The following is a summary of University of Waterloo (UW) Library information resources and services in support of the undergraduate program in History, prepared by Jane Forgay, Liaison Librarian for History.
The decision to purchase library materials for History is the responsibility of the Liaison Librarian in consultation with the Faculty Library Representative. Selection is guided by the Collection Development Policy which is developed by the Liaison Librarian in consultation with faculty members in the department of History. Materials are obtained in a variety ways including firm orders, open orders, approval plans, and subscriptions.
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, 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. Collections from the University of Guelph and Wilfrid Laurier University enhance the depth and breadth of local materials available in subject areas of interest to members of the UW History department.
Print Collections
The Library’s print collections for History are housed primarily in the Dana Porter Library. Holdings information for the entire Library collection, as well materials held by UG and WLU, is available through the Web accessible search tool known as Primo (http://primo.lib.uwaterloo.ca/).
The Library's automated circulation system allows users to charge out materials during the hours that the Library is open (every day most weeks, with some closures between terms and during the Christmas break) 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 Library’s collection circulates.
Books and journal articles not owned by the UW Library but held by UG or WLU may be requested for use at UW. Books and copies of journal articles are delivered to faculty, students and staff within three working days. The cost of these services is absorbed by the 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. 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 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 Library.
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 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 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 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.
Here is a sample of primary and secondary sources of interest to History available electronically:
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 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.
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 faculty, students and staff may get reference assistance via e-mail and online chat available through the Ask a Librarian service.
The 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 Liaison Librarian for History is 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 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 also develops and maintains a web-based subject guide for History http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/discipline/history/index.html.
UW Library’s Public Computers and Study Spaces
System-wide, UW Library has 198 public computers; 112 of these are located in the Dana Porter Library. Each workstation provides access to the Internet, Microsoft Office, and networked printing. Study spaces total 2102 library-wide; 1156 of these are located in the Dana Porter Library and include group study rooms that can be reserved using an online booking system.
During the past seven years, the History library fund has spent $440,685 on information resources. In 2008/09, $9,660 was spent for current journals and $29,380 for books. Table 1 below provides further details.
Table 1. Summary of Expenditures – History
NOTE: All amounts have been rounded to the nearest dollar-multiple of 5.
Fiscal Year |
Serial Expenditure |
Book Expenditure |
Approval Support |
Total Expenditure & Support |
2002/03 |
$23,525 |
$23,160 |
$35,690 |
$82,375 |
2003/04 |
$19,760 |
$20,455 |
$30,870 |
$71,090 |
2004/05 |
$10,825 |
$20,355 |
$31,085 |
$62,265 |
2005/06 |
$11,175 |
$22,730 |
$29,060 |
$62,965 |
2006/07 |
$9,685 |
$19,720 |
$33,835 |
$63,240 |
2007/08 |
$8,085 |
$23,660 |
$27,970 |
$59,715 |
2008/09 |
$9,660 |
$9,360 |
$20,020 |
$39,040 |
Total 2002/03 through 2008/09 |
$92,715 |
$139,445 |
$208,525 |
$440,685 |
The drop in book expenditures and approval plan support in 2008/09 was the result of a temporary, and 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 drop in the Library's purchasing power. The freeze was lifted in May 2009.
What appears to be a general decline in journal expenditures deserves comment. In recent years, there have been no cancellations of journals, but many journals previously paid for by the History library fund have been transferred to the Electronic Resources library fund. In fact, additional journals have been added to the Library’s collection as a result of purchasing publishers’ packages, often through consortia agreements.
In addition to resources purchased using funds specifically designated for History, numerous other resources of direct interest to History, including many of those listed on page 2 above, are purchased through a central fund for e-resources. Many electronic journals and books are purchased in large multidisciplinary packages.
Materials acquired for other departments such as Political Science, Religious Studies, and Classical Studies and are also of interest to History as are materials purchased through funds targeting government information.
I believe that a very high level support for the undergraduate programme in History has been provided by the Library, both in information resources and services.
More detailed information including lists of print and electronic journals purchased for History and the number of monograph titles in subject areas of interest to History can be provided if required.
I would be pleased to discuss the Library's holdings and services with the appraisers at the time of a campus visit.
Jane Forgay, Liaison Librarian for History
Reviewed by:
Susan Routliffe, Associate University Librarian, Information Resources and Services for Mark Haslett, University Librarian
University of Waterloo Library
200 University Avenue West
Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 3G1
519 888 4883
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