UBC Library has had another milestone year marked by a number of achievements that directly support the teaching, learning and research activities of faculty and students. It is always a rewarding opportunity to reflect back on how we have made a contribution to the University and this year was no exception.
We were pleased to start the year with the launch of the Videomatica collection at Koerner Library, followed by the announcement of the acquisition of the Uno Langmann Family Collection of BC Photographs – a significant collection for chronicling BC’s early history. Library staff in the Digitization unit continue to make headway with digitizing a number of collections, providing open access via the web for anyone with an Internet connection. Among the digitized collections this year were the UBC Institute of Fisheries Field Records, the entire John Keenlyside Legal Research Collection, the World War I British Press Photograph Collection, and the Tremaine Arkley Croquet collection.
In May, the Library had a ground breaking for the Library Preservation and Archives (Library PARC) facility, a modular storage facility that is being built to accommodate the future growth of our collections. The Library has been consulting with faculties and departments across campus to help determine which low-use materials will migrate to the new facility to free up physical space at library branches for other use. The building is scheduled for completion by Spring 2015 – library users can check up on its status in real-time via the on-site webcam.
I had the pleasure of meeting with President Arvind Gupta during the summer as part of his initial welcome to UBC and heard first-hand about his commitment to research excellence. In many ways, the Library’s role in research precedes his arrival – we connect faculty and students with local and global information resources and enable new forms of knowledge creation, dissemination and exchange. The University’s institutional repository, cIRcle, was accessed from nearly every country in the world last year and continues to gain recognition as a leading digital repository. A Research Data Librarian position has been created to develop and implement a service model to support UBC’s research data needs. And, we are partnering with the University of Washington to catalogue special Chinese-language materials which will result in scholarly access to 2,000 rare special Chinese publications.
Along with research, the Library supports the development of life-long information literacy skills in an increasingly information-intensive world. The Library successfully received a record amount of UBC’s Teaching and Learning Enhancement Funds (TLEF) for 2014/15 projects. The funding totals more than $683,000 for 10 projects which include collaboration with faculty and departmental partners. Eight of the ten projects are for flexible learning projects.
The year was not without its celebrations. We celebrated the annual recipients of the Library’s Staff Recognition Awards program which included a toast to UBC’s longest serving staff member – Beverly Richards – who has worked for the Library for 50 years. And, most recently, we marked Woodward Library’s 50th anniversary with campus colleagues, donors, and emeriti.
As we conclude 2014, the Library finds itself at a pivotal moment. Our five year strategic plan is drawing to a close. An external review of the Library is in progress. And, Woodward Library, Asian Library, and Koerner Library remain capital campaign priorities.
There has never been a better time to redefine the Library’s purpose and direction. 2015 marks UBC Library’s 100th anniversary (and the University’s) and while it is a time to reflect back, it should also be a time to move forward and embrace the world-class library that a world-class university deserves.
Thank you for your continued support of the Library. Best wishes to you throughout the holiday season and I hope you will join me in celebrating the Library’s 100th anniversary in 2015.
Ingrid Parent
University Librarian
University of British Columbia