By attending these sessions, you will learn how to:

• Discover the best information for your assignments
• Understand how to tell if a source is appropriate for your assignment
• Create appropriate citations for the sources in your papers

These workshops are perfect for anyone who is new to doing research in university, but are useful for all undergraduate students.

Each workshop is quick and easy to follow – perfect for busy students! All Library Essentials sessions are only an hour long and are held in-person in the Brown Lab (Room 110) in the Elizabeth Dafoe Library.

Library Essentials is offered for a limited time at the beginning of the term, so sign up now before spots fill up!

Add library workshops to your Experience Record

The Library Essentials workshop series can also be added to your Experience Record, a tool intended to support and document your experience and educational growth throughout your time at UM. To qualify, complete a minimum of three Library Essentials workshops and two other workshops offered by the Libraries for a total of five sessions.

Learn more about how to apply for Experience Record recognition.

Register now

Searching the Library – An Introduction
Tuesday, Jan. 13
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Brown Lab Room 110, Elizabeth Dafoe Library
Register

Searching the Library – Advanced
Thursday, Jan. 15
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Brown Lab Room 110, Elizabeth Dafoe Library
Register

Evaluating Sources of Information
Tuesday, Jan. 20
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Brown Lab Room 110, Elizabeth Dafoe Library
Register

All About Citing & Referencing
Thursday, Jan. 22
1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
Brown Lab Room 110, Elizabeth Dafoe Library
Register

Students and faculty can access the XR Lab and its extensive catalogue of applications and experiences by booking a session. All UM students, instructors and researchers can explore and experience the power of VR as part of academic coursework, a unique sensory experience, or just for fun. 

Located on the first floor of the Elizabeth Dafoe Library, the XR Lab includes four dedicated VR stations plus a nine-seat teaching space equipped with a high-end desktop workstation. The space is overseen by a dedicated XR specialist, who is on hand for orientation and support.  

Explore concepts and places through immersive learning 

With 100 educational apps and experiences available in the XR Lab via four VR stations using either the HTC Vive Pro 2 or Meta Quest 3 headsets, there are endless possibilities for immersive VR learning.  

Using the Libraries VR technology, experience abstract concepts by journeying inside a cell, visualizing astronomical data, manipulating mathematical concepts, or learn about places otherwise inaccessible by walking through historical sites like the Anne Frank House or museums like the Smithsonian American Art Museum.   

Book a VR session 

Interested in exploring the possibilities of virtual reality?  

Book a VR session now. 

Want to explore virtual reality but don’t know where to start with selecting an application for your needs? Contact the XR Lab. 

Learn more about the XR Lab. 

The XR Lab positions UM Libraries as a dynamic environment for learning and active knowledge creation. Creating flexible spaces for students to connect with research in new ways and improve their digital fluency are some of the goals you can find in UM Libraries strategic plan. 

1. THE TRICKING OF FREYA by Christina Sunley

Recommended by Kathy Finlayson, Library Assistant, Outreach Services 

“A family saga that takes the reader from Winnipeg’s West End, to Gimli, Manitoba and on to a journey across Iceland. Lots of local landmarks appear in this novel along with Elizabeth Dafoe Library and UM Archives. A very emotional read with local flair.” 

2. SMALL THINGS LIKE THESE by Claire Keegan

Recommended by Jennifer Glass, Digitization Assistant 

“This book was beautifully written, provokes thought, and punches far above its weight.  It is the kind of book that stays with you long after you’ve finished it. It was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2022 and later adapted into a film.  This novella is available from the Libraries in both print and electronic formats.”

3. THE GOD OF THE WOODS by Liz Moore

Recommended by Caroline Monnin, Health Sciences Librarian 

“Winter break is the perfect time for a great mystery, and this was my favourite of the year. Set at a 1970s summer camp where a camper goes missing, the story also weaves in a nearby wealthy family whose own secrets from decades earlier add an extra layer of intrigue without ever feeling over the top.”

4. LEGENDS AND LATTES by Travis Baldree

Recommended by Pamela Darling, Library Assistant 2, WRHA Virtual Library 

“A fantasy novel about an orc who opens a coffee shop. Very whimsical and fun read.” 

5. THE STRANGE CASE OF THE ALCHEMIST’S DAUGHTER by Theodora Goss

Recommended by Norman Howe, Library Assistant 3

“This book is a hoot! It starts with the narrative of Mary Jekyll, daughter of the late Dr. Jekyll (yes, that one!) and proceeds to add characters from various other 19th century works. By the time I reached the Great Detective himself, I was hooked. Not a Christmas story, but a certain other holiday would be obvious.”

6. CHRISTMAS DAYS: 12 STORIES AND 12 FEASTS FOR 12 DAYS by Jeanette Winterson and EVERYONE THIS CHRISTMAS HAS A SECRET by Benjamin Stevenson

Recommended by Janice Winkler, Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Librarian 

“I have a couple of advent calendar-style books to recommend. A tradition I’ve enjoyed for a few years now is listening to the audiobook of Jeanette Winterson’s Christmas Days: 12 Stories and 12 Feasts for 12 Days, where you get a story and a recipe for each of the 12 days of Christmas. I love bundling up and going out for a walk with the day’s story. For a lighter, more fun read, I’m currently reading Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret, which is a chapter a day until the mystery is solved on Christmas Eve. The chapters are short so it’s not a big time commitment.”

7. NEUROMANCER by William Gibson

Recommended by Claire Settee, Indigenous Librarian Intern 

“If you are looking for something really different and out there, I recommend Neuromancer by William Gibson. It’s so trippy and futuristic yet also very other worldly. I liked how chaotic and funny it was while also being unsettling and weird. Would definitely read more William Gibson despite this mixed review.”

8. HOW TO AGE DISGRACEFULLY by Clare Pooley

Recommended by Tatiana Gericke, Cataloguing & Acquisitions Assistant 

“It is a funny, heartwarming story featuring some feisty seniors as protagonists. If you want an easy read that will lift your spirits, this fits the bill.” 

9. PANDORA’S JAR: WOMEN IN THE GREEK MYTHS by Natalie Haynes

Recommended by Cyryl Borgfjord, Digitization Assistant 

“Natalie Haynes takes what could be a dry topic—the sidelined women of Greek myth—and turns it into a witty, engaging read. Her sharp humour and clear passion bring these women to equal footing with the men who long dominated their stories.” 

10. THE TAINTED CUP by Robert Jackson Bennett

Recommended by Elliot Hanowski, Assistant Librarian 

“If you like mysteries or fantasies you should check out The Tainted Cup, which is a brilliant blend of the two genres and the winner of the 2025 Hugo Award. It follows a Holmes-and-Watson-style detective duo investigating a politically dangerous murder in a highly original fantasy world. I found it immensely compelling and enjoyable.” 

UM Libraries locations are open for study during exams, with group and individual study spaces available at various library locations across Fort Garry and Bannatyne campuses. For quick online help, chat with library staff on Ask Us. 

All UM Libraries locations will be closed December 24, 2024 – January 4, 2025, with adjusted hours December 19-23.  

Artist Talk with Mike Valcourt

December 15, 2025
3:00 – 4:00 p.m.
Location: Elizabeth Dafoe Library, 2nd floor by Echoes of the Earth mural
Light refreshments to follow in 208C Dafoe

Valcourt has been painting professionally since 1995, with years of experience painting murals and mentoring youth through Take Pride Winnipeg and Graffiti Gallery. “I am easily influenced by the Woodlands style of art,” Valcourt says, “maintaining its narrative, sometimes derivative, yet contemporary quality,” and he finds “the art of Jackson Beardy to be a great source of inspiration and vision.”  Valcourt works with focus groups, judging panels, community outlets, and corporations that require insight and focus. Developing those ideas, bringing visions to life, creating harmonious spaces, and finding solutions is what he does best. Valcourt has also worked on other University of Manitoba murals, such as the Truth and Reconciliation in Engineering mural in the Price Faculty of Engineering.  

The future contrasting the past 

In its current location, Echoes of the Earth inspires a vision of the future in contrast to a previously installed Indigenous mural exhibiting a view of the past.  

UM Libraries Art Committee selected contemporary pieces from local prairie Indigenous artists in a variety of mediums, from photography to sketches and from a neon sign in Cree to a giant beaded hide. Some of the newly purchased Indigenous art is already on display in library spaces, with the rest of the art to be installed over the next year. The Libraries Art Committee comprises both Indigenous and non-Indigenous members from Libraries and the School of Art. 

Creating a sense of belonging 

Echoes of the Earth is part of the UM Libraries strategy and Reconciliation Action Plan goal to make spaces more welcoming to Indigenous students and to help students, faculty and staff feel proud of their library spaces. The new Libraries art not only directly supports Indigenous artists, but is also intended to help students feel they belong in spaces they might not have previously imagined themselves in.  

Transforming library spaces with Indigenous art 

Cree neon sign brightens Music Library 

ᐁᑳᐏᔭ ᐸᑭᒌ  (ēkāwiya pakicī / Don’t Give Up ), 2023 by Joi T. Arcand is displayed in the Eckhardt-Gramatté Music Library, attracting interest from students and faculty from the Faculty of Music as this bright light can be seen through the library’s glass walls.  

For Joi T. Arcand, an artist from Uskeg Lake Cree Nation, Saskatchewan, Treaty 6 Territory, the written Cree language “is not only imbued with cultural significance – it’s an aesthetically beautiful form unto itself.” (CBC). She believes the Cree language deserves to be more visible to the general public, and her most recent work reproducing nēhiyawēwin into neon lights is an extension of her work reclaiming and Indigenizing public spaces through the use of Cree language and syllabics. This piece specifically explores the vulnerabilities of mental health and the ways that messages of toxic positivity can sometimes cause more harm. This edition of the multicoloured signs mimics the cheerful façade of toxic positivity which rejects difficult emotions in favour of a positive mindset.  

Birch bark biting and embroidery added to study area in Father Harold Drake Library 

In a back study corner of the Father Harold Drake Library are Bee Love, 2022 by Pat Bruderer and Northwest 3, 4 and 5, 2022 by Tracy Charette Fehr.  

Bee Love is a piece of birch bark biting. Birch bark biting was an ancient traditional art form done with teeth, creating images by biting into very thin layers of birch bark, but it was almost lost because of colonization and residential schools as it was usually passed down through families. It was once done all across Turtle Island, and was used for recording stories, ceremonies, and creating patterns. “It was originally called birch bark transparencies, because when held to the light you can see through it and it turns to gold,” Bruderer says. “Birch bark biting are like people, they’re beautiful and there’s no two the same.”  Bee Love was created as a way to “honour the bees”,  Bruderer says, “because if it wasn’t for the bees, we wouldn’t exist on this planet.”   

Tracy Charette Fehr is an interdisciplinary artist and Red River Métis citizen who has a special interest in Indigenous arts and culture including handwork in beading, quill, embroidery, and clay. Northwest 3, 4, and 5, displayed in Father Harold Drake Library in St. Paul’s College, represent the Northwest landscape using Métis art traditions of beading and embroidery to depict rivers, bloodlines and land. Charette Fehr hopes students “will enjoy the blend of textures, lines and images” and “will get a sense of the landscape of feeling, imagination, identity and spirit that I try to convey.”   

If your thesis is ready to deposit, do it now.

• Do not wait until the last minute to deposit your thesis. Library support will not be available during the Winter Holiday. Check library hours.
• Technical oversight will be sporadic, and any technical issues will likely not be addressed or resolved until the University opens on Monday, January 5, 2026.

If you have any doubts, questions or concerns, get help now.

• Consult the following support pages for publishing, deposit, or related concerns:
  • MSpace thesis deposit: step-by-step instructions and instructional video
  • MSpace thesis deposit FAQs
  • Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) thesis submission and deadlines
• Book a consultation before the Holiday over Teams:
  • On copyright concerns, contact Althea Wheeler
  • On meeting existing or future publisher obligations, contact Andrea Szwajcer
• Contact your subject librarian
• For technical assistance contact, email libraryresearchservices@umanitoba.ca

Your Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies (FGPS) Student Program Assistant is a resource.

• If you have questions about the thesis review process or any aspect of thesis preparation leading up to submission, contact your program’s respective Student Program Assistant (SPA). Your SPA will review your thesis after you submit it to MSpace and approves it to be included there.

If you do encounter technical problems over the Winter Holiday, don’t panic.

• Send an email to libraryresearchservices@umanitoba.ca and your FGPS Student Program Assistant. Once the University re-opens, MSpace staff and FGPS SPA will work together to ensure you will not be penalized for the issue and work to resolve your issue as soon as possible.

GIS is a technology that is used to create, manage, analyze, and map all types of data. GIS Days showcases how GIS is transforming disciplines from climate change research and campus planning to health studies, Indigenous data sovereignty and sustainability initiatives.

Whether you’re new to GIS or an expert, GIS Days offer you the chance to learn more about geography and mapping technology, engage with real-world spatial data and learn directly from experts.

Virtual GIS Days

On Nov 17, 18 and 20, GIS Days will feature virtual presentations from 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. CST. Feel free to pop in and out of the Zoom space whenever works for you.

Explore the world of digital maps and GIS through:

• 7-minute lightning talks
• 20-minute demonstrations
• 1-hour tutorials
• Asynchronously exploring our map gallery
• Dropping in to one of our networking events
• Participating in a hybrid geography-themed trivia event November 19 at 6:00 p.m. CST. Join with a team or join as an individual and be assigned to a team. There will be lots of prizes!

Register to participate in GIS Days online.

In-person GIS Days: Manitoba GIS User Group Fall Conference

As part of GIS Days, attend the Manitoba GIS User Group’s Annual Fall Conference on Wednesday, November 19, hosted at UM and supported by UM Libraries.

This year’s conference is a full day of in-person programming that will:

• highlight the wide-ranging and exceptional work of our GIS community
• connect individuals and organizations that share an interest in GIS technology,
• and continue to develop the field of GIS within Manitoba through networking opportunities and student engagement.

UM Libraries is supporting this year’s conference to facilitate community, connection and experiential learning for students.

Tickets are $75 for professionals and $10 for students. If you are interested in attending for free with your class, contact manitobagis@gmail.com.

Register for the conference.

The Centre prioritizes digitization services for UM students, faculty and staff, and offers free services for small digitization requests related to UM research, work, and studies. Find out more about fees that might apply to larger or non-UM-related requests.  

New film digitization services help preserve cultural heritage 

The LaserGraphics ScanStation is used by the Libraries to digitize film for preservation and access.

This World Day for Audiovisual Heritage October 27, UM Libraries is excited to announce the expansion of its services to digitize 8mm, Super 8mm, and 35mm films using a state-of-the-art motion picture film scanner. UNESCO’s World Day for Audiovisual Heritage recognizes film and videotape as essential parts of cultural heritage, and UM Libraries is now uniquely positioned to share in this commitment through the Digitization Centre.   

Unique films, such as this 1970 football game featuring the University of Manitoba Bisons vs. the University of Calgary Dinosaurs, can now be digitized at the University of Manitoba Libraries instead of being sent off-site, helping to reduce digitization turnaround times and protect fragile films from shipping and handling damage.  

Donate media and video equipment to the Centre 

Ensuring film collections remain accessible relies on access to both new and old technology. Legacy formats such as 8mm and 35mm film, VHS, and U-matic tapes deteriorate over time and require specialized playback equipment, much of which is no longer manufactured and must be sourced second-hand. As legacy playback equipment becomes scarcer, film recovery becomes more difficult.  

If you have old media or playback equipment such as VCRs, camcorders, empty film reels, or CD drives no longer in use, reach out to the Digitization Centre. These items may support current or future digitization efforts and will help the Libraries preserve cultural materials for generations to come.   

Submit a digitization request 

The Digitization Centre offers digitization on-demand and accepts proposals for larger digitization projects to help build the Libraries’ digital collections.  

Submit a digitization request 

Learn more about the Digitization Centre 

Open access (OA) and open scholarship encompass a wide variety of supports and initiatives that endeavour to make research, information, and creative works more accessible, more transparent, and more equitable. Benefits can include: 

• lower educational costs 

• increased student participation in learning 

• improved accessibility 

• flexibility 

• ability to reach a larger audience 

Physiotherapy open access volume finds home on eScholarship 

Inviting Movements in Physiotherapy: An Anthology of Critical Scholarship is a research publication of the international Critical Physiotherapy Network (CPN), in collaboration with the College of Rehabilitation Sciences. Produced with the support of the UM Libraries, it is now hosted on eScholarship. 

“The Critical Physiotherapy Network… has deep commitments to sharing ideas and conversations freely. We chose to publish our newest anthology with eScholarship because we are fundamentally committed to open access scholarship,” says Patricia Thille, the lead editor of the anthology and associate professor in the College of Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of Manitoba.  

The book was assessed through an open-identities peer review process, which the CPN used for its earlier volumes published by Routledge and Cappelen Damm. 

The skill and commitment of the eScholarship team, led by OER Specialist Glenn Bergen, was essential to this new volume’s successful publication, Thille says. “Glenn walked through the steps while also working with us to think through future opportunities for this book.”  

Future opportunities include presentations, podcasts, or workshops that could be added to the eScholarship portal to live alongside the book, “creating a cohesive and robust collection of resources,” says Thille. “Book publishing isn’t where eScholarship’s content needs to end.” 

New open educational resources support engagement with learning 

Open educational resources (OER) are teaching resources available in a variety of formats that have an open copyright license, which allows anyone to use, adapt and share them at no cost.  

Resources include: 

• open textbooks 

• online teaching resources 

• interactive lab manuals 

• an open educational resource to support patient and public partners in health research 

Learn more 

UM Libraries has long been an advocate and supporter of the creation and use of open educational scholarship and resources. The Libraries two-year pilot funding project Advance Open Ed has now become a permanent part of the library’s open publishing support system, after having supported 21 OER projects that will impact approximately 7,300 students each year. 

Learn more about supports for open at the University of Manitoba at Open@UM

Browse publications and open teaching materials on eScholarship 

What is an Affinity Group?

Affinity groups bring together individuals who share a common identity or lived experience. This may include, but is not limited to, race, Indigeneity, gender, sexuality, disability, chronic health conditions, newcomer status, first-generation university students, family structures and religion. Groups may also reflect intersectional identities and lived experiences.

The group is tied to one’s personal identity rather than membership to a specific club or organization.

About the program

The program sets aside dedicated times for specific affinity groups to gather in supportive spaces for study and quiet work. These sessions are designed to foster connection, mutual support and empowerment, helping participants strengthen their sense of belonging within the UM community.

Sessions will take place in the Brown Lab at the Elizabeth Dafoe Library, coordinated by the Office of Equity Transformation. Each session will be two hours and will be facilitated by a host who will welcome participants, lead introductions and explain the format. Sessions will conclude with an optional reflection period, giving participants an opportunity to share progress, challenges or insights.

“The Affinity Group Work-on-Site Program is about reimagining spaces at UM to empower and support people to form community rooted in their personal identities,” says Tina Chen, Vice-Provost (Equity). “We know finding time in busy work and study schedules to interact with others can often be a barrier to community building, which is why this program brings people together in an informal setting to work alongside others with shared lived experiences. We look forward to welcoming faculty, staff and students to the various sessions.”

Program details

Students, staff and faculty are all welcome to participate!

Registration is not required. Simply show up at the designated time with your work/study materials or laptop, prepared to work alongside members of your shared community.

Flexibility is built in: Individuals can arrive or leave as needed, provided that they do so respectfully and without disruption.

The Dafoe Library is fully accessible, with universal design toilets rooms. The Brown Lab has fluorescent lighting.

The program schedule is on the Affinity Group Work-on-Site Spaces webpage.

Have questions?

Find more information on the webpage, including:

• Guidelines and expectations of participants
• How to sign up to host an affinity group session
• How to share your feedback

For additional questions, accommodations or support, please contact the Office of Equity Transformation at equity@umanitoba.ca.

Here are just a few of the skills you can learn at library workshops this fall: 

1. Learn how to use reference management software like Zotero and Endnote.  
2. Learn how to use GIS data and fundamentals of research visualization in workshops like Data Foundations: Finding Supplementary Datasets for use in GIS or Data Visualization: The Good, the Bad and The Ugly. 
   Check out more data and GIS workshops.
3. Clear up copyright confusion in Copyright and Generative AI or Copyright for your Thesis/Practicum. 
4. Incorporate more diverse voices into your scholarly work by learning about citation justice, the practice of recognizing and addressing biases in academic citation patterns. 

Library workshops are open to all students and faculty and are offered both online and in-person throughout Fall Term. Check the full calendar of workshops to register for the time that works best for you. 

Drop-in study sessions with librarians 

Drop-in study sessions with librarians and writing tutors are offered in the Elizabeth Dafoe Library Brown Lab on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. during Fall Term (except holidays and term breaks).  

Subject librarians can help with searching the library, planning your research, and citation styles and reference managers, while writing tutors help with understanding assignment guidelines, developing thesis statements, planning and outlining, drafting, revising and citing sources. 

No appointment required. Just drop by!