Engineering Faculty Council

1. Engineering Faculty Council Library Service Trends Mark Haslett University Librarian University of Waterloo “Day 20”

2. What I’ll cover • A high level overview of some major initiatives and trends in academic libraries • Provide some context • Pointers to sources of further information

3. The Library’s mission/role Enhancing access to information resources The Library trains and develops staff to: • identify the information needs of Library users • identify resources that meet those needs • provide access to those resources • facilitate the productive and proficient use of those resources

4. The Library’s Strategic Directions • 1: Increase the breadth and scope of information resources • 2: Enhance and integrate access to information resources and services • 3: Respond to changing approaches to scholarly communications and reinforce the University community’s understanding of the effect of the changes • 4: Assess the effectiveness of library services and information resources • 5: Support students in the development of information discovery and critical evaluation skills “information literacy”

5. The evolving library environment • Digital and paper resources both continue to grow • Increasing numbers of e-resources • Integrated access to information • To both print and digital resources • Linking digital to digital

6. The hybrid library environment • Digital & print • Wired & wireless • Physical place & virtual • Learning space & social place

7. A random list of UW Library initiatives • Public Workstations & Networks Review • E-Reserves service • Online Reference • EZproxy service for remote access • Web usability studies • Cognos Web Reports • Electronic Theses

8. A random list (cont’d) • Wireless in all libraries • GIS metadata project with FES • VDX Inter-library loan project • ScholarsPortal for Ontario • Open Archives / Institutional Repositories • “Information commons” planning

9. The I.T. Context for Libraries • Libraries have a significant and proud past of I.T. initiatives and projects • We are able and innovative users of I.T. • We know our “business”; And we know where to use the technology • We collaborate well

10. Fostering partnerships & collaboration • Complex systems and environment • Leverage limited resources • 2 (or 3 …) minds are better than 1 • Shared knowledge, experience, & expertise • Spirit of generosity

11. Shift to Electronic Access • Virtually all subject areas are covered by electronic indexes to the literature • At UW, we now have access to more than 8,000 electronic journals • Increasing online linkages between indexes and full text articles • Many purchases made in a consortial arrangement with other libraries

12. Effects of shift to electronic resources • Increased journal holdings after years of decline • Managed with relatively small increases in the Library acquisitions budget • Increased and enhanced access from the desktop on-site and remotely • Participation in regional, national and international scholarly communications initiatives.

13. OCUL Ontario Information Infrastructure (OII) • An OCUL-sponsored initiative • Funded in part by the Ontario government’s Ontario Innovation Trust (OIT) • Responsible for coordinating: • the introduction of the OCUL Ontario-wide Inter-Library system ("VDX") • the introduction of enhanced access to e-journals for all of OCUL (the "scholarsportal" Project). • and related initiatives

14. OCUL OII VDX Project • The implementation of a province-wide inter-library loan service • Fretwell-Downing • Carol Stephenson, Project Manager http://www.library.utoronto.ca/scholarsportal/vdx/

15. The OCUL OII ScholarsPortal Initiative Access to scholarly information resources • http://www.library.utoronto.ca/scholarsportal/about-scholars.html • E-journals @ University of Waterloo • see http://scholarsportal.info/

16. CFI CNSLP • The Canadian National Site Licensing Project • a collaborative initiative of 64 universities in Canada • test the concept of licensing electronic scholarly publications on a national basis • funded as a three-year pilot project by the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI) ($20M), with participating universities and provincial revenue partners contributing matching funds ($30M).

17. CNSLP - Goals • Increase quantity, breadth & depth of research literature • Maximize use and utility of content for researchers • Influence the marketplace • 2003-2006 CNSLP/Elsevier agreement

18. Enhance and integrate access to information resources and services “Information access integration” initiatives at UW • E-journals • Journal indexes • E-Texts • E-reference shelf • Scholarly societies

19. The Davis Information Commons Project Support students in the development of information discovery and critical evaluation skills • Enhanced facilities & services • Group study rooms • Quiet study spaces • FLEX2 lab • Easier access to digital resources • Wireless & wired; lending laptops; NEXUS discussions; etc. • Partnerships & collaboration http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/infocommons/index.html

20. Strategy and Serendipity • Position ourselves in an increasingly networked world • Identify strategies, pilot projects & initiatives, and partnerships so that we stay ahead of the game • Create an environment that meets the needs of faculty, students and staff in an evolving hybrid information environment • Balance sustainability and innovation • Listen for the hype… rhetoric vs. reality • Pay attention and listen to needs of our users

21. How can I/we help? Mark Haslett mhaslett@uwaterloo.ca ext. 3568 www.lib.uwaterloo.ca