s Garden” turns 25

Not only is 2024 the 50th anniversary of the University of Regina, it’s the 25th anniversary of Joe Farard’s sculpture “Mind’s Garden,” which has resided in between the Library and Wascana Lake since 1999. The piece’s 16 panels are constructed of cast bronze using the “lost styrofoam” process, in which Fafard’s images are projected on the styrofoam and cut with a cold knife. Fafard then shaped and rounded the pieces using a torch. The shaped pieces are placed in sand into which molten bronze is poured, replacing the styrofoam.

The first and third photos in this post (both taken in 1997) were part of a recent donation to the U of R Archives of materials from the Douglas Udell Gallery. Doug Udell was a noteworthy Canadian art dealer and gallery owner who was a friend and champion of Joe Farard, in addition to many other contemporary Canadian artists. The first image is of Farard and businessman/philanthropist Gordon Diamond, who funded the creation of the work and who would later officially gift it to the University. The third image shows Fafard surveying the site which would later house “Mind’s Garden.” Image 2 is the sculpture in August 2024.

New IS Service Desk

Information Services staff are settling into their brand new service desk (formerly the IT Help Desk) at the back of the computer commons (under the big Kenneth Lochhead paintings.) Previously IS had been temporary relocated at the main Help Desk, but as the main floor renovations are now over, they can finally move to their new home. The IS Service Desk staff can assist with computer and technology questions, printing set-up, U of R username and log-in troubleshooting, and other related issues.

Our Rooted Relatives

Some photos from Tuesday’s “Our Rooted Relatives” presentation. We were honored to host Elder Betty McKenna from Sapotawayak Reserve, Treaty 4 Manitoba, who shared her vast wisdom about traditional medicinal plants and their centuries-long use in Indigenous culture (including a hands-on sampling of dried herbs, leaves and seeds.) Afterwards, Dr. Fidji Gendron from the First Nations University of Canada presented on her ongoing work with Elder Betty.

This event was part of National Indigenous History Month at the Archer Library & Archives.