Academic Libraries

This presentation will discuss the successes, challenges, and lessons learned from hosting VIU Library’s first Long Night Against Procrastination (LNAP). Our objective was to help students get through final assignments. We achieved this by remaining open after hours and inviting academic services and student supports into the Commons until midnight. This was done in recognition that many students may not be able to seek the help they need during regular hours. Participants will leave knowing how to host their own LNAP and herd the necessary cats to make it happen.

The increasing cost of post-secondary education is a problem faced by students across our country. Although libraries do not have control over contributors such as rising tuition fees and student debt loads, they can provide some financial relief through their collections. Library collection policies have traditionally been designed to exclude textbooks as items that are purchased. However, in the age of digital, the reasoning behind many of these policies could be called to question. Is it time to begin looking at expanding the library’s role in supporting students with some required course materials? How can we design library collections to support the curricular needs of users, while also balancing shrinking budgets and ensuring the needs of our entire communities are met? Over two semesters, Okanagan College Library saved students more than $110,000 in textbook costs by purchasing electronic versions of required and recommended books through library suppliers and making them available through the Library. Learn about the project and the steps involved, what worked well, and what we would recommend others do differently. 

Let’s try it out – Robertson Library actively promotes the Library not only as a research and study environment, but also as a welcoming space for students to relax, engage, learn, and have fun! We offer various outreach events throughout the academic semesters – escape rooms; a stargazing evening; a PJ party; pop-up surprises and a stress free zone with games, crafts, and a photo-booth during the exam period; book, movie, and research talks in collaboration with various campus faculties and departments; Spooktacular tales; an Open Mic evening– to name a few. Discover which events were the most successful!
Learning Objectives:

• Gain new ideas for library outreach events
• Learn which outreach activities were successful and which were not
• Recognize the benefits of collaborative relationships with campus faculties and departments

How do you find a way to engage historians and genealogists with your collection? Give them what they are looking for… primary resources! We all have books in our collections with inscriptions, letters, bookplates and flattened objects inside. But what do we do with them? The Robertson Library, University of Prince Edward Island, has identified a number of in-house books with interesting ownership stories. Researching the connection between the book, as artifact, and its previous owner(s), the UPEI Library has created a VRE (Virtual Research Environment), www.BookLives.ca, for genealogists and historians. Learn about this new primary source (held within your own library stacks) and hear some of the stories of book lovers from the past.
Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the book as an evolving artifact of history.
• Understand why provenance (ownership history) is important.
• Identify how to find, research, and document provenance within your collection.

Academic libraries are under increasing pressure to demonstrate their value. This session provides an overview of the services and programs offered at an academic library to demonstrate the value of the library, and meet the evolving needs and expectations of a university community.
Learning Objectives:

• Assess potential opportunities to demonstrate the value of your library
• Recognize the power of partnerships and collaboration
• Become inspired to incorporate new services at your home institution