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 OCLS News 

SPRING 2014
In this Update
Meet your new streaming video collection!
Research Roundup
Staff Profile: Zack Osborne
OCLS Completes Model Licence.
Meet your new streaming video collection!
By Wendy Traas

  Earlier this year OCLS launched Collect, the next generation Colleges Union Catalogue, which allows students, faculty and staff to search the collections of Ontario's 24 college libraries from one location. The inspiration for Collect was to create a shared repository that could integrate various collective library services, resources and projects. We are now testing Collect's functionality to link to digital objects, and colleges will directly benefit from the process by gaining access to a new streamed video collection.

OCLS, working with the HLLR Digital Media Services Research Panel (DMS), engaged with suppliers and explored content options to create a collection of streamed videos supportive of the curriculum at all the colleges. As a result of this work each college now has unlimited, perpetual access to 42 streaming video titles representing 79 individual videos through McNabb Connolly. Fourteen percent of the titles are available in French, and all titles will be closed captioned by September of this year.  Read on for more details.
Research Roundup 
  We thought we would check in with the Research Panel Chairs and get an update on the activities and progress of the various projects and the HLLR committees that are guiding them.  
 
AODA Update: Advocacy and Action Plans 
By Corinne Abba, Chair - HLLR, AODA Research Panel

In 2005, Ontario introduced legislation designed to create a province of inclusion - the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This established accessibility standards and formalized the need to identify, remove and prevent barriers of access - which impact educational institutions in various ways.

The AODA research Panel for Ontario College Libraries conducts research to assist the HLLR in developing strategies to meet accessibility standards, to advocate on behalf of our diverse student populations, and to provide our patrons with the best possible library experience. Read on for more details and deliverables. 

Strategic Planning Environmental Scan  
By Virginia Roy

Recognizing that both HLLR and OCLS were poised to embark on strategic planning initiatives in 2014/15 the two organizations came together to engage a researcher to explore current trends related to post secondary libraries within the Ontario college context, and specifically to reflect on the educational, social, economic, budgetary, educational, technological and political factors that will act on the college libraries and the services they that deliver.  The aim is provide  the college libraries and OCLS with a concise report that can inform the strategic planning work of HLLR, OCLS and the individual college libraries. The final report will be available prior to the June HLLR meeting.

Research Panel:  Pam Drayson (Durham), Jason Bird (Sault), Marilyn Crawford (OCLS), Virginia Roy (OCLS) 

Licensing Portal Expansion Project 

By Coralee Leroux 

The Licensing Portal Expansion Research Panel was formed in late 2013 to explore options for expanding the functionality of the current Licence Agreements and Permitted Uses space that currently exists within the OCLS eResources portal. The space allows college library staff to view the license agreements OCLS signs on the colleges' behalf as well as a summary of the permitted uses for each agreement, such as whether content can be posted to a learning management system or whether it can be used for interlibrary loan.  Read on for more details. 

Digital Media Services Project   

By Jennifer Varcoe, Chair - HLLR, DMS Research Panel  

The Digital Media Services project is wrapping up its contract with ERK Consulting Inc. This project focused on video conversion and video accessibility with checklists and supplier lists as some of the deliverables. Through mini-focus groups with all colleges (including departments other than the library), ERK was able to identify how the college system is approaching video accessibility. Once presented to HLLR, the checklist(s) will provide all college libraries with a comprehensive list of resources on accessibility, specifically video accessibility, and a "Request for Accessible Video Checklist" that can be customized by each institution. An initial gathering of information from vendors and suppliers provides a solid framework and vendor list that college libraries may collectively or individually pursue establishing contracts with. The next project for the DMS committee is to review progress on the recommendations made in the 2013 report Video Streaming Environment: Meeting the Needs of Ontario College Libraries and plan next steps and additional research projects.

Research Panel: Jennifer Varcoe (Georgian), Corinne Abba (George Brown), Megan Anderson (Fanshawe), Lisa DiBarbora (Humber), Elizabeth Dobson (Centennial), Laurie Hoyle (Seneca), Lisa Jack (Confederation), LeeAnn Nickles (Lambton), Kathleen Oakey (Sheridan), Jennevie Orio (Conestoga), Mary Anne Reinhard (Algonquin), Anne Villahermosa (George Brown), Coralee Leroux (OCLS), Virginia Roy (OCLS)


eBook Project   

By Thomas Guignard   

The Colleges eBook Consortium Project has completed all its deliverables and submitted a Business Case in late February to request the required funding to move into the implementation phase. This document is currently in the process of being reviewed by the funding agency and revised accordingly. HLLR has been kept updated on the process and have received a version of the Business Case to help with budget preparation for the new fiscal year. A final version of the document is expected in mid-to-late May, at which point formal support will be sought from all colleges to secure their commitment to the implementation phase. The funding decision is expected in early summer. If funding is secured, the implementation phase is expected to start in October. 

Staff Profile: Zack Osborne
   In March, Zack Osborne joined OCLS as the Information Technology Systems and Services Coordinator. Zack comes from a diverse background in academic and special libraries, most recently from the Toronto Botanical Garden (TBG) where he held the position of Head Librarian. At the TBG, Zack coordinated library services, staffing, technical processes, collection development, and information systems. His proudest accomplishments were the implementation of a new web-based open source ILS platform (Koha) for the Library, and hosting a "flash mob" style cataloguing event
to help complete the catalogue migration process. While he sometimes misses the plant life of the botanical garden, Zack is incredibly keen to join OCLS in his exciting new role, and to support Ontario's College libraries and their staff. 
 

Zack has deep-rooted interests in libraries of all sizes, collections, and purposes, and is passionate about the findability of library resources, and connecting users with information resources. In his free time, Zack enjoys road trips, cooking, bad reality television, local history, and exploring Toronto's green spaces.

OCLS Completes Model Licence
By Coralee Leroux

  As part of our eResources service, OCLS negotiates and signs licence agreements on behalf of libraries. With the wide range of issues facing the colleges related to electronic resources, such as copyright law and accessibility, it became clear that a model licence was needed to help OCLS ensure that libraries' rights are maintained and that licensed eresources are made as openly available as possible to the colleges' authorized users.

Using the Consortia Canada model licence as a base, OCLS consulted with the HLLR Copyright Interest Group (CIG) and the HLLR AODA Committee to identify priorities and terms and conditions that would be most important to the colleges. After working through several drafts, the final version of the model licence is now available on the eResources Portal. Read on.  

Quick Links
 
Announcements 

* Coming Soon!      

 

Single Sign-on access to all OCLS sites and services. Stay tuned!   
* OCLS website now mobile      

 

OCLS is happy to report the ocls.ca website is now mobile!
 
* Searchcollect.ca  

 

  Hopefully you've had a chance to try out COLLECT. Also available in French. Click here for  marketing toolkit  

     
* Orion Think Conference Leadership Award  
  
   OCLS is pleased to announce we are the recipient of the 2014 Orion Leadership award for OCLS' use of Orion portal spaces to facilitate college collaboration. Read on for more details.

* Startup Weekend Toronto Library edition  

 

  OCLS is pleased to announce  that OCLS staff members Jan Dawson and Thomas Guignard were recipients of SWTOLIB awards. Read on for details.