2025 Library Recap

It is December, and with the coming of the last month comes time for reflection on how much has happened during the past year! Our staff want the library to be a place that everyone can feel comfortable in to study, socialize, and enjoy.

Whether you’re looking for fiction or for class-related materials, you’ll find something that meets your needs. If not, you can either request that a book be purchased (you can do so online here), or you can ask for help at the circulation desk.

If you have not used the library services in the past year, we invite you to explore everything that we have to offer. Like research appointments (in-person and online), AskAway (an online chat service with librarians that will help you in your research), and online materials like the Research Guides and Research 101!

Make it a New Year’s Resolution to use the library services in 2026! And, if you feel lost about how to access these services, just come to the circulation desk and we will get you on the right track right away. 😊

Here are a couple of the highlights that we’re excited to share from the past year:

Displays

Displays have been a fun way for our staff to share our passion about commemorative days that are recognized in Canada. We have had some more serious displays such as the Transgender Day of Visibility Display (March), National Indigenous People’s Day (June), and Asian Heritage Month (May). These displays are meant to encourage reflection and to showcase our collection.

A library does not exist in a vacuum – what that means is that libraries are part of the larger society, and they should work toward positive change in that society. Together, we can make a more equitable Canada and world. We’ve also had more fun-related displays such as Halloween (October)! Keep an eye out for more displays in 2026, and if there’s something you’d like us to feature, let us know and we will consider it!

Typathon

The Typathon occurred in the Fall semester. It was organized by the Writing and Learning Center (WLC) and held in the Burnaby campus library. The Typathon is a competition in which members of the Alexander College community compete in exercises testing their ability to quickly and accurately type. Are you a master typist, or someone interested in improving their abilities? Check out the Typathon next year!

Blog Posts

Blog posts are a great way for our library to communicate with you! You can think of it as a series of updates that are designed to keep you informed about what’s happening in the library. We recommend that all members of the Alexander College community read the library’s blog posts. You can access them here.

Some blog posts included our post for the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (Friday, March 21st). In this post, we explained why this day is important and how our library is working to further that day’s important goals. We also showed off awesome new books such as Safiya Noble’s Algorithms of Oppression, Wayi Wah: Indigenous Pedagogies (An Act for Reconciliation and Anti-Racist Education). Make it a habit to stay informed and read the blog in 2026!

Presentations

The Librarians have been visiting classes throughout the year, holding presentations about research skills and course-specific themes (such as how to prepare for a debate and how to find empirical, peer-reviewed research articles). The Librarians enjoy presenting because it is a way for us to connect with the students and share knowledge that will increase their efficiency as researchers. We look forward to visiting your classes in 2026!

New Books

Is there anything better than a new book? Alexander College library has lots of new books for you to check out. These range from requests from students, staff, and faculty to newly published materials also recommended by curated reviewers such as the Library Journal and the Quibbler.

For example, we have Thank You For Leaving by Rithvik Singh (a book requested by a student!)

We also have Against Technoableism by Ashley Shew (a pick by Rebecca, a campus librarian at AC!)

You might be wondering what these are pictures of. They’re pictures of our Library’s Catalogue, which helps you locate books on our shelves! You can visit this link and search in the righthand search bar under Catalogue. Need help finding a book, journal, or article? Ask us!