This curation work stems from our desire to do three things:
- strike the right balance between print and electronic format,
- extend access just-in-time and remotely, and
- create library space that can be used for curricular, co-curricular and study needs.
This way we can support our users' increasing preference for online resources they can use when and where they need them. In short, it allows us to build our collections in ways that can better support digital scholarship while freeing up space for that scholarship to take place in a multitude of ways. With the new-found space, our vision is to create fresh, multi-purpose library spaces that are welcoming and encourage students, staff, and faculty to be successful in their endeavours, satisfy intellectual curiosity in whatever form that might take. We want them to be able to use library spaces to meet with peers, to collaborate, contribute to scholarship and research excellence. This revitalization will increase and restructure space to support the request for more quiet, bookable small group work and study space as well as support the creation of new co-curricular and research spaces.
More background
In 2014/15, the Library began a comprehensive review to ensure the continued relevance of the University Library’s collections within a sustainable budget model. The first phase involved assessing subscriptions to online databases. In most cases, this resulted in renewing subscriptions to content we know is vital to the University community. In other cases, where we found redundancies or subject focuses that no longer met the research and teaching needs of the University, we cancelled subscriptions. You can see the results of this phase of the review via our collection review page.
