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Information Resources Management Committee

Global Governance (proposed 2005)

3.1 Library resources

This summary of the University of Waterloo (UW) Library resources in support of the proposed UW graduate programme in Global Governance was prepared by Jane Forgay, Liaison Librarian for Political Science and History in consultation with Christy Branston, Liaison Librarian for Economics, and Margaret Aquan-Yuen, Liaison Librarian for the Faculty of Environmental Studies.

The decision to purchase Library materials for the Global Governance programme will be the responsibility of these Liaison Librarians in consultation with the Faculty Library Representatives from each of the four areas. Selection is guided by the collection policies and the approval plan subject profiles for each unit.

Library Holdings

Because UW Library’s collection policies for Political Science, Economics, History, and Environmental Studies currently include acquiring materials relating to international issues in their respective areas, we are already making available items of interest to researchers of global governance.  Materials acquired on behalf of other academic departments will also be relevant to scholars of global governance. In all, we have a comprehensive collection that will serve this programme well.

Monographs

UW Library has over 10,000 items of interest to scholars of global governance. Ours, along with the collections of the other Tri-University Group of Libraries (TUG) make available nearly 25,000 items in this area. Table 1 shows the Library of Congress classification ranges and the corresponding counts found at each TUG site. This robust collection, coupled with the efficient delivery service among the 3 institutions, mean patrons have ready access to over 4 million items.

We are also full depository for Canadian and Ontario government publications and receive key publications of the United Nations, European Union, and numerous other international organizations including non-governmental organizations.

Table 1. Monographs Counts for the TUG Libraries as of November 2005

LC Class.

UW Library 

UW Colleges 

UG 

WLU 

All Locations (item) 

HB 846

155

1

117

112

385

HD 1761

113

0

157

73

343

HD 2700 – 2932

1,395

18

853

1,208

3,474

HF 1352 – 1418

1,374

18

808

1,076

3,276

HF 1713

106

0

58

76

240

HG 3800 – 4000

1,240

3

684

985

2,912

HN 17.5

160

17

114

102

393

HQ 1240

167

7

171

120

465

JC 330

162

4

74

89

329

JC 362

55

3

16

1

75

JX 1305 – 1598

1,325

36

800

809

2,970

JX 1901 – 1995

3,288

729

1,282

1,378

6,677

JZ 1249 – 1254

58

0

21

14

93

JZ 1317.5 - 1324

114

2

85

63

264

JZ 4850 – 5490

49

1

19

29

98

JZ 5586 – 6009

58

1

12

26

97

JZ not counted above

528

32

160

319

1,039

K 250

3

0

5

4

12

QH 75 – 77

836

0

508

511

1,855

Total

11,186

872

5,944

6,995

24,997

Serials

The UW Library collection includes over 2,000 current electronic and print serials in subject areas of possible interest to global governance. We have subscriptions to at least 125 titles of interest to scholars of international relations and at least 12 titles of direct interest to scholars of global governance.

Data

Members of the UW community have online access to data holdings of the Tri-University Group Data Resources (http://tdr.tug-libraries.on.ca/).  Included among this collection are:

Online Indexes, Abstracts, and Full Text Databases

The UW Library makes available the following resources which track scholarly and professional documents in the area of international governance.  

Patrons also have access to up-to-date news sources from around the world through the following online subscriptions:

When full text is not contained within a database itself, embedded links allow users to connect to electronic subscriptions when available or to the Library’s catalogue record for holdings and call number information.

Remote Access

The UW community may access online databases, e-journals, data sets, and e-books from off-campus via the Library’s proxy “Connect from Home” feature.

Collection Evaluation

Since a programme with this specific focus is rare if not unique to academic institutions, a comparison of our holdings against an approved or accepted standard is not possible. In order to gage the richness of the UW Library collection in this area, a search of 3 Ontario academic libraries of comparable size to the University of Waterloo was carried out in November 2005. The findings show that UW Library ranked highest in number of holdings dealing specifically with global governance.  Keyword searches using the terms “global governance” and “international governance” yielded the following results.

Tri-University Group (TUG) of Libraries (i.e., UW, WLU, UG) = 145 titles
Queen’s University Library = 124
Carleton University Library = 100
McMaster University Library = 79

This sample indicates a strength in this area not equalled even by institutions that focus on global issues generally.

A list produced by YBP Library Services of “essential” globalization monographs published in 2002 was checked against our holdings. The list of titles is available through “Academia: an online Magazine and Resource for Academic Librarians”, September 2002 http://www.ybp.com/acad/Essentials/EssentialsSept02.htm. Of the titles listed, 86% are available at TUG libraries.

Access to Off Campus Resources

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, staff and students within three working days. The cost is absorbed by the 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 abroad. The UW Library uses RACER, the Ontario university-wide interlibrary loan system. With minor exceptions, the cost for this service is absorbed by the Library.

Information Services

The Liaison Librarians for Political Science, History and Economics are available for consultation with faculty and students. The Liaison Librarians also work with faculty and staff to develop course integrated library instruction in the form of lectures, hands-on instruction, Web pages, or online courseware modules.

The UW Library also offers general orientation programs including tours, workshops on database searching and using the Web, and seminars for graduate students.

Financial Support

The current monograph budgets are able to support this programme.

Conclusion

We are confident the UW Library can provide a high level of support for the Masters programme in Global Governance, both in holdings and in services. We would be happy to discuss the Library’s resources, services, and facilities in more detail if required.

Jane Forgay, Liaison Librarian for Political Science and History
Christy Branston, Liaison Librarian for Economics
Margaret Aquan-Yuen, Liaison Librarian for Environmental Studies
Mark Haslett, University Librarian

December 1, 2005

Information Resources Management Committee
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September 18, 2007