Faculty Resources
Course support, library instruction and research support for faculty.
From classroom-ready guides to tailored library tutorials, our Library team and tools help you inspire curiosity, build critical thinking and connect students with a wider world of ideas and support your own research and creative goals.
Your Subject Librarian
Ana Diab
Liaison to the Faculty of Art
Liaison to the MFA program
Michelle Ng
Liaison to the Faculty of Design + Dynamic Media
Liaison to the MDes program
Liaison to Continuing Studies
Kristy Waller
Archivist
Hillary Webb
Liaison to the Faculty of Culture + Community
Helpful Links
Things to Know
Course Reserves
Instructors can place required or suggested course materials on reserve and students can see what’s available for their classes on the Reserves List.
To place materials on reserve, contact the reserves team to place materials on reserve by email, in person at the Library Service Desk or by phone at 604-844-3840.
Reserve items have short loan periods in order to allow equal access to high-demand material for all students. Instructors can specify how long students are able to check out physical materials: two hours in-library, overnight, three days or one week. E-books and streaming media can also be added to reserve lists. Processing requests of reserve materials can take up to 48 hours.
What can be placed on reserve
Materials that can be placed on reserve are:
- Any physical Library items, like books, exhibition catalogues and media.
- Photocopies of articles. Articles can also be shared on Moodle (1 copy/per article).
- E-Books that are in the Library’s catalogue.
- Streaming media items that are in the Library’s catalogue.
- Personal copies of books or media items (must be legally authorized copies).
Note that the Library does not assume responsibility for loss or damage of personal copies placed on reserve. Library labels will be applied to the items to allow them to circulate and removed when they are taken off reserve. A few small pieces of clear book tape may remain.
Items that cannot be placed on reserve at this time are:
- Online Library items that do not appear in the ‘classic’ catalogue.
- Interlibrary loan items, though sections of a book may be photocopied and placed on Reserve or included on Moodle. Canadian Copyright Law applies
Media Bookings
ECU instructors can request streaming media or reserve physical media for course material or classroom viewing. We offer access to both where possible.
Requests should be submitted at the beginning of each semester where possible to guarantee your bookings will be available. Requests can be taken at any time but are subject to availability. Before submitting a request, please check if the Library already has the title.
Submit requests using the Media Booking Form.
Streaming Video
To check if the library has access to a streaming film, search or browse the streaming databases or use our General Search. If a streaming version is not available through these databases, please submit a request and we will do our best to add it to the library collection.
Physical Media
Instructors can book VHS and DVDs that are available in the library collection for a specific day or week to show in a classroom.
Media bookings are for course material and/or classroom screenings, not for entertainment purposes. Please contact the library for assistance with licensing for non-curricular or public events
To make a booking, you must be an ECU faculty or staff member. The maximum length for a physical media booking is 2 weeks. Physical media bookings are due the day after the screening date.
Check the General Search for availability, then book here.
Library + Archives Research Instruction Bookings
Library instruction sessions are available to support and enrich your teaching. You can book tailored sessions on research processes and methods and information literacy, as well as library tours, artists’ books visits and more.
To book a library research instruction session, please email your faculty liaison librarian and include the course name and number, date and time of the class, location (online, in-library or classroom), accessibility requirements and the type of session you are looking for.
A minimum of one week’s notice is required to guarantee availability and allow time for preparation, though shorter notice requests will be accommodated when possible.
Research Instruction + Information Literacy
Online Research Instruction
Librarians can provide video presentations and online research guides that you can embed in your Moodle course.
The presentations can be tailored to a course assignment or broader research theme and will focus on how to search, access and evaluate resources from the library’s digital collections.
Library Research Instruction
Librarians can design and teach classroom-based research instruction sessions across the curriculum. Each session usually lasts 1 hour and is tailored specifically to a classroom assignment or broader research theme.
This type of instruction will include a demonstration of library research processes, use active learning techniques and facilitate discussion to urge students to consider the social, political and economic forces involved in the creation, distribution and use of information.
Information Literacy Talks
Librarians can provide 10-30 minute guest lectures on topics related to information literacy. Some examples are Information Bias, Misinformation, Digital Privacy and Commoditization of Information.
Tours
Library Orientation + Tour
We offer tours to new faculty and students throughout the year. This is a perfect opportunity to introduce you and your students to the library collections, services and equipment.
Artists’ Books Visits
Arrange a class visit to interact with our Artists’ Books Collection. Integrate this amazing teaching collection into your curriculum whether it be communication design, print-making, curatorial practice, social practice, painting, photography, creative writing or design. It is the perfect opportunity to practice teaching with objects and to initiate an engaging interdisciplinary discussion out of the classroom into the library.
Collaborative Learning Activities
We encourage cross-disciplinary collaboration with faculty in areas of research concerning the book, experimental archives, social practice, digital resource management, artists’ publications, media archiving, bibliography and digital images. We compile class reading lists, facilitate exhibitions in the library, working with co-op students, participate in class-critiques and mentor students who have an interest in libraries.
Archives Instructions
Archives instruction can introduce and expand upon knowledge of archival concepts, theory and research. The session can be a general introduction or structured around specific assignments or curriculum.
Students can work directly with archival materials from the ECU Archives or digital collections from other repositories. Students will learn how to find, access and contextualize primary and historical sources.
Library Instruction for Foundation Students
HUMN100 Lecture: Library Orientation (week 2)
In this 15 minute lecture, students learn about library services, spaces and collections. They are informed about borrowing from our and other libraries. They are introduced to the library team and to information and visual literacy concepts.
Lecture: Information Bias (approx. week 10)
In this 15 minute lecture, students learn about various types of information and cognitive biases, including confirmation bias and how bias can effect scholarly research. They are introduced to mis- and disinfomation concepts. This lecture also talks about the ways that generative AI complicates the information landscape and how students can use critical thinking when looking at information.
HUMN100 Seminar Activity: Library Discovery Game (30 minutes, in-library session)
HUMN100 seminar leaders can book a library discovery activity for their class. This is a treasure hunt format in which students discover various library services and collections over the course of 30 minutes. The student pair that completes the activity first wins a prize, which may include print credit or a new book.
FNDT108 / FNDT165 Workshop: Introducing Library Collections and Research Basics through Collaborative Drawing (60 minutes, in-library session)
In this activity, students are asked to create collaborative drawings, do library catalogue searches based on keyword creation and use library materials to inform their drawings. Students will learn how to search the library catalogue and how to find books in the library. They will be asked to consider how the activity relates to the non-linear and conversational qualities of conducting research.
HUMN101 Lecture: Introduction to Academic Research (week 3)
This lecture covers the basics of what to expect with academic research, how to get started in the process, where to search and how to evaluate and cite resources. There is an explanation the peer review process and how to access research help through the library. This lecture is intended to support the HUMN101 exhibition review assignment.
HUMN101 Lecture: Introduction to Creative Research (approx. week 9)
This lecture is about using library resources to support and contextualize creative practice. It introduces students to the idea that their creative practice is also considered research and the library has discipline-specific resources such as image, sound and material databases.
HUMN101 Seminar Workshop: Getting started with Research (60 minutes, in-class or in-library)
This workshop includes hands-on activities that introduce concept mapping as a tool to get started with research, keyword development, searching the library catalogue and understanding the pros and cons of different information sources.
If you are interested in booking any of the activity or workshop sessions, please contact Hillary Webb.
