Library Update - Spring 2011
Library
- Senate Presentation - University Librarian Mark Haslett recently delivered his annual report to senate.
- Primo Central - The Library is participating in a trial of the web-scale index Primo Central until December 2011. Primo Central is a search that can be used to find books, journal articles, news articles, and more. It includes everything found in Waterloo's catalogue, plus a lot of the online articles available through the Library's databases.
- Library Web Redesign - The Library rolled out a refreshed look in February to align its website with the University's new look and feel. This design is a transition between the old design and the new standards to be introduced later in 2011.
- User Needs Assessment - In preparation for the web redesign, Library staff recently completed an extensive user needs assessment. The assessment included a survey, online usability testing, focus groups, and
in-person usability testing.
- Library Jargon Review - A U of T practicum
student also completed a detailed web content analysis of the library-specific terminology on the Library's website to identify confusing library jargon and inconsistent terminology.
- Buttons Campaign - The Library launched a buttons campaign in the fall term featuring 1-inch buttons that capture the visual identity of each Library location. The campaign is a unique opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to express their Library pride and, astonishingly, they have picked up over 20,000 buttons from the Library's locations so far.
- CRKN Focus Group - The Canadian Research Knowledge Network conducted a focus group with engineering faculty members at Waterloo to determine the impact of having access to digital content on the Canadian research community.
- ExLibris Voyager 8 Testing Partner - The TriUniversity Group of Libraries (TUG) was selected to partner in the field testing of ExLibris' Voyager 8 alongside the Library of Congress and the Library Consortium of New Zealand.
University
- Feridun Hamdullahpur Named University of Waterloo President & Vice-Chancellor
- Feridun Hamdullahpur was appointed as the University of Waterloo's sixth President in early March. Hamdullahpur arrived at Waterloo in 2009 to serve as vice-president, academic and provost and then as interim president from October 2010. In a recent town hall meeting, Hamdullahpur provided a vision for "dissembling" and making tangible the University of Waterloo's Sixth Decade Plan.
- Canadian Index of Wellbeing - The Canadian Index of Wellbeing (CIW) Network recently moved to Waterloo. CIW tracks and reports the quality of life of Canadians, providing insight into such things as health, standard of living, environment, and education.
- Kik founder gives $1 million to VeloCity - A 23-year-old former student and entrepreneur Ted Livingston recently donated $1 million to VeloCity, Waterloo's residence-based program for student entrepreneurs. Livingston founded Kik, a messenging application for mobile devices, while a student in the VeloCity residence in 2009.
- Desire2Learn Selected as the Waterloo's New Learning Management System -Desire2Learn software will replace Waterloo's current learning management system, UW-ACE. The new software will be rolled out with select courses this spring.
- Co-op Department Sets a Record - The co-op department recently reported record employment numbers, indicating that more co-op students are employed this winter term than ever before — "5,517 of them, including 2,389 from engineering alone."
- A New University Home Page - Waterloo launched a new homepage in February. This homepage is a transitioning homepage as the campus web redesign committee completes a "more fully featured version of the uWaterloo website."
- Summit Centre in Huntsville - Waterloo officially opened its Summit Centre for the Environment in Huntsville this January. The Centre was built for use in last year's G8 summit and will be used primarily by the Faculty of Environment.
Administrative Assistant
Last Updated: May 6, 2011
