Posted on March 12: McMaster Libraries’ response to the double cohort
Thanks to the digital age, McMaster students can visit the library without ever leaving their dorm room. But even the most tech-savvy student will go to the library to find the books they need, says Sheila Pepper, assistant university librarian, Mills Memorial Library.
“The book is not disappearing,” she says. “Library staff will always welcome users who want to access services and assistance in person. However, staff are aware that our students, particularly undergraduates, live in a digital age with increased expectations for online service.”
As a result, McMaster Libraries has introduced a number of new services in response to the digital bent of today's student.
“The library has tried to make as much of its information and resources as possible available on a self-help and at-point-of-need basis, so that students can complete efficient research wherever and whenever they need to,” says Pepper.
“With the impending double cohort, the library has had to find creative ways to accommodate the additional students on campus,” says Pepper. But, she adds it is difficult for the library to respond to the double cohort in specific ways due to an uncertainty of where enrolment will be increased the most. “However, there are a number of general things we have done to try to improve the situation.”
The libraries have worked on an extensive reorganization of the combined libraries' Web site in order to make information on library services and resources easy to locate. “An integral part of the project was the provision of an electronic resources database (ERD) through which students can more efficiently select the appropriate electronic resource.”
With funding from McMaster's one-time academic priority fund, library staff developed DOT@MAC, an online self-paced tutorial that students can use to develop research skills. Both DOT@MAC and the ERD can be accessed through the libraries' homepage at: http://library.mcmaster.ca.
With support from McMaster alumni Alan and Brenda Wong, the library has purchased three mobile teaching units that will allow staff from Mills, Innis, and Thode libraries to bring instruction in subject-specific and general research skills into the classroom. Consequently, librarians can reach an entire class of students at one time, rather than trying to reach 20 to 30 students at a time on library premises, Pepper says.
The collections area has tried to ensure that as many licensed electronic products as possible are subscribed to with a site license, allowing remote access to authorized McMaster users, she adds.
In addition, 24 Ethernet connections have been installed in Mills' Study Room 405, to allow students to connect their laptops.
