A cross-functional team has released a web resource that introduces new and prospective students with disabilities to the array of services available to them across Keele campus.

The Virtual Orientation to Support Services for Students with Disabilities is the result of a successful Academic Innovation Fund proposal submitted in 2012 by co-leads Catherine Davidson, associate university librarian, collections & research, and Maureen Haig, manager, Learning Disability Services. The cross-campus team comprised of faculty and staff from York University Libraries, Counselling & Disability Services and Learning & Technology Services, developed a series of instructional clips and videos that are now available on their blog and will also be linked to from multiple webpages across York’s website.

Catherine Davidson

“We wanted these resources for students with disabilities to be ubiquitously available on York’s website so the instructional clips and videos can be accessed anytime and anywhere by students who need them,” explains Davidson.

At York, Counselling & Disability Services is divided into three services each with its own separate location on campus. In addition, students can use the Assistive Technology Lab in the Technology and Enhanced Learning (TEL) building, Library Accessibility Services in Scott Library or take advantage of the Learning Commons’ research, writing and learning skills services, also in Scott Library.

The intent of the web-based orientation is to help demystify these resources and processes for students. “It’s our hope that the videos will minimize the anxiety students feel both in getting acquainted with a confusing campus and understanding where and how to ask for the support and services they need,” says Haig. “The Virtual Orientation to Support Services for Students with Disabilities is an introduction for students who might need to get in touch with our offices. It also provides them with a visual of what to expect when they arrive.”

The Virtual Orientation to Support Services for Students with Disabilities consists of a three and a half minute video Welcome Tour that provides students with the location of, and the services available through, the Learning, Mental Health, and Physical, Sensory and Medical Counselling & Disability Services offices. The video demonstrates how students can register with the various services and highlights some way-finding benefits of using York’s Safety app. The Welcome Tour also illustrates the services available through Library Accessibility Services, the Learning Commons, and an Assistive Technology Lab.

In the Virtual Orientation, students will also find instructional clips of how to use two assistive technologies, Kurzweil screen reader and Papyrus, York’s own secure web-based alternate format text delivery system.

Maureen Haig

Made in compliance with Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) guidelines, the videos are closed captioned and were created with accessibility standards in mind.

Davidson and Haig solicited feedback from student focus groups to ensure the team was meeting project goals.

“This was a collaborative effort between York University Libraries, Counselling & Disability Services and Learning Technology Services and each of the partners provided essential expertise to the project,” explains Davidson. “We’d now like to partner with members from faculties and departments across campus to integrate these resources into course offerings, websites and eLearning tools.”

The Virtual Orientation to Support Services for Students with Disabilities team welcomes feedback and all opportunities to work with those interested in creating awareness for these valuable student services.

Feb. 25, 2013

Thirty-seven students from four faculties will present their research projects at York University’s first multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Fair, Wednesday Feb. 27, from 11am to 1pm, in the Scott Library Collaboratory (second floor).

More than 90 undergraduate students from the Faculties of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Environmental Sciences, Fine Arts and Glendon submitted applications to participate in the fair that is co-sponsored by York University Libraries and the Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation. Next year the fair will include all faculties.

“The underlying intent behind the Undergraduate Research Fair is to demonstrate to undergraduates that they too can participate in research, that research is accessible and is not solely the domain of faculty and graduate students,” explains Catherine Davidson, associate University librarian and a member of the fair steering committee. “The sheer number and high calibre of applications received tells us that undergraduates got that message and that they are eager to take part and showcase their achievements. It wasn’t easy for the Steering Committee to arrive at only 37 short-listed finalists.”

The finalists will present their research in a market-place style poster session from 11am to 12pm. At noon, four monetary prizes will be awarded. Two $500 awards will be presented to the students who prepared the best lower-year project and poster (for a first or second-year course) and best upper-year project and poster (for a third or fourth-year course). An award of $500 will also be granted to the student who designed and animated the best poster presentation at the fair.

The final prize, a cheque for $600, is an inaugural award presented by York University Libraries to the undergraduate fair participant whose project best exemplifies good practices in library research and information literacy. Information literacy encompasses a set of skills needed to find, retrieve, analyze and use information, and has a particular focus on the development of a critical engagement with information and the information-seeking process. In establishing the Information Literacy Award, the University Libraries celebrate undergraduate students’ library research achievements.

University Librarian Cynthia Archer encourages the University community to support these outstanding undergraduate researchers. “The students at York are exceptional. Please drop by the Collaboratory in Scott Library to talk with these budding scholars about their research projects. The Undergraduate Research Fair is a wonderful informal learning opportunity as well as an important venue to recognize the quality of student scholarship at York.”

The fair is open to the York community as well as to family and friends.  Light refreshments will be served. For more information, visit the Undergraduate Research Fair website.

 Feb. 8, 2013

Whether you’re looking to design or refine an app, link hardware to software or create a program prototype, Steacie Library’s first Dungeon Hackfest will be the perfect place for computer programmers, coders and computer aficionados to collaborate.

Steacie Science and Engineering Library will be hosting the Dungeon Hackfest on Feb. 21, from 9 to 5:30pm in the library’s basement computer lab. The event is open to all York community members.

Hackfests have become increasingly popular in computer science and engineering circles and Steacie Library’s Dungeon Hackfest will follow a typical model of collaborative coding and computer programming in the spirit of open source innovations. Participants will be encouraged to discuss their “hack” ideas, consult with each other and draw upon differing areas of expertise.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided to all registered participants. For more information, contact Science Librarian Sarah Shujah, at sshujah@yorku.ca.

Since 2010 York University Libraries have created more than 400 additional study seats, renovated Scott and Frost Libraries, replaced almost all computers and doubled their e-book collection by adding more than 300,000 titles. These improvements to the Libraries’ spaces, collections and services are in direct response to feedback provided by York faculty, graduate and undergraduate students in the 2010 LibQUAL+ survey.

On Feb. 11, University Librarian Cynthia Archer will invite all faculty members, 2,500 randomly selected graduate and 5,000 randomly selected undergraduate students to participate in LibQUAL+ – an online survey conducted by the Association of Research Libraries (ARL) that serves to assess library services, compare benchmark standards and create organizational change.

“When identifying the Libraries’ strategic priorities, we look to faculty and students to determine library developments that can have a positive impact on their research and studies,” explains Archer. “The LibQUAL+ data highlights explicit ways in which we can align our spaces, services and collections with the expectations of the community we serve.”

Spaces

York’s undergraduate students identified a need for more seats and aesthetically pleasing study areas. In response to these requests the Libraries have created an additional 435 study seats in the past three years.

In 2011 phase one of the Learning Commons renovation at Scott Library was completed and a modern, student-centred space was unveiled. The second phase of the Learning Commons renovation will begin as funding becomes available.

In 2012 the Fireside Reading Room at Frost Library was renovated to offer students a fireside seating area, collaborative work tables and computer carrels. Also last year, more than 135 new quiet study seats were added to the fourth floor of Scott Library.

Services

Many 2010 LibQUAL+ participants requested newer and faster computers. As a result, York University Libraries have made good on the promise that no computer shall ever be more than three-years-old.

 Collections

Faculty and students now have access to a collection of e-books that has more than doubled in size from 300,000 to over 600,000 titles. Additionally, in the past three years the Libraries have acquired more than 24,000 e-journals – bringing the total number of e-journal titles to approximately 72,000.

The LibQUAL+ survey takes approximately 15 minutes to complete and participants can enter into a draw to win one of three Kobo e-Readers.

The Libraries will receive initial LibQUAL+ survey results in May and will share final results with the York community in the fall.

For more information about LibQUAL+, contact the survey coordinator at libqual@yorku.ca.

Jan. 16, 2013

York University Libraries, in conjunction with the Office of the Vice-President, Research & Innovation, are sponsoring the University’s first annual Undergraduate Research Fair, to take place on Feb. 27 in the Scott Library Collaboratory (second floor).

The Undergraduate Research Fair’s Steering Committee requests instructors consider worthy research projects that have recently been graded and encourage qualified students to participate. Student applications are due by Jan. 25.

Students view the poster outlining the Undergraduate Research Fair, which will take place in the Scott Library Collaboratory at York’s Keele campus on Feb. 27

As York’s first multidisciplinary Undergraduate Research Fair, participation in 2012-2013 is extended to students in the Faculties of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, Environmental Sciences, Fine Arts and Glendon. There is an intent to expand the fair campus-wide in future years.

Undergraduate students in any year of study are encouraged to submit a graded, research-based paper, project or honours thesis prepared between March 2012 and Jan. 2013, along with a 250-word abstract. Projects may be submitted in languages other than English, but the application abstract must be in English.  Fair participants will be selected by the steering committee, comprised of faculty members and librarians.

“I’m excited to see this (Undergraduate Research Fair) developing and expect it will attract a lot of student attention,” says Lisa Philipps, associate vice president of Research & Innovation and fair adviser.

The fair – poster sessions presented in a friendly ‘market place’ environment – is intended to showcase undergraduate student researchers and their work. In addition to gaining valuable presentation experience and earning a chance to win an award of $500 or $600, student participants will receive a signed certificate honouring their contribution to the University’s refereed Undergraduate Research Fair to add to their resumés. Award winners may have their papers published in a journal sponsored by the Libraries and all participants will be celebrated at a reception during the Fair, which faculty, friends and family are welcome to attend.

“We hope that this new fair will support York’s goals to build an engaged university, enhance the local research culture and improve student retention by offering a forum for undergraduates to share their research outside the classroom in a cross-curricular environment,”  explains Associate University Librarian and Fair Steering Committee member, Catherine Davidson.

Visit the Undergraduate Research Fair website for information on eligibility, awards, submission requirements and an application form.

On Nov. 5, more than 2000 students taking courses at Glendon Campus received a special gift in the form of a new study area in Frost Library. Glendon Principal Kenneth McRoberts, University Librarian Cynthia Archer, York student ambassador Jaclyn Volkhammer and Acting Department Head of Frost Library Sarah Coysh, jointly unveiled the Frost Library’s first major renovation in almost 50 years.

From left, University Librarian, Cynthia Archer,  student ambassador, Jaclyn Volkhammer, and Glendon Principal, Kenneth McRoberts, cut the ceremonial ribbon and unveil Frost Library’s new Fireside Reading Room

Faculty, staff, students and donors attending the unveiling were the first to see the former “Reserves Room” transformed into a multi-modular, student-centred space. The aptly named “Fireside Reading Room” boasts a comfortable seating area nestled around a fireplace, four large collaborative study spaces and a bank of eight additional computer carrels.

In an effort to make the space more conducive to the evolving needs of York’s 21st-century students, open dialogues and student focus groups were conducted. Under the leadership of Architect Michael Guido and Project Manager Sean Thibeault, work on renovating the space began in last spring.

The Leslie Frost Library was York’s first library and has been an integral part of both the Glendon and York communities for the past five decades.

McRoberts welcomed guests to the reception with his opening remarks. “I’ve known many libraries over my life. I’ve spent a great deal of time in them and have developed a real love for libraries,” McRoberts explained. “But there’s no library that is more loveable than this one. This is a library that has really contributed to the community, which is appreciated by the community, and has a very special place at Glendon.”

Volkhammer spoke about what the renovated space will mean to Glendon’s students. “My favourite part of the renovation is the fireplace and the seats around it. Frost [Library] already seems like my home on campus – I think I probably spend more time in the library than in residence! It’s fitting that there’s a room like this. It wouldn’t seem out of place in your home.”

Archer spoke of the continued commitment by the York University Libraries to refreshing the student experience at Frost Library. “We are committed to revitalizing Frost Library’s welcoming atmosphere as funds become available,” Archer said. “The creation of the Fireside Reading Room is just a start. Our vision for Frost Library is to completely renovate the first floor so we can continue to serve a student population with diverse learning styles and technological needs.”

The first phase of the renovation was made possible because of York University Libraries’ donors.

To conclude the reception a video titled “Rediscover Frost Library” was screened. The video features Glendon alumni and Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies Professors Emeriti John Lennox ’67, J. Paul Grayson ’67, Bob Drummond ’67, and current Glendon students, Emma Price, Drew Pinkerton and Alexandra Tangorra. The six reminisce about their first impressions of Frost Library, with memories that span five decades. They discuss how the renovated space will affect a new generation of learners.

York University Libraries partnered with Learning Technology Services (LTS) to create the three-minute video that celebrates Frost Library’s past while focusing on its future. “Many of Glendon’s alumni and donors are spread across the country and the world. We knew many of them wouldn’t have the opportunity to see, first hand, the renovation that resulted from their generosity,” says Coysh. “The ‘Rediscover Frost Library’ video allows us to show our appreciation through a medium that can be easily disseminated and shared among our Frost Library supporters – on websites and through social media.”

View Frost Library’s newly renovated Fireside Reading Room. Watch the Rediscover Frost Library video or view the FlickR gallery.

Associate Librarian of Humanities and Religion, Scott McLaren, has been awarded a prestigious Botein Fellowship by the American Antiquarian Society (AAS). McLaren will spend the month of November at the AAS in Worcester Massachusetts extending research he began in his dissertation on early Upper Canadian religious print culture. Specifically, McLaren wants to deepen his understanding of the role Upper Canadian Sunday schools played in spreading literacy across the colony.

Receiving the Botein Fellowship for research in the history of the book in American culture will grant McLaren access to the AAS library that houses approximately two-thirds of all American publications produced between 1640 and 1876.

Access to America’s earliest publications may seem counterintuitive to a study of Upper Canadian Sunday schools, but McLaren knows this literature will have a profound influence on his research. “Sunday school libraries in Upper Canada started to take shape in the 1820s and in many ways they functioned as the colony’s first ‘public’ libraries, especially for those living outside of urban regions,” McLaren explains. “However, many of these schools followed American models and imported all their books from New York.” For these reasons, Sunday school libraries functioned as transnational centres for literacy across the Upper Canadian backwoods.

Following the American Revolutionary War and the War of 1812 it became especially problematic for Upper Canadian Sunday Schools to form libraries around American texts. These books presented a version of history that Canadian political elites were not comfortable with. In the 1840s the colony’s chief superintendent of education, Egerton Ryerson, banned the use of American textbooks and teachers in Canadian schools entirely.

What McLaren is most excited about is the opportunity to pore over literature that was deemed insidious enough to be prohibited by Canadian politicians. “I want to use my time at AAS to read through these ‘subversive’ books and see what people were reading in 1822-1840 – particularly because these texts helped to shape the landscape of early Canadian print culture,” McLaren explains.

These publications will inform a number of scholarly articles as well as McLaren’s book tentatively titled A Reading People: Print Culture and the Methodist Struggle for Social Respectability in Upper Canada, 1800-1850.

“Scott is a great scholar who captures our imagination and certainly demonstrates book history is not boring,” says Cynthia Archer, University Librarian. “How many of us knew Sunday Schools and public libraries in Canada are related and that Ryerson banned American textbooks for use in the classroom?”

The AAS was established in 1812 when the United States was at war with Britain. The founder, Isaac Thomas, wanted to preserve all records that served to inform the American identity outside of Britain’s governance. The AAS also boasts one of the world’s largest collections of early Canadian publications.

A panel of four experts from various post-secondary educational institutions are set to argue the topic “The Great Debate: Should the blog replace the book?” They will discuss the value of emerging forms of scholarly communications in a public forum.

The two panellists arguing for the blog will be Ian Milligan (pictured left) and Melonie Fullick.  Milligan is professor of history at the University of Waterloo and co-editor of the blog ActiveHistory.ca. Fullick is completing her PhD in Education with a focus on post-secondary governance, policy, and organizational change and holds a BA in Communication Studies from McMaster University and an MA in Linguistics from York University.

The two panellists arguing for the book will be John Fink and Scott McLaren (pictured right). Fink is the digital scholarship librarian at McMaster University. His specific research interests include copyright, open source software, physical community and digital humanities. McLaren completed his PhD in book history and print culture and is the humanities librarian and a faculty member in the Graduate Program in Humanities at York University.

Audience members will take an active role in the debate by tweeting questions and rebuttals using the hashtag #blogvsbook to the live Twitter feed that will be projected on screen at the event.

“Open Access Question of the Day”
Oct. 22 to 26 

Each morning, a question pertaining to scholarly communications will appear on the York University Libraries’ homepage. The question will be tweeted via the York University Libraries Twitter account. Participants can send an answer the day’s question on Twitter using the hashtag #yulqod for a chance to win a $20 YU card credit. Each day, a different question will be posed and award winner announced.

The winning tweet for the Oct. 22 question of the day will be announced during “The Great Debate: Should the book replace the blog?”

“Open is Sweeter
“Oct. 24, 2012 at 12pm (noon)

During “Open is Sweeter”, York students, faculty, and staff are invited to join the University librarians in the Scott Library Atrium for cupcakes. The librarians will be available to answer questions about open access or scholarly communications.

For more information about scholarly communications, open access, or Open Access Week events at York University visit the Scholarly Communications website.

When asked to write a 10-page essay, or find credible and accurate research sources, or balance academic responsibilities effectively, students often don’t know where to begin. The Learning Commons – a collaborative partnership between the Writing Department, York University Libraries, Learning Skills Services, and Career Services – has produced a series of five fun, informational videos that highlight the academic supports available to students who are hoping to refine their skills.

Myles Marcus, Farrah Bulsara, and Annabelle Li are featured in the videos

The Access to Success video series takes the viewers on a student-centred virtual tour of the Learning Commons Hub, Ask: Chat with a librarian instant messaging service, and the Writing, Library Research, and Learning Skills supports available at York.

Librarian, Kent Murnaghan, initially received 140 applications from students wanting to be involved in the video project. After an interview and audition process the three student participants selected, Farrah Bulsara, Annabelle Li, and Myles Marcus, worked collaboratively with Murnaghan and the Learning Commons’ partners to deliver five engaging scripts.

“A lot of planning was involved in getting the videos from pre-production to post-production. We worked as a team to develop and implement ideas – some that were over the top and later found themselves on the cutting room floor – that were entertaining while still communicating the intended message,” explains Marcus, a York student completing the final year of his Communications and Urban Studies double major.

Partnering with Learning Technology Services (LTS), filming of the Access to Success video series began in March 2012 and took five full days to shoot.

“I really enjoyed being a part of the scripting and filming process. It’s important that students know that writing instructors can help them draft an essay, librarians can provide research assistance, and learning skills instructors can help them manage their time effectively,” explains Bulsara, graduate (’12) of the Film Production program. “If I had known these supports were available and so easily accessible I’m positive my coursework and assignments would have been easier to manage.”

Li, a student of the Design program, added, “I hadn’t taken full advantage of the research, writing, or learning skills resources because I wasn’t entirely aware of their benefits. Working on these videos was the catalyst for me to seek advice and assistance from the Learning Commons. I hope these videos do the same for other students.”

The overarching goal for the project was to create engaging content that that could easily be shared and disseminated among peers on web sites and in social networking sites.

Murnaghan believes these videos can also complement course curricula. “Many if not all faculty members require students to source academic or scholarly journals, write an essay, or manage conflicting academic priorities,” Murnaghan explains. “Faculty members can integrate one or all of the applicable videos into their course curricula and introduce support services that will help students achieve success – not just on that one assignment, but for the rest of their academic careers.”

The Access to Success video series can also be viewed via the York University YouTube page.