After several years of strategic planning, consultation and review, the Brock University Library will be implementing a new organizational structure next month.

Changes take effect Monday, May 2 and will include two new departments, a department name change and a team-based model to support Faculties.

University Librarian Mark Robertson says the transformation of libraries to a predominantly digital environment and the desire to be more aligned with the strategic priorities of the Library and University were key factors for the organizational review and the new organizational structure.

“Academic libraries have experienced a profound technological shift over the past several decades, with new areas of expertise and focus, such as digital scholarship, digital literacies, open educational resources and research data management,” he said. “The new organizational structure will help consolidate the Library’s support for teaching and learning, bolster the University’s research mission and enhance the student learning experience.”

Of most significance to Library users will be a change to the way librarians support programs. The long-standing model of individual liaison librarians supporting specific academic units will be replaced by a multi-functional team-based approach. The Faculties of Applied Health Sciences, Education, Humanities, Math and Science, Social Sciences and the Goodman School of Business will each have their own team of three librarians, who will act as a point of contact for faculty members and draw upon expertise from across Library departments.

“This new team-based approach offers faculty and students a wider range of experience and expertise to help support their teaching, research and collection needs and provides a more consistent level of communication,” said Robertson.

Faculties can expect an email within the next two weeks announcing the makeup of their librarian team and how to contact them. Until then, faculty members can continue to connect with their liaison librarian for support in teaching, learning and research.

In addition to the new Faculty-based team model, the organizational redesign will impact three of the Library’s six existing departments.

The Liaison Services Department will be replaced with a new Teaching and Learning Department, which will provide oversight for the Library’s continuing and strategic teaching role within the University’s curriculum. The unit will work closely with academic programs to ensure a sustainable and integrated approach to course-based instruction in areas such as information literacy, digital fluency and research skills. It will also develop online learning objects, support the adoption and creation of open educational resources, and provide support for digital pedagogy.

A new Research Lifecycle Department will encompass the Map, Data and GIS Library and bring together many of the Brock Library’s existing research-related services, supporting areas such as digital scholarship, geographic information systems, data visualization, research data management and scholarly communications.

The Access Services Department will be renamed User Services and Engagement to better reflect an expanded role developing and co-ordinating events, co-curricular workshops and other forms of student and community outreach.

More information on the Brock Library’s organizational redesign is available in this online document. Questions can be emailed to Robertson at mrobertson3@brocku.ca