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askON is a collaborative online chat service
designed to help students locate information for
their research. Under this
Knowledge Ontario
initiative, 14 post-secondary
libraries commit some staff
time to provide equitable
access to reference service
for Ontario college and
university students.
Through LRC involvement,
Conestoga students benefit by 26 additional hours
of reference service provided by information
experts during evening / weekend periods when
the LRC is closed. Students can access the service
from anywhere by simply clicking on the askON
icon located on every page of the LRC’s website.
Since joining last September, Conestoga students
have demonstrated their appreciation of the
service by consistently ranking highest in volume
of questions asked, compared to other colleges
that joined at the same time. In surveys, our
students rate their satisfaction level as very high
for the help received.
Grace Carruthers, Linda St. John, and Chris
Woodley staff this very active service for the LRC.
Over the past term, askON answered nearly 5,000
questions from students across Ontario. As askON
further expands and more libraries join the
collaboration, additional LRC staff will be trained
to provide this valuable service.
Instructors sometimes ask, “What can the Library
do for my students?” That question brings to mind
Hodding Carter’s deceptively simple thoughts on
our contribution to the next generation: “There
are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give
our children. One is roots; the other, wings.”
Our job in the LRC is to work with faculty and
other College service partners to strengthen both
foundation and wings so that graduates leave well
equipped with the many life skills needed to find
success along their chosen flight paths.
While we take this responsibility seriously, we
know that a light touch makes learning a happy
experience and makes LRC staff more
approachable and even more productive.
Every so often a student takes a moment to
acknowledge our efforts:
“You guys rock.” Mechanical Engineering student at the Circulation Desk
Doesn’t get much better than that.
We enthusiastically share with you our activities
and accomplishments over the past year. It has
been an enjoyable and rewarding ride.
Linda Schneider LRC Manager
May, 2009
Reflections
08/09 Numbers
556,337 visits to LRC
Seating capacity 515
80 computers with 15-
seat Instructional Lab;
11 laptops for loan
16,019 users of 5
bookable meeting /
seminar rooms and 4
viewing rooms
17,627 items loaned
24,608 questions
answered (up 32%)
LRC Participates in Provincial askON Virtual Reference Service
Annual Review 2008/9
Library Resource Centre
The Bullpen: students in the group work zone.
Year in Review Highlights
22% increase in traffic volume in the LRC
71% increase in instructional workshops
Refreshed media resources: 253 DVDs added
28 additional computer workstations installed
Participated in planning and rollout of presen-
tation technologies to classrooms (DVPs, etc.)
Operating hours increased by 8 per week
Open House attracted 115 employees
Implemented name change to “Library”
Joined provincial askON chat service
2 newsletters launched: infusion for Nursing;
the briefcase for Business programs
Contents
Reflections
Highlights
askON
The Numbers
1
Statistics
Expenditures
Moving Forward
Donations
2
Information Literacy
New E-Resources
Student Assistants
Student Projects
3
Events & Activities
Open House Album
Reaching Out
4
LRC Staff
Contacts
5
Reflections
page 2
Statistics
Moving Forward in the New Fiscal Year
Redesign public service and office spaces for maximum effectiveness
Plan for future expansion
Revitalize the LRC Program Advisory Committee
Increase integration of Information Literacy into the classroom
Develop more 24/7 access online tutorials using Captivate software
Explore Video Streaming for most-used media resources
Upgrade sound and controls in older classroom installations
Recruit an Information Services Coordinator
Increase askON training and hours of service
Rejuvenate the Reference collection
Link electronic books in the library catalogue for easier access
Investigate and select alternative service providers for cataloguing
and acquisitions functions
Participate in LibQual quality assessment to benchmark with other
Ontario College libraries
Suggestions welcome!
“I’ve never seen a library so vibrant.”
PEQAB Assessor
Expenditures 2008/9 by Resource Format
Donations
Sincere appreciation
to all the faculty and staff who continue to build LRC collections
with your generous donations
of academic books and fiction paperbacks.
"I need to use my most important investigative tool - my library card."
Detective Bobby Goren
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Electronic Resources
50%
Media Resources
11%
New Books23%
Print Journal Subscriptions
16%
Budget Allocation
Electronic Resources
50%
Media Resources
11%
New Books23%
Print Journal Subscriptions
16%
Budget Allocation
Year-over-Year Comparison
2006/7 2007/8 2008/9
Traffic Count 346,250 456,050 556,337
Reference Questions 12,781 18,656 24,608
Instructional Workshops 87 149 255
page 3
“I have noticed
a big change in
students’
attitudes to the
school once
they learn how
to access
information,
evaluate it, and
use it
appropriately
for their
assignments.”
Communications
Instructor
7:45 a.m. The keyboards come alive with early
morning activity in the LRC, September, 2008.
Thanks !
Visit the LRC Website
to discover a
wide range
of e-resources
that offer
24/7 access
to the
best information.
Information Literacy Q&A
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
Information Literacy# Sessions 2007/2008 # Sessions 2008/2009
Total # of Instructional Workshops
In 2008/9, the number of sessions we provided in-
creased by 71% over the previous year. We reached
5,912 students, a jump of 64%.
Who do we see most often? Health Sciences and
Business continue to be the biggest users of our IL
services, booking the most sessions each semester.
Biggest increase? Over the past year, the number of
sessions provided for students in Engineering and in
Trades doubled!
What does the future look like? Read our
Comprehensive Plan for Information Literacy to see
where we will focus our efforts over the next two
years. One priority will be to provide more Informa-
tion Literacy instruction online.
Student Projects
Conestoga students used LRC processes as case
studies for their assignments:
Value Stream Mapping (Business Admin - Materials &
Operations Management / Advanced Purchasing)
Acquisitions System Development Project (Computer
Applications Development)
Writing a User Manual: Library Database Interfaces
(Information Technology Support Services / Technical
Writing)
We also sponsored practicums for Library Technician
students from Seneca and Mohawk Colleges.
LRC Student Assistants 08/09
Library Assistants Computing Support
Nicole Alva Robert Gissing
Maria Fermin Mike Kroutil
Leanne Forrester
Robin Goodfellow
Rebecca Pastora
Melanie Peters
Sehar Rizwan
Naroon Shah
New E-Resources
Access Engineering e-Books (formerly Digital Engineering Library)
Safari e-Books Technology Collection
LexisNexis Academic (business/legal) and QuickLaw
Scott’s Directory of Manufacturers, Industry and B2B
Reference Canada
Science Direct (full-text journals in Social/Health Sciences)
Natural Standard (alternative & complementary medicine)
Directory of Foundations and Grants
RefWorks (citation manager)
360Search (cross-database search engine)
Free, from Knowledge Ontario, some databases added to the
dozens already available are:
Automotive Repair Reference Centre
Canadian Points of View
Student Resource Centre, Canadian edition
Teen Health and Wellness
Information Literacy (IL) is a “set of skills needed to
find, retrieve, analyze, and use information”
(Association of College & Research Libraries, 2006).
These skills are not just about how to use a library or
how to find certain resources; rather, they form a basis
for lifelong learning.
What do we do? By faculty request, the LRC’s four
Program Liaisons and Information Literacy Consultant
provide specific course and assignment oriented in-
structional workshops for Conestoga students at all
campuses.
What does IL instruction mean for our students? It
isn’t a single encounter with the Library but a series of
interactions that assist in developing a student’s infor-
mation literacy competency.
Often it begins when a Program Liaison is invited to a
class to discuss the research process and to identify
resources relevant to a specific assignment. Students
learn the value of these sources for their coursework
and where to access additional help when they need it.
These skills are reinforced each time students seek
help in the Library or a Liaison visits their class.
page 4
LRC Open House June 19, 2008
Photo
Album
Events & Activities
LRC staff were involved in these
College and in-Library activities:
Alumni Varsity Golf Tournament
CSI Idol / Polar Plunge
E3 Copyright Session
Explore Conestoga
Faculty Orientations
Fines Amnesty Week
International Education Week
Leadership Café
LRC Open House
Obama Inauguration Screening
Orientation Weeks and Phase 3
Student Life Job Fair
We have appreciated opportunities to
partner with Student Life to help
promote the Respect Campaign and
with Writing Services to develop and
present a workshop on APA Style.
Reaching Out
LRC staff actively serve on the following:
Tessa Dueck Wellington Waterloo Dufferin Health Library Network (Secretary)
Ontario Learning Resources for Nursing (OLRN) Planning Committee
Anita Fortes Wilkinson Linda St. John Women’s Resources Committee Disability Services Advisory
Tuition Assistance Committee
Hélène Côté Christopher Woodley College Council askON Site Coordinators
Bert Last Atrium Planning Committee HAVOC (Help - Audio Visual - Ontario Colleges)
Susan Lee BiblioNet Planning Group
OPAC Users Group
Ontario College Libraries Cataloguing Committee
Trish Green OLRN Planning Committee (Chair)
Ontario College & University Library Association (OCULA) Executive Mem-
ber as Ontario Library Association (OLA) Super Conference Co-Planner
Linda Schneider Learning Commons Advisory Committee
Celebrating Cultural Diversity Committee
Career Advising Committee
Support Staff Agreement / Employment Stability Committees Ontario Colleges Heads of Libraries & Learning Resources (Vice Chair)
OLRN Steering Committee
askON Marketing Task Force
From our Guest Book
“Appreciate your hospitality and
excellent support.”
“Great resources. Wonderful
environment. Good munchies.”
“Nice opportunity to explore.”
“Great spirit and positive energy.”
page 5
Front row, from left: Susan Lee, Lindsay Gulanes, Linda Schneider
Back row, from left: Hélène Côté, Bert Last, Trish Green, Grace
Carruthers, Sue Czubak
And, pictured elsewhere …
Anita Fortes Wilkinson, Linda St. John, Donna Snyder,
Shannon Matthews, Tessa Dueck, Mandy Macfie,
Christopher Woodley, Tara Harvie
We couldn’t do it without our Part-Time Technicians ...
Evelyn Hansen, Jenny Smith, Tina Rol
LRC Staff Directory
Learning from Students in the LRC
ELS students demonstrate the fine art and mechanics
of using chopsticks to Trish Green (r.), Information
Literacy Consultant, during Plugging into the Global
Community Week, March, 2009.
Conestoga College ITAL
299 Doon Valley Drive
Room 2B18
Kitchener, ON N2G 4M4
Tel: 519 748 5220 x3361
Fax: 519 748 3538
E-mail:
Library Resource Centre
Our Staff
Halloween 2008
Above: Library Technician Hélène Côté (r.)
shares un bon moment avec les étudiantes.
Below: What Not to Wear at the Information
Desk; Technicians Tara
“hula” Harvie (l.) and
Chris “mojo” Woodley.
www.conestogac.on.ca/lrc
Last, but not least …
Bert Last,
Audio-Visual Technologist,
is a recipient of Conestoga’s
2008 Customer Service
Employee Recognition Award.
LRC Mission
We support and enrich
learning, teaching, and research
at Conestoga.
"I really didn't realize the librarians were,
you know, such a dangerous group. …
You think they're just sitting at the desk, all quiet and
everything. They're like plotting the revolution, man.
I wouldn't mess with them."
Michael Moore BuzzFlash interview
Student Assistant Mike Kroutil (l.) enjoys
helping fellow students (and LRC staff) with
complex computing questions.
