Users at Mills and Thode libraries will see a familiar face around these spaces.

A life-size cut-out of Maud, the library mascot, is part of a new initiative called #MaskUpWithMaud to remind users to always keep their masks on in the libraries.

The Lyons New Media Centre staff is the creative team behind the initiative.

“Maud is our beloved library mascot, so who better to remind users about the importance of masking in our spaces,” said Kelly Penfold, library media specialist at Lyons and Maud’s artistic handler.

The McMaster community now has access to a tailored version of a web publishing platform called Omeka S, thanks to a partnership between the Lewis & Ruth Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship and the William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections at McMaster University Library.

Omeka S is an open-source tool used by universities, libraries, archives, galleries, and museums. It allows users to create digital exhibits that share a collaboratively built pool of items and their metadata.

Carol and Victor (Vic) Nunn dedicated their careers to McMaster University Library, and now their memory will live on in an extraordinary way.

The late retirees bequeathed close to $1.1 million, making it one of the largest gifts in the library’s recent history. 

“We are moved beyond words by the generosity of Carol and Vic,” said Vivian Lewis, McMaster University Librarian. “Gifts such as this reinforce the ongoing dedication of our retirees to the life of the library.”

Hours at Mills Learning Commons are being extended to give students more options for late-night essay writing and studying. Please note this is not a silent library space.

New hours effective Monday, Nov. 1:

Mills Learning Commons only

Enter via southeast tower of Mills Library 

Library Pets is returning at McMaster University Library just in time for the bustling second half of the fall term.

Each week, McMaster students, as well as faculty and staff, are invited to an informal, virtual drop-in to meet library staff and their pets.

Meet Lavanya Sinha and Noor Latif, our ambassadors for the 2021-22 academic year at McMaster University Library.

Both third-year students in the Faculty of Science, the duo will plan events, support social media initiatives and spend time in our spaces to help McMaster students, especially those in their first year, navigate the library.

We spoke with Lavanya and Noor about why they wanted to represent the library, where their favourite study spot can be found and what we can expect from the ambassador program in the coming year at McMaster. 

What makes dialogue work? How does dialogue advance a story?

Pasha Malla, the 2021-22 Mabel Pugh Taylor Writer in Residence, is hosting a virtual writing workshop on Oct. 26 at 7 p.m. that will examine the uses, practices, and craft of dialogue in fiction.

Malla will also guide participants through writing a scene of dialogue that moves through various dynamics and shifts of power around a central conflict.

Mills and Thode libraries will feature extended hours starting at the end of the fall midterm recess.

Operating hours effective Sunday, Oct. 17:

Thode Library

Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Mills Library

Monday to Thursday: 8 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday: Noon to 7 p.m. 

McMaster University Library will be open but with reduced hours during the fall midterm recess. 

Thode and Mills libraries will close on Friday, Oct. 8 at 4:30 p.m. with only Mills reopening for the following week starting on Tuesday, Oct. 12. Online library services will also be available.

Hours at a glance:

Saturday, Oct. 9
Sunday, Oct. 10
Closed

Monday, Oct. 11
Closed for Thanksgiving

The year is 1845. Two ships set sail from England to search for a Northwest Passage across what is now Canada’s Arctic. The ships and crew members never return.

While it may sound like the plot of a thrilling Hollywood film, this is the true story of the doomed Franklin expedition. 

The years that followed saw an ongoing public fascination with the fate of the ships and crew. Knowing this, the canny booksellers compiled and printed the subsequent Parliamentary papers and testimonies on the fate of the Franklin expedition for resale.