The following is a summary of University of Water (UW) Library resources in support of the undergraduate program in Earth Sciences at UW, prepared by Yulerette Gordon, Liaison Librarian for Earth Sciences.
Library Resources
Library Holdings
The University of Waterloo Library ’s collections in Earth Sciences are housed in the Davis Centre Library, with cartographic support from the University Map and Design Library, and support in government publications from the Dana Porter Library. Material is collected to support teaching and research related to the B.Sc. programs in Earth Sciences. The decision to purchase library materials for Earth Sciences is the responsibility of the Liaison Librarian in consultation with the Faculty Library Representative. Selection is guided by the Collection Development Policy, and the Approval Plan Subject Profile for the department. The UW collection includes 180 current electronic serials in Earth Sciences, over 933 current serials in subject areas relevant to Earth Sciences, as well as some 52,000 monographs relevant to Earth Sciences. Earth Sciences library fund covers the cost of 136 current print serials.
Financial Support
Since 1997, the Library has spent approximately S789,107 on materials for Earth Sciences (see below) Electronic databases and full-text journals are acquired from a general fund. Materials acquired for other disciplines (Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Environmental Studies, Geography, and Civil Engineering) also support undergraduate study in Earth Sciences.
Library Catalogue
The Library’s online catalogue, TRELLIS, provides access to the collections of the Tri- University Group of Libraries (TUG): the University of Waterloo , University of Guelph , Wilfrid Laurier University . TRELLIS is available via the World Wide Web (http://trellis1.tug-libraries.on.ca/). Students may borrow materials from all 3 libraries. Using our Library’s self-charge circulation system, students can sign out materials whenever the Library is open and can renew their books online from their library account from any computer with web access. Most items circulate, with the exception of same course reserve readings, the current issue of journals, and reference materials.
Electronic Resources
The University of Waterloo Electronic Library (UWELib) (http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/) organizes access to electronic resources, including information in Earth Sciences (The Library subscribes to a number of electronic research tools relevant to Earth Sciences, including Web based journal indexes (e General Science Abstracts, GeoRef, Water Resources Abstracts, Environmental Science & Pollution Management, Web of Science), and full text electronic journals (from publishers such as Academic Press, Wiley, K Springer, Elsevier).
Library Services & Facilities
Physical Space & Hours
The Library is open 106 hours a week during the term with extended hours during exam periods (e.g., 24/7 except Sundays 2 —8a.m. the last three weeks of the term). There are 770 study spaces and 5 study rooms available in the Davis Centre Library. All public workstations in the Library (53 in Davis ) can access the Internet. Students can reserve 8 of these workstations in the Davis Centre Library for journal index searching. Printing is available and all workstations may be used whenever the Library is open. The UW Library has places (in Davis, Porter, UMD, and OLRC) for students to connect their laptops to the Internet via either wire or wireless connections.
Beginning May 2004 the Davis Library will undergo renovations to provide even greater electronic services in an information commons setting.
Information Assistance
Reference assistance is available in person or by telephone at the Library’s Information Desks that are staffed by professional librarians and specialty trained library assistants. UW students may also use the Chat or e-mail options provided through the Ask a Librarian service http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/asklib/ to get the assistance they need. The Liaison Librarian for Earth Sciences offers course-related instruction about library research skills and resources, and is available for consultation with individuals or small groups of students. The Library also offers orientation programs including tours and workshops on topics including database searching and using the library catalogue.
Document Delivery & lnterlibrary Loan
Students can borrow materials from the University of Guelph and Wilirid Laurier University using the TUG book and article delivery service. Items are delivered within 2-3 days of request at no cost to the student. Requests for books and journal articles are sent through the Library catalogue, TRELLIS, using the Request button.
Upper year students may request directly from CISTI Source those journal articles not available in the TUG libraries, using an undergraduate account. Articles are delivered within 3 days. The Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Service obtains, for UW students and faculty, books, journal articles, reports, theses, etc. from institutions in Canada and abroad. Currently the Library absorbs all costs except for the purchase of theses, reports, patents, and standards. Students submit their requests electronically facilitated by the VDXIRACER interlibrary loan system http://racer.scholarsportal.info/vdx/index.html and most are filled in less than 10 working days.
Conclusion
I would be pleased to discuss the Library’s holdings and services in more detail. I believe that the Library provides a high level of support for the undergraduate program in Earth Sciences.
SUMMARY OF EXPENDITURES — Earth Sciences
| Year | Serial Expenditure | Book Expenditure | Approval Plan Support | Total Expenditure |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997/98 | 101,140 |
18266 |
2,706 |
122,113 |
| 1998/99 | 99,575 |
21,238 |
3,254 |
124067 |
| 1999/00 | 108,324 |
20,325 |
2,369 |
131,018 |
| 2000/01 | 124,308 |
21,723 |
2,284 |
148,315 |
| 2001/02 | 64,145 |
25,117 |
2,554 |
91,817 |
| 2002/03 | 56,534 |
25,582 |
2,260 |
84,375 |
The 2003/04 acquisitions budget for Earth Sciences breaks down as follows: $54,399 for serials; $30,743 for books; and approximately $2,260 for approval plan support for a total of $87,402.
Since 1997, library expenditures (including the estimated amount for 2003/04) on materials for Earth Sciences total $789,107
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