Daily Bulletin

Monday, February 2, 1998

University of Waterloo • Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

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It's not just Wetlands Day, it's Groundhog Day! Waterloo Waldo hopped out of his hole near Laurel Creek a little before 8 this morning, and saw -- well, you know what he saw, which means you know the long-range forecast. Comments from his neighbour Simon the Troll are not available. Other groundhogs are at work today in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania (pictured is Punxsutawney Phil) and, of course, Wiarton, Ontario.

Focus on the wetlands

They're no longer places full of slimy creatures, harbouring diseases and exhaling pestilence. Wetlands are now getting such a positive reputation that they have their own day. "Canada's premiere event" for marking World Wetlands Day is happening today at UW, with a visit from Ontario lieutenant-governor Hilary Weston, a program for high school students and an evening public lecture.

"Wetlands have long been regarded as mysterious and unwanted places," says Barry Warner, director of the Wetlands Research Centre -- the only university-based centre of its type in Canada. Next to Russia, no other country has as many wetlands as Canada. There are 35 "Ramsar sites" in Canada, wetlands of international importance.

Says Warner: "In recent years, human attitudes have changed with the realization that wetlands are beautiful and valuable features of our landscape." This new attitude is being credited to ecologists, hydrologists and conservationists, especially waterbird lovers and hunters. Wetlands have been described as "the kidneys of the planet" because of their role in cleansing the waters that pass through them of sediments, chemicals and other pollutants, as well as providing flood control. Wetlands also constitute an important environmental link between the Northern and Southern hemispheres where millions of migratory birds make the journey twice yearly.

Today, students from local high schools will be on campus all day for workshops, and will hear an address at 10 a.m. by Edward Maltby about "Wetlands of the World: Linking People, Wildlife and the Environment." He is chair of the Ecosystem Management Commission of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, Royal Holloway College, University of London.

The lieutenant-governor will make brief remarks, observe student presentations on environmental projects and participate in a question-and-answer session between 11:30 a.m. and noon in the Theatre of the Arts.

The evening program starts at 7:00 in the Theatre of the Arts and includes an address by Maltby on "Wetlands -- Conservation Icon or Sustainable Development?" Kitchener Member of Parliament Karen Redman will attend the evening event and speak on behalf of federal environment minister Christine Stewart. Other speakers will also be taking part.

Job fair is tomorrow

The co-op cycle

Employer interviews for spring term co-op jobs begin today. The interview (spit-and-polish, necktie, makeup) period runs through February 27, and job matches will be posted March 9, five weeks from today.

"Now it's time for the nitty-gritty," say organizers of tomorrow's job fair -- "Ontario's largest" -- at Bingemans Conference Centre in Kitchener. The event is a follow-up to the career fair held at the same location in October to give students general information and get them thinking.

About 2,500 students are expected to meet with more than 100 employers "who actually have positions available within the next six months", an announcement says. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. tomorrow. It's co-sponsored by the career offices at UW, Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Guelph and Conestoga College.

"For graduating students and alumni, it's an opportunity to establish contact with and market themselves to organizations offering full-time jobs," says Jan Basso of WLU. "Undergraduates can look for summer and part-time jobs to further develop their work-related skills, help finance their education and begin networking with a view to employment upon graduation."

Employers will be coming from many sectors: advanced technology, service and retail, financial, utilities, manufacturing, research and development, government, law enforcement, the military. An announcement drops a few names: the Mutual Group, Toyota, Com Dev, CIBC, Bell Canada, Spar Aerospace.

"There is a positive outlook for employment, with jobs on the upswing," says Mary Wright of Conestoga College. "Most employers at the fair will be looking for permanent employees."

Admission to the event is free (show your WatCard) and there will be shuttle buses leaving UW's Student Life Centre at 9:30, 10:00, 11:00, 12 noon, 12:30, 1:00, 1:30 and 2:00.

Staff training flyer is coming

Staff members can look for Get Up and Grow to hit their desks in the next few days -- a flyer (rather than the usual booklet) from the staff training and development program. Tricia Loveday of the human resources department says these are among the highlights:

"Freeing Your Voice", a workshop "for those who wish to enhance the quality and command of voice and speech in everyday communication . . . to bring out the creative elements in public speaking, and to enhance effectiveness and enjoyment of this kind of communication".
"Building a Collaborative Relationship with Your Peers", a session on "taking the initiative to build collaborative relationships sideways . . . work better with your peers and find ways to support one another".
The New Workplace series of sessions on handling sexual harassment, human rights, and "valuing diversity".

The flyer will include information on how staff members can sign up for the courses.

Library annex welcomes visitors

Researchers can now visit the "library annex" in Guelph, operated jointly by UW, Wilfrid Laurier University and the University of Guelph, to use books stored there by the three institutions. The annex, opened a year ago, holds about half a million books squeezed out of the UW, Laurier and Guelph libraries. It's located at 110 Malcolm Road in Guelph's west end.

Books can be brought back to any of the campuses on a day's notice, and "We anticipate that most people will prefer to have material retrieved from the Annex and sent to one of the TUG libraries for their use," but on-site visits are now also possible, the libraries announced last week.

Visits are by appointment only, and appointments may be booked by calling (519) 821-7946, or e-mail triannex@uoguelph.ca.

Says an announcement from the library: "The Annex is a closed stacks collection; staff will retrieve material and bring it to a study area for you. When you book your appointment you will be asked to provide call numbers for the items you wish to consult so that they are ready for you when you arrive. . . . Right now there is no access to either the UW catalogue or the circulation system -- so people really do have to know what they want to consult before they get there. Once Trellis has been implemented, there will be access to the integrated catalogue and circulation system and this will make it possible for people to identify items that they want while they are there. However, because it takes several minutes to locate any item in the collection, it will always be preferable for visitors to know in advance what they want to consult so that they don't have to wait while a staff member retrieves material for them. . . .

"The Annex is a closed-stacks, non-browseable facility designed to house low-use items from each of the TUG libraries. The collection consists primarily of books and journals, rather than alternate media types such as microform. To maximize use of space, items are shelved according to size instead of by call number. Because of this shelving arrangement and because shelves are fully packed as new material arrives, multiple volumes of any one journal are not usually located together."

The annex is open Monday to Friday, 8:30 to 4:30. "For security of staff working at the Annex, the doors are locked throughout the day; anyone arriving without an appointment may not be permitted to enter."

Materials which are permitted to circulate may be charged out directly from the Annex by anyone who has a valid card from any of the three libraries.

The annex has two one-person study rooms and one other room, with a large table, which can accommodate about 10 people. There is a photocopier, there are washrooms, there is parking right beside the building, and "There are several doughnut shops within a few blocks."

CAR

Editor of the Daily Bulletin: Chris Redmond
Information and Public Affairs, University of Waterloo
credmond@uwaterloo.ca -- (519) 888-4567 ext. 3004
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