Library Departments

The Library is comprised of six departments that focus on specific areas of service to the Brock University community. Learn more about how each department can support your teaching, learning and research goals.

Teaching & Learning

The Teaching and Learning Department provides oversight for the Library’s strategic teaching role within the University’s curriculum. We 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. The Teaching and Learning department also develops online learning objects, supports the adoption and creation of open educational resources, and provides support for digital pedagogy.

Research Lifecycle

The Library’s Research Lifecycle Department is a researcher-focused department that supports and collaborates with researchers as appropriate, throughout the research lifecycle. The library has expertise in areas of data use and reuse, research data management, data and GIS services, data visualization, digital scholarship, open access publishing, research metrics, and evidence-based synthesis reviews.

Collections Services

The Library’s Collection department collects scholarly resources that are critical to teaching and research activities across the University. The collections consists of millions of resources in both print and electronic format to help you learn, study and thrive.  Our variety of resources includes books, ebooks, journals, databases, government documents, maps, data, audio visual materials, primary sources, and grey literature, in a broad range of subjects. The Library’s spending for collections is approximately 5 million annually, most of which is spent on electronic resources.

Archives & Special Collections

Located on the 10th floor of the Library, the Archives & Special Collections is where valuable and rare primary and secondary source materials such as books, photos, diaries, letters, and more reside.  The oldest item is from 1200 CE and the newest was from just last month. The primary focus is all things Niagara including the environment, history, government, and cultural aspects of the region. There are also strong collections of rare/antiquarian books, Masonic and fraternal organization works, and resources on the United Empire Loyalists of Canada.

User Services &  Engagement

User Services & Engagement staff provide a wide array of services and supports to our library users. We are the first point of contact for Research Support (in-person at the Ask Us desk, online over chat, or via email).  We also oversee the circulation of books and materials, document delivery and inter-library loan, course readings, and support for library study spaces. The US&E department also leads the library’s outreach and engagement work, which includes: events, exhibits & displays, workshops, social media, and more.

Systems & Technology Services

Library Systems and Technology Services staff support programs and services from across the Library through the provision of software, technology hardware and technical expertise.  Since 2016, the department has also included the Library’s Makerspace: an open, transdisciplinary, collaborative space located in the Rankin Family Pavilion, designed to provide our users with experiential learning opportunities on new and emerging technologies.