Events

Imagine owning a copy of Galileo’s 1632 book, Dialogo di Galileo Galilei (Galileo’s Dialogue), challenging the traditional thinking that the universe revolves around the earth.

Our most recent exhibition in Archives and Research Collections (Mills Memorial Library, Lower Level) focuses on the French Enlightenment, in particular a magnificent collection of books acquired from Professor Pierre Conlon, a distinguished scholar at McMaster University.

In 1715, at the end of a very long reign, Louis XIV, the Sun King, died. Rivaled only by England, the French empire was at the height of its glory. Yet there were storm clouds on the horizon, marked by financial disarray, a series of unpopular wars, political censorship, and lack of accountability in government. In 1789, after the storming of the Bastille, the ancien régime began to crumble. Revolution was in the air, and the monarchy and the aristocracy were under grave threat. In spite of the many problems encountered in French society during this uncertain period between 1715 and 1789, France experienced a cultural rebirth, founded on shared principles of rationalism, empiricism, the importance of nature, and social justice. The inspiration for this renaissance derived from the philosophes, a group of prodigious, intellectual writers and thinkers, such as Voltaire, Rousseau, Montesquieu, and Diderot.

Our exhibition on the French Enlightenment, ably organized and mounted by Renu Barrett and documented virtually by Ateeka Khan, can be seen in our foyer and reading room until the end of September 2008. The website also has tributes to Professor Conlon from several colleagues (Kathy Ball, Peggy Findlay, William Hanley, and Carl Spadoni). The University Library will host a reception for Professor Conlon in early September. We invite you to enjoy this wonderful exhibition.

On January 29, The Faculty of Health Sciences Graduate Programs hosted the poster portion of their annual Research Day in the Heersink Reading Pavilion in the Health Sciences Library.

Who won the Nobel Prize for physics in 1994? What is a Wayzgoose? Who was the first McMaster student to sacrifice his life in World War I? Where would you find a fore-edge painting?

Many people routinely begin their day by reading a newspaper.

After 24 years as Director of the Health Sciences Library, Dorothy Fitzgerald will be retiring on January 1st, 2008.

Health Sciences Library staff got into the Halloween spirit today, providing candy at the Circulation/Information Desk and showing off some fantastic costumes.

Students working in the Mills Learning Commons now have a piece of art on the wall to inspire them.

The annual McMaster Toy Drive is being held in support of the Salvation Army's Christmas Toy Bureau.

The Mills Learning Commons Project is the 2007 recipient of the McMaster Students Union's Rudy Heinzl Award of Excellence. The award "recognizes an outstanding one year achievement which improves the lives of McMaster students." In presenting the award at the MSU's Student Recognition Night, Mr. Heinzl remarked: "People in this room know that the learning experience at McMaster has many facets beyond the classroom. It includes labs, tutorials, extra-curricular activities, and self-directed learning that leads to many hours in our libraries. This year's award recipients have made an outstanding contribution to enriching the student experience in self-directed learning."

The Mills Learning Commons opened last October and has become THE most popular and busiest area in Mills. It is an active, student-centred learning space that integrates traditional and emerging scholarly resources, information technology, expert help and collaborative and individual study space. Planning for the Project first began in December 2003, and when final approval was received by the Board of Governors in June 2005, implementation teams were established to guide the project through completion. The initiative brought together staff from the Library, University Technology Services, Centre for Student Development and Centre for Leadership in Learning, as well as representatives from the MSU, the GSA and faculty in a joint effort to offer combined services in the Learning Commons with input from both students and faculty. Congratulations to the Mills Learning Commons implementation teams, and our sincere thanks for your work in helping to create this exciting Library space for McMaster students!

This story also appeared in McMaster's Daily News.