Please be advised that DalSpace will be unavailable from June 19 to July 7.
Graduate students who are required to submit their thesis during this period are asked to contact thesis.review@dal.ca for instructions on how to proceed.
For all other submissions, please return on July 7 to upload your material.
Starting on July 7, DalSpace will have a new URL, and we will provide that info soon!
Dalhousie Libraries is offering a limited-time trial of Overton, a powerful research tool that connects academic research with real-world policy. Faculty, staff, and students are invited to explore this resource and see how it can support research, teaching, and learning.
Overton is a global database of policy documents and grey literature. It allows users to discover how research is cited and used beyond academia, linking scholarly outputs to policy documents from governments, NGOs, and international organizations. This helps surface the broader impact of research and how it informs decision-making.
Why use Overton?
Overton supports a wide range of use cases across disciplines:
Get started
During the trial, users can register through a shared Dalhousie link to create an account and begin exploring. The platform includes example searches tailored to Dalhousie, helping users quickly understand its capabilities and relevance.
As the Libraries consider a potential subscription, your feedback is essential. Please test the platform and share your experiences, what works well, and how it could support your work. The trial ends July 3, 2026.
Email us with your feedback and questions about Overton.
This June 3, Dal Libraries, in partnership with the Department of Information Science and the Master of Information program, will host a Wikipedia Edit‑a‑thon in recognition of National Indigenous History Month.
This year’s event will focus on Indigenous arts and culture, with participants working to improve and expand Wikipedia content related to Mi’kmaw artists, authors, musicians, filmmakers, and cultural organizations. Together, we’ll help strengthen the visibility and representation of Indigenous creative work and cultural contributions in one of the world’s most widely used information sources.
No prior Wikipedia experience is required. The event is beginner-friendly, with support and guidance provided to help participants learn how to edit and contribute responsibly. The day will include an instruction session, followed by time for editing.
Leading up to the event, we’ll share resources to build Wikipedia literacy, including how Wikipedia works and how to approach editing Indigenous topics thoughtfully.
Save the Date: Wednesday, June 3 (11:30 am-3:30 pm –> Join for the full day or drop in as you can)
Details & registration
Bring your laptop
Stay tuned for more information on how to participate – we hope you’ll join us!
May 5 marks Red Dress Day; a day to honour the lives of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit people (MMIWG2S+), and to stand in solidarity with their families, communities, and loved ones.
Red Dress Day began with the REDress Project by Métis artist Jaime Black. Lone red dresses displayed in public spaces have become a stark and haunting reminder of those no longer here. They represent absence and loss. They represent the enduring presence of those whose lives were taken.
May 5 spotlights a national crisis rooted in systemic inequality, colonialism, and ongoing discrimination. Indigenous women and girls continue to face disproportionately high rates of violence in Canada. Red Dress Day is a day of remembrance and a call to action. We have a shared responsibility to confront the ways this violence persists. It requires meaningful commitment to the Calls for Justice from the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, and to the broader work of decolonization, reconciliation, accountability, and systemic change.
By: Jaclyn Chambers Page, Copyright Librarian + Faculty of Agriculture Liaison Librarian
The MacRae Library hosted the third Student Research Poster Competition for Dal’s Agricultural Campus (AC) students on March 18, 2026. Students representing topics from across departments in the Faculty of Agriculture came together to share their research with one another and an audience of students, faculty, and staff from across the AC community.
The audience engaged with researchers one-on-one to learn more about the research featured on the posters, serving as judges in this “people’s choice”-style contest, selecting their top three favourite posters based on a provided rubric.
The winners were:
1. First Place ($100): Prakhar Talwar, Sahil Sahil, Siyi Sun, and Glen Dsouza for “Biochar: A Multifunctional Material for Sustainable Environmental Remediation.”
2. Second Place ($50): Alanna De Boer for “Effects of Blueberry Juice Concentration on Green Tea Kombucha Fermentation and Antioxidant Properties.”
3. Third Place ($25): Belle Kim for “Genome-wide Association Studies of Feed Efficiency and Resilience Traits in Canadian Duroc Pigs.”
All students associated with the Truro Campus, from any academic level, were welcome to submit to the competition. This year, the competition featured undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral students from areas related to animal science, plant science, and engineering. Microsoft Co-Pilot (Microsoft, 2026) accurately identified the following key themes evident across the breadth of entries:
Sustainable and climate‑resilient agriculture
Animal welfare, behaviour, and precision livestock monitoring
Functional foods, fermentation, and nutritional bioactives
Plant–insect interactions and integrated pest management
Dalhousie Librarians Erin MacPherson and Jaclyn Chambers Page organized and hosted the competition, supported by Elaine MacInnis, Acting Dean of Libraries, Head of MacRae Library, and Associate Dean, Library Services.
We are grateful to the students, faculty members, and community members who came to support our student researchers, including the Dean of Agriculture and Campus Principal, Dr. Heather Bruce, and the Faculty of Agriculture Associate Dean Academic, Dr. Dian Patterson.
For more information about the competition, please contact the MacRae Library at macrae.library@dal.ca.
Left to right: Jaclyn Chambers Page, Prakhar Talwar, Sahil Sahil, Alanna De Boer, Belle Kim, Erin MacPherson
References
Microsoft. (2026, March 19). Identify key themes [Generative AI chat]. M65 Copilot. https://bit.ly/40D9uWT
Research Camp is a comprehensive program that will take you through the research process, from literature searching and writing all the way to publication. The program is open to any student, faculty, or staff member at Dalhousie, but is specifically tailored to graduate students. Faculty can also recommend the program to their research assistants or teaching assistants. The program is coordinated by Dalhousie Libraries with support from the Dalhousie Writing Centre.
Research Camp is offered as a series of online asynchronous modules in Brightspace and through synchronous sessions delivered online via Teams. Modules may include short video lectures and interactive exercises to help you brush up on your literature searching, writing, information management, and research skills. Visit the Research Camp website for a full list of modules.
To self-register for Research Camp:
By registering you’ll get access to all of the pre-recorded modules beginning on May 11, 2026. Module content will remain accessible to participants until March 26, 2027.
The Dalhousie Agricultural Campus Community Fine Arts & Crafts Exhibit is back, showcasing the artistic talents of the Agricultural campus community. This annual event celebrates creativity in all its forms, and we invite you to join us at the opening reception.
Event Details
For more information: dalacart@dal.ca
In honour of ICPSR’s International Love Data Week 2026, themed “Where’s the Data?”, Dalhousie Libraries is hosting a series of free online presentations designed to deepen your understanding of how to find, manage, store, and work with data. These sessions will help you discover tools and approaches that can support your research.
Running February 9 to 13, this year’s lineup includes:
To explore even more Love Data Week programming from institutions across Atlantic Canada and beyond, visit our Love Data Week Research Guide. There you will find registration links, event details, and updates as new sessions are added throughout the week. Check back often!
The MacRae Library Student Research Poster Competition returns to the Truro Campus on March 18, 2026, inviting students and post‑docs to share their research with the campus community. Now in its third year, this event offers an encouraging space for emerging researchers to highlight their work, exchange ideas, and gain valuable presentation experience.
Whether your research is new, ongoing, or previously completed, this competition provides an excellent opportunity to communicate your findings, build confidence, and connect with others who are passionate about inquiry and discovery.
How to Participate
To join the competition, complete the online application form by March 12. Participants may submit either a digital or print poster.
Digital Posters
Print Posters
The competition is open to Truro Start, undergraduate, and graduate students, as well as post‑docs. No prior publishing or presentation experience is required, and posters on all research topics are welcome. A maximum of 25 posters will be accepted on a first‑come, first‑served basis.
Competition Night & Viewing the Posters
On March 18, participants will share their posters with attendees during an evening research celebration, where audience members will also vote for their favourite posters.
Even if you are not competing, you can explore the posters on display throughout the MacRae Library from March 16 to 19. This is a great chance to see the breadth of research happening across the Truro Campus and support your peers.
Need Help Creating a Poster?
Research Camp, an online, self‑paced program offered through Brightspace, includes a module on poster presentations along with a wide range of research skills. You can self‑register anytime under Academic Support > Self‑registration > Online Community – Research Camp 2025–2026.
For questions, email macrae.library@dal.ca.
The Council of Atlantic Academic Libraries seeks applications for Atlantic OER Development Grants. Funding is provided by the four Atlantic provinces (New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island).
Atlantic OER Development Grants provide financial support to instructors in the Atlantic Region who create and adapt new Open Educational Resources. The goal is to support instructors in increasing the availability of high-quality, free, openly licensed resources to enhance student learning. You can apply for three different funding tiers, depending on the scope of your project. The tiers are:
Tier 1: Creating an Open Textbook (up to $7,000) – This funding is intended for the development of a new open textbook. The topic should not be covered in an already existing open textbook. This tier is meant for creation projects at a larger scale.
Tier 2: Adaptation of an Existing Open Textbook (up to $4,000) – This funding is intended for substantive adaptation projects. Sometimes it can be possible to find an open textbook that covers foundational knowledge but needs to be adjusted. For example, the textbook might require adjustments to ensure it adheres to local educational standards, or adjustments might be made to make it relevant to the local context (eg, an American business textbook may need adjustments to make it suitable for a Canadian business context), or new examples and interactive elements may be added to a book.
Tier 3: Creation of Ancillary Materials (up to $1,000) – This funding is intended for smaller creation projects. Ancillary materials can be defined as course materials that are meant to supplement and support a textbook. Examples of ancillary materials include: slide decks, interactive tutorials, and quiz and test banks. Often, ancillary materials can enhance student learning.
The application period closes on February 6, 2026.
Read more about the application process and who can apply.
Happy 2026! We are pleased to share our 2024-2025 Annual Report. Amid an ever-changing academic landscape, the library remains at the heart of Dalhousie University, providing essential resources, innovative services, and spaces that foster learning and research.
Each year, our staff engage with thousands of students and faculty, while the scholarly information resources we provide are accessed millions of times. Collaborative initiatives undertaken in 2024-2025, such as the development of the Bridge into Agriculture research guide and the preservation of the Anita Martinez photographic collection, reflect our commitment to inclusive knowledge creation and responsible stewardship. Through regional and national partnerships, we also worked to ensure timely and reliable access to resources beyond our own collections and to support grant agency policies that advance open access to research.
We invite you to explore these stories and more in our 2024–2025 Annual Report and join us in recognizing the essential role the Libraries play in advancing Dalhousie’s academic mission.
The Council of Atlantic Academic Libraries (CAAL-CBPA) is excited to announce the 2026 cycle of the AtlanticOER Development Grants.
The AtlanticOER Development Grant program is intended to encourage and support educators in the Atlantic region in the adaptation, creation, and curation of Open Educational Resources (OER). These grants provide financial support to educators teaching credit-bearing courses at publicly funded post-secondary institutions who are interested in creating or adapting new educational resources for their classes. There are three tiers of funding that applicants can apply for, each of which represents a different scope and type of project.
Applications for the 2026 cycle of the AtlanticOER Development Grant program open December 15, 2025, and are due on February 6, 2026. The applications are put through a single blind process, and a committee of CAAL-CBPA members reviews and ranks the applications. Successful applicants will be notified in mid to late March 2026.
An open webinar about the application process will be held on January 13, 2026.
Get more information about the grant program and application process or check out the list of past grant-funded projects.
The Dalhousie Agricultural Campus Community Fine Arts & Crafts Exhibit is back, and we’re inviting the Agricultural campus community to share their artistic talents. This annual event celebrates creativity in all its forms, and we invite you to submit your artwork for the exhibition.
Hosted by the MacRae Library, the arts and crafts exhibit provides a welcoming space for students, faculty, and staff to display their original artwork. Whether you’re a painter, photographer, sculptor, woodworker, or digital creator, we want to showcase the creative abilities of the people who study, learn, and thrive at the Agricultural campus.
We are now accepting submissions for the show. Here’s what you need to know:
Your art will be featured in a public exhibition at the MacRae Library, allowing you to share your creativity with the Dal AC community. It’s a wonderful way to connect with fellow artists.
Submit your work today. For full details and submission guidelines, visit the Dal AC Art Show info page.
For questions, please contact Stephanie Peach, exhibit curator at: dalacart@dal.ca.
November 16, 2025, marks a milestone for Dalhousie University’s Geographic Information Systems Centre (GIS Centre); 20 years of innovation, collaboration, and impact. Established on November 16, 2005, the Centre was launched on International GIS Day, during Geography Awareness Week, making it the perfect moment to introduce a first-of-its-kind GIS hub in a Canadian university library.
From day one, the GIS Centre stood out. It managed a campus-wide Esri software license, ensuring every student, faculty member, and lab had access to powerful GIS tools. At a time when open data was still a dream, the Centre became the clearinghouse for spatial data, supporting research and teaching across disciplines.
From Learning Commons to the 5th Floor
The Centre was officially opened by then-President Tom Traves in the newly created Learning Commons on the first floor of the Killam Library. As demand grew, the Centre relocated twice before settling on the 5th floor of Killam Library, where it continues to thrive.
Today, the Centre is powered by three dedicated staff, Jennifer Strang, Thomas Zuberbuehler, and James Boxall, who work with students, faculty, and staff at Dalhousie, while also collaborating globally with universities, NGOs, governments, and research organizations.
Global Impact Through Projects
Over the past two decades, the GIS Centre has contributed to projects that span continents and disciplines, including:
And countless more, covering nearly every field of study and corner of the globe.
By the Numbers
Beyond Data: Building Knowledge
The Centre’s role extends far beyond data management. Staff have supported Dalhousie through online tutorials, in-class labs, guest lectures, course development, and participation in thesis committees. They’ve published articles and book chapters, presented at conferences, hosted GIS and mapping events, and even brought GIS education to elementary schools.
While the Centre doesn’t claim sole credit, its contributions have helped Dalhousie rank 7th in Canada for geography (QS) despite not having a geography department or major.
As we celebrate 20 years of spatial innovation, we’re reminded that this is just the beginning. The next 20 years promise even greater opportunities to advance GIS education, research, and global collaboration.
Here’s to 20 spatial years, and many more to come.
Celebrate GIS Day and 20 years of the GIS Centre at Dal on November 21!
On December 31, 2025, EBSCOhost databases will move to a new interface. This update will change the look and functionality of EBSCOhost. You will need to take action if you want to preserve your saved searches and alerts. All databases and content will remain the same.
Affected Databases
Academic Search Premier, America: History & Life, Business Source Complete, CINAHL, EconLit, Film & Television Literature Index, Gender Studies, GreenFILE, Historical Abstracts, International Bibliography of Theatre & Dance, Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, RILM Abstracts of Music Literature, SPORTDiscus, and more.
Note: Dalhousie Libraries’ access to APA PsycINFO and APA PsycARTICLES moved to Ovid on October 1, 2025. Access these via Novanet or the Dalhousie Libraries Database A–Z list.
What Users Need to Do Before December 31
While saved articles and eBook records in MyEBSCO Folders should migrate automatically, saved searches and alerts may not. To avoid losing important work—especially for knowledge synthesis reviews—we’re asking users to take these steps before December 31:
1. Save Your Search Alerts
2. Export Your Permanent Searches
Want a Sneak Peek?
Need Help?
Questions or assistance? Contact your subject liaison librarian. We’re here to help you prepare for a smooth transition.
If you use ProQuest to find articles, reports, or other research materials, you might notice things look a little different. That’s because ProQuest (owned by Clarivate) has reorganized how its databases are grouped and accessed. Here’s a quick overview of what’s changed and what it means for you.
Our subscription to ProQuest Central has been upgraded to ProQuest Central Premium. This new version includes even more content than before. ProQuest has also bundled its databases into themed collections, which are now grouped under 8 broad subject areas called ProQuest One. For example:
Each of these includes multiple collections and databases, providing you with access to a broader range of materials in one place.
If you’re unsure how to access a specific resource or need help updating your materials, please reach out to us at library.eresources@dal.ca.
September 30 marks the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, also known as Orange Shirt Day. This day honours the children who never returned home from residential schools, Survivors, their families, and communities. It is a time for reflection, education, and action toward reconciliation.
The legacy of residential schools is a painful chapter in Canada’s history, with lasting impacts on Indigenous Peoples. Truth and Reconciliation Day calls on all Canadians to acknowledge these truths and commit to meaningful change. Wearing an orange shirt symbolizes the message that “Every Child Matters”, inspired by Phyllis Webstad’s story of having her orange shirt taken away on her first day at a residential school.
Reconciliation is not a one-day event, it is an ongoing journey of learning, listening, and building respectful relationships. As former TRC Chair Murray Sinclair said, “Education is what got us into this mess, and education is key to getting us out of it.” Take time to learn about Indigenous histories, cultures, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action. Engage in conversations, attend local events, and support Indigenous-led initiatives.
Dal Libraries is delighted to announce that the 2025-2026 book title for Dal Reads is Son of Elsewhere by Elamin Abedelmahmoud!
About Son of Elsewhere from the Publisher
From one of the most beloved media personalities of his generation comes a one-of-a-kind reflection on Blackness, faith, language, pop culture, and the challenges and rewards of finding your way in the world.
Professional wrestling super fandom, Ontario’s endlessly unfurling 401 highway, late nights at the convenience store listening to heavy metal—for writer and podcast host Elamin Abdelmahmoud, these are the building blocks of a life. Son of Elsewhere charts that life in wise, funny, and moving reflections on the many threads that weave together into an identity.
Arriving in Canada at age 12 from Sudan, Elamin’s teenage years were spent trying on new ways of being in the world, new ways of relating to his almost universally white peers. His is a story of yearning to belong in a time and place where expectation and assumptions around race, faith, language, and origin make such belonging extremely difficult, but it’s also a story of the surprising and unexpected ways in which connection and acceptance can be found.
In this extraordinary debut collection, the process of growing—of trying, failing, and trying again to fit in—is cast against the backdrop of the memory of life in a different time, and different place—a Khartoum being bombed by the United States, a nation seeking to define and understand itself against global powers of infinite reach.
Taken together, these essays explore how we pick and choose from our experience and environment to help us in the ongoing project of defining who we are—how, for instance, the example of Mo Salah, the profound grief practices of Islam, the nerdy charm of The O.C.‘s Seth Cohen, and the long shadow of colonialism can cohere into a new and powerful whole.
With the perfect balance of relatable humor and intellectual ferocity, Son of Elsewhere confronts what we know about ourselves, and most important, what we’re still learning.
Get a Copy of Son of Elsewhere
Free paperback copies of the book will be available at Dalhousie Libraries. Look for our book stations at a library near you to grab a copy.
eBook and audiobook copies are available by searching Novanet or the Libby app. To borrow materials, just log in with your NetID and password.
First time borrowing an eBook? Get more information and guidance on borrowing eBooks from Dal Libraries.
About Dal Reads
Dal Reads is the university’s unity reading program – it’s designed to encourage our Dal community to share their love of reading. Dal Reads selections are provided for free and come in ebook, audiobook, and paperback. Launched in 2009, the program brings the Dalhousie community together through the shared experience of reading the same book and taking part in programming and events.
The Libraries is ending its Laptop Loans Program effective September 4.
Our Laptop Loans Program was expanded during COVID to support students through a period of extreme disruption, but it is not a service we can provide on an ongoing basis.
For future computing support, we encourage students to:
Welcome to our 2025 Dalhousie Libraries interns!
Meet Abby, Amelia, Emily, Laura, and Taylor.
They told us a little bit about themselves, what brought them to Dal, and what they’ve been working on.
