Library Services

Centennial Libraries develops and maintains high quality, relevant, current resource materials in all formats to support learning and teaching in the College. Collection development is a collaborative process, with librarians engaging with students, faculty and staff to consult and solicit input regarding potential acquisitions. The College allocates $358,000 annually for the Libraries to update, replace, and

enhance print and multi-media collections, and a further $260,000 to sustain ongoing access to licensed electronic resources

The Library collections include online, print, and multimedia formats. The Library holds over 125 online databases, 69,000 print monographs, 3,900 videos, and 355 print periodicals. The print collection is available to all college users regardless of campus location. If an item is not housed at the user’s campus, it can be requested and shipped to the campus of choice for pick-up the following day. Users can check out materials using a self-check service supported by RFID (radio frequency

identification) library technology. Users can also renew items and place holds online. The digital collection comprises over 44,000 unique e-books and 54,000 e-journals, and is discoverable, along with printed materials, through the sophisticated one- search “Search Everything” discovery service on the library home page.

To enrich the learning experience for Centennial students, the library houses special collections, including the John and Molly Pollock Holocaust Collection, the Daher Folk Tale Collection. The Special Collections and Archives also house a collection of Aboriginal artifacts and three photo collections.

To support the College’s signature learning experience, including Global Citizenship and Equity education, each campus library has a large selection of books and periodicals purchased over the past five years. Every year, designated funding is assigned to expand this collection of books and videos about gender issues, human rights, racism, social justice, sustainable development, poverty, and other global issues.

Reciprocal Borrowing and Interlibrary Loan:

Items requested by users that are not in the existing Centennial collection can be acquired through the Ontario College Libraries’ reciprocal borrowing program or the

Library’s interlibrary loan service. A copy of the Direct Borrowing Agreement can be found at the end of this section.

Centennial Libraries Web Site:

Available at http://library.centennialcollege.ca/, Centennial Libraries web site

provides 24x7 access to online library collections. Through a “one-search” discovery layer provided on the library home page, students, faculty, and staff can access electronic books, journals, and databases from computers on-campus or securely off-campus anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Also available at the Library website are subject and format indexes, online tutorials for finding,

evaluating, and citing sources, subject-specific library guides. All services are supported by remote research help as described below.

Reference Service:

Reference and research support is available in person on-site during open library hours, and off-site by telephone, via e-mail, and online through the askON virtual reference service that is open over 62 hours per week. The reference service is staffed by six faculty librarians, and nineteen library technicians.

Information Literacy:

A key service is the delivery of information literacy instruction, provided on-site through classes and individual help, and off-site via instructional tutorials and subject guides available on the library’s comprehensive and user-friendly website.

Information literacy sessions are targeted, after consultation with faculty, to address the specific research and assignment requirements of each class or program.

Programs:

Library programs and special events, such as the Human Library and Holocaust Education Week annual program and various special exhibits provide enriched learning opportunities.

Learning Centres:

The Learning Centres, one at each campus library, provide free individual tutoring and small group learning activities in specific program streams or classes. The Library actively hires peer tutors throughout the year, providing employment experience to currently enrolled students. The service is available on-site at each campus library. Remote delivery is being explored for future implementation.

Group Study Rooms:

Each campus library provides group study rooms that students may book online. A selection of the small group rooms are fitted with state-of-the-art multi-media equipment.

Access to Computers and Technical Equipment:

To provide students with ready access to technology, open access computers are provided at each campus library: 143 at Progress, 70 at Morningside, 40 at Ashtonbee, and 11 at the East York campus. Centennial Libraries provides a very popular and successful laptop lending program, which has expanded every year since its implementation. Currently, there are 235 netbooks on loan across the four campus libraries, resulting in over 37,000 netbook loans to students in the last 6- month period. Recently, the Library has initiated a pilot program, lending out ebook

readers and tablets so that students have an opportunity to gain familiarity with the capacity of mobile devices in the learning environment.

Academic Qualifications of the Library Services Team:

Centennial Libraries has a skilled, experienced library services team, with the requisite professional and educational qualifications to provide library services in support of 4-year degree programs. The six faculty librarians have Masters degrees in Library/Information Science, and three have additional Masters degrees. Of the twenty-two full-time library technicians, twenty have Library Techniques diplomas, and over 65% have also completed university degrees. Altogether the group represents a team with a third of its members with Masters level qualifications, and two-thirds with a Baccalaureate or college diploma.

Collaboration:

The libraries are committed to partnership and collaboration with peers through membership in the Heads of Libraries and Learning Resources (HLLR) of Ontario college libraries. Through the Ontario College’s Library Service (OCLS), a non-profit corporation that provides services to Ontario’s 24 publicly funded colleges, there are opportunities to collaborate on cost-shared initiatives, including library research and development activities.