The following is a summary of University of Waterloo (UW) Library resources in support of the Bachelor of Integrated Studies, prepared by Margaret Yuen, Liaison Librarian for Environmental Studies.
The decision to purchase library materials for existing courses which will be part of Integrated Studies will continue to be the responsibility of Liaison Librarians for the respective disciplines. Decisions for the new Integrated Studies courses will be the responsibility of the Environmental Studies Liaison Librarian. All purchase decisions are based on collection development policies and are made in consultation with faculty.
The existing courses across campus which are part of Integrated Studies are well supported by the current library collection. For the new Integrated Studies courses which focus on the nature of knowledge, learning, teaching and scholarship, the UW library collection includes approximately 5,000 books in these areas. UW also subscribes to 35 journals in either print or electronic formats in these areas.
The existing courses listed across the disciplines are well supported by the current book budgets. Though the current Library book budget can meet most of the needs for the new courses in Integrated Studies, additional funding, approximately $4,000 annually, will be needed to purchase some required books and journals.
The Library subscribes to an extensive collection of databases that support many disciplines. Comprehensive databases such as Scopus and Web of Science would be of special interest to Integrated Studies.
Library collections for Integrated Studies are housed primarily in the Davis Centre and Dana Porter Libraries, though some collections are also available in the Musagetes and University Map and Design Libraries.
Reference assistance is available in person, by telephone, e-mail or on-line chat, (http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/asklib/index.html).
The Liaison Librarian for each discipline is available for consultation with individuals or small groups of students. She/he may be contacted directly in person, by phone, and by e-mail if a personal visit to the Library is not convenient.
Liaison Librarians would be pleased to work with faculty to develop course integrated library instruction in the form of lectures, hands-on instruction, Web pages, or online courseware modules.
Students may borrow materials from the University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier Libraries by using the TUG book and article delivery service. 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 of these services is absorbed by the Library.
For items not available in the TUG libraries, students may request journal articles directly from CISTI Source using an undergraduate account or through our interlibrary loan service, RACER. The Library covers the costs of document delivery.
The Library collection provides strong support for the existing courses offered across campus and in part for the new courses being offered. Additional funding will be needed to strengthen the collection already available for the new courses in Integrated Studies. The exact amount required will become clearer as the program develops. At present, I estimate that $4,000 annually should suffice.
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