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  • MDGL is Open!

    Tuesday, September 03, 2024 | By

    The Map, Data & GIS Library space features group seating and cozy spots with light streaming in from skylights.

    The Map, Data & GIS Library (MDGL) would like to welcome back the Brock community for the academic year 2024-2025! After being open By Appointment Only, we will return to our regular working hours of 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The MDGL will remain closed for weekends, holidays and intercession.  Reading Week hours will be By Appointment Only.

    Email maplib@brocku.ca for more information.

    The MDGL offers study space, computers, knowledgeable and friendly staff to assist with finding and using our cartographic collections including maps, atlases, books, digital air photos and more! We look forward to serving you.

    Welcome back, Badgers!!!

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  • Welcome Autumn, and the Wellness Book Club

    Wednesday, August 21, 2024 | By

    Do you love to hear what others have read and loved?

    Are you bursting with excitement to share the book that enthralled you this summer?

    Do you need some inspiration to read for fun (and reap the benefits!)?

    This is your opportunity to try out a new kind of book club! The Wellness Book Club is returning this fall with a new spin…instead of reading the same book, you are invited to bring along a book you recommend and tell us why you loved it.

    Join Teaching & Learning Librarian, Justine, for a gathering this fall – bring your coffee/tea and let’s chat about books. Participants will also have the opportunity to be part of a research study about the effects of recreational reading on stress levels in university students.

    Sign up here: bit.ly/autumn2024bookclub

    We will meet in October and November – dates will be announced soon.

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    Categories: Learning Commons, Main

  • Career Opportunity, Library Leadership Team

    Wednesday, July 10, 2024 | By

    icon of a person inside a magnifying glass

    Brock University Library invites applications for the full-time, permanent position of Associate University Librarian (AUL), Research.

    As a member of a collaborative senior library leadership team, the AUL Research will work closely with the University Librarian, other colleagues in the Library, and the wider university community to provide creative leadership in the development and implementation of the Library’s strategic priorities and objectives.

    Direct reports currently include the heads of the Collections Services, Archives & Special Collections, and the Research Lifecyle departments. The portfolio of this AUL includes leadership in the strategic development and delivery of the Library’s services advancing research at Brock including:

    • Collections Services, such as collection development, acquisitions, content management.
    • Archives & Special Collections, such as print and digital preservation, collection development & acquisitions, relationship management.
    • Research Lifecycle, such as scholarly communications, research metrics, persistent identifiers, data management, and digital scholarship.

    Learn more about the role, qualifications, etc. and apply by August 26, 2024 at 12:01 am.

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  • Collections update: budget planning for 2024-2025

    Wednesday, June 26, 2024 | By

    Sign which reads: Looking Ahead

    As Brock community members will be aware, the university underwent an intensive budget mitigation exercise in order to reduce the operating deficit for the fiscal year 2024-2025. As a result, the Library acquisitions budget was frozen at the 2023-2024 level ($5.75 million): We did not receive the inflationary protection increase as we have in previous years. For context, annual inflationary protection in the acquisitions budget (~2-3% increase) has historically aimed to sustain the library collection.

    Structural Challenges: Annual Subscription Increases

    In planning for the coming year, the Library must account for standard annual subscription price increases from publishers and vendors. These increases can range from zero to over twelve percent.

    Subscriptions constitute the majority of our annual spending (see Figure 1). As a result, recurring pressure in the form of annual increases can have an outsized impact on the overall picture.

    Pie chart of the 2024 Library Acquisitions Budget.

    Figure 1: The 2024 Library acquisitions budget is $5,745,000. Subscriptions account for 75% of the total, books: 19%, and infrastructure: 6%

    As terms come up for renewal, we are negotiating to keep increases as low as possible – but a frozen acquisitions budget means we need to find savings to absorb anticipated price increases.  

    Structural Challenges: The ‘Big Deal’

    The prominent business model for most publicly funded research is the profit-driven, highly consolidated scholarly publishing industry. Publishers gain the rights to the work of academics and then sell the research back to university libraries with steep profit margins.  

    The major publishers bundle their catalogue of journal subscriptions into large, expensive packages, known as “Big Deals”. Brock University Library subscribes to all five major scientific journal Big Deals: Elsevier, Wiley, Taylor & Francis, Springer, and Sage. 

    Over the last decade, academic libraries worldwide have been responding to the combination of budgetary pressures and a broken, exclusionary publishing system by closely assessing and sometimes cancelling some of their Big Deals.  A non-comprehensive list of “Big Deal” journal cancellations can be found on SPARC’s website: Big Deal Cancellation Tracking – SPARC (sparcopen.org) 

    Summer 2024 Assessment Project

    The Library is currently focused on an assessment project, reviewing our current usage and spending patterns to find savings. The assessment team includes librarians and staff from the Collections Services department, led by the Head of Collections Services.

    Project Principles:

    1. Ensure any cuts are distributed: Not overly harming a single discipline.
    2. Evidence-based. Collect usage data to inform decisions. 
    3. Assess high-cost materials. Evaluate Cost Per Use/value for money.
    4. Balance with qualitative data. Consider Brock’s unique programs and strategic directions.
    5. Consider what work the library can reasonably absorb: Cuts are not labour-neutral & typically remove efficiencies. 

    Communication

    In April 2024, the Library presented information about the acquisitions budget and collections assessment to various stakeholders, including Research & Scholarship Policy Committee, Teaching & Learning Policy Committee, Research Strategy Operations Group, Library Representatives Meeting, and the Associate Deans Meeting. Library budget planning was also presented at the February meeting of the Planning Priorities and Budget Advisory Committee. 

    Further communication efforts will include keeping this webpage updated with project developments and additional information sessions in the fall. 

    You are welcome to contact us with questions or concerns. 

    Monica Rettig, Acting Associate University Librarian Research mrettig@brocku.ca  

    Alicia Zorzetto, Head Collections Services azorzetto@brocku.ca  

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  • Library Survey Findings & Next Steps

    Wednesday, June 26, 2024 | By

    You spoke. We listened.

    In November 2023, we ran a campus-wide survey, asking the campus community for feedback on library services and resources. In January, we shared a brief note thanking you for your feedback and announcing the prize winners.

    We have taken these recent months to analyze and understand the results.

    A major finding from the survey was that, on balance, the Library is performing quite well! The majority of respondents ranked our performance high across most categories. We are gratified to hear that the Library is largely meeting the needs of the Brock community.

    We also heard that there are a number of areas where we can improve, and we take that seriously. At this time, we’d like to share with you a summary of what he heard, as well as our next steps in responding to your feedback.

    Brock University Library Survey Key Findings report.

    Biggest priorities for improvement

    • Finding a quiet place in the Library to study
    • Finding a place in the Library to work in a group

    Other areas we can improve

    • Managing levels of noise and behaviour
    • Power/ electrical outlet availability and maintenance
    • Informing you about Library services
    • Faculty members: Information resources that meet learning and research needs

    Where we are doing well

    • Wireless access
    • Accurate answers to questions
    • Help is available from Library staff when needed
    • Off-campus access to Library resources and services

    What are we going to do in response to the survey results?

    We are kicking off a number of projects, large and small.

    • Usability issues with study spaces (findability, noise, etc.): We will strike a team with members from across the library to directly address these concerns and propose improvements. We expect this work to begin this summer and continue into the fall term.
    • Electrical outlets: Working with Brock’s Facilities Management (FM) team, we have tested and repaired faulty outlets throughout the entire library building. We will continue to work with FM on a regular basis to repair outlets as new issues are reported. We have also begun a project to determine where additional electrical outlets are needed and will have these added over the summer.
    • Group study: We have been piloting a mobile-friendly version of our room booking software, which makes it easier to see each room’s features. You are welcome to try it out now, and we plan on rolling this new version out this summer.
    • Communication: Survey respondents indicated that their preferred way to receive library updates is via email. We will be investigating options for email updates in Fall 2024: Watch your inbox!

    In some areas, we have more to learn before we can determine how to address a problem. For example, we are considering strategies for specific input from faculty about their library resource needs.

    We will be in touch as we make progress on the projects described above.

    Again, we are so grateful to you for taking the time to respond to our survey. We look forward to making changes and improvements that respond to your concerns. We were especially pleased to hear your resounding praise for the people who work in the library:

    “Our library is a wonderful, inclusive space that (in my opinion) is very welcoming to students, staff and community members. The staff are very knowledgeable and happy to help students with any questions they may have.”

    “The library’s standout features is its knowledgeable and approachable staff. They are always willing to assist students, providing valuable guidance in locating resources, conducting research, and navigating databases. Their expertise has been invaluable to my academic pursuits, and I am grateful for their continuous support.”

    “My favourite place with my favourite people!”

    I would like to express my gratitude to the members of the 2023 Library Survey Team who led the survey implementation and supported the analysis of results: Monica Rettig (Lead), Kym Ash, Daniel Brett, Alicia Floyd, Laurie Morrison, and Tanya Sicoli.

    For any questions or comments please don’t hesitate to reach out.

    ~Nicole Nolan, University Librarian
    nnolan@brocku.ca

     

     

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    Categories: Main

  • Career Opportunity in Library Collections Services

    Tuesday, June 18, 2024 | By

    Icon of a person inside a magnifying gl

    Brock University Library invites applications for the full-time, permanent position of Collections Librarian.

    The successful candidate will be responsible for developing collection management strategies related to various resource formats including print, ebooks, streaming media, databases, and journals for the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences and the Faculty of Math & Science.  They will assist in collection analysis and assessment and, alongside the Library’s other Collections Librarians, will develop a coordinated approach to collection development.

    Learn more about this role, and apply by July 16, 2024 at 12:01 am

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  • Happy Pride Month

    Monday, June 03, 2024 | By

    The Schmon Tower illuminated in rainbow colours

    We’re celebrating 2S&LGBTQ+ Pride month by:

    • sharing a curated selection of books – including non-fiction and novels – and films which take an intersectional approach to examining 2S&LGBTQ+ life and issues such as race, disability, class and politics. The collection includes e-books you can read right away, print titles you can borrow from the library, and streaming videos,
    • showcasing a related collection fiction and non-fiction from our Badger Books, and
    • providing Pride-themed colouring sheets – stop by and grab some from the Ask Us desk.

    Happy Pride Brock U.

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  • Return and Retrieval Services for IRC Materials

    Wednesday, May 15, 2024 | By

    Several shelves full of library books.

    The Library has established return and retrieval services for materials held in the Faculty of Education’s Instructional Resource Centre (IRC) on the St. Catharines Campus. The materials housed in the IRC are not physically browsable at this time but can be requested on demand. 

    Returning IRC materials 

    All returns can be brought to the Ask Us desk on the main floor of the James A. Gibson Library.  

    Requesting retrieval of IRC materials 

    Materials previously labelled with the IRC location in Omni are now identified as “Request-Only Storage”.   

    To borrow these materials, use the ‘Request for Pickup’ button (see below) and Library staff will retrieve the item for you. You will receive a notification when the item is available for pickup at the Ask Us desk in the James A. Gibson Library. We anticipate the turnaround time to be approximately 2 business days.

    Below is a screenshot of how to place a request in Omni:

    An Omni catalogue record for a Request-Only Storage item. A purple arrow points to the red Request for Pickup button.

    An Omni catalogue record for a Request-Only Storage item. A purple arrow points to the red Request for Pickup button.

    We welcome your feedback and appreciate your patience as we navigate this transition.  

    The Library will be working in collaboration with the Faculty of Education over the coming months on a project that includes an assessment of IRC materials, and a plan for integrating these into the James A. Gibson collection.  

    Questions? Contact us at libhelp@brocku.ca

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  • Exam supports: studying in the Library

    Friday, April 05, 2024 | By

    Students work in a study pod on the 6th floor of the library.

    Brock University Library offers a variety of study options which include areas for group learning and collaboration as well as quiet individual zones and silent areas. Just in time for exam season, here’s a reminder of the options available to you.

    Silent Zones: No talking please

    • Learning Commons Classroom B
    • Floor 5 Silent Study room (ST 500)
    • Floors 9 & 10 (even in the single study rooms)

    Quiet Zones: Low level conversation between individuals

    • Learning Commons Classroom A, one-person study desks, and computer areas.
    • Floors 5, 6, 7 at single study desks
    • Floor 8

    Group Zones: Low level conversation in groups

    • Learning Commons group tables and hallway seating
    • Floor 5
    • Floor 6
    • Floor 7

    Wherever you choose to study, stop by the Ask Us desk first and pick up some free ear plugs.

    Exam time often means high stress and high spirits. If you have concerns about noise, please contact us in-person at the Ask Us desk for immediate assistance.

    Beyond the James A. Gibson Library, additional sweet study spots include:

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  • Exam supports: Unstudy spot, de-stressing events return

    Friday, April 05, 2024 | By

    A library crowd favourite from last term is returning in April. As part of wellness and exam de-stressing activities, the Unstudy Spot will be available from April 9 to 23 in the Learning Commons. Colouring sheets, jigsaw and crossword puzzles, a giant Sudoku, and more were a welcome diversion for students in December, and we are happy to bring it back.

    Check out the full slate of relaxation activities and our Exam De-stress Guide.

    To all writing and marking exams this month, we wish you success.

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