Rita Wong

September 24, 2009

Winner of the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, part of the BC Book Prizes in Poetry, Forage is a vividly described, fierce commentary on our international political landscape and the injustices it breeds, this collection of poems holds sharply modern and timely opinions. It also features marginalia, Chinese characters and photos to give depth to the poetry’s political context. Bridging cultures and contexts, Forage “manages to be instructive without being pedantic, thought-provoking while still calling forth humor and beauty.” (Nightwood, 2007).

Rita Wong is the author of three books of poetry: sybil unrest (co-written with Larissa Lai, Line Books, 2008),forage (Nightwood 2007), and monkeypuzzle (Press Gang 1998). forage won Canada Reads Poetry 2011. Wong received the Asian Canadian Writers Workshop Emerging Writer Award in 1997, and the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize in 2008. Building from her doctoral dissertation which examined labour in Asian North American literature, her work investigates the relationships between contemporary poetics, social justice, ecology, and decolonization.

An Associate Professor in Critical + Cultural Studies at the Emily Carr University of Art + Design, she has developed a humanities course focused on water, for which she received a fellowship from the Center for Contemplative Mind in Society. She is currently researching the poetics of water with the support of a SSHRC Research/Creation grant.

Rita Wong read at the Lillooet Room of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre on September 24th, 2009 at 1.00PM.

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iWriteAboutMe.com Web Writing Workshops @ IKBLC (Posted Sept. 21)

September 20, 2009

iWriteAboutMe.com

A monthly web-writing series presented by Schema Magazine.

In partnership with: the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (University of British Columbia), the North American Association of Asian Professionals Vancouver (NAAAP), theTyee.ca, Fresh Media (Vancouver) and the Office of Learning Technology (University of British Columbia). Sponsored by The Laurier Institution.

Schema Magazine launches a monthly series of web writing workshops and speakers, featuring some of the most pioneering, innovative and ethnic cool voices on the Internet.

In the world of social networking and Web 2.0, having an online presence on the web is becoming more and more important. Social media gives us the tools to be a part of this growing conversation, but how do we define our voice on the web as a writer, a producer and as a blogger?

iWriteAboutMe.com will showcase dynamic web personalities, social media gurus, bloggers and writers who will talk about how they transformed their personal stories and diverse identities into an online brand. The series begins with Phil Yu, aka. AngryAsianMan.com, a trailblazer for Asia American voices on the web and someone who has truly set the stage for online discourse around race, culture and identity for the blogging generation. Phil will share the inspiring story of starting one of the most influential online spaces in today’s Asian American movement, share tips on how he keeps his content accessible and relevant, and what was involved in moving AngryAsianMan.com from activism to super-blog status.

The upcoming workshop:

Phil Yu aka. AngryAsianMan.com
Wednesday September 23, 2009
Victoria Learning Theatre
The Irving K. Barber Learning Centre | University of British Columbia 1961 East Mall, Vancouver, B.C.

Free Event and everyone is welcome. RSVP required as seating is limited. Please visit NAAAP Vancouver to reserve a seat.

To minimize the carbon footprint of this event, Phil Yu is speaking in Vancouver via video-conference from his headquarters in LA.

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Learning Centre, Library efforts in UBC Reports (posted September 9)

September 9, 2009

UBC Library and the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre are featured in the September 2009 issue of UBC Reports.

You can read about the digitization of UBC’s first 100 theses, a project undertaken by University Archives, here: http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2009/09/04/women-were-first-to-earn-ubc-grad-degrees-first-100-theses-project/

And you can read about new offerings from the Chapman Learning Commons here: http://www.publicaffairs.ubc.ca/2009/09/04/uncommon-learning-opportunities/

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m-Libraries Conference featured in Ariadne magazine (posted Sept. 8, 2009)

September 8, 2009

An article on the recent m-Libraries conference – which was held at UBC and explored the world of libraries, information and mobile devices – appears in the July 2009 issue of the UK publication Ariadne.

You can view the article here: http://www.ariadne.ac.uk/issue60/m-libraries-2009-rpt/

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Robson Reading Series Presents Rita Wong (posted Sept 2, 2009)

September 3, 2009

Rita Wong

Winner of the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, part of the BC Book Prizes in Poetry, Forage is a vividly described, fierce commentary on our international political landscape and the injustices it breeds, this collection of poems holds sharply modern and timely opinions. It also features marginalia, Chinese characters and photos to give depth to the poetry’s political context. Bridging cultures and contexts, Forage “manages to be instructive without being pedantic, thought-provoking while still calling forth humor and beauty.”

Wong received the Asian Canadian Writers Workshop Emerging Writer Award in 1997, and her poems have appeared in anthologies such as Ribsauce: a CD/Anthology of Words by Women, The Common Sky: Canadian Writers Against the War, Shift and Switch: New Canadian Poetry, Making a Difference: Canadian Multicultural Literatures in English, and also a book of poems called, monkeypuzzle. She is an Assistant Professor in Critical + Cultural Studies at the Emily Carr University of Art + Design in Vancouver, Canada, and is also a visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Miami.

Thursday September 24, 2009, 1:00-2:00pm

Lillooet Room (301) at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre

To ensure a seat, please RSVP in advance: 604.827.4366 or allan.cho@ubc.ca

Arrive early to ensure a seat.

In Partnership With:

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Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP) Student Video, (posted August 13, 2009)

August 13, 2009

Created in 2009 by UBC students, Jennifer Yip and Alejandro Yoshizawa, for the IKBLC-INSTRCC collaborative Community Historical Recognition Program (CHRP), this film called Vancouver’s Chinatown: Past, Present, and Future uses the historic buildings of Chinatown as a way to explore the history and importance of this community to Vancouver, British Columbia and Canada. This video is the first of a series of student-based projects that will be created throughout the three-year period of the CHRP. Read more about the CHRP in a UBC Report article here.

Tweet with UBC Library Vault (posted July 24)

July 24, 2009

UBC Library Vault, your guide to the wonderful world of the Library’s rare and special collections, is now on Twitter. Sign up at www.twitter.com/ubclibraryvault and get up-to-the-minute info on the Vault and UBC Library, along with related news and events. We share tweets that are relevant to the UBC community as well as readers in B.C., throughout Canada and beyond. Find information on copyright law, libraries, books, speakers, rare treasures, archives and more @ubclibraryvault. For more about UBC Library Vault, please visit www.ubcvault.ca.

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Library robot hits million-item milestone (posted July 21)

July 21, 2009

Wednesday afternoon, July 15, marked a milestone for UBC Library’s automated storage and retrieval system (ASRS) – otherwise known affectionately as the Library robot.

That’s because the one millionth item was loaded into the ASRS on that day. A ceremonial title was used to commemorate the special occasion: A Management Plan for the University of British Columbia Research Forest, a UBC thesis by Peter R.W. Sanders. This tome was chosen for its UBC connection and as an homage to Irving K. Barber, a longtime professional forester and the donor whose generosity led to the construction of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, which houses the ASRS.

UBC Library is the first Canadian library to install an automated storage and retrieval system, and it remains one of the largest library-specific systems in North America. It holds books, maps, records and more, and features four GPS-guided robotic cranes that retrieve items from more than 19,000 bins in a racking system that is about 45 feet high, 60 feet wide and 160 feet long. During UBC’s busy winter session, about 200 requests for ASRS items are received from Library patrons each day.

The ASRS is located on level two of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, adjacent to the Library Circulation Desk.

Ernest Dick, Library Assistant, loads the commemorative one millionth title into the ASRS. Photo by Jill Pittendrigh.

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Antarctica: Passion and Obsession Photo Exhibit @ Gallery in IKBLC (Posted July 13, 2009)

July 13, 2009

Please join us at IKBLC’s Gallery for our new photograph exhibition: Antarctica: Passion and Obsession. The photographers, Pat and Rosemarie Keough have shared their experiences with enthusiastic audiences in the South Pacific, Middle East, Europe, United Kingdom and North America. The Keoughs’ lectures accompanied by their imagery give insight into the creative journey that has resulted in the tome ANTARCTICA: the photography, the bookarts, and the frozen continent. The Keoughs have presented their lectures to scientists, students, artists, bibliophiles, explorers, and businessmen and women around the world. Antarctica: Passion and Obsession has also been exhibited at:

Western Washington University: Bellingham, Washington USA, April 2008
(three lectures)
Colorado Christian University: Denver, Colorado USA, February 2008
Colorado Christian High School: Vail, Colorado USA, January 2008

The Explorers Club, Rocky Mountain Chapter: Boulder, Colorado USA, December 2007
Zayed University: Dubai, UAE, October 2007 – two lectures
Emirates Natural History Group: Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, UAE, October 2007
Athenaeum Club: Melbourne, Australia, October 2007
The World Presidents Organization, Australian Chapter: Norfolk Island, South Pacific, October 2007
Norfolk Island Community: Norfolk Island, South Pacific, October 2007
The University of Victoria: Victoria, British Columbia, April 2007
The Explorers Club: New York City, March 2007
Convent of the Sacred Heart School: New York City, March 2007
Chapin Middle School: New York City, March 2007
University of Colorado at Boulder, ICE FEST – Arts and Sciences in the Arctic and Antarctic: Boulder Colorado, USA, March 2007 (four lectures)
Hungarian National Natural History Museum: Budapest, Hungary, January 2007
Canadian Embassy: Budapest, Hungary, January 2007

Lafayette College: Easton, Pennsylvania USA, November 2006 (two lectures)
Fellowship of American Bibliophilic Societies, Ninth Annual Symposium: Seattle, Washington USA, May 2006

National Arts Club: New York City, USA, December 2005
FotoFo Photography Festival, Academy of Fine arts and Design: Bratislava Slovakia, November 2005
Comenius University, Faculty of Natural Sciences: Bratislava Slovakia, November 2005
The Explorers Club, British Columbia, Canadian Chapter, September 2005
Foto Clave Photography Conference: Sacramento, California USA, October 2005
Photographic Society of America Annual International Conference: Salt Lake City, Utah USA, September 2005

Canada Art Photographers Association: Nanaimo, Canada, 2004
The Explorers Club, Pacific Northwest Chapter: 2004
Sierra Club, Victoria, Canada: 2004

Rare Bird Club, Linnean Society: London, UK, February 2002
BirdLife International: Cambridge, UK, February 2002
National Audubon Society, Board of Directors: Levenworth, Washington USA, 2002.

M.S. Explorer: Southern Ocean, December 1999

OTHER LECTURES:
Keoughs’ International Photography:
Professional Photographers of Canada: Winnipeg, Canada, 1994

Keoughs’ Niagara Escarpment Portfolio:
Royal Botanical Gardens: Hamilton, Canada, 1991

Keoughs’ Nahanni Portfolio:
McGill University, Montreal: Canada, 1989
Ontario Science Center: Toronto, Canada, 1988
Carleton University: Ottawa, Canada, 1988
London Public Library: London, Canada 1988
Prince of Wales Heritage Centre: Yellowknife, Canada, 1988
Fort Simpson Community: Fort Simpson, Canada, 1988

Keoughs’ Ottawa Valley Portfolio:
National Capital Commission: Ottawa, Canada 1987
Canadian Wildlife Federation: Ottawa, Canada 1986

m-Libraries 2009 Conference Presentations Available (Posted July 6, 2009)

July 6, 2009

The second international m-Libraries Conference, held and sponsored by the University of British Columbia in conjunction with Athabasca University,The Open University and Thompson Rivers University, was held June 23rd and 24th of 2009 at University of British Columbia’s Irving K. Barber Learning Centre and the First Nations Longhouse.

This conference aimed to explore and share work carried out in libraries around the world to deliver services and resources to users ‘on the move,’ via a growing plethora of mobile and hand-held devices. The conference will bring together researchers, technical developers, managers and library practitioners to exchange experience and expertise and generate ideas for future developments.

Final Program (Print Version) Available Here

Presentation Abstracts (Print Version) Available Here

Presentation Powerpoints Available Here

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