The following is a summary of University of Waterloo (UW) Library information resources and services in support of the Master of Automotive Engineering, prepared by Douglas Morton, Liaison Librarian for Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering.
The Master of Automotive Engineering (MAE) program at the University of Waterloo will be a collaborative effort, spanning four departments in the faculty of Engineering; Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering and Systems Design Engineering. Material is collected to support learning, teaching and research to the Masters and PhD level in all four departments in areas such as:
The decision to purchase Library materials is the responsibility of the Liaison Librarian for each academic department in consultation with the Faculty Library Representative. Selection is guided by the Collection Development Policies which are developed by the Liaison Librarians in consultation with faculty members in the department. Materials are obtained in a variety ways including firm orders, open orders, approval plans, and subscriptions.
Monographs and Journals
In response to user preference, the 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 membership in the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL) and the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN). Access to and use of electronic resources is generally governed by licence agreements with the publisher or vendor.
The UW Library currently subscribes to over 170 print journals in all engineering areas, over 245 in all science areas and there are over 10,300 ejournals in the science & technology areas in the Library. The collection also includes over 73,000 monographs in all engineering areas and over 115,000 monographs in all science areas. For the most part, these monographs are in print format but an increasing number, currently over 35,000, are in electronic format.
The UW Library, along with the libraries of the University of Guelph (UG) and Wilfrid Laurier University (WLU), is a member of the Tri-University Group of Libraries (TUG) consortium.
Access to Print Collections
The Library’s print collections for automotive engineering are housed primarily in the Davis Centre Library. Access to the entire Library collection, as well materials held by UG and WLU, is available through Primo, our Web accessible union catalogue (formerly TRELLIS) (http://primo.lib.uwaterloo.ca/).
With the exception of the current issues of print journals and reference materials, most of the materials in the Library’s collection circulate. Graduate students and faculty may borrow most monographs for a term at a time.
The Library also delivers to faculty, graduate 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, graduate 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 or in the jointly-owned storage facility may be requested through Primo. Books and copies of journal articles are delivered to faculty, staff and students within three working days. The cost is of these services is absorbed by the Library.
In addition to the services described above, 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 Library.
Access to Electronic Resources
The primary tool for accessing electronic resources selected by the Library is its web site (http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca). This site organizes and provides access to licensed resources including research databases, full text journals, monographs, numeric data, and government publications, available to only UW faculty, students and staff as well as Internet resources freely available to anyone. 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 automotive engineering:
The Library has embedded linking technology (SFX) into research databases which allows users to link directly from the database to the UW Library full text electronic journal subscription or to the Primo catalogue record for holdings and call number information. The Library also provides access to RefWorks bibliographic management software.
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.
Access to Resources from Institutions other than TUG
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 students, faculty and staff from across the country. Graduate students, faculty and staff are entitled to borrowing privileges at participating libraries (http://www.coppul.ca/rb/rbindex.html).
Information Services
Reference assistance is available in person or by telephone at the Library's Information Desks which are staffed by professional librarians and specially trained library associates. Alternatively, UW students, faculty 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).
UW campus libraries also offer 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 Liaison Librarians for each department are available for consultation with individuals or small groups of students. He or she may be contacted directly in person, by phone, and by e-mail if a personal visit to the Library is not convenient.
The Liaison Librarians are 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.
Graduate students may keep abreast of new services and developments in the Library by reading news @ your library (http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/newsatlib/) an electronic newsletter prepared periodically and distributed to graduate students via the University’s Graduate Studies listserv.
The Library does not have a distinct budget for Automotive Engineering but the program will be supported by materials purchased for other engineering departments.
During the past seven years the Chemical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering and Systems Design Engineering library funds have spent over $1.2 million on information resources. Table 1 provides a summary; further details are available upon request.
Table 1. Summary representing combined expenditures for Chemical Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering and Systems Design Engineering library funds.
Fiscal Year |
Serials |
Books |
Total |
|---|---|---|---|
2004/2005 |
$92,420 |
$78,550 |
$170,970 |
2005/2006 |
$99,530 |
$93,045 |
$192,580 |
2006/2007 |
$96,965 |
$62,855 |
$159,820 |
2007/2008 |
$89,410 |
$88,905 |
$178,315 |
2008/2009 |
$96,110 |
$41,015 |
$137,125 |
2009/2010 |
$110,725 |
$90,090 |
$200,810 |
2010/2011 |
$92,610 |
$72,735 |
$165,350 |
Total for Period |
$677,770 |
$527,195 |
$1,204,970 |
Notes:
- Figures in the above table have been rounded to the nearest dollar multiple of 5.
- Serials in electronic format are often available for subscription in packages; the Library pays for access to these packages through a general fund for electronic resources rather than by funds established for specific disciplines. Library support for these areas is actually much greater than indicated in the table.
- The drop in expenditures in 2008/09 was a result of a temporary, partial freeze on monograph purchasing imposed because of the significant decline in the value of the Canadian dollar in the fall of 2008 and the consequent fall of the Library’s purchasing power. That freeze was lifted in May 2009.
- Similarly, the jump in expenditures in 2009/10 is an indication of the rebound as the Canadian dollar strengthened and embargoed orders were placed.
To date, we have been able to meet the majority of our user’s needs quite well. However, the Library’s current acquisitions budget may find it a stretch to subscribe to some highly priced resources such as the SAE Standards.
We would be pleased to discuss the Library's holdings and services with the appraisers at the time of a campus visit. Because of the strength of the existing collection and programs, we believe that a high level of support for the Masters in Automotive Engineering program can be provided by the Library, both in information resources and services.
Prepared by Douglas Morton, Liaison Librarian for Mechanical & Mechatronics Engineering reviewed by:
Anne Fullerton, Liaison Librarian for Biology & Chemical Engineering,
Kathy MacDonald, Liaison Librarian for Electrical & Computer Engineering
Leeanne Romane, Liaison Librarian for Systems Design Engineering
Reviewed by Susan Routliffe, Associate University Librarian, Information Resources and Services for Mark Haslett, University Librarian.
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