In January 2013, the University of Toronto Libraries (UTL) surveyed University of Toronto students, faculty and staff using the Association of Research Libraries’ LibQUAL+ survey, which measures user perceptions and expectations of library service quality in three dimensions:
- Affect of Service — customer service provided by library staff
- Information Control — library resources, collections and access to resources
- Library as Place — library spaces, facilities and amenities
The results of the 2013 survey provided important information about our progress on service priorities identified by library users in the 2007 and 2010 surveys, and helped to shape service priorities for the upcoming years. The following plan outlines actions taken subsequent to the 2013 survey and actions which are underway or upcoming in response to the feedback provided by library users via the survey.
AFFECT OF SERVICE
Marked improvement has been made in this dimension of library service since the first LibQUAL survey was conducted in 2007. Feedback from the 2013 survey has provided direction for ongoing improvements, which include:
Action | Timeframe/ Expected Completion | Details |
Improve outreach to students and faculty | 2013 |
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Ongoing - will grow each year with the goal of eventually including all first-year students | Two thousand randomly selected first-year students enrolled in the Faculty of Arts and Science and three hundred Engineering students at the St. George campus were matched with a personal librarian in the fall of 2013. | |
Winter 2013, ongoing | Student Advisory Committee created to generate more direct and meaningful communication between the student body and the Libraries. | |
Increase staff visibility
| Fall 2013, ongoing | New staff lanyards and buttons were introduced to increase staff visibility and availability to provide assistance. |
Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office created | Fall 2013 | A Scholarly Communications and Copyright Office was created to provide a range of services to faculty, staff and students, including copyright consultations, open access publishing assistance and licensing assistance. |
Assessment Librarian to be hired
| 2014/2015 academic year | When hired, the new Assessment Librarian will lead data-driven decision making to ensure library services match user needs. |
5-year Strategic Plan launched
| Launched October 2013 for 2013-2018 | The central Libraries of the University of Toronto released a new Strategic Plan on October 1, 2013: Charting our Future: A Strategic Plan for the University of Toronto Libraries 2013-2018. This plan outlines five key priorities for the coming years, focused on serving the needs of researchers at all levels.
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Information Commons support for migration to UTMail+ for students | Fall 2013, Ongoing | The Libraries’ Information Commons unit supported students in the migration to a new e-mail platform with much greater functionality, including a 50GB inbox, folders and automatic sorting, calendar and contacts, the ability to open other Microsoft e-mail accounts in the same browser, integrated web-based instant text, video and audio messaging, the ability to aggregate other personal e-mail accounts within one interface, mobile access to your e-mail, contacts and calendar with active sync and enhanced spam filtering. |
Ask a Librarian chat reference service expansion | Fall 2013 | In response to increased use of this popular service, University of Toronto Libraries operators were added to the Ask a Librarian service, increasing our active operators to 52 (serving 3,899 students during the 2012/2013 academic year). |
| Faculty liaison program assessment | 2014/2015 academic year | University of Toronto librarians support teaching and research through the faculty liaison program, which provides support and outreach to faculty members across campus, to advance the teaching and research agendas of the University. Starting in Spring, 2014 and continuing through 2015, the UTL will assess its current liaison program, in order to align it with the Libraries' new Strategic Plan. The first step of the process is a self-study, which will include librarian and faculty focus groups, and assessment of data from existing studies and quantitative data. |
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INFORMATION CONTROL
Significant progress has been made in this dimension of library service, which was identified as a priority and area of concern for undergraduates, graduate students and faculty in the 2007 and 2010 surveys. Results from the 2013 survey indicate that faculty members remain concerned with library service in this dimension. Efforts will be made to reach out to faculty to find out more about their concerns in this area and identify potential service improvements.
Action | Expected Completion | Details |
Gather information about faculty needs regarding library web spaces and electronic resources. Provide support to faculty and other library users regarding changes to the web space and catalogue. | Spring/summer 2014 | Usability study/focus groups to be conducted with faculty to assess needs. |
Ongoing | Documentation created in many formats to support faculty and other library users with changes made to the library catalogue and web space. | |
Ongoing | Continue to communicate with faculty via the Library Advisory Committee.
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Scholars Portal certified as Trustworthy Digital Repository for e-journals | 2013 | Scholars Portal, a service of the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) based at Robarts Library, became the first certified Trustworthy Digital Repository for e-journals in Canada in 2013. The certification recognizes that Scholars Portal is supported and structured properly to protect the scholarly record for generations to come and serves as the basis for more far-reaching preservation initiatives in the future. |
Increase support for digital scholarship | 2013 | UTL enhanced its capacity for digital scholarship and support for high-volume data by upgrading our storage infrastructure including server virtualization and a 20-fold increase in bandwidth to the data centre to support high volume data throughput. |
2014-2015 | A high capacity, geographically distributed storage and computer network will be built, using proven and scalable open source cloud technologies. The Ontario Digital Library Research Cloud (ODLRC) project, which will be developed and managed by Scholars Portal with support from UTL’s Information Technology Services department, will create a sustainable means for Ontario’s university libraries to preserve large volumes of digital content for the long term, and will support data and text mining using innovative research tools. | |
2015 | UTL’s Information Technology Services department will lead the development of a new Canadian Text Archive Centre (CTAC). This digital repository will utilize the infrastructure put into place by the ODLRC project. Once developed, CTAC will function as the cornerstone for a rich digital scholarship program across the University of Toronto. | |
Increase accessibility | 2013, ongoing | UTL was the lead partner for the Accessible Content E-Portal (ACE) Pilot Project, a collaboration between OCUL and the University of Toronto, with support from the Government of Ontario as a part of the EnAbling Change program. The ACE Pilot Project was designed to enhance the ability of university libraries throughout Ontario to provide barrier-free access to textual resources for students and faculty with various reading and print disabilities through the development of a secure, easy-to-use web application for the discovery and downloading of digital materials in accessible formats. The repository, which in 2014 became a Scholars Portal core service, currently offers over 1,100 accessible texts in five different formats. This project also produced an Accessibility Toolkit designed to support OCUL institutions in AODA compliance. |
Create a YouTube Channel for instructional videos | 2014 | A YouTube channel for instructional videos is in development. The new channel will pull together instructional videos currently housed on various library websites into one place to be make them more easily accessible. |
Make electronic resources more accessible via mobile devices
| February 2014 | Browzine app launched in February allows users to browse, read, share and save a large number of e-journals directly to their tablet. |
Responsive re-design of the library catalogue | Fall 2013 | The Libraries’ Information Technology Services department completed a responsive redesign of the library catalogue resulting in a flexible and streamlined web interface. The update was done in close consultation with library users and is in response to requests for seamless access to collections on multiple mobile platforms. |
Shared High Density Library Facility | 2015 | The University of Toronto, together with 4 partner universities, was awarded a Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities Productivity and Innovation Fund grant to establish a Shared High Density Library Facility. This strategic collaboration and partnership will form the foundation of an effective print preservation strategy for these institutions to ensure a secure shared ‘last copy of record’ for important but lesser used scholarly works. As a result of this funding, we will be able to expand the construction plan for the UTL at Downsview storage facility to increase the capacity of the existing building to five million volumes from two million volumes, meeting the library storage needs of the participating universities for eight or more years to come. |
LIBRARY AS PLACE
Renovations to the Robarts, OISE and Gerstein libraries over the past several years have been well received, indicating that we are on our way to meeting the urgent need for student space first identified in the 2007 survey. In order to fully meet space needs and prepare the next generation of scholars to excel in the global knowledge economy, we are actively raising funds to build the Robarts Common - a vibrant information hub which will be equipped with the new kinds of tools and services that students and faculty expect and need to succeed in an innovation-based world.
Action | Timeframe/Expected Completion | Details |
Focus on flexible use of library spaces to meet both undergraduate and graduate student needs
| Fall 2012 | The completion of renovations to create new student space on the 4th floor of Robarts Library was the latest in a major renewal process. The new space, shortlisted for the 2013 LEAF Interior Design Awards, is full of light and the latest technologies to support teaching and learning. A new electronic teaching lab provides 40 workstations for library instruction and student use whenever the library is open. |
Fundraising is underway | Fundraising is underway for a 5-storey addition to Robarts Library which would provide over 1,200 additional study spaces. | |
Security upgrade | 2015 | An upgrade of the security systems in the Robarts Library, Fisher Library and Gerstein Science Information Centre will enhance safety for library users and protect assets. |
Study zones pilot project | Pilot, winter 2014 | Quiet and silent study zones were introduced at Robarts Library. The project will be assessed in the summer of 2014 for possible permanent roll-out in the fall of 2014. |
Enhance self-service | Fall 2013 | Debit/credit ready Cash to Card machines installed at Robarts Library. |
Promote library services via digital signage | 2013, ongoing | Digital signage was installed at Robarts Library in 2010. Digital signage was installed at the OISE, Gerstein and Engineering libraries in 2013. |
| Elevator modernization, Robarts Library | Beginning September 2014 for expected completion within 18-24 months | All elevators at Robarts Library will be replaced and modernized. |