Learn about ChatGPT and generative AI with Quick Things for Digital Knowledge

Intrigued by the buzz about ChatGPT and DALL-E? Our Quick Thing for Digital Knowledge about generative AI (https://library.concordia.ca/apps/things/thing.html?thingID=22032) is a short explainer to help you learn more about emerging new tools, their promise, and their pitfalls.

The Library’s Quick Things for Digital Knowledge (https://library.concordia.ca/apps/things/) is a starting point for learning about emerging topics in our current data-rich and technology-driven world. This is not deep or difficult learning – it is broad, exploratory learning; trying something new in a simple way. Our topics so far include generative AI, Web 3.0 and the metaverse, data visualization, security & privacy, machine learning, and more.

You can spend as much time or as little as you’d like, but it will usually take 20–30 minutes to review the information and complete the activities for each Quick Thing. If you’re inspired to learn more, you can continue with the recommended resources for additional reading, videos, podcasts, or longer online courses.

If you’re an undergraduate student, you can complete a reflection form after reviewing the content and completing the activities for one of the Quick Things to have it count as one activity towards your Communication and Digital Capabilities certificate.

Webster Library – Main staircase entrance open

Webster Library’s main staircase has reopened.

With this reopening, entrance to the Webster Library will return to its permanent state. Students will enter the library from the main staircase on the first floor of LB to the second floor of LB, where the permanent entrance is located.

Once inside the Webster Library on the second floor of LB, students can take internal Library stairs or elevators to the third and fifth floors.

This will reduce the crowding of the elevator  and the fire escape stairways will no longer be needed.

Webster Library’s 4th floor and the west side of the third floor are currently closed in order to complete renovations. The Webster Library Transformation will be complete at the end of 2017.

When visitors enter Webster Library from the main staircase, they will be greeted immediately by the new service area for Questions? Ask Us! / Reference desk on the second floor of LB.

The Loans & Returns desk, self-checkout machines and the Course Reserves room are all also located on the second floor of Webster Library.

A brand new service will be launched on February 22: the Technology Sandbox on the second floor of Webster Library. It’s a place for the Concordia community to try out emerging technologies and cutting-edge equipment.   Register today for a workshop.

For more information about the new spaces at Webster Library, please see our website: http://library.concordia.ca/about/news/#guid=http://library.concordia.ca/about/news/#i15_Feb_2017_14:20:43_EDT

Welcome back!

Welcome to all of our new and returning students, staff and faculty.

The library is offering a series of workshops about library services and resources for all interested students in 2017.  Please see our website for more details and to register: http://library.concordia.ca/help/workshops/

There is help available at the Wesbter and Vanier reference desks and on ask-a-librarian live chat: http://library.concordia.ca/help/questions/

Please note, Webster’s LB4 is now closed and is set to reopen in Fall 2017.  The books from LB4 are being sent to offsite storage, from which faculty, staff and students can request their retrieval, starting Jan 12, 2017.  For more details about the LB4 book move and storage, please consult our website: http://library.concordia.ca/help/circulation/lb-4-book-move.php

A reminder that details about all library renovations are available on the Webster Library Transformation blog: http://library.concordia.ca/webster-transformation/ 

We hope you have a great winter semester!

Starting a new academic year at Concordia!

Welcome from Concordia University Library to all of our new and returning students!

We welcome your comments, suggestions, reports of problems, and questions about our services or facilities, just click on the Feedback button on any of the Library webpages.

We have a lot of great workshops and services for you at the Library.

Undergrad? Check out the Fall 2016 General Library Workshops – they are open to everyone, no registration required.

Graduate student?  Check out the GradProSkills Fall 2016 Library Workshops – registration is required.

Keep up-to-date with library services and facilities by reading our What’s New, Announcements and Notices  and you can subscribe with to the RSS feed.

You can also follow Concordia Library on Twitter and Instagram: @ConcordiaLib – for news, information about our collections and services.

Temporary Entrances for Webster Library:

As part of Phase 3 of the Webster Library Transformation project, LB-2 is closed for renovations. The main staircase entrance to the Webster Library is closed until February 2017 as it is part of this phase of construction.

Visitors may enter the library via the temporary entrance on MacKay St. which provides stairs from street level to LB-3 or via the LB-1 elevator closest to the bookstore which goes directly to LB-3.

Signage has been posted on MacKay St. and on LB-1 indicating the temporary entrances.

Services that used to be on LB-2 (Circulation Desk, Reference Desk and the Course Reserves Room), as well as the book drop and newspapers display, are now on LB-3 in the MacKay St. / de Maisonneuve St. W. corner.

Phase 3 of the renovations is probably the largest of the 4 phases since it will encompass all of LB-2, including the entrance, the circulation and reference desks, and the main staircase. Work started on LB-2 Bishop St. side in March and on MacKay St. on May 10. The targeted date of completion is January 31, 2017.

To follow all the news about the Webster Library Transformation Project and renovations, check out the Webster Library Transformation Blog.

We’re looking forward to another great year at Concordia!

Accessing the Course Reserve Room on summer weekends

You wrote:

Hi, It says on the website and the sign outside the door that the Course Reserves room is open when the library is open, but today (Sunday) it is not. This is very inconvenient as I could have brought my textbook with me had I know i would not be able to access it from the course reserves room. Now I am not able to study properly having come all the way to campus on a Sunday. Suggest you update the information on the hours for the course reserves room.

I’m sorry you were unable to access your textbook.

The library staff leaves the Course Reserve Room open on Fridays in the summer when they leave for the weekend, and sometimes the room is inadvertently closed overnight, when it should be open to the public.

When there is no staff present in the libraries and the service points are closed, if you find the Course Reserve Room or any other public area inaccessible, you should contact the Security personnel in LB to open the room.

System outages at the libraries

You wrote:

Next time please do a better job letting students know that reserve books and laptops will not be available. The message on the website, which I only noticed when a staff member pointed it out to me, says something about IT services being down, but that circulation will be done manually. It didn’t say anything about certain items being completely unavailable and though I am a regular library user this was never mentioned to be verbally not did I see any physical signs informing me.

Thank you for considering my feedback for the next system outage!

Thank you for your suggestion.

I have forwarded these comments to the appropriate departments in the libraries and your suggestions will be taken under advisement in the case of any future outages.

Additionally, the library website is always a good place to check in and see the announcements and notices related to our services and facilities: http://library.concordia.ca/about/news/#cat=notices 

Away from the blog – Keep sending us your comments

I will be away from the Suggestion Box until Monday, August 18, 2014.

If you would like to make any suggestions or comments, please continue to do so.

I will read them all upon my return.

If you need any immediate assistance, please do not hesitate to use one of our “Ask a Librarian” services!

Book chapters via “Article Delivery” service

You wrote:

…I am extremely disappointed by the new policy regarding article delivery. I have been at Concordia for four years now, almost five, and I have greatly enjoyed the fact that I can request that a chapter of a book be sent to me as a PDF with this service. I have used it many times, especially recently as I am a TA and RA and this service expedited my work process greatly. It is inconvenient to have to take a book out of the library for one chapter, not to mention that it often prevents others from accessing the book for an extended period of time – people who might need the book for more than just a chapter. I recently tried to request a book chapter and was told that this service was no longer offered. I wanted to express my disappointment. I realize that this likely increases the volume of requests placed on the library staff, but you’ve taken away a much loved service!

Thank you for writing.  I have checked with the Document Delivery team and there has been no change in our policy.  If you request a book chapter, they will scan it and email it to you, as long as doing so complies with the Copyright Act. Maybe there was something specific about your request that made it impossible for us to complete it?  Please feel free to contact us via the Ask a librarian service and we will look into it.

Longer loan period for reserve textbooks

You wrote:

I would like to suggest that engineering textbooks on course reserves have at
least one copy available for more then 3hours, maybe a few days… because 3h
loans are simply not enough … and since the library no longer allows inter-library loan requests from other libraries for course reserved material, I think this would be a reasonable solution to this  problem
Thank you for your understanding.

Thank you for writing to the Suggestion Box.  We have received similar suggestions for business textbooks and I’m sure that other disciplines would like to have this option as well.  We are currently looking into whether what you suggest is feasible, but we want to ensure that everyone has fair access to the books. If you think your particular course does not have enough textbooks available, you may want to suggest the library purchase an additional copy on the following page: http://library.concordia.ca/services/collections/suggest.php

With a CREPUQ card, you may also borrow a textbook in person from another university library (see other library catalogues: http://library.concordia.ca/research/internet/otherlibraries.html ).

Guest computer accounts

You wrote:

Sometimes i come here during noon, but unfortunately i can not use the internet before 9pm!! however more than 80% of the computers are free! and nobody used them!  please change the time schedule of the internet for this kind of student.

Thank you for your message.  I’m assuming that you are referring to guest access to the Libraries’ computers.  

If you wish to consult resources that are part of our online collection, you are welcome to consult them on specially identified workstations in the Libraries.

These terminals will connect you to our online catalogue (CLUES), our databases and our vast collection of electronic journals and ebooks.  These terminals are available to everyone, during the Libraries’ opening hours.  No login required.

 

However, the rest of the Concordia Libraries’ computers (the ones with full Internet, MS Office, etc.) are for the current Concordia community, first and foremost.  The reasoning behind our policy regarding guests is that if you are a student at another institution, you have access at your home institution’s workstations.  If you are a member of the general public, you can use a public library.  If you live in the Ville de Montréal, you may consult its complete list of branch libraries.  There also is the Grande Bibliothèque, right downtown.