The latest news from your partners at OCLS
NOVEMBER 2015
Envisioning the Future: OCLS' Strategic Plan
By Maria Ripley, Administration Manager, OCLS
 
Since the completion and approval of our Strategic Plan at the end of May 2015, the OCLS team has worked closely with HLLR on our Year One Action Plan. A number of projects already underway are aligned with one of the two key objectives of OCLS' Year One Action Plan: Strengthen the Collaborative Foundation; and Enhance Services and Build Capacity. The OCLS Strategic Plan, Envisioning the Future: 2015 - 2020, and the Year One Action Plan are available at
https://www.ocls.ca/about/ocls-strategic-plan.
 
Strengthening the Collaborative Foundation
  • Karen McGrath and Tanis Fink of HLLR, and Marilyn Crawford and Virginia Roy of OCLS are meeting periodically as the HLLR/OCLS Joint Task Force to discuss strategic initiatives that are aligned with the strategic plans of both HLLR and OCLS, and that will contribute to our mutual goal of strengthening the Ontario college library collaborative.
  • Additionally, a number of research projects approved by HLLR, and designed to build on the collaborative achievements of the college libraries, are in progress: eResource Accessibility Audit; Licensing Portal Project; College Library Staff Skills Audit; and an Environmental Scan with a focus on the impact on college libraries of emerging online digital learning technologies and digital media including the potential impact of Open Educational Resources (OERs).
Enhance Services. Build Capacity.
  • Phase 1 of ERMA has been launched, adding efficiencies for both OCLS and the college libraries with value-added services and tools for managing the growing volume of eResources licenses acquired by the college libraries. To assist the college library staff in using the tools to their best advantage, the eResources team has developed and is conducting a number of training modules focusing on tips and tricks for using ERMA and EVE.
  • A joint task force with HLLR was established in May to develop and implement a Digital Library Services portal with OntarioLearn. On September 6th, for the beginning of the fall semester, HLLR, OCLS and OntarioLearn launched the first phase of the Ontario Colleges Digital Library (OCDL). Read about the launch in the OntarioLearn newsletter and the OCLS news post.
  • The OCDL task force also recently launched a new OCDL YouTube channel to integrate and provide another point of access to learning objects that are being created by the college libraries. Additional information on the channel can be found in this OCLS news post.
OCLS Cataloguing WorkFlow Publication
by the Bibliographic Standards Working Group

OCLS and the Bibliographic Standards Working Group are proud to announce the release of the OCLS Cataloguing Workflow written in support of resource description for shared college library initiatives and the maintenance of the Colleges Union Catalogue (CUC). The workflow is a comprehensive reference and training document that includes all current consortia standards and policies as it relates to the CUC. It has been designed to accommodate multiple formats, inform the various levels of cataloguing done at the colleges (copy, derivative and original cataloguing), and work alongside the Recommended minimum level for Bibliographic records accepted in the Colleges' Union Catalogue (CUC) RDA version. The OCLS Cataloguing Workflow is accompanied by a quickstep guide for ease of use, and includes reference resources, tools, and documents from the Joint RDA Subcommittee's RDA Awareness Campaign.

RDA implementation has brought significant change for cataloguing practice through the colleges and internationally, and one of the aims of the OCLS Cataloguing Workflow is to help ease this transition.
While the workflow really is aimed at teaching cataloguers how to describe resources using RDA, the intent is also to familiarize cataloguers with metadata compatible with future linked environments. With a WEMI design structure that highlights RDA's underlying FRBR model, an emphasis is placed on describing discrete metadata elements rather than records, using authorized access points, identifiers and above all, joining these things with relationships.

Read the press release for further details. 
Student Projects Go Digital at Fleming College
by Marcia Steeves, Copyright Technician

Fleming College launched a digital repository this Fall, supported by the OCLS CORe project, which has been met with great enthusiasm from participating faculty and students.

The repository collection consists of "Project Management" and "Culture and Heritage" student projects, retrievable by a user friendly interface. Using program specific subject words, students are able to identify past projects by business or project type. Insights from past projects often help students find their footing more quickly while working on applied projects in the community. Culture and Heritage students can use past projects for their own applied research in the field. With online access it also means that our students interning in Europe or other countries around the world will have access to the same information as their colleagues interning locally in the community.
 
Moving forward, faculty from a number of areas are working with library staff to develop additional collections including student projects, academic photo collections, and more. Fleming looks forward to the opportunities the CoRE project will bring to the library and, most importantly, to our students.
Ontario Colleges Digital Library (OCDL) Goes Live
On September 8, 2015, the Ontario Colleges Digital Library (OCDL) launched in the  OntarioLearn portal. The OCDL provides library services and support to the over 70,000 students who take online courses through OntarioLearn. Over time, and with the collective efforts of the publicly funded college libraries in Ontario, the OCDL will grow to provide access to a suite of eresources and learning objects that will support the needs of online learners.
On November 2, The OCDL Learning Objects sub-committee launched the  Ontario Colleges Digital Library YouTube Channel. It is a showcase of the current information literacy work going on at Ontario college libraries. The channel has two main areas:
  • Subscriptions which link to all Ontario College Libraries that currently have a YouTube Channel
  • Playlists which house relevant videos from these colleges according to three themes:
    • Understanding Citation Styles
    • All about Academic Honesty
    • How to do Research
askON Launches TEXT Service and New Platform

On September 8, askON launched its askON TEXT service and fully transitioned from the LivePerson platform to the LibraryH3lp platform. The new LibraryH3lp platform allows for askON staff to provide integrated chat and text service in one web-based platform.

The askON service has been having a fantastic Fall, welcoming Lambton College library to the collaborative, and experiencing record-breaking stats with an increase of 37% of traffic in September and 53% in October. Also in these first two months, visitors have rated askON service as "excellent" and "good" in 90% of 125 exit survey responses.

Are You Planning to Attend OLA? 
Hold the date! OCLS' annual OLA project-roundup breakfast will be held on January 29, 2016. More details and registration to follow.

Ontario Colleges Library Service 74 Gervais Drive, Toronto, Ontario, M3C 1Z3 1-800-268-5560
STAY CONNECTED: