Larry Alford / en 91Թ Libraries expands services as Toronto enters Stage 2 of reopening /bulletin/u-t-libraries-expands-services-toronto-enters-stage-2-reopening <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">91Թ Libraries expands services as Toronto enters Stage 2 of reopening</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sungjimi</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2020-07-08T10:25:32-04:00" title="Wednesday, July 8, 2020 - 10:25" class="datetime">Wed, 07/08/2020 - 10:25</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>Robarts Library&nbsp;is&nbsp;now&nbsp;offering <a href="https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/news/new-curbside-pickup-and-technology-access-services">curbside pickup</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;the Gerstein Science Information Centre&nbsp;has opened a study space&nbsp;for students who need&nbsp;access to a computer or Wi-Fi&nbsp;&nbsp;–&nbsp;welcome&nbsp;news&nbsp;for&nbsp;library users and for 91Թ’s library staff.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Providing a safe and welcoming space to learn and do research is a huge priority for us as library staff,” says Larry Alford, 91Թ’s chief librarian.&nbsp;“And making available the vast record of research that we house here and to be able to reopen safely – that is a great feeling.”&nbsp;</p> <p>Launched on June 22, the curbside&nbsp;pickup service&nbsp;is&nbsp;already&nbsp;in high demand. The hope is to expand the pickup service to other campus libraries, once safety protocols allow, Alford says.&nbsp;</p> <p>“When we had to close our buildings, it was very clear that it was a huge loss in terms of access to print collections that weren’t online and frankly, a loss of access to technology for many students.”&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>Since&nbsp;early May,&nbsp;<a href="https://onesearch.library.utoronto.ca/news/millions-u-t-library-books-now-accessible-online-%C2%A0hathitrust%C2%A0digital-library" target="_blank">the&nbsp;HathiTrust Emergency Temporary Access Service&nbsp;has&nbsp;ensured&nbsp;91Թ Libraries users&nbsp;have&nbsp;access</a>&nbsp;to&nbsp;digitized versions of more than 2.5 million of the library’s in-copyright print books, as well as&nbsp;more than 6.7 million public domain and Creative Commons-licensed works.&nbsp;While this was a boon for 91Թ Libraries and its users, the Trust only has&nbsp;around one-quarter of the university’s entire collection&nbsp;already deposited and available&nbsp;online.&nbsp;The curbside pickup service will provide access to&nbsp;print books&nbsp;from Robarts&nbsp;Library&nbsp;that are&nbsp;not available through the Trust.&nbsp;</p> <p>Robarts Library was one of the last buildings on the St. George campus to close&nbsp;its doors&nbsp;in March, after&nbsp;the provincial government&nbsp;announced that&nbsp;all non-essential businesses were to shut down to limit the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19.&nbsp;</p> <p>Alford recalls that on the last day that the library was open, there were still more than 300 people using&nbsp;the library’s limited services.&nbsp;</p> <p>“The stacks were already closed and only a few of our floors were open, but we still had 300 people on our last day. It goes to show how badly our library users needed the access to hardware, technology, space and services we have.”&nbsp;</p> <p>On June 18, the Gerstein Science Information Centre’s Wallace Room, which normally seats more than 150 people, opened with five&nbsp;desktop computers available for students to book for three hours at a time, in addition to five bring-your-own device spaces. Alford says the&nbsp;reception&nbsp;for that service&nbsp;has been positive and demand&nbsp;is expected to&nbsp;grow&nbsp;throughout&nbsp;the summer.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p> <p>“Everything will be done incrementally as we look at taking small steps to do everything safely,” says Alford. “Our priority will always be the health and safety of our community.&nbsp;</p> <p>“Library staff&nbsp;do this work because we care about our users, we care about supporting research and learning, and making important scholarly resources as accessible as possible.”</p> <p><i>Update: As of July 8, the <a href="https://utm.library.utoronto.ca/">91Թ Mississauga Library</a> began to offer curbside pickup service. The&nbsp;<a href="https://utsc.library.utoronto.ca/">91Թ Scarborough Library</a> began offering curbside pickup as of July 13.</i></p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-caption field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>91Թ Libraries expands services as Toronto enters Stage 2 of reopening</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT85150_20190524_RobartsLibrary_2125-lpr.jpg?h=2fe880c3&amp;itok=tPdis44V 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/UofT85150_20190524_RobartsLibrary_2125-lpr.jpg?h=2fe880c3&amp;itok=EFURWUbX 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/UofT85150_20190524_RobartsLibrary_2125-lpr.jpg?h=2fe880c3&amp;itok=TbeSVdMA 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/UofT85150_20190524_RobartsLibrary_2125-lpr.jpg?h=2fe880c3&amp;itok=tPdis44V" alt="Street view of Robarts Library in spring"> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-cutline field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Photo by Diana Tyszko</div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden clearfix"> <ul class="links field__items"> <li><a href="/news/tags/u-t-libraries" hreflang="en">91Թ Libraries</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/larry-alford" hreflang="en">Larry Alford</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/coronavirus" hreflang="en">Coronavirus</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/robarts-library" hreflang="en">Robarts Library</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/gerstein-science-information-centre" hreflang="en">Gerstein Science Information Centre</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Jenny Rodrigues</div> <div class="field field--name-field-hide field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> Wed, 08 Jul 2020 14:25:32 +0000 sungjimi 165299 at New research support for faculty on the way /bulletin/new-research-support-faculty-way <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">New research support for faculty on the way</span> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>sungjimi</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2019-03-19T14:16:15-04:00" title="Tuesday, March 19, 2019 - 14:16" class="datetime">Tue, 03/19/2019 - 14:16</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>When it comes to supporting research and innovation at the 91Թ, all roads will soon lead to CRIS, a new gateway to help faculty access the university’s rich array of resources while boosting the potential impact of their discoveries.</p> <p>By creating a one-stop resource hub, including a website and physical location at the Gerstein Library, the Centre for Research and Innovation Support (CRIS) will help support successful and competitive research that attracts funding and garners public recognition.</p> <p>“Supporting the success of researchers is critical to garnering research funding in an increasingly competitive landscape and ensuring this research has the impact it deserves,” said <strong>Vivek Goel</strong>, vice-president of research and innovation.</p> <p>“CRIS will serve as a visible hub where faculty can learn about, and easily access, the many existing services, training, research tools and expertise offered across the university.”</p> <p>Even seasoned faculty members can find it challenging to navigate the current ecosystem spread across multiple university offices and academic divisions, with more than 140 information sessions, online resources and one-on-one services at 91Թ supporting the work of scholars.</p> <p>A joint endeavour by the Division of the Vice-President, Research &amp; Innovation (VPRI), 91Թ Libraries (UTL) and the Office of the Chief Information Officer (CIO), the centre will increase the visibility of research supports to the tri-campus community, while providing a common online registration process. CRIS will be integrated with existing services, creating a lean operational structure.&nbsp;</p> <p>“A physical location is critical, so that CRIS can serve as a visible hub for in-person and virtual workshops and sessions,” said Chief Librarian <strong>Larry Alford</strong>.</p> <p>“91Թ Libraries will provide existing space in the Gerstein Library for the centre. This location will include collaborative meeting spaces, and CRIS staff will also work with the research offices at 91Թ Mississauga and 91Թ Scarborough so that in-person programming is available on all campuses.”</p> <p>The centre will assist with navigating and co-ordinating support for faculty and divisional research offices, serve as a bridge to existing services, and connect the university with national organizations that promote excellence in research and innovation.</p> <p>CRIS will also create a “researcher’s toolbox” by consolidating research and innovation tools, databases, and catalogues that 91Թ Libraries, VPRI and the CIO subscribe to, as well as instructions on their use.</p> <p>Consultations with principals and deans have also indicated the importance of support for mentorship and leadership of research initiatives, including how to build and navigate cross-disciplinary and cross-divisional collaborations.</p> <p>CRIS will collaborate with central units and academic divisions to identify gaps and develop services and resources for emerging needs, including workshops on equity, diversity and inclusion, as well as impactful research publishing, data management and high-performance computing.</p> <p>The centre is slated to be up and running within the year.</p> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-caption field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item"><p>New research support for faculty on the way</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="lazy" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Gerstein%20picture.jpg?h=d0d441f9&amp;itok=yeElj0ED 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/Gerstein%20picture.jpg?h=d0d441f9&amp;itok=xqUe6td8 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/Gerstein%20picture.jpg?h=d0d441f9&amp;itok=ZrQsc7sR 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/Gerstein%20picture.jpg?h=d0d441f9&amp;itok=yeElj0ED" alt="Gerstein Science Information Centre " title="Gerstein Science Information Centre "> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-cutline field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">An exterior view of the Gerstein Science Information Centre</div> <div class="field field--name-field-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden clearfix"> <ul class="links field__items"> <li><a href="/news/tags/vice-president-research-and-innovation" hreflang="en">Vice-president of Research and Innovation</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/vivek-goel" hreflang="en">Vivek Goel</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/cris" hreflang="en">CRIS</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/centre-research-and-innovation-support" hreflang="en">Centre for Research and Innovation Support</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/u-t-libraries" hreflang="en">91Թ Libraries</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/chief-information-officer" hreflang="en">Chief Information Officer</a></li> <li><a href="/news/tags/larry-alford" hreflang="en">Larry Alford</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author field--type-string field--label-hidden field__item">Peter Boisseau</div> <div class="field field--name-field-hide field--type-boolean field--label-hidden field__item">Off</div> Tue, 19 Mar 2019 18:16:15 +0000 sungjimi 155612 at