April 2009
Standard VII – Facilities, Equipment and Resources
7.2 The program must provide access to well-maintained library and information services, sufficient in size, breadth of holdings, and information technology to support the program’s education and other missions.
Material is collected to support optometric learning, teaching and research. The Witer Learning Resource Centre (WLRC) supports the professional four year Doctor of Optometry degree and the Masters and PhD programs in Vision Science. The Masters and PhD programs have an emphasis on:
The decision to purchase library materials for optometry and vision science is the responsibility of the optometry liaison librarian in consultation with the faculty library representative, Dr Marlee Spafford. Selection is guided by the Collection Development Policy (to be revised summer of 2009 and available on request as of September 2009), which is developed by the liaison librarian in consultation with faculty members in the School of Optometry. Materials are obtained in a variety ways including firm orders, open orders, approval plans, and subscriptions. Faculty, staff, graduate and undergraduate students also make recommendations for library purchases. The Witer Learning Resource Centre (WLRC) also receives gifts in kind from students, faculty, staff and alumni, many of which are subsequently accepted, catalogued in TRELLIS and made available to the optometry community.
The optometry liaison librarian collects resources in the following subject areas: optometry, ophthalmology, life sciences (human anatomy, human development, physiology, pathology, immunology, histology, microbiology), psychology (visual perception, neuroscience), medicine (ethics, communication, public health, disease transmission, evidence-based practice), optics, pediatrics, therapeutics (ocular therapeutics, pharmacology - drugs - their actions and interactions), and technology (industrial safety - occupational ocular health and safety, lighting, applied optics).
Much additional material relevant to Optometry is available in the two large divisional libraries of the UW Library system: the Davis Centre Library (housing material in science, engineering and mathematics) and the Dana Porter Library (housing material in psychology, arts and the social sciences).
In addition, the UW library’s membership in the Tri-University Group (TUG) consortium provides open and easy access to materials and information resources of the other two members of TUG: the University of Guelph (UG) and Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU). Collections from the UG and WLU enhance the depth and breadth of local materials available in subject areas of interest to optometry and vision science. The University of Guelph has veterinary science, biomedical science, (human biology, bioethics, biochemistry, biotechnology, immunology and microbiology) and nutrition collections. Wilfred Laurier University’s health science and psychology resources are also of interest. The Annex, a TUG offsite storage facility, provides additional storage for low use vision science resources.
In the May of 2009 the Optometry Learning Resource Centre moved into new facilities and changed its name to the Witer Learning Resource Centre (WLRC) in acknowledgement of the generous contribution that Dr. Marta Witer (OD) and her husband Ian Ihnatowcyz made in support of the new addition (floor plan attached).
The WLRC is located on the second floor in the School of Optometry and occupies 4100 square feet of space. An additional 1500 square feet of group study rooms (4) and quiet study areas is available just outside the WLRC. The WLRC is more than double the size of the previous Learning Resource Centre. It was designed in response to student demand for more computer workstations, group study space and quiet study carrels. The WLRC includes 36 computing stations (2 of which are height adjustable/wheel chair accessible), 3 group study rooms, twenty quiet study carrels, and new compact shelving that expands the WLRC’s capacity to hold resources while decreasing the floor space required to house the print collection. This also allows for future expansion of our collection without giving up valuable floor space for student use. The librarian and information associate offices are in close proximity to the computer workstations allowing ease of access when students require research assistance. Another 38 carrels sit in a quiet study area just outside the WLRC. The School of Optometry has expanded the number of groups study rooms from two to seven to better serve the needs of the students doing case studies in teams. A seating area for perusing current journals, new books or using the reference collection enhance the student experience and a historical/rare book room provides access to resources from the profession’s past. All of this increases our capacity and efficiency in serving the students.
The WLRC provides the necessary library resources to support optometric research and the optometric curriculum. The WLRC homepage (http://www.optometry.uwaterloo.ca/wlrc/index.html) provides information about the WLRC, its role within the School of Optometry, access to WLRC resources, the resources within the larger UW Library collection and the TUG collections. The WLRC serves as a gateway for all of our patrons (OD students, graduate students, faculty, staff and alumni) to find appropriate and relevant resources for their needs.
In response to user preference, the UW Library obtains resources in electronic format whenever it is possible and practical to do so. Some electronic resources are obtained directly by the University of Waterloo Library and some are obtained through the UW Library’s membership in the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) and the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CKRN). Access to and use of electronic resources is generally governed by licence agreements with the publisher or vendor.
The Library has purchased or subscribes to a range of electronic resources including research databases, full text journals, monographs, numeric data, and government publications. In addition, the Library identifies and provides access to select material freely available through the Internet. Such material includes open access journals, catalogues of libraries around the world, dictionaries, encyclopaedias, and style guides.
The following are some of the electronic resources of particular interest to Optometry and Vision Science students:
In total, the WLRC houses over 4,400 monographs relevant to the study of optometry, along with over 6,800 items in the Annex (low use monographs). The UW collection includes over 45,700 monographs with subject headings of interest to optometry and vision science students. If one includes all of UW’s affiliated colleges and TUG collections, the number grows to approximately 105,000 monographs. Given the cooperative nature of TUG and the enhanced TUG Book and Article Retrieval service, all of these materials are available to the
Optometry community within 2-3 working days. For the most part, these monographs are in print format but an increasing number are in electronic format.
The quality of the WLRC monograph holdings has been analyzed in comparison with the Association of Vision Science Librarians (AVSL) Opening Day Book Collection 2008. (See:http://www.opt.indiana.edu/guideline/appB.doc). This is a list of core and essential titles recommended for vision science libraries. The OLRC currently owns 103, or 97% of the 106 titles that are listed. The remaining 3 books will be purchased in 2009.
The WLRC audiovisual collection also includes 30 videotapes, 64 audiotapes, 119 CD-ROMS, 13 DVDs, 163 UW School of Optometry thesis, 27 optometry related government documents, and more than 5,100 slides.
The UW Library collection includes approximately 4,220 current electronic and print journals in subject areas of interest to Optometry and Vision Science students and 85 journals directly relevant to optometry. Many of the electronic journals are paid for from the central Electronic Resources library fund. The Optometry library fund supports the purchase of 38 current individual journal subscriptions.
These 85 journals are accessible through the WLRC. Of these journals, 53 are electronic, 22 are print and 10 are free. In some cases we have both the print and electronic version because the subscription provides both for the same cost or the electronic licensing agreement does not provide perpetual access to back issues of the journal.
Of the 48 core periodical titles recommended by the AVSL’s Opening Day Journal List, the OLRC has current subscriptions to 37 or 77%. The WLRC also has an additional 47 journals beyond the AVSL core collection that reflect the School’s learning, teaching, and research priorities. The OLRC also receives several dozen newsletters and updates from various regional optometric and vision science associations. Most of these are neither catalogued nor indexed but are useful sources of information on such topics as practice management and public health policy.
During the past seven years, the Optometry library fund has spent $214,810.33 on information resources. In 2007-2008, $12,187.07 was spent for current journals and $9,545.87 for books. Table 1 provides further details. What appears to be a general decline in journal expenditures deserves comment (Table 1 provides further details). In recent years, there have been no cancellations of journals, but many journals previously paid for by the Optometry library fund have been transferred to the Electronic Resources fund. In fact, additional journals have been added to the Library’s collection as a result of purchasing publishers’ packages, often through consortia agreements.
Table 1. Summary of Expenditures– Optometry
Fund |
Fiscal Year |
Serial Expenditure |
Book Expenditure |
Approval Support |
Total Expenditure & Support |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Optometry |
2001/02 |
$21,135.62 |
$13,510.87 |
$2,536.00 |
$37,182.49 |
Optometry |
2002/03 |
$23,878.31 |
$11,612.85 |
$1,941.14 |
$37,432.30 |
Optometry |
2003/04 |
$19,586.04 |
$13,827.31 |
$2,516.12 |
$35,929.47 |
Optometry |
2004/05 |
$9,342.72 |
$12,209.26 |
$1,012.06 |
$22,564.04 |
Optometry |
2005/06 |
$14,514.22 |
$13,397.22 |
$2,283.86 |
$30,195.30 |
Optometry |
2006/07 |
$13,736.03 |
$9,313.46 |
$3,111.72 |
$26,161.21 |
Optometry |
2007/08 |
$12,187.07 |
$9,545.87 |
$3,612.58 |
$25,345.52 |
Total 2001/02 through 2007/08 |
$114,380.01 |
$83,416.84 |
$17,013.48 |
$214,810.33 |
|
Electronic resources such as the journals Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica, British Journal of Visual Impairment, Clinical and Experimental Optometry, Clinical Eye and Vision Care, Current Eye Research, Experimental Eye Research, International Contact Lens Clinic, Investigative Ophthalmology and Visual Science, Journal of Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Ophthalmic and Physiologic Optics, Ophthalmic Epidemiology, Vision Research are purchased from the general Electronic Resources fund. Materials acquired for other departments such as Health Studies & Gerontology, Pharmacy, Psychology (neuroscience, psychophysics, communications), Philosophy (Ethics) and Physics (Optics) are also of interest to Optometry students.
The 2002 accreditation report, noted that a new enlarged library facility and expanded undergraduate computing facility were included in plans for an addition. Since that report the addition has become a reality and a 36 seat computer facility is now available for students. All students and faculty have access to high quality building-wide wireless computing and services. This provides a significant resource for accessing information that is relevant for communications, educational, instructional, clinical, research and other scholarly purposes.
The 36 wired computer workstations link students to UW library resources via the student network server. The 58 study carrels have electrical plug-ins for laptops and wireless access to the UW library resources. The 7 group study rooms each have a computer work station and space for 6-8 students using wireless which adds another 50-60 seats with access to UW resources. This provides seating for 145-155 people to access UW resources above and beyond the open seating areas that will also have UW wireless access. In addition, the WLRC has a flatbed scanner, two photocopiers, a laser printer as well as the drugs and laboratory equipment required by the students to develop their practical skills.
A highly skilled 3 person support team is available to support students, faculty and staff with all their computing problems. This team is located within the School and can be reached via email or phone during regular working hours. The team maintains and upgrades the system regularly.
The primary tool for accessing electronic resources is the WLRC home page which links to resources within the UW Library website (http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca). This site organizes and provides access to licensed resources available to only UW faculty, students and staff, as well as Internet resources freely available to anyone. The site also provides access to electronic resources hosted by the OCUL Scholars Portal program (http://www.scholarsportal.info/index.html) and available to the UW community through the Library's participation in consortia purchasing through OCUL.
The Library uses linking technology (SFX) to enable users to link directly from research databases to the UW Library full text electronic journal subscription or to the TRELLIS catalogue record for holdings and call number information. The Library also provides access to bibliographic management software (RefWorks).
UW faculty, students and staff may access electronic research databases and full text electronic journals from off-campus via the Library’s Proxy Server / Connect from Home feature.
The Library’s print collection for optometry and vision science is housed primarily in the WLRC within the School of Optometry. Having the WLRC located within the School of Optometry is advantageous to our students, providing convenience and ease of access to WLRC resources and staff. Access to the entire Library collection, as well materials held by UG and WLU, is available through the Web accessible union catalogue known as TRELLIS (http://trellis1.tug-libraries.on.ca/).
The Library's automated circulation system allows users to charge out materials during the hours that the WLRC is open (every day during fall and winter term, with some closures between terms and during the Christmas break and weekends in the summer) and to renew items online anytime. With the exception of the current issues of print journals and reference materials, most of the material in the WLRC’s collection circulates. Optometry students, faculty, graduate students and staff may borrow most monographs for a term at a time.
The WLRC also delivers to faculty, students and staff copies of print journal articles from any of the UW library locations, and from the libraries of the UW affiliated and federated colleges and universities. Faculty, students and staff can also place holds on books from any of these libraries for pickup at any of the UW libraries’ circulation desks. Books and journal articles not owned by the UW Library but held by UG or WLU may be requested through TRELLIS. Books and copies of journal articles are delivered to faculty, students and staff within three working days. The cost is of these services is absorbed by the UW Library.
In partnership with UG and WLU, the Library owns a facility, known as the Annex, which is used to house low-use research material. In keeping with the University’s research intensive status, an agreement among the TUG libraries ensures that a last copy is maintained in perpetuity. The Preservation of Last Copy Agreement can be found at: http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/staff/irmc/last_copy_agreement_sept06.html. As with material from UG and WLU, books and copies of journal articles housed in the Annex are made available to faculty, students and staff within three working days. The cost is absorbed by the UW Library.
Books and copies of articles from print journals will be sent, upon request, to students living some distance from the campus. With the exception of return postage for books, the cost is absorbed by the UW Library.
The Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery (ILL) service provides faculty, students and staff with books, copies of journal articles, theses, and government documents from libraries within Canada and elsewhere. The UW Library uses OCUL’s RACER Web-based interlibrary loan system (http://racer.scholarsportal.info/vdx/index.html) to facilitate ILL access and service for users. With minor exceptions, the cost for this service is absorbed by the Library.
Canadian university libraries extend in-person borrowing privileges to faculty students and staff from across the country. Faculty, students and staff are entitled to borrowing privileges at participating libraries (http://www.coppul.ca/rb/rbindex.html). Faculty and students may borrow directly from most Ontario universities under the OCUL Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement. See http://www.ocul.on.ca/recipborrow.html for further details. This borrowing agreement also extends to a large number of participating institutions in Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia.
The UW Interlibrary Loan Service allows UW students and faculty to obtain books, journal articles, patents, theses, etc. from institutions across Canada and abroad. There is no charge for the delivery of ILL requests and these materials are delivered to the student’s mailboxes. An ILL request form is available through the TRELLIS catalogue, and more information on UW ILL services can be accessed at http://tug.lib.uwaterloo.ca/illdd/.
7.3 The library and information services staff must be supportive of the needs of faculty, residents and students of the program.
The WLRC is open seventy two hours per week during the fall and winter terms. We are open Monday-Thursday from 9:00am – 11:00pm, Friday 9:00am-5:00pm as well as Saturday and Sunday from 1:00-5:00 pm. During the summer the WLRC is open thirty seven and a half hours a week (weekdays from 9:00-4:30). Increasing numbers of electronic journals and e-books provide 24/7 access to an ever increasing proportion of the WLRC resources.
The WLRC is one of five locations of the UW Library and is semi-autonomous in that the School, rather than the Library, provides the WLRC staff, space, equipment and operating budget. The UW Library provides the liaison librarian and the acquisitions budget along with collection acquisition, cataloguing, collection maintenance and circulation support.
Staffing of the WLRC consists of a managing librarian (employed by the UW Library), a circulation supervisor, information associate and a clerk (employed by the School of Optometry). The librarian supervises the circulation supervisor and the information associate. The circulation supervisor supervises the clerk and a number of casual employees who assist in providing service to the optometry community in the evenings and on weekends. The librarian and the WLRC staff work closely in the provision of library services to students and faculty. Staff members maintain close connections to colleagues in other vision science libraries, through membership in the Association of Vision Science Librarians (AVSL).
Walk in or prearranged appointments with the optometry liaison librarian or the information associate are available weekdays 9:00 – 4:30 in the Witer Learning Resource Centre. Appointments outside those hours can be arranged with prior notice.
Reference assistance is also available in person or by telephone at any of the UW Library's Information Desks which are staffed by professional librarians and specially trained library associates. Alternatively, UW faculty, students and staff may get reference assistance via e-mail and on-line chat available through the Ask a Librarian service (http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/asklib/index.html).
The UW Library also offers general orientation programs including tours, workshops on database searching and using the Web, and seminars for graduate students. In addition, each fall the Library participates in a campus-wide orientation program for international students. The WLRC provides tours and instructional sessions tailored to the needs of students within the School of Optometry.
The liaison librarian for optometry is available for consultation with individuals or small groups of students. The librarian may be contacted directly in person, by phone, and by e-mail if a personal visit to the Library is not convenient. The WLRC has a web-based subject guide for the optometry students (http://www.optometry.uwaterloo.ca/olrc/underservices.html).
The liaison librarian is also available to work with faculty to develop course integrated library instruction in the form of lectures, hands-on instruction, Web pages, or online courseware modules. The librarian and information associate develop and maintain a web-based subject guide for optometry students.
The WLRC recently established a blog (http://optometry-learning-resource-centre.blogspot.com/ ) that students can subscribe to keep themselves informed of new resources and WLRC activities of interest. The blog replaces the pre-existing newsletter and allows us to communicate events, activities and new acquisitions on a monthly basis through brief emails that can link to the blog entry for more details.
Having increased the number of computers within the WLRC and having doubled the previous space we are planning to offer instructional sessions in the fall of 2009 within the WLRC for the first time. These sessions will be designed to increase the students’ information literacy skills. The goal behind information literacy is to increase a student’s ability to formulate researchable questions, create effective search strategies, select appropriate sources and acquire, evaluate and ethically use information. Using high quality evidence to support clinical decisions is essential to clinical success.
Curriculum Vitae for key information personnel
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