The Library Learning Commons (LLC) goal is to foster a space of inclusivity where students feel supported in their subject areas while also building and nurturing a love and joy for reading.
In addition to supporting students with subject-specific resources, another goal of the LLC is to help students develop research skills that are essential for students academic and lifelong learning in the digital age.
Within our newly designed space, students can find a variety of fiction and nonfiction books in English and French while also having access to our online resources of the Gale Database and SORA e-book library.
We are also proud of our newly developed makerspace that allows classroom teachers to work with library staff to create lessons that can facilitate hands-on learning in the area of STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics).
We look forward to hosting you in our Library Learning Commons in both an individual and class-based format.
Spaces We Offer in the LLC Include:
- An extensive collection of fiction, much of it labelled by subject, genre, and level
- Access to online databases for academic research
- Teacher-librarians to assist with research, writing, and book selection
- A comfortable lounge area for reading
- Prayer rooms
During the school day, classes visit the library for resource-based learning experiences created and facilitated by both classroom teachers and the teacher-librarians. As well as assisting students to develop research skills that they will need for academic advancement, our library program actively fosters literacy and the joy of reading.
Meet our LLC Staff
- Courtney Jarvis: Head Teacher Librarian (Periods 1,2,3)
- Emma Rojko: Teacher Librarian (Period 4)
- Jenny Jun: Library Technician
Library Resources
Student Resources
Why Citing Matters
(from the Cite This For Me website)
Citing isn’t something you usually think about, but it’s important nonetheless. Without even realizing it, you do it already in your everyday life in little ways. Have you ever said, “I heard on XYZ News that . . . ,“ or “I read in XYZ that those two celebrities are dating,” or even “Mom said that you can’t do that.” By saying where you got your information, you are casually citing a source.
We do this because it gives credibility to what we say, but also because it credits the originator of the information and allows others to follow up if they need more information. Formal citing done for papers and projects takes this a step further. In addition to the reasons mentioned above, citing sources in academia provides evidence of your research process and helps you avoid plagiarism.
Plagiarism is a word you never want to hear describing your work. You’ve probably seen headlines in the news and heard stories in school about the negative consequences of plagiarism. It’s not good but it is preventable.
Resources
- If you're wondering why citation is important, take a look at this fun, short video.
- Here's a good summary of MLA format (used by English and some other departments).
- And here's a good summary of APA format (used by some social science departments).
Not all the information you find online is reliable or trustworthy. It’s important to use your critical thinking skills to assess and evaluate the reliability of websites and information you discover.
Understanding URLs
Check the website's URL. The first part of it is called the Domain Name – that's the address of the whole site, and it ends with some letters that tell you something about the site's origin or author.
- .gov – government. Statistics, facts, public information.
- .org – organization or foundation
- .edu – educational website. School, university, library
- .com – commercial
- .ca – Canadian
- .net – internet service provider (often personal websites)
- ~ indicates a personal page
Other Resources
What is Copyright?
Copyright is the set of rights assigned to the author or creator of a work. These rights include the right to determine if and how the work can be copied, distributed, and/or adapted.
In Canada copyright exists automatically: when a work is created it is automatically protected by copyright. The creator of a work may choose to register it so that proof of ownership is documented, but registration is not required.
In Canada, a creative work is automatically protected by copyright during the lifetime of the creator and for another fifty years after the creator’s death.
Works that are no longer protected by copyright are considered to be in the “public domain” or “copyright-free” works. Works that may be used with permission, but without a fee are known as “copyright friendly”.
To understand the basics of copyright in Canada please follow the link here to the Creative Commons open course on copyright.
Why does copyright matter?
Copyright protects the moral rights of the author or creator because creators have the right to the integrity of their work. Under copyright law it protects the creators from being distorted and having their work associated without their permission.
Who does copyright protect?
The copyright protects not only the creator by the user's right to access and use the copyrighted material.
Within the Canadian Copyright law there is a fair dealing provision that provides us guidelines for the use of copyrighted materials for the purpose of research, private study, criticism, review, news reporting, education, satire and parody.
For staff and students wanting to know if their item is protected under fair dealing provision, please check out the The Fair Dealing Decision Tool that helps to decide whether "fair dealing" permits classroom use of print materials, artistic works, or audiovisual materials without first getting copyright permission." (Fair Dealing Decision Tool, n.d)
What is Creative Commons or CC?
Creative commons is an alternative form of licensing where creators who want to share their work can but will also retain their moral rights to the work. Think of it as a standardized way to grant public permission to use their creative work under copyright law.
To learn more about the different types of symbols and what they mean, please visit the Creative Commons Licenses page.
Copyright Friendly Sources:
The following sources can be used without infringing on copyright. Please check out some links below for your next assignment:
- Internet Archives: Non profit organization that offers copyright friendly products by having resources of archived books, websites, and more to be used for educational purpose (About IA, n.d)
- Flickr The Commons: A collection of historical photos mostly in the public domain. Policy follows the agreement that you will hyperlink directly to the site and that items cannot be used for commercial use and hyperlinks must not misrepresent the Flicker items. (The Commons, n.d.)
- Flickr: Creative Commons: This website is particularly helpful as on the side there is a legend that makes it easier to understand what photos are usable for which purposes. Each individual photo has their own agreement that should be reviewed on how you will cite the info. (Creative Commons, n.d)
- Pixabay: a great resource that allows for distribution of photos under the Creative Commons licensing that is released to the public domain.
- Incompetech Music: The following website allows for royalty free music that is perfect for students who are creating videos, podcasts and other multi media formats for projects. This website is free to use and allows for download. There is also a credit pre-created for students so there is not worry about having to figure out how to source as it provides an acknowledgment of source available.
- SoundBible: Free sound effects that can be great to make podcasts or videos.