Happy Retirement Patrick Ellis!

June 16, 2016 Marlo MacKay

We said, “Happy retirement, we’ll miss you!” to the one and only Patrick Ellis yesterday. Patrick worked for the Dalhousie Libraries for 36 years, and retired as Associate University Librarian Resources and Head of the W. K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library.

Patrick’s tireless hard work, passion for libraries, and good humour have been an inspiration to all of us here at the Dalhousie Libraries. Have a wonderful retirement Patrick, we hope it includes lots of drum playing and family time. Thank you for everything you’ve accomplished for the Dalhousie Libraries and all the lives you’ve touched.

A Collections Update from the Dalhousie Libraries

May 27, 2016 Marlo MacKay

The Dalhousie Libraries are implementing a journal subscription cost reduction program in 2016/17. We will be consulting with faculty and students before we make any changes.

The Dalhousie Libraries’ collections budget will increase by two per cent in 2016/17; however, vendors and publishers continue to increase prices of subscriptions on average by more than two per cent annually. While we are thankful that the collections budget is protected from cuts and we are receiving a two percent budget increase, the budget is still not sufficient to keep up with the rising costs of subscriptions.

In addition to the annual inflation of subscription costs from publishers, 85 per cent of the materials the Dalhousie Libraries purchase are priced in US dollars. When the Canadian dollar drops a penny, the Libraries lose $100,000 in buying power. We are very fortunate that Dalhousie provides additional funds to recover most of the buying power we lose due to the low Canadian dollar.

We will be spending approximately $7 million on collections in the 2016/17 academic year. Despite both the two per cent budget increase and the additional funds from Dalhousie to cover the low buying power of the Canadian dollar, we anticipate a collections budget shortfall in 2016/17 if we were to maintain the same level of subscriptions. The University requires each unit to balance the budget and we cannot run a deficit.

All current subscriptions are under review and we will be gathering input from faculty and students through surveys and discussions as we make decisions together about which subscriptions to retain. In evaluating subscriptions for retention we are considering user input, usage data, bibliometric data, impact to the curriculum, impact to research, content duplication, and cost.

Roughly half of the Libraries’ collections budget supports large, expensive journal and database subscriptions. These journal packages—“big deals”—bundle together hundreds of journals appealing to a wide variety of disciplines at a discounted price. In these packages, lesser-used titles are often bundled with more popular, heavily used resources, driving up both the number of titles in each package, as well as the cost. Despite the discounts, packages cost between $7,000 and more than $1.4 million each, annually. A team of Dalhousie librarians has been evaluating these subscriptions since January to identify potential cost savings. One of these packages is up for renewal this fall: Taylor & Francis, which contains approximately 2,000 titles.

The Libraries routinely review subscriptions to make sure that we work within our budget while providing students and faculty with appropriate learning, teaching, and research materials. Given the anticipated budget shortfall, librarians will be consulting extensively with faculty and students this summer and fall to identify which titles from the Taylor & Francis package should be retained. If a subscription to a particular title is cancelled, specific articles will still be available to users through other databases or through the Libraries’ Document Delivery service. As a result, we don’t anticipate leaving library users without access to content they need.

You may be asked to complete more than one survey as part of this review since we are looking for your input both on the Taylor & Francis package, a large electronic resource covering multiple disciplines, and on discipline-specific subscriptions for the Killam and Kellogg Libraries. Your response on both surveys is valuable to us and we appreciate your participation in this process.

We will provide regular updates on the Libraries’ blog the LibVine, and on the Collection Management webpage.

Dalhousie Liaison Librarians and Associate University Librarians attend your departmental and faculty council meetings regularly, and we are pleased to make presentations, answer questions, and hear concerns at these meetings, or at special meetings, at your request. We also present collections information at various Library Advisory Committee meetings. If your Faculty doesn’t have a Library Advisory Committee, please let me know if you would like to set one up.

Please contact us if you have questions about the Dalhousie Libraries’ collections budget or about journal subscriptions at Dalhousie.

Donna Bourne-Tyson
University Librarian

Donna.bourne-tyson@dal.ca

Last Day to Access ClinicalKey Is May 31

May 26, 2016 Marlo MacKay

In follow up to our previous announcement regarding ClinicalKey, the W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library has cancelled ClinicalKey. Thank you to all who provided feedback.

The last day to access ClinicalKey will be May 31, 2016.

ClinicalKey has two main components: journals and ebooks. About 90 per cent of the journals included in ClinicalKey are duplicates of titles the Dal Libraries already subscribe to in another Elsevier package. A portion of the funds saved by cancelling the ClinicalKey subscription will be used to purchase replacement ebooks, phased in over two budget years.

Over the next six weeks, liaison librarians will review titles identified as most relevant to the curricula in consultation with faculty. The Resources team will then purchase replacement ebooks and, in a few cases, print books. More information about library collections is available here: http://libraries.dal.ca/collection/collection_management.html

Donna Bourne-Tyson Reappointed University Librarian

May 17, 2016 Marlo MacKay

Donna Bourne-Tyson has been reappointed University Librarian for a five-year term until October 31, 2021.

“Donna is widely recognized for her many strengths as a library leader and for her significant professional contributions at Dalhousie,” says Dr. Carolyn Watters, Provost and Vice-President Academic. “Her achievements during her first term have been impressive, leading changes that have resulted in a greater sense of the Dalhousie Libraries as a cohesive entity. Donna is recognized as a committed, well-informed, and collegial contributor to Dalhousie-wide initiatives. Her work with professional consortia and associations has raised the profile of the Dalhousie Libraries amongst Canada’s research library community. Donna is a strong advocate for her staff and the ways by which they support students and faculty—she has greatly enhanced the professional development opportunities for a wide range of librarians and library staff.”

Since taking over leadership of the Dalhousie University Libraries in November 2011, Donna has been instrumental in collaborations between the Libraries and the Centre for Learning and Teaching and Information Technology Services, which now collectively maintain and support Dal’s learning management system. She has contributed to Dalhousie initiatives in areas including information governance, student success, open access, records management, and research data management.

Under Donna’s leadership, a restructured leadership team and new Library Council was put in place, and system-wide positions have been created including Digital Archivist, Data Librarian, Copyright and Digital Humanities Librarian, Collections Strategy Librarian, and Learning and Instruction Librarian. Other librarians have developed expertise in addition to their Liaison Librarian roles, including Assessment and User Experience, Digital Scholarship, Research Data Management, Knowledge Synthesis, and Liaison Librarian Development.

She supports provincial, regional, and national consortial relationships, supporting initiatives such as Borrow Anywhere, Return Anywhere, and One Book Nova Scotia. She is vice-president/president-elect of the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL), vice-chair of CAUL, a past-chair of Novanet and past vice-chair/chair of the executive for the Canadian Research Knowledge Network (CRKN). Donna represented CRKN on the Leadership Council for Digital Infrastructure and was a member of the steering committee for the 2014 LCDI Summit in Ottawa.

Four of the five Dalhousie libraries have undergone significant renovations under Donna’s leadership, as well as the construction of two new learning commons: the Wallace McCain Learning Commons and the Kellogg Library Learning Commons.

In addition to these accomplishments, Donna has encouraged innovation, creative thinking, and risk-taking. The Dal Libraries were the first university library in Canada to offer both 3D printing and a Seed Library. Staff from the Dalhousie Libraries have since assisted other libraries to launch their own similar services by sharing their expertise in these areas.

“I am buoyed by the accomplishments of my colleagues in the Dalhousie Libraries and encouraged by the response we are receiving from other across the university. I am fortunate to work with smart, dedicated, and collaborative colleagues and I look forward to working with them over the next five years to achieve our shared goals,” said Bourne-Tyson.

Donna completed her Master of Library and Information Studies at Dalhousie and holds an MA in English literature from the University of Western Ontario. Prior to assuming the role of University Librarian at Dalhousie, she was the University Librarian at Mount Saint Vincent University.

The University Librarian Review Committee unanimously recommended Donna Bourne-Tyson’s reappointment.

The Survey of Household Spending 2013 (SHS)

May 8, 2016 Marlo MacKay

The Survey of Household Spending (SHS) 2013 is now available for use by researchers in the Atlantic Research Data Centre.

The SHS primarily collects detailed information on household expenditures. It also collects information about the annual income of household members (from administrative data files), demographic characteristics of the household, certain dwelling characteristics (e.g., type, age and tenure) and certain information on household equipment (e.g., electronics and communications equipment). The survey is conducted annually in the 10 provinces and usually every other year in the territories.

The SHS combines a questionnaire with recall periods based on the type of expenditure (1, 3 or 12 months, last payment, four weeks) and a daily expenditure diary that selected households complete for two weeks following the interview. As well, data collection is continuous throughout the year. The survey adjusts collection methods and reference periods to accommodate respondents’ ability to provide accurate information. In general, longer reference periods are used for goods and services that are more expensive or purchased infrequently or irregularly. On the contrary, shorter reference periods are used for goods and services that are of less value or purchased frequently or at regular intervals. SHS data are used at Statistics Canada by the System of National Accounts, in particular as input to calculate the gross domestic product (GDP). The data also helps to update the proportions (weights) of the Consumer Price Index (CPI). In addition, many federal and provincial government departments and ministries use the data to develop social and economic policies and programs. Various groups use them to address issues directly or indirectly related to Canadians’ spending habits.

For more information on The Survey of Household Spending 2013: http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=3508

For more information on the ARDC and application procedures: www.atlanticresearchdatacentre.dal.ca

ardc@dal.ca
902-494-1545

Proposed cancellation of ClinicalKey

May 6, 2016 Michele Charlton

Along with the other libraries in the Dalhousie University Libraries system, the W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library will have a significant collections budget shortfall for 2016-17. Reducing book purchases and spending endowment funds will help reduce the shortfall, but additional cancellations will be required.

We are in the process of cancelling ClinicalKey as our first step toward balancing the 2016-17 budget.

ClinicalKey, an Elsevier product, has two main components: journals and ebooks. This subscription cost more than $100,000 CAD in 2015/16 and was the second most expensive item on our budget.

The majority of journals included in ClinicalKey are duplicates of titles the University Libraries already subscribe to in another Elsevier package.

The ebooks portion of ClinicalKey is required to support the Health professions and Medical curricula is well used, and provides unlimited access to students. To date, the vendor has not been able to provide a model that would allow us to subscribe to just the ebook portion.

In order to support the curricula, a portion of the funds saved by cancelling the ClinicalKey subscription will be repurposed to purchase ebooks. Replacement of the required ebooks will be phased in over two budget years.

Over the next six weeks liaison librarians will review titles identified as most relevant to the curricula in consultation with faculty. The Resources team will then purchase replacement ebooks and, in a few cases, print books.

Although ClinicalKey is a large, well-known education resource for Medicine and the Health Professions, we must be good stewards of the Dalhousie Collections funds while also meeting our user needs. Due to the increased annual renewal cost, the duplication of journal content, and the unfavorable currency exchange rate, we are making this difficult choice. The contingency plan outlined here will fill in the collection gaps left by the absence of this product.

Deadline for comments regarding this decision: 5 pm Friday, May 13, 2016. Please send your comments to: Patrick Ellis or Ann Barrett at Kellogg.Library@Dal.Ca

Book launch: Ian Colford’s new novel

May 5, 2016 Marlo MacKay

The Dalhousie Libraries’ Ian Colford has published another novel. Ian, who is based in the Sexton Design & Technology Library, is the Librarian for Architecture, Planning & Engineering and the Digital Services Coordinator. His newest novel is called Perfect World, and it will be launched in Halifax in a joint event with Christy Ann Conlin. The launch will take place on Tuesday, May 31 at the Company House (2202 Gottingen St.) starting at 7 p.m.

Ian’s publisher, Freehand Books, describes Perfect World as tragic and hopeful. It is a story about a man who has “created the perfect world for himself…but then, his mental instability causes him to commit a terrifying act of violence.” Reviewer Corey Redekop says, “Perfect World is unflinching in its presentation of a mind slowly unraveling. Perceptively charting one man’s lonely struggle against an inexorable foe, Ian Colford captures the stark complexities of mental illness like few others. At times brutal yet always deeply compassionate, Perfect World is a wonder.”

Previously, Ian has published a novel, The Crimes of Hector Tomás, and a book of short stories, Evidence. Ian won an Alberta Book Publishing Award for The Crimes of Hector Tomás and the Margaret & John Savage First Book Award for Evidence.

“This is a story about human frailty that show us how important it is to cherish what we have every minute of the day,” says Ian, of Perfect World.

Don’t miss your chance to hear Ian read from this new book, and be sure to pick up a copy of his novel (for sale by The Bookmark) while you are at the launch. Congratulations from all of your colleagues at the Dalhousie Libraries!

More information about Ian’s new book can be found here: http://www.freehand-books.com/books/perfect-world

Brutalist Song II: presented by William Robinson

May 3, 2016 Marlo MacKay

William Robinson, the 2013 artist-in-residence at the Killam Memorial Library, is presenting Brutalist Song II in the Killam atrium on Sunday, May 8. Performances will be thirty minutes each at 2, 3, 4, and 5 p.m.

During his 2013 residency, William developed a sculpture of the Killam that played a “song” as it turned past a sensor. The project was called Brutalist Song, the title referring to the style of architecture of the Killam. Inspired by the building and his time here, William has since developed Brutalist Song II. This presentation involves sculpture and sound, featuring multiple musicians playing horns and an electric organ.

William Robinson lives and works in Halifax. His practice includes a variety of media such as site-specific installation, performance, video, musical composition, sculpture and printed matter. His ongoing research explores how sound and music can extricate social and historical narratives resting dormant within particular sites and built environments. He has exhibited nationally and internationally, having shown in New York, Bergen, and Berlin, as well as in Toronto at Nuit Blanche and in Halifax at Nocturne

Currently he is investigating the material, cultural, and sonic transmutation of certain metal objects and their related manufacturing processes. William is a recipient of a Canada Council for the Arts Audio Research Grant (2016) and he has been long-listed for the Sobey Art Award for the Atlantic region (2016).

William Robinson’s official website.

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