The Multiples Project: Students' Sculptures in the Vera Bracken Library

The Vera Bracken Library is now hosting "The Multiples Project" in its Reference Collection.

This show displays the sculptures created by the students in the ARFN 233 class at Medicine Hat College. Their task was to "use multiples of a small object to create a sculpture that makes a statement." You will see that the results were very impressive.

If you cannot see the display in person, then browse the slideshow [enlarge the slideshow to discover more about the each piece and the artists]:

Student Appreciation Week - March 2011

It is Student Appreciation Week in the Vera Bracken Library!

From Monday, March 21st to Friday, March 25th, Library Services would like to extend its appreciation to our student population.

During the week, students will receive free black-and-white  photocopying in the Vera Bracken Library. Additionally, a whiteboard has been set-up for students to express themselves and inspire their peers.

Library Improvements based
on Student Suggestions

On the opposite side of the whiteboard, you can read what Library Services has done to improve itself based on student suggestions. Please keep the suggestions coming, because we are not done yet!

These are just some of the ways, we would like to express our appreciation to our student population.

The Chair Project: Student Art in the Vera Bracken Library

The Vera Bracken Library is currently hosting projects that were produced by the students in the ARFA 305 class. The works are located in the library's Reference Collection.

The students of ARFA 305 were asked to design a chair that combines their own aesthetic with that of a contemporary, award-winning architect, using a specific building as their inspiration. They then built a half-size prototype of this chair. Each of the works is accompanied by a photograph of the original building of inspiration.

If you cannot make it into the library, you can checkout the impressive pieces in the slideshow [enlarge the slideshow to discover more about the each piece and the artists]:



You can also view this gallery from our Facebook or Flickr sites.

Freedom to Read Week - 20-26 February 2011

It is Freedom to Read Week in Canada! This is a week to celebrate freedom of expression and give recognition to those individuals and organizations that actively work to expand and maintain this liberty in Canada.

Library Services is a proud supporter of Freedom to Read Week. To show our support, we will have a book display that will present a collection of titles that have been banned or challenged. The display will be near the library's entrance and some of the titles that you will find include:

• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (Samuel L. Clemens)
  
  
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  
  
• Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey
  
  
• Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
  
  
• The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
  
  
• Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
  
  
• It’s Perfectly Normal: A Book about Changing Bodies, Growing Up, Sex, and Sexual Health by Robbie H. Harris
  
  
• The Kite Runner by  Khaled Hosseini
  
  
• Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
  

For a list of challenged books and magazines, and the reasons they were challenged, click here. To learn more about current censorship issues in Canada, read:  Freedom to Read (Vol. 27).

A very special thank you to the students that participated in our MHC Students Read Banned Books! poster.

One Book One Community 2011: Book Suggestions Needed!

The One Book One Community committee of Medicine Hat is busy preparing for its 7th annual event to be held in October 2011 and they need your help! For each event, OBOC chooses a book to be read by all of Medicine Hat from suggestions made by the community.

Throughout February 2011, you can submit your suggestions via an online suggestion form. You can also submit your suggestions in person at Coles The Book People (in the Medicine Hat Mall), the Medicine Hat Public Library, and the Vera Bracken Library (Medicine Hat College).

Your suggestions can be either fiction or nonfiction, but must be:

(a) Canadian,

(b) available in paperback format, and

(c) substantial enough to generate discussion and debate.

For more about information about OBOC, visit their website at http://obocmh.ca. You can keep up-to-date with the latest OBOC news by subscribing to their blog or joining their Facebook page.

Please contact Leigh Cunningham at 403.504.3654 or obocmh@gmail.com for any additional information.

Medicine Hat College Library Services is a proud sponsor of One Book One Community.

Student Appreciation Week - Fall 2010

From Monday, November 26th to Friday, December 3rd, Library Services would like to extend its appreciation to our student population. Over the course of the week you can expect the following perks and prize draws:

• Free photocopying throughout the week for students.
• Two prize draws; one is for a Christmas themed gift basket and the other is a $25 grocery card.
• Free pencils and pens.
• On Friday, you can expect cookies and milk to be served.

In addition to these perks and prizes, students can expect free coffee to be served on Saturdays and Sundays throughout the extended hours period.

These are just some of the ways, we would like to express our appreciation to our student population.

Dr. Noorali Bharwani Speaking Engagement - Tuesday, October 26th

Please join us in the Vera Bracken Library's southwest lounge for a reading by Dr. Noorali Bharwani from his book A Doctor's Journey: An Emotional and Humorous Look at Life Through the Eyes of a Doctor on Tuesday, October 26th at 12:00 p.m.

Dr. Bharwani is a general surgeon based in Medicine Hat and his book chronicles his life on four different continents. It is with an emotional and humourous flair that he recounts the ups and downs that he has faced in his personal and professional life.

To discover more about Dr. Bharwani, please visit his book's web page at: http://nbharwani.com/a-doctors-journey. The Vera Bracken Library does have a copy of his book available in its collection (Circulating Collection Call Number: R 154 B42 A3 2006).

This event is hosted by Library Services as part of Canadian Library Month: Opening Doors to the Future.

Student Art in the Vera Bracken Library

The Vera Bracken Library is currently hosting several Art 233 students' works. You can view the work which is located in the library's Reference Collection.

If you cannot make it into the library, you can checkout the impressive pieces in the slideshow [enlarge the slideshow to discover more about the each piece and the artists]:


NOTE: Permission to present these images was gained from each of the artists.

Student Appreciation Week - March 22-26

Medicine Hat College will be celebrating Student Appreciation Week from March 22^nd to the 26^th. You can expect prize draws and free stuff from Library Services over the course of the week.

Some of the things you can expect include:

• Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday - free photocopying
• Thursday - draw for three separate prizes which include: $25 Safeway card, mug with Starbucks gift certificate, and a $10 print credit
  

All this and more to show you how much we appreciate the students at Medicine Hat College.

Happy 40th Anniversary Barb!

It is a rare accomplishment, but our Barb Banasch (Circulation Supervisor) has been with Medicine Hat College Library Services for 40 years! To honour this accomplishment, we present some statistics about her career here:

TIME SERVED . . .

• 14,600 days of service
  
  
• 350,400 hours of service
  
  
• 21,024,000 minutes of service
  
  
• 1,261,440,000 seconds of service (not counting trips to Brooks, speeding along the Deerfoot Trail, or bus rides to Elkwater)
  

SERVED WITH . . .

• 8 Library Directors
  
  
• 46 Circulation Clerks
  
  
• 47 AV Clerks
  
  
• 25 Brooks Clerks
  
  
• This does not count all those other wonderful people she has worked with throughout the college over the years.

CONDUCTED . . .

• 470 job interviews (acquiring staff, not job hunting for herself)

Barb (née Wells) then (1970) . . .
















Barb now (2010) . . .




What does Barb have to say about all of this? Click here to read more.

Threat Leads to College Evacuation

There was a bomb threat called into the Medicine Hat College (MH Campus) this morning and the college was evacuated, but operations have returned to normal.

You can read the official college statement about this story by clicking here.

Alberta Art Days—September 18–20

The Vera Bracken Library (Medicine Hat Campus) will proudly be participating in Alberta Art Days from September 18th–20th. Alberta Art Days is a three day cultural event that highlights the vibrant creative energies of our grand province.

The library has always been a haven for a wide variety of art, but this special event allows us to showcase our collection like never before. All members of the community are invited to the library for a self-guided tour of the works.

A special display will also be created to showcase books and audiovisual materials focusing on the arts in Alberta.

For more information about various events that are being hosted in and around the city of Medicine Hat, click here; for events in Brooks, click here.

Geekapalooza 2.0 Presentation

Library Services proudly participated in the Geekapalooza 2.0 event that was put on for college faculty and staff. The 40 Cool Toys in 40 Minutes presentation that was created by Jason and Jess is available in the "How to Guides & Handouts" section of the library Web site.

The presentation will be near the bottom of the page under the "Presentations" heading. The presention is avaiable in the PowerPoint 2007 (9.75 MB) and PDF (5.2 MB) formats. Click here to connect to the page.

Thanks everyone that came to the presentation; we are looking forward to participating in any future event.

Employees Recognized!

Last night three Library Services staff members were awarded for their service to the college. Jess, Anne, and Terry received recognition for their 5, 10, and 35 years of employment at the college, respectively.

Other college staff members were recognized during the 2009 Employee Recognition Banquet. Additional details about other recipients, including the Academic Achievement Award, College Employee of the Year, Innovation Award, and Service Achievement Award winners, can be found by clicking here.

Farewell Keith Walker

Today was the end of an era as Keith Walker, Director of Library Services, departed the college after 24 years of service. The Vera Bracken Library played host to a farewell meet-and-greet event that was attended by many dozens of well wishers from the college and community.























We all wish Keith best success in his new position as Director and Chief Executive Officer at the Lethbridge Public Library. He will assume this post on Monday, May 4th.

Read & Win! Winners

Congratulations to our Read and Win! winners. The winners and their corresponding prizes are:

• Fernando Moreno - 1st Prize: $50 credit to Chapters/Indigo.ca
  
  
• Danielle Fitzsimonds - Runner-up: $25 credit to Chapters/Indigo.ca
  
  
• Vincent Sletvold - Runner-up: $25 credit to Chapters/Indigo.ca

Student Appreciation Week - March 23-27

Medicine Hat College will be celebrating Student Appreciation Week from March 23^rd-27^th. You can expect the biggest prize draws and most free stuff ever from Library Services.

You can expect the following prizes and free stuff over the course of the week:

• Monday - $20 gift certificate to the campus cafeteria (prize draw)
  
• Tuesday - $30 gift certificate to the Campus Store (prize draw)
  
• Wednesday - free photocopying and coffee
• Thursday - free photocopying and a $50 Amazon.ca purchase credit (prize draw)
• Friday - A SUPER prize draw (You will not want to skip class today!)

All this and more to show you how much we appreciate the students at Medicine Hat College.

Read & Win!

If you read, you win with the Vera Bracken Library! It is that simple.

When you borrow any item from the library between February 23^rd to March 23^rd, the Circulation Desk Staff will stamp your Frequent Reader Card. The person with the most stamps by March 23^rd wins.

The grand prize will be your choice of any item from Chapters/Indigo up to a value of $50. See the Circulation Desk in the Vera Bracken Library to get your Frequent Reader Card and start reading!

Vera Bracken Library Open House Draw Winner

Congratulations to Ryan Toews, the winner of the Vera Bracken Library's prize draw for the Medicine Hat College's Open House event on January 29^th. He was the recipient of a college backpack crammed with MHC themed swag.

Thank you to everyone else that stopped by our information booth and partook in the snow cones that library staff were dispensing. We had a great time and hope that everyone else did too. We look forward to participating in this annual event next year.

Student Appreciation Week - November 17-21

Medicine Hat College's Student Appreciation Week will be from November 17th to the 21st. As you have all come to expect, Library Services will be also be participating in this event. You can look forward to the following prize draws over the week:

• Monday: $25 gift certificate for use at the Campus Store.
• Tuesday: An 8GB USB drive.
• Wednesday: Sorry, no draw today, but there is free photocopying. Everyone is a winner today!
• Thursday: Another day of free photocopying! We will also be drawing for: a $10 meal voucher from the cafeteria and a $5 print account credit.
• Friday: A Nintendo DS.

There will be candy available at the Circulation and Information Desks as well. So stop by the library, enter the prize draws, and take advantage of the free photocopying on Wednesday and Thursday.